From 2015, Dr Pecchia along with the European Alliance for Medical and Biological Engineering & Science (EAMBES), the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE), Heatlh Technology Division and WHO, supported two MEPs: Nicala Caputo and Lara Comi in tabling a parlamentary question to the European Commision to recognise Biomedical Engineering profession.

Today, a step more towards the BME recognition... BME has been included in the ESCO database.

The IFMBE is an NGO in official relation with WHO. As such, it is called to participate to the WHO General Assembly (GA) and provide inputs presenting amendments, according to the WHO GA Agenda. The IFMBE delegates to the WHO is Prof Marc Nyssen, IFMBE Treasurers, which prepare amendments, collecting inputs by IFMBE AC members and Division Chairs. HTAD Chair Dr Pecchia participated to this discussion and to the drafting of the IFMBE amendments. This year was particular important as the draft of the WHO thirteenth general programme of work, 2019–2023”.

Two amendments were presented.

The International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences (IUPESM) is the umbrella organization for the International Organization for Medical Physics (IOMP) and International Federation of Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE). This union is regarded as the world scientific society for biomedical engineering and medical physics and federates more than 100 national societies from all the 6 continents, and the main transnational societies such as IEEE EMBSor EAMBES.

Each 3-years, the IUPESM organizes the World Congress on Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering, which this year was in Prague (WC2018).

This was the first time that the University of Warwick was so well and successfullyrepresented in this important event!

Dr Leandro Pecchia, ABSPIE Director, participating to the meeting the First IFMBE African Biomedical Engineering (BME) Forum, (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2nd - 3th March, 2018). This was a kick-off meeting of the first African Scientific Society of BME.

The meeting was attended by 12 Sub Saharian Africa Countries: Ashenafi Hussein, Ethiopia; Guy Claude Nkundabahizi, Burundi; Prince Verhoustraeten, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Kelly Maint, Mali; Sudesh Sivarasu , South Africa; George Boadu, Ghana; Prince M. O. Mbah, Nigeria; Sam Byamukama, Uganda; Samwel Hhayuma, Tanzania; Salome Mwaura, Kenya; Kouemo Tchokodjeu Emmanuel, Cameroun; Roland Laleye, Benin.

Also IFMBE participation was extraordinary: Prof James GOH (Singapore, IFMBE President), Prof Ratko MAGJAREVIC (Croatia, IFMBE Past President), Prof Kang-Ping LIN (Taiwan, IFMBE Secretary-General), Prof Marc NYSSEN (Belgium, Treasurer), Prof Mário Forjaz SECCA (Mozambique, Developing Countries Working Group), Dr Pecchia Leandro (UK, Chair of the IFMBE Health Technology Assessment Division).

The two-day meeting was hosted from the Ethiopian Ministry of Science and Technology (Day 1) and from Africa Unite (day 2), demonstrating the huge support from African Institutions, which clearly see that BME and healthcare technologies represent an outstanding and unprecedented opportunity to reinforce social and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Regions.

This is the first time such a huge number of African scientific societies of biomedical engineers and technicians meet together to share their vision and draft a possible strategy.

The main outcome of the meeting was the decision to create an interim IFMBE African Working Group, which will pave the way to the establishment of a permanent working group, during the forthcoming IFMBE World Congress. The group, Chaired from Dr Ashenafi Hussien, will focus on several action points, including: reinforce networking among African and international BMEs and Technicians, using also social media; harmonize BME&T education in the region; promote BME&T research and Innovation; promote dialogue between BME&Ts and National and International Institutions; disseminate and promote African BME&T activities in the world.

During the meeting, Dr Pecchia presented the results of the African field studies performed as cooperation among WHO, IFMBE and ABSPIE (University of Warwick) cooperation, supported by the EPSRC Warwick Impact Accelerator Award.

The 21st of October 2017, the world celebrates the Clinical Engineering with the II Global Clinical Engineering Day (#GlobalCEDay)!

For the second year in a row, the University of Warwick has contributed to this important event.

Last year, Prof Dan Clark and Dr Leandro Pecchia organized a talk here in Warwick, which was broadcasted worldwide during the 1^st #GlobalCEDay.

This year, Dr Leandro Pecchia participated with a short talk title “Bridging the gap between HTA and Clinical Engineering”.The 21st of October 2017, the world celebrates the Clinical Engineering with the II Global Clinical Engineering Day (#GlobalCEDay)!

For the second year in a row, the University of Warwick has contributed to this important event.

Last year, Prof Dan Clark and Dr Leandro Pecchia organized a talk here in Warwick, which was broadcast worldwide during the 1^st #GlobalCEDay

You can follow the event on the #GlobalCEDay website.

This year, Dr Leandro Pecchia participated with a short talk title “Bridging the gap between HTA and Clinical Engineering”, which is avaliable online.