ABSPIE lab members influence extends across numerous European and International activities:

International

• IUPESM: Dr Pecchia is the General Secretary of the International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine (IUPESM).
• IFMBE: Dr Pecchia is the Treasurer of the Clinical Engineering Division and has served the IFMBE HTA Division as Chairman (2015-2018) and Treasurer (2012-2015).
• EAMBES: Dr Pecchia is the Elected President of the European Alliance for Medical and Biological Engineering & Science (EAMBES)
• AAATE: Dr Pagliara is the Treasurer of the Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe, elected in 2019 as Board Member (2020-21) and re-elected for 2022-23
• GLIC Italy: Dr Pagliara Advisory Board member (former Vice President) of the Italian Association of Assistive Technology Centres, board member elected in 2019 to 2021
• European Parliament: Dr Pecchia has been the Secretary of the first European Parliament Interest Group on Biomedical Engineering. (2015-2019) 
• WHO: as General Secretary of IUPESM and Treasurer of the CE Division, Dr Pecchia cooperate with the WHO in activities regarding the HTA of Medical Device for developed countries as well as for low- middle incomes ones, supported by the ABSPIE members (i.e. Luis Montesinos). In fact, the IFMBE is an ONG regognised by the UN. As such, it holds a seat in the General assembly of all the UN Agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO).
• The ABSPIE significantly contributed in the past few years to the organizations of internatioanl Conferences, including:
  • The International Symposium on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (ISAHP2016), which was Chaired by Dr Pecchia. All the ABSPIE PhD students contributed as tehcnical staff (linkLink opens in a new window).
  • The world congress on BME (WC2015, Toronto): Dr Pecchia was Chair of the “Track 13: Informatics in Health Care and Public Health” (linkLink opens in a new window)
  • The MEDICON2016, Cyprus: Dr Pecchia was Chair of the Track on “HTA and Clinical Engineering” (linkLink opens in a new window)
• The ABSPIE organized the First International Summer School on HTA, specifically designed for biomedical engineers and medical physicists. This school was supported by Warwick IAS, IFMBE HTAD, School of Engineering, GRP on technology and science in healthcare and organized in collaboration with the COST Action EMF-MEDLink opens in a new window (BM1309Link opens in a new window). Here further details: linkLink opens in a new window.
• Dr Pecchia has been supporting the European Commission JRC in the desing, validation and dissemination of the MAFEIP tool. Read details hereLink opens in a new window.
• Dr Pecchia as Chair of the Public Affair Working Group of the EAMBES (European scientific society of BMEs) and Chair of the IFMBE HTA Division, Dr Pecchia cooperate with the European Parliament to promote the role of BME in research, as profession and as stakeholder for the preparation and revision of European Regulations on medical devices. Since 2014, this activity resulted in the following achievements:
  • The first European report on BME social and economic impact, which for the first time stated that “Biomedical Engineering is not simply a subset of modern medicine, but modern medicine predominantly secures important advances through the use of the products of biomedical engineering”. European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) report on BME, April 2015 (linkLink opens in a new window).
  • Two parliamentary questions tabled by Ms Lara Comi and Mr Nicola Caputo, two Italians Parliamentary Members (MPs):
    • The former asking why, different to the USA, the Horizon 2020 vision does not have a dedicated space for BME (linkLink opens in a new window)
    • the latter asking why BME is not listed among the professions that the European Commission officially recognizes (linkLink opens in a new window)
  • The launch of the first Euro Parliament Interest Group on Biomedical Engineering (EPIG on BME), 31st of May, which aims work with the European Commission aiming to support the recognition of BME in Europe, starting from 3 working points (linkLink opens in a new window):
    • to insure that BME will be inserted in the next revision of the Professional Qualifications Directive, otherwise patient safety in hospital would remain uncertain and procurement not cost-effective;
    • to recognize BME scientific organization as official stakeholders in the Medical Devices Coordination Groups, which is the group responsible for medical devices legislation revision in Europe;
    • to recognize BME as an independent research area in Horizon 2020 and forthcoming funding schemes.