Biomedicine and Biomedical Science
Biomedicine, sometimes Biomedical Science (or “BioMed”), is
an academic field dedicated to the advancement of human medicine. It is a very
diverse discipline - offering students an opportunity to explore the biological
sciences and to work towards a career that can make a real difference in the
world.
Overview
Some people love to say, “At least you have your health.”
And biomedical science majors want to make sure it stays that way. Biomedical
science combines the fields of biology and medicine in order to focus on the
health of both animals and humans. As a biomedical science major, you’ll study
biochemical and physiological functions, anatomical and histological
structures, epidemiology, and pharmacology. You’ll learn how to both maintain
and promote health in humans and animals with knowledge in the basics of
nutrition, diseases, and immunology. Delve into fields such as cell and
molecular biology, parasitology, and toxicology, and emerge with hands-on
experience through laboratory work and research.
Majors in biomedical science are poised to make valuable
contributions to the fields of both biology and medicine—and many move on to
make discoveries in the field of biology that have important effects in the
medical world. While there are copious careers available to students who obtain
a Bachelor of Science degree, many students choose to pursue additional
education in professional or graduate school.
As a biomedical science major, you may go on to make
advancements in the study of cancer or AIDS, become involved in the research of
infectious diseases, or propel science toward improving the human condition in
any of hundreds of other ways. Get set to make a scientifically sound
difference in the health of living beings.
What is Biomedicine or Biomedical Science?
Biomedicine is a field of medical science in which
professionals apply biological and physiological principles to clinical
research and practice. Biomedical Science (Biomedicine) is the field of study
that focuses on the areas of biology and chemistry that are relevant to
healthcare. The discipline is very wide-ranging, and there are three general
areas of specialty – life sciences, physiological sciences, and bioengineering.
Careers in Biomedical Science are mostly research- and lab-based, with the aim
to improve and advance medical knowledge.
The broadness of this discipline gives graduates many
opportunities to specialise already during their studies, and thus offers many
career options. It is a very ‘real-world’ discipline. Biomedical scientists
regularly make headlines with advances in their fields, with results that you
can see first-hand. As a biomedical scientist, you might be growing embryos for
IVF, 3D-printing a heart, or finding a new medicine to fight cancer.
Biomedicine is the field where biology, chemistry, and changing the world meet.
A career in biomedicine is typically within the professional
health care or pharmaceutical industry. For those not interested in Clinical
careers, there are many opportunities for those with a biomedicine background
within policy and research, amongst a range of other fields.
Is there a difference between Biomedicine and Biomedical Sciences?
“Biomedicine” and “Biomedical Sciences” usually refer to the
same thing. Degree programmes might be named one or the other, but this is
mostly driven by how a university wants to present their curriculum to students
like you. To be sure about the course content, check a programme’s list of
mandatory and elective modules.
How is studying Biomedical Science different from Biotechnology?
Biomedical Science and Biotechnology (“BioTech”) or
Bioengineering overlap in many places, but they differ in their ultimate goal.
In Biomedicine, everything is aimed at medical applications, ranging from
diagnostics to research. In Biotechnology or Bioengineering, the end goal may
be more open, and your methods may be different. As a Biotechnologist, your
work can be aimed at agriculture, green energy, technology, food science, or
the environmental industry.
Top reasons for studying Biomedical Science
Choosing your course is a big decision and there is a lot of
information to take in. Here, put simply, are the three main reasons that make
studying Biomedicine a great choice:
- It’s very broad: BioMed is an incredibly diverse field. You will have the chance to explore lots of different areas of life science before choosing which path you want to take. Don’t specialise too early in your education, though, so as not to restrict your career and postgraduate options.
- It’s a desirable qualification: Many industries require biomedical scientists and the skills learned are highly transferable.
- You can make a real difference in the world: Advances in medicine, cures for diseases, environmental investigations - Biomedical scientists are at the forefront of it all!
Career options for Biomedicine
The careers available to you as a Biomedicine graduate are
as wide ranging as the subjects you can study during your degree programme.
Biomedical career paths are usually focused on research, analysis, or
development. You can choose to stay in academia and pursue a PhD, researching
and developing new diagnostic or medical treatments. Or you can go out into the
world and start an exciting career in the private sector. The sky's the limit!
Examples of careers you can have with a qualification in
Biomedical Sciences include:
- Research scientist: Make new discoveries and develop cures, treatments, and diagnostic techniques. Research scientists can work in nearly every industry, not just healthcare.
- Biotechnologist: Have a deep understanding of the building blocks of life. Use this knowledge to discover and develop novel uses and treatments for cells, tissues, and organs.
- Forensic scientist: Use science to identify and analyse evidence from accidents and crime scenes.
- Bioengineer: Build artificial organs, design machines and devices for healthcare.
- Lab Technician or Lab Manager: Run a laboratory and support researchers in their work.
- Toxicologist: Investigate toxins and their effects. Work in healthcare or help protect the environment.
- Virologist: Study, identify and fight viruses.
- Clinical scientist: Be able to test for and identify a wide range of samples, research and develop new techniques for diagnosing illnesses.
- Medical chemist: Be an expert in how medicines work, discover and develop new medicines.
- Microbiologist: Study and work with microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, algae, yeast, etc.
- Epidemiologist: Study and analyse how diseases spread and advise on how to contain and treat them.
- Phlebotomist: Know how to test blood for diagnostics, conduct transfusions, and take donations.
- Remember that this is just a small sample of the careers you can pursue with a qualification in Biomedical Science.
What are similar subjects I could study?
Biomedicine is a cross-disciplinary subject that not only
combines Biology, Chemistry, and Medicine, but also incorporates aspects of
many other subjects. Some of these may suit you better, depending on your
personal preferences:
- Medicine: If you want to interact with patients directly and help them get well, consider studying Medicine. Studying Medicine will make you an MD (Medical Doctor).
- Biology: Biology is an incredibly diverse science with many more areas to specialise in.
- Biotechnology / Bioengineering: Use Biology to explore and solve real-world issues in a range of industries.
- Biochemistry: For those who love Chemistry as much as they love Biology. Biochemistry is the study of chemical processes within the body.
- Life Sciences: Many universities offer degrees in what they call “Life Sciences”, and this is often a broad term for a variety of Biology-related subjects. Check the curricula to find something that excites you.
- Bioinformatics: Research in Biology often heavily relies on data. Bioinformatics is the science of handling and analysing large amounts of scientific data. Some universities also call this “Life Science Informatics”.
- Pharmacology / Pharmacy: If you are specifically interested in pharmaceutical applications and researching potential new medicines, this is your area.
Top 200 institutions in biomedical sciences
The table shows leading institutions ranked by their fractional
count (FC) in biomedical sciences from 2015 to 2018. Also listed are
institution's total number of biomedical science articles in the Nature Index
(AC 2015–2018) and the proportion of each institution's FC in biomedical
sciences relative to total FC from 2015 to 2018 (biomedical sciences %).
|
#Rank |
Institution |
Country/Region |
FC 2015- |
AC 2015- |
Biomedical sciences (%) |
|
1 |
United States of America (USA) |
2,312.65 |
5,619 |
71.9 % |
|
|
2 |
United States of America (USA) |
1,332.54 |
3,135 |
91.0 % |
|
|
3 |
China |
1,034.32 |
2,534 |
17.5 % |
|
|
4 |
United States of America (USA) |
1,027.41 |
2,348 |
42.8 % |
|
|
5 |
Germany |
991.32 |
2,654 |
35.0 % |
|
|
6 |
United States of America (USA) |
754.28 |
1,926 |
94.3 % |
|
|
7 |
United States of America (USA) |
748.50 |
1,533 |
57.3 % |
|
|
8 |
United States of America (USA) |
687.75 |
1,676 |
60.4 % |
|
|
9 |
United States of America (USA) |
680.75 |
1,792 |
53.1 % |
|
|
10 |
United Kingdom (UK) |
670.64 |
1,832 |
40.1 % |
|
|
11 |
United States of America (USA) |
666.86 |
1,536 |
32.9 % |
|
|
12 |
United Kingdom (UK) |
661.99 |
1,850 |
39.1 % |
|
|
13 |
United States of America (USA) |
622.68 |
1,515 |
50.7 % |
|
|
14 |
Canada |
613.14 |
1,488 |
50.7 % |
|
|
15 |
United States of America (USA) |
613.00 |
1,597 |
67.0 % |
|
|
16 |
United States of America (USA) |
590.67 |
1,381 |
43.9 % |
|
|
17 |
United States of America (USA) |
574.06 |
1,213 |
72.9 % |
|
|
18 |
United States of America (USA) |
552.66 |
1,360 |
44.0 % |
|
|
19 |
United States of America (USA) |
545.45 |
1,214 |
35.1 % |
|
|
20 |
United States of America (USA) |
518.58 |
1,383 |
47.1 % |
|
|
21 |
United States of America (USA) |
516.28 |
1,453 |
49.6 % |
|
|
22 |
The University of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern Medical Center) |
United States of America (USA) |
471.48 |
965 |
92.0 % |
|
23 |
United States of America (USA) |
467.96 |
1,127 |
60.8 % |
|
|
24 |
United States of America (USA) |
465.39 |
1,156 |
70.9 % |
|
|
25 |
Japan |
457.23 |
1,138 |
24.8 % |
|
|
26 |
United Kingdom (UK) |
435.72 |
1,371 |
57.5 % |
|
|
27 |
United States of America (USA) |
415.24 |
1,046 |
58.0 % |
|
|
28 |
United States of America (USA) |
408.67 |
885 |
34.2 % |
|
|
29 |
United States of America (USA) |
403.67 |
859 |
71.4 % |
|
|
30 |
United States of America (USA) |
401.74 |
781 |
40.8 % |
|
|
31 |
United States of America (USA) |
366.69 |
888 |
46.4 % |
|
|
32 |
United States of America (USA) |
356.00 |
770 |
94.9 % |
|
|
33 |
United States of America (USA) |
346.91 |
900 |
95.1 % |
|
|
34 |
Germany |
346.27 |
1,673 |
18.9 % |
|
|
35 |
United States of America (USA) |
335.88 |
987 |
96.0 % |
|
|
36 |
Switzerland |
330.67 |
781 |
22.4 % |
|
|
37 |
United States of America (USA) |
326.01 |
855 |
69.3 % |
|
|
38 |
China |
324.04 |
776 |
25.5 % |
|
|
39 |
United States of America (USA) |
324.01 |
821 |
60.1 % |
|
|
40 |
Canada |
314.91 |
840 |
50.9 % |
|
|
41 |
United States of America (USA) |
314.87 |
917 |
96.6 % |
|
|
42 |
Israel |
296.53 |
544 |
42.5 % |
|
|
43 |
United States of America (USA) |
287.89 |
572 |
28.9 % |
|
|
44 |
China |
275.22 |
675 |
22.4 % |
|
|
45 |
Germany |
269.61 |
984 |
36.8 % |
|
|
46 |
Japan |
265.10 |
696 |
22.9 % |
|
|
47 |
United States of America (USA) |
264.33 |
701 |
29.0 % |
|
|
48 |
United States of America (USA) |
262.58 |
867 |
97.1 % |
|
|
49 |
United Kingdom (UK) |
262.14 |
896 |
31.6 % |
|
|
50 |
United States of America (USA) |
260.35 |
546 |
27.0 % |
|
|
51 |
United States of America (USA) |
260.02 |
502 |
23.8 % |
|
|
52 |
United States of America (USA) |
259.90 |
483 |
25.0 % |
|
|
53 |
United States of America (USA) |
259.14 |
691 |
40.6 % |
|
|
54 |
Switzerland |
258.21 |
765 |
54.1 % |
|
|
55 |
United Kingdom (UK) |
257.62 |
778 |
55.7 % |
|
|
56 |
United States of America (USA) |
256.02 |
691 |
67.5 % |
|
|
57 |
Sweden |
247.10 |
932 |
92.9 % |
|
|
58 |
United States of America (USA) |
245.22 |
629 |
42.2 % |
|
|
59 |
United States of America (USA) |
242.99 |
697 |
45.4 % |
|
|
60 |
Denmark |
242.07 |
814 |
44.3 % |
|
|
61 |
University of Massachusetts
Medical School (UMass Medical School) |
United States of America (USA) |
231.38 |
553 |
95.6 % |
|
62 |
Japan |
226.97 |
778 |
40.3 % |
|
|
63 |
Japan |
221.90 |
607 |
29.6 % |
|
|
64 |
United States of America (USA) |
220.47 |
540 |
40.7 % |
|
|
65 |
China |
220.36 |
649 |
26.3 % |
|
|
66 |
United States of America (USA) |
220.16 |
1,380 |
93.5 % |
|
|
67 |
United States of America (USA) |
210.19 |
492 |
34.6 % |
|
|
68 |
United States of America (USA) |
207.79 |
540 |
42.7 % |
|
|
69 |
United Kingdom (UK) |
207.45 |
541 |
96.1 % |
|
|
70 |
United States of America (USA) |
205.28 |
577 |
48.0 % |
|
|
71 |
United Kingdom (UK) |
204.63 |
469 |
94.6 % |
|
|
72 |
Australia |
204.30 |
590 |
39.3 % |
|
|
73 |
United States of America (USA) |
201.38 |
486 |
24.8 % |
|
|
74 |
United States of America (USA) |
201.37 |
546 |
93.4 % |
|
|
75 |
Singapore |
201.01 |
727 |
23.8 % |
|
|
76 |
China |
198.62 |
505 |
21.0 % |
|
|
77 |
Israel |
193.01 |
456 |
42.4 % |
|
|
78 |
Canada |
190.49 |
526 |
37.1 % |
|
|
79 |
United States of America (USA) |
187.40 |
477 |
62.3 % |
|
|
80 |
University of Colorado
Anschutz Medical Campus (CU Anschutz) |
United States of America (USA) |
185.36 |
503 |
87.7 % |
|
81 |
Germany |
185.35 |
724 |
40.2 % |
|
|
82 |
Germany |
185.27 |
675 |
24.1 % |
|
|
83 |
South Korea |
185.25 |
478 |
28.0 % |
|
|
84 |
United Kingdom (UK) |
185.03 |
505 |
29.9 % |
|
|
85 |
United States of America (USA) |
184.61 |
443 |
91.4 % |
|
|
86 |
United States of America (USA) |
182.65 |
615 |
45.7 % |
|
|
87 |
Switzerland |
182.04 |
465 |
21.0 % |
|
|
88 |
China |
182.02 |
334 |
15.1 % |
|
|
89 |
United States of America (USA) |
179.28 |
582 |
96.9 % |
|
|
90 |
China |
175.21 |
579 |
29.2 % |
|
|
91 |
United Kingdom (UK) |
174.54 |
721 |
56.3 % |
|
|
92 |
United States of America (USA) |
173.29 |
482 |
68.7 % |
|
|
93 |
United States of America (USA) |
168.12 |
422 |
53.0 % |
|
|
94 |
Netherlands |
166.18 |
631 |
34.5 % |
|
|
95 |
United States of America (USA) |
163.23 |
411 |
26.9 % |
|
|
96 |
Germany |
161.94 |
526 |
47.4 % |
|
|
97 |
United States of America (USA) |
161.87 |
391 |
95.8 % |
|
|
98 |
United States of America (USA) |
160.09 |
370 |
96.6 % |
|
|
99 |
China |
159.37 |
993 |
19.4 % |
|
|
100 |
China |
158.30 |
573 |
72.3 % |
|
|
101 |
Germany |
157.04 |
602 |
90.1 % |
|
|
102 |
Switzerland |
156.84 |
358 |
78.7 % |
|
|
103 |
United States of America (USA) |
156.63 |
345 |
52.8 % |
|
|
104 |
Australia |
156.29 |
554 |
33.5 % |
|
|
105 |
China |
154.53 |
435 |
27.1 % |
|
|
106 |
United States of America (USA) |
154.08 |
347 |
90.6 % |
|
|
107 |
China |
153.94 |
290 |
27.6 % |
|
|
108 |
Italy |
153.79 |
754 |
91.3 % |
|
|
109 |
Switzerland |
152.20 |
519 |
44.2 % |
|
|
110 |
United States of America (USA) |
149.32 |
431 |
32.8 % |
|
|
111 |
United States of America (USA) |
149.01 |
410 |
50.8 % |
|
|
112 |
Belgium |
148.61 |
519 |
34.6 % |
|
|
113 |
Canada |
146.69 |
466 |
53.9 % |
|
|
114 |
Switzerland |
146.38 |
429 |
33.6 % |
|
|
115 |
Australia |
142.55 |
753 |
39.5 % |
|
|
116 |
Singapore |
141.57 |
540 |
45.6 % |
|
|
117 |
Switzerland |
139.30 |
467 |
69.0 % |
|
|
118 |
Germany |
138.08 |
460 |
46.3 % |
|
|
119 |
United Kingdom (UK) |
135.12 |
400 |
25.3 % |
|
|
120 |
United States of America (USA) |
133.43 |
340 |
43.9 % |
|
|
121 |
United States of America (USA) |
128.91 |
285 |
20.9 % |
|
|
122 |
Netherlands |
127.40 |
473 |
40.3 % |
|
|
123 |
Germany |
127.01 |
371 |
43.7 % |
|
|
124 |
Germany |
124.92 |
428 |
31.1 % |
|
|
125 |
Netherlands |
124.41 |
440 |
31.0 % |
|
|
126 |
Israel |
123.63 |
387 |
36.4 % |
|
|
127 |
United States of America (USA) |
123.50 |
270 |
20.9 % |
|
|
128 |
United States of America (USA) |
122.01 |
366 |
89.8 % |
|
|
129 |
United States of America (USA) |
121.85 |
435 |
96.1 % |
|
|
130 |
Taiwan |
121.81 |
318 |
42.0 % |
|
|
131 |
Germany |
121.25 |
559 |
23.4 % |
|
|
132 |
Spain |
119.07 |
427 |
24.8 % |
|
|
133 |
South Korea |
117.70 |
274 |
19.0 % |
|
|
134 |
Germany |
115.59 |
371 |
25.9 % |
|
|
135 |
Sweden |
115.23 |
390 |
33.0 % |
|
|
136 |
United Kingdom (UK) |
114.78 |
643 |
95.9 % |
|
|
137 |
Australia |
114.55 |
431 |
38.7 % |
|
|
138 |
United States of America (USA) |
114.18 |
297 |
45.0 % |
|
|
139 |
Germany |
114.07 |
438 |
34.5 % |
|
|
140 |
United States of America (USA) |
113.88 |
350 |
82.0 % |
|
|
141 |
Japan |
112.37 |
319 |
29.1 % |
|
|
142 |
United States of America (USA) |
111.63 |
182 |
64.4 % |
|
|
143 |
Japan |
110.74 |
304 |
24.1 % |
|
|
144 |
Japan |
110.70 |
320 |
21.1 % |
|
|
145 |
United Kingdom (UK) |
110.22 |
406 |
47.7 % |
|
|
146 |
Netherlands |
107.92 |
473 |
41.2 % |
|
|
147 |
United States of America (USA) |
107.75 |
305 |
52.9 % |
|
|
148 |
United States of America (USA) |
107.15 |
1,078 |
96.6 % |
|
|
149 |
State University of New York
at Stony Brook (SUNY Stony Brook) |
United States of America (USA) |
106.85 |
305 |
30.9 % |
|
150 |
China |
106.45 |
286 |
9.5 % |
|
|
151 |
Spain |
105.77 |
414 |
24.7 % |
|
|
152 |
United States of America (USA) |
105.65 |
272 |
94.4 % |
|
|
153 |
Switzerland |
104.69 |
268 |
80.5 % |
|
|
154 |
Germany |
104.51 |
399 |
43.8 % |
|
|
155 |
Singapore |
104.51 |
251 |
11.5 % |
|
|
156 |
United States of America (USA) |
103.87 |
317 |
96.7 % |
|
|
157 |
United States of America (USA) |
103.30 |
277 |
52.0 % |
|
|
158 |
China |
102.66 |
220 |
16.2 % |
|
|
159 |
Sweden |
102.41 |
383 |
28.8 % |
|
|
160 |
United States of America (USA) |
101.26 |
258 |
16.4 % |
|
|
161 |
United States of America (USA) |
101.02 |
263 |
55.2 % |
|
|
162 |
United States of America (USA) |
100.89 |
222 |
24.4 % |
|
|
163 |
Finland |
100.26 |
411 |
48.7 % |
|
|
164 |
China |
100.14 |
154 |
25.9 % |
|
|
165 |
China |
99.46 |
213 |
18.6 % |
|
|
166 |
Canada |
98.05 |
271 |
24.7 % |
|
|
167 |
Japan |
97.82 |
282 |
14.5 % |
|
|
168 |
Germany |
97.51 |
359 |
32.3 % |
|
|
169 |
Denmark |
97.33 |
326 |
29.0 % |
|
|
170 |
Germany |
95.62 |
333 |
22.4 % |
|
|
171 |
Israel |
94.41 |
228 |
24.4 % |
|
|
172 |
United Kingdom (UK) |
93.95 |
253 |
89.1 % |
|
|
173 |
China |
93.03 |
290 |
18.5 % |
|
|
174 |
Germany |
93.00 |
481 |
92.1 % |
|
|
175 |
Norway |
92.79 |
360 |
41.0 % |
|
|
176 |
Belgium |
92.24 |
450 |
87.9 % |
|
|
177 |
United States of America (USA) |
91.73 |
258 |
31.2 % |
|
|
178 |
United States of America (USA) |
90.70 |
256 |
28.4 % |
|
|
179 |
United States of America (USA) |
90.22 |
241 |
38.5 % |
|
|
180 |
United States of America (USA) |
88.95 |
416 |
94.7 % |
|
|
181 |
Australia |
88.87 |
383 |
20.0 % |
|
|
182 |
China |
88.75 |
289 |
21.6 % |
|
|
183 |
Canada |
87.87 |
221 |
42.9 % |
|
|
184 |
South Korea |
87.78 |
238 |
25.1 % |
|
|
185 |
United States of America (USA) |
87.53 |
257 |
22.9 % |
|
|
186 |
India |
87.43 |
140 |
18.6 % |
|
|
187 |
United Kingdom (UK) |
86.67 |
348 |
56.0 % |
|
|
188 |
Canada |
85.06 |
224 |
37.2 % |
|
|
189 |
China |
84.90 |
205 |
14.9 % |
|
|
190 |
Japan |
84.68 |
261 |
35.1 % |
|
|
191 |
Netherlands |
84.41 |
440 |
94.3 % |
|
|
192 |
United Kingdom (UK) |
84.02 |
315 |
41.2 % |
|
|
193 |
United States of America (USA) |
82.10 |
192 |
11.4 % |
|
|
194 |
China |
80.97 |
186 |
22.7 % |
|
|
195 |
Switzerland |
80.94 |
301 |
29.9 % |
|
|
196 |
Chinese Academy of Medical
Sciences & Peking Union Medical College (CAMS & PUMC) |
China |
80.57 |
291 |
65.7 % |
|
197 |
China |
80.10 |
101 |
44.6 % |
|
|
198 |
China |
79.90 |
239 |
31.3 % |
|
|
199 |
Sweden |
79.68 |
264 |
57.6 % |
|
|
200 |
United Kingdom (UK) |
78.66 |
335 |
41.9 % |
Sources; https://www.nature.com/nature-index/supplements/nature-index-2019-biomedical-sciences/tables/overall
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