Updating the Biomedical Engineering Curriculum in Latin America: Moving from management and maintenance to Design and Development of Medical Devices.

Biomedical Engineering as an undergraduate degree in Latin America is not new. However, most programs have the objective to produce professionals dedicated to the management and maintenance of health care technology. We believe that there is an important area of opportunity in the education of engineers who are competent in the design and development of medical devices. Among the 100 programs in the region there could be a few which could stand out as providers of such professionals. This work proposes a curricular structure to fulfill these aims.

Gender Parity in Biomedical Engineering: Analysis of Admission to the Bachelor's Degree at UAM.

Gender parity aims to the integration of women on equality of conditions in the major activities in society. Although the context under which the concept is generally used orients to the political sphere, female participation in leadership positions where decision-making has an essential impact on society extends to such important aspects as health and education. Due to the increasing importance that it has gained over the years, this paper presents an analysis of gender parity from education in Biomedical Engineering. The study focused on the participation of female students in the bachelor's admission processes from 2010 to 2019 at Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana in Mexico. We used statistical analysis as well as the adaptation of the gender parity index (GPI). The results show that the female average accepted students represent 41.82% of the total number of accepted aspirants. The analysis of the data and GPIs also show a slightly better behavior than the data reported by organizations such as UNESCO or OCDE.

[Healthcare equity and chronic renal failure in Mexico: an analysis for the case of women]. / Análisis de aspectos relacionados con la equidad en salud y la insuficiencia renal crónica para el caso de la mujer en México.

INTRODUCTION: Kidney chronic disease patients are being increasingly identified. The disability generated by this disease must consider physical and social effects given the lack of attention and the socioeconomic conditions that generate it. Therefore, access to services to treat kidney chronic disease is determined by social and biological factors. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effect of the social components on kidney chronic disease in a sector of the Mexican population that suffers from the disease, particularly in the case of women. METHODS: The Poisson generalized linear model was applied, selecting the variables related to equity in the administration of health services. Statistical data reported by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography of Mexico in the period 2009-2015 in women was taken. The variables considered were the level of schooling, occupation, access to health, geographical region and habitable zone, as well as stage of life. RESULTS: The highest incidence rate for kidney chronic disease is attributed to the intermediate adult woman, who works in informal services legally excluded from institutional health coverage, has low schooling and lives in a rural area of the Center zone, while the young adult woman that lives in an urban metropolis in the North zone presents lowest incidence profile. CONCLUSIONS: The economic determinants derived from people’s activities, as well as their age, the educational level and the environment in which they live influence both the acquisition of the disease and the possibilities of managing it successfully.

INTRODUCCIÓN: La insuficiencia renal crónica es una enfermedad que se encuentra en un estado de constante crecimiento. La discapacidad que genera esta enfermedad debe considerar efectos físicos y sociales, dada la falta de atención y a las condiciones socioeconómicas que la generan. Por lo tanto, el acceso a los servicios para tratar la insuficiencia renal crónica está condicionado a factores de tipo social y de tipo biológico. OBJETIVO: Analizar el efecto de los componentes sociales en la insuficiencia renal crónica en un sector de la población de México que padece la enfermedad, en particular para el caso de la mujer. MÉTODOS: Se aplicó el modelo lineal generalizado de Poisson, seleccionando las variables relacionadas con la equidad en la aplicación de los servicios de salud. Se tomaron datos estadísticos reportados en mujeres por el Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía de México en el periodo 2009-2015. Las variables consideradas fueron grado de escolaridad, ocupación, acceso a la salud, región geográfica y zona habitable, así como le etapa de vida. RESULTADOS: La mayor tasa de incidencia para la insuficiencia renal crónica corresponde a la mujer adulta intermedia, que trabaja en servicios informales excluidos legalmente de la cobertura institucional de salud, tiene baja escolaridad y vive en un área rural de la zona centro; mientras que la mujer adulta joven que vive en una metrópoli urbana de la zona norte presenta el perfil de menor incidencia. CONCLUSIONES: Los determinantes económicos derivados de la actividad de las personas, así como la edad, el nivel educativo y el entorno en el que habitan, influyen tanto en el padecimiento de la enfermedad como en las posibilidades de enfrentarla con éxito.