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Queen's School of Computing

Biomedical Computing

For more detailed program information, including which courses you will take, click here.

Welcome to the Queen's University Biomedical Computing Program. The future of medicine is here, in Canada's first and only specialized program in computational biology and medical informatics.

Definition

Biomedical computing combines the diagnostic and investigative aspects of biology and medical science with the power and problem-solving capabilities of modern computing. In this new and rapidly-evolving discipline, computer applications are used to plan surgeries, simulate patient behaviour, visualize complex biological models, and search for patterns in massive genome databases. Biomedical computing develops computational methods that improve patient lives and extend our knowledge of human medicine.

Applications

Biomedical computing spans a broad range of application areas. Patient imaging, from microscopy to mammography, has motivated and relied upon advances in computer algorithms. The study of information retrieval has been applied to medical data storage and access systems. Algorithms and software development are used in genome sequence analysis and acquisition, which also depend on techniques from statistics and artificial intelligence.

Opportunities

As well as receiving a broad scientific education and a deep understanding of computational science, students in the program will be well prepared for employment in companies that carry out drug design, biotechnology, medical image interpretation, and bioinformatics. Graduates of the program will have the core skills to work in medical laboratories, as well as in traditional computer companies. Graduates will be well qualified to continue on to graduate studies, to medical school, or to commercial or academic research and development in computational biology or medical computing.

How to get started

Apply at the Ontario Universities Application Centre using the program code QD (Queen's University, Computing).


More information may be obtained by sending mail to ,
or by contacting the Biomedical Computing advisors:
  • R. Ellis, School of Computing
    () - School of Computing Advisor
  • M.L. Koschinsky, Department of Biochemistry
    () - Biochemistry Advisor
  • S. Scott, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology
    () - Life Sciences Advisor

For other information, visit: