Medtech, the doctor of the future: universities, institutions and companies define the most sought-after profile of a rapidly growing sector in 7 points

The conference organized atUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma with the patronage of Unindustria it defines the characteristics of the doctor of the future. Speakers Silvio Brusaferro (ISS), Mary Chiara Carriage (CNR), Maximilian Bobjects, Maximum Scaccabarozzi and representatives of the major companies in the sector.

Tomorrow's healthcare needs doctors with basic and applied skills in biomedical engineering capable of carrying out research, using new technologies and who know how to interact with the engineers active in the hospital. The new degree courses of Italian universities aim to train ad hoc figures for the Medtech sector, an excellence that is growing at rates of more than 5% per year and requires figures up to the standards of technologies, machinery, devices and the pharmaceutical industry.

Rome, 13 July 2022 – The doctor of the future will be transversal and in possession of biomedical engineering skills, able to move in the ecosystem of tomorrow's Health Service. From the conference "Medtech, present future, universities and companies design the future” organized byUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma with the patronage of Unindustria and the participation of the main companies in the sector have emerged the seven characteristics that the doctor of tomorrow must have to operate in hospitals, biomedical and pharmaceutical companies and research centers:

1. HYBRIDIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE, for the health and well-being of the patient;

2. OPEN MINDED, to contribute to the technological solutions of tomorrow;

3. TRANSVERSALITY, for overcoming traditional professional boundaries;

4. FLEXIBILITY, ability to operate in hospital and medtech companies;

5. 100% MEDICAL, able to follow the patient on a clinical and human level;

6. 100% ENGINEERING TRAINING, to better manage diagnosis and therapies with machinery;

7. ABILITY TO HANDLE ETHICAL ISSUES of the patient resulting from the presence of modern technologies.

In a healthcare ecosystem that will increasingly put the patient at the center through the biomedical research, digital transformation, telemedicine, the territory and new technologies applied to diagnostics and prevention, hospitals and biomedical and pharmaceutical companies look to new doctors, figures with knowledge straddling traditional medicine and biomedical engineering to develop new treatments, create devices and machinery.

Today the Medtech sector represents the future of healthcare: stimulated by the pandemic, it also grew in 2020 and has development prospects across the planet. In Italy, Medtech generates a market worth 16,2 billion of euros divided between 4.546 companies they occupy 112.534 employees (Source Confindustria Medical Devices 2022). The revenue growth rate (2021 on 2020) touched the +6,4 percent against a world growth of 5,6 per cent. The investments grow from year to year, with a +9,6 percent in 2021 and further growth prospects in the coming years. In Europe Italy is sixth exporter, and 13th worldwide in the Medtech sector (source Mediobanca 2022). And it is first in the European Union for the production of drugs (source Efpia 2022).

The protagonists of companies and institutions met on 13 July at theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma (UCBM) to trace the profile of tomorrow's professionals, also announcing the launch of two new degree courses in English such as Medicine and Surgery Medtech e Biomedical Engineering. Since the first years of life UCBM has focused on the interaction and synergistic collaboration between its faculties of Medicine and Surgery and Engineering and today it is a leading player among Italian universities in research in Medtech sectors such as the development of biomedical devices, biomedical imaging, biomechanics, robotics and assisted surgery, tissue engineering, personalized medicine, human-machine interfaces, rehabilitation and in high-tech fields closely related to them such as IoT applications, machine learning, big data and cybersecurity.

They participated in the Work Day, hosted by the Ucbm president Carlo Tosti, by the Rector Raffaele Calabrò, and by the CEO Andrea Rossi: Silvio Brusaferro, president of the ISS; Maria Chiara Carrozza, president of the CNR; Massimiliano Boggetto, president of the National Cluster of Life Sciences Trade Winds; Massimo Scaccabarozzi, Past president of Farmindustria; Maurice Tarquini, director of Unindustria; Luigi Ambrosini, D. G. Abbott; Michael Perrino, president and CEO of Medtronic Italia; Filippo Square, investment associate Angelini Hive; Stefano Collatina, Country Lead, Italy and integrated Care Solution Head, Baxter South Europe; Patricia Palazzi, Strategic Sales Expert Siemens Healthcare.

"Today we are faced with the rapid development of personalized medicine: the doctor, the research system and the organization of the health system must deal with the technological capacities that play an ever greater role - he said. Raffaele Calabrò, Rector ofUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma – Today in medicine we no longer speak generically of “pathologies” but we have the opportunity to understand the problems of the individual patient, and technology becomes fundamental in this. The doctor of tomorrow must be trained to work with new technologies: the pandemic has accelerated this trend: a university like the Campus Bio-Medico in Rome proposes itself as one of the places in which to bring together doctors and companies to create research and innovation for the patient and for the progress of the health system. Our degree courses aim to train the doctor of the future”.

"We are called to discuss the future of health professionals and the future of health care," he said Silvio Brusaferro, president of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità - This pandemic has shown us the importance of the national health service thanks to which we are facing this emergency. For the future we are called to think about how to strengthen the health service starting from the relationship between the professional and the person, intercepting the need for health and trying to respond in the best possible way. Alongside this there is the technology that supports us and today shows enormous development capabilities: technology interacts with man and this interaction must be studied and understood better even by doctors and healthcare professionals themselves".

“Doctors can become crucial figures in the growth of the Medtech sector - underlined the professor Maria Chiara Carrozza, president of the National Research Council (CNR) - The development of innovative technologies and approaches in the biomedical field first of all requires the identification of the most urgent needs. The definition of the characteristics of the pathologies to be corrected and of the affected population groups. Clinical validation and follow-up. The figure of the doctor and even more of the research doctor is therefore fundamental in this process".

“The doctor of the future will have to develop new skills, especially in digital - he said Massimo Scaccabarozzi, past president of Farmindustria - Therapy becomes a process thanks to a technology that innovates quickly and to a medicine that is increasingly moving towards personalized treatments, sewn for the patient and on him. And drugs are no longer "just" a product but part of this process, combined with devices, diagnostics, medtech. That's why degree programs like Medtech's UCBM they will play a fundamental role – he continues Scaccabarozzi - In fact, they will allow students to integrate design and technological skills - today increasingly multidisciplinary and transversal - to guide the innovation processes of the Life Sciences sectors. And the figure of the biomedical engineer can be of great help to the pharmaceutical industry both for the development of new products, services and technologies and for the birth of new companies in the sector”.

“The life sciences are today the protagonists of the revolution that medicine is experiencing - he recalled Massimiliano Boggetto, President Alisei National Technology Cluster Life Sciences - thanks to the skills of professionals, who work within technology parks, research centers, companies, but also of doctors who collaborate in the design and evolution of increasingly advanced products and drugs and tailored to the patient. The new European regulations also go in this direction: clinical trials will be more numerous, consequently collaboration between doctors and the private sector will be encouraged. Today – he continues Bobjects - the PNRR gives us a great opportunity: to stimulate public-private partnership and industry is finally considered an enabling factor for public research. All this is possible if collaboration between doctors, industry, universities, research and technology transfer centers is stimulated, enhancing territories and excellence and encouraging the creation of networks capable of attracting investments in the districts of the country. We hope not to miss this opportunity."