IEEE-USA MTPC Looks Ahead 

The Medical Technology Policy Committee (MTPC) is a focal point for bringing the expertise of IEEE-USA to address national policy issues that affect the public's healthcare and wellness. One of the primary functions of MTPC has been to assist in the rational formulation of medical technology legislation, regulations, and policies by presenting formal IEEE-USA position papers to our legislators in Congress and the public. 

This year, MTPC established working groups in Genomics and Bioinformatics, and Bioterrorism. 

Given the acute national attention on stem cell research recently, the Genomics and Bioinformatics Working Group has been particularly active. Group members and associates represent a broad range of institutions, including Lawrence Livermore National Labs, the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control, Carnegie-Melon University, Northwestern University, SRA, University of California at Berkeley, University of Washington, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute.

The field of genomics and related fields of science and technology (e.g., bioinformatics, proteomics, genetic epidemiology, pharmacogenomics) have the potential to affect the social and economic fabric of the United States and the global community dramatically. Just as Moore's Law (the doubling of the power of semiconductors every 18 months) has enabled computers to transform our society, genomics may have similar transformative implications that are still only beginning to reveal themselves. The Genomics and Bioinformatics Working Group has started to lay the framework for a fall legislative education session on Capitol Hill that will bring together leading experts from the technology community to address questions and issues related to genomics. Among the topics to be addressed at the planned luncheon are:

• Pharmacogenomics and Proteomics: The Promise of New Treatments and Cures
• Personalized Medicine: Genetic Testing and Tailored Medical Interventions
• Population Genetics: Emerging Disease Prevention Methods
• DNA, Tissues Banks, Privacy Management, Individual and Societal Benefits

MTPC accomplishes its goals by preparing and presenting approved IEEE-USA positions to our federal and state legislative and executive leaders and through membership participation in workshops and symposia dealing with healthcare and wellness issues. In addition to the two new work groups, the Committee's focus this year has included developing healthcare and welfare policy positions on:

• The role of Information Technology on healthcare reform

• Security, privacy, and confidentiality in healthcare (linked to recent HIPAA regulations progress)

• Supporting the study of health effects from electromagnetic fields and the need for a national review of the current decline of personnel educated and trained in this critical field of engineering

• The quality of healthcare information being offered to the public via the worldwide web and corresponding medical ethics policy needs

• Natural and manmade biomedical hazards and diseases (e.g., Hoof-and-Mouth disease and food irradiation) and bio-terrorism concerns (e.g., chemical and nuclear threats)

• Home Care Technology, with a focus on issues that affect the use of home care monitors, and access to new advancements in home care technology

• Providing assistance to the new NIH Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering in meeting its healthcare mandates

• Social and economic impacts associated with the rapid growth of genomics and bioinformatics

For more information, visit the MTPC web page.

MTPC Contacts: 

Chair: Frank E. Ferrante, fferrante@ieee.org
Vice Chair: Dr. Michael J. Rozen, michaelr@wellmed.com