The Intelligent Health Technologies Lab (IHT Lab) at the Departmental Faculty of Engineering of Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma has been officially designated by the World Health Organization as the world’s first WHO Collaborating Centre on Biomedical Engineering for Global Health.
The designation represents a major international recognition for the biomedical engineering community and highlights the growing role of engineering sciences in shaping global health policies, strengthening health systems, and supporting preparedness for future pandemics.
The four-year designation (2026–2030), renewable upon evaluation, enables the Centre to support WHO, Ministries of Health, governments, and United Nations agencies in the development of policies and strategies for medical devices throughout their entire lifecycle — from research and design to assessment, procurement, management, maintenance, and sustainable decommissioning.
The initiative aligns with the WHO Global Programme of Work 2025–2028 (GPW14), which focuses on advancing equity, resilience, and access to healthcare worldwide. In this framework, the new Collaborating Centre will contribute scientific and technical expertise to translate global priorities into practical actions supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The leadership role of Leandro Pecchia
A central role in this achievement has been played by Professor Leandro Pecchia, member of the EAMBES Fellowship Committee 2025, Vice-President of the EAMBES Public Affairs Working Group, and ex-officio member of the Executive Board.
Professor Pecchia has collaborated extensively with WHO over the past years, including serving as WHO Innovation Manager for the WHE IPC (Infection Prevention and Control) programme during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2023). In this role, he contributed to the development of innovative technological solutions addressing urgent global health needs during one of the most critical public health emergencies of recent decades.
Under his coordination, the IHT Lab and UCBM have supported WHO through several formal institutional assignments, including:
- coordination of the second edition of the WHO publication Development of Medical Device Policies (2025);
- coordination of the updated WHO guidance Medical Device Donations: Considerations for Solicitation and Provision (2024);
- research activities on nanotechnologies to improve the viral resilience of personal protective equipment (PPE).
These activities contributed to building the long-term institutional collaboration required for WHO Collaborating Centre designation.
Biomedical engineering at the core of global health
The designation is particularly significant because it represents the first WHO Collaborating Centre worldwide specifically focused on biomedical engineering for global health and the only one currently embedded within an engineering faculty.
This recognition reinforces the strategic importance of biomedical engineering in addressing emerging global challenges, including:
- medical device cybersecurity;
- artificial intelligence for healthcare;
- resilient and sustainable health technologies;
- future applications of quantum technologies in healthcare systems.
The Centre will also strengthen educational and training activities in global health engineering, including the recently established “Information Technology and AI for Global Health” curriculum within the MSc programme in Biomedical Engineering at UCBM.
Building bridges between young engineers and global institutions
A distinctive element of the initiative is the active involvement of early-career researchers and students in WHO-related activities.
Among them is Marianna Zarro, PhD candidate and focal point of the Centre together with Professor Pecchia, who has already contributed to WHO activities during the COVID-19 pandemic and to initiatives supporting responses to recent Marburg virus outbreaks.
The Centre also aims to expand opportunities for biomedical engineering students and young professionals to engage directly with international organizations, global health governance processes, and collaborative projects involving experts from multiple continents.
A milestone for the European biomedical engineering community
The designation represents not only an important achievement for UCBM, but also a broader milestone for the European biomedical engineering community. It demonstrates how biomedical engineering expertise can directly contribute to international health policy, equitable access to medical technologies, and stronger global cooperation at a time when multilateral collaboration is increasingly challenged.
For EAMBES, the recognition further highlights the importance of strengthening the visibility and impact of medical and biological engineering sciences within global health institutions and policymaking processes.