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.	Hodes Award Nominations Request
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.	May Newsletter
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Upcoming Events
.	Canadian Radiation Protection Association Annual Meeting 27-30 May 2012 Halifax, Nova Scotia
.	ACS Undergrad Summer Schools 10 June - 20 July 2012
.	NRC Meeting Webcasts May-June 2012
.	57th Annual HPS Meeting 22-26 July 2012 Sacramento, CA
.	37th Annual Conference of the Australasian Radiation Protection Society (ARPS) 14-17 Oct 2012 Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour
.	International Conference on Radiation Shielding 2-7 Nov 2012 Nara, Japan

23 May 2012

2013 Midyear Topical Meeting - Medical Health Physics and Accelerator Dosimetry

27–30 January 2013, Scottsdale, Arizona

Call for Cochairs

Now that the preparations for the Health Physics Society (HPS) 57^th Annual Meeting in Sacramento, California (22–26 July 2012) and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) 54^th Annual Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina (29 July–2 August 2012) have largely been completed or are nearing completion, it is not too early to begin planning for the 2013 HPS Midyear Topical Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, 27–30 January 2013. This meeting is jointly sponsored by the HPS Medical Health Physics and Accelerator Sections and is expected to be of special interest for AAPM members.

The Program Committee is calling for cochairs who will be able to attend the meeting and have special expertise (particularly regarding staff and/or patient radiation dose matters) to guide their topical sessions. Cochairs are needed for the following sessions:

Issues in PET/Cyclotron and cGMP
Issues in Brachytherapy and Radionuclide Therapy
Issues in Regards the Role of the RSO
Issues in Proton, Heavy Ion, and Electron Accelerator Therapy
Issues in Diagnostic Studies (CT/Cardio/IR/Mammo/etc.)
Issues in Written Directives, Medical Events, and Patient Dose
Issues in Radiation Transport Codes and Shielding
Issues in Medical Isotope Production and Machine-Based Misadministrations
Issues in Accelerator/Medical Dosimetry (other/emergent topics)

If you are interested in exploring serving as a cochair for one of these topical areas, please contact Mike Sandvig, HPS Accelerator Section president-elect, or Steve King, HPS Medical Health Physics Section president-elect . Your early response in this important effort for the Society is encouraged. For this meeting, we are especially looking for participation by AAPM members, particularly with reference to the many patient dose issues. Members of the AAPM who will be able to attend may contact HPS Accelerator Section Past President and AAPM member Mike Grissom as to their interest in presenting papers or cochairing sessions for the topics above.

Information on this meeting will be posted on this webpage as the program and arrangements are updated.

Accommodations

The Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort/Scottsdale hotel, winner of the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award, offers luxury, resort amenities, and visually stunning Sonoran Desert views on 22 acres of lush, tropical paradise in Scottsdale, Arizona. This Diamond in the Desert is just minutes from Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall (the largest mall in the Southwest), Arizona State University, and the hundreds of shops, boutiques, galleries, pubs, and eateries in historic Old Town Scottsdale.

The Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort/Scottsdale hotel is located only 12 miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, at 5401 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, Arizona, 85250-7090; phone: 1-480-947-5400.

Staying at the Conference Hotels

Why should I book at the conference hotels?

The hotel rates that the Health Physics Society (HPS) has negotiated include many benefits for you and for the HPS. Based on the number of rooms in HPS' block of hotel rooms, the hotels provide complimentary meeting room space, exhibit space, staff accommodations, and reduced food and beverage charges. These savings are passed on to attendees through HPS' inexpensive registration rates. If HPS is unable to meet its room-block commitment because attendees are making reservations at other hotels, the hotels charge HPS an attrition fee to make up the hotel's lost revenue. If this were to become a trend, HPS would be forced to increase the registration fee and cut services.

Is it important for me to let the reservations agent know that I'm associated with the HPS meeting?

Yes. HPS receives credit only when registrants tell hotel staff that they are attending the HPS meeting. Please make sure the reservations agent knows you are attending the HPS meeting—whether you or someone else makes your reservation—or make your reservation through the link on the HPS site and it will be handled automatically.

Why does HPS reserve a block of rooms?

The HPS reserves a block of rooms to assure availability of rooms for meeting attendees, especially during the tourist season, when it can be very difficult to find an affordable hotel room. In addition, if HPS didn't reserve a block of rooms, it would be subject to room rental fees and full food and beverage costs, which would greatly increase the cost of holding the meeting.

What is HPS doing to reduce these attrition fees and still keep the meeting affordable?

HPS tracks sleeping room reservations and cancellations at the meeting so that it can more accurately block a number of rooms that will be filled by attendees in the future. However, every discount we receive at a hotel is based on the number of room nights we block, so as we reduce our block, we are consequently paying more for other services at the hotel. Reducing the block means that attendees will either have to pay a higher registration fee or that services will have to be cut.

Please stay at the HPS conference hotels!