News Archive

31 August 2021
From the President: HPS Remains Engaged Nationally and Internationally

John Cardarelli, HPS President, 2021–2023

We recently completed our annual meeting and many of you watched my first episode of "65 Seconds With 65" that summarized our success! For those who haven't seen it, I'm the 65th president of the Health Physics Society (HPS) and these short video messages share news with members in a new format. They also provide an opportunity to focus on a specific message and can be posted at any time. Look for more and please share your ideas if there is a topic you would like to hear about.

Since our annual meeting, we continue to be engaged in several activities. Recently, the National Academies of Science (NAS) appointed a provisional committee to develop a long-term strategy for low-dose radiation research, which includes two HPS members. Our society has been asked to provide information about health physics academic programs throughout the country, number of health physics students, and associated trends. If you have information that can support this request, please let me know as we are working on this through September. The NAS hopes to complete its report by next April, and you can expect to see it presented at our annual meeting in Spokane.

We are excited to be hosting the first-ever International Radiation Protection Association North American Congress in the United States in February 2022 (HPS/IRPA 2022)—the subject of my second episode of "65 Seconds With 65."

We are also preparing for IRPA 16 in 2024 and have just appointed two HPS members to serve on a new IRPA task group that will develop radiation protection recommendations to the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The ICRP is currently reviewing and revising the System of Radiological Protection leading to new General Recommendations that will supersede ICRP Publication 103. This is a great opportunity for the HPS to help shape the future of radiation protection on a world stage.

Finally, as your president my three initiatives are to (1) emphasize our pro-science platform, (2) increase membership, and (3) focus on our Strategic Plan. Please encourage your colleagues to join the HPS and also let them know about the many benefits of membership. Now is a great time to join the HPS, the home for radiation protection professionals. I'm looking forward to serving you over the next two years.