Health Physics News

Richard Harvey, Chapter President

The Western New York Chapter of the Health Physics Society hosted a fall meeting on 9 October 2025 at Upstate Medical Physics in Victor, New York. The meeting was offered virtually in addition to in-person with the tremendous support of Burk & Associates, Inc. Our good friend, Donald Hayes, gave the excellent presentation “Nonionizing Radiation for the Health Physicist.” This was followed by a “Regulatory Hour” with the New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental Radiation Protection. Charles Burns and Associates did a great job discussing the revision of 10 NYCRR 16 regulations, soon to be published, and answering all questions from the audience. Another interesting presentation was provided by Paul Armani from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation with his talk “Radiation Monitoring at Waste Management/Recycling/Combustion Facilities.” The chapter appreciates and thanks all the speakers for supporting the chapter.

This meeting was conducted with the magnanimous support of Mirion Technologies with Kenneth King in attendance. We are sincerely grateful to all the continued assistance from Mirion Technologies. In addition, our colleagues at Upstate Medical Physics and their leader, Jason Sherman, continue to host our meetings and we appreciate their generous support. We were pleased to have students from Ontario Tech University attend our meeting and look forward to future collaboration. Please look for future meeting announcements in the newsletter, and we would be happy to have you join us!

 

A photo essay of the 70th Health Physics Society (HPS) Annual Meeting, which was held 13‒17 July 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin, is now available on the HPS website.

Many other photos covering the history of HPS can also be viewed on the website:

• Annual Meeting Photos
• Midyear Meeting Photos
• The Chicken Tradition
• A Pictorial History of the Health Physics Society

 

Terry Lindley, Chapter Secretary/Treasurer

Save the date for the joint meeting of the Cincinnati Radiation Society Chapter and the Mound Science and Energy Museum, Wednesday, 28 January 2026, 6:30 pm Eastern Standard Time.

“Cybersecurity Concerns at Nuclear Facilities” will be presented by Dr. Lily Ranjbar, director of online programs at Oregon State University. Ranjbar is a senior lecturer for the Nuclear Science and Engineering program and is collaborating with the Radiation Detection Group on the development of radioxenon detection systems for nuclear explosion monitoring.

Nuclear power plants produce about 10% and 20% of the electricity in the world and the United States, respectively. The global nuclear energy demand is growing through the initiatives to expand clean energy resources, and therefore the threats of cyberattacks are increasing. Cyber threats to critical nuclear infrastructure, especially nuclear power plants, are real and constantly evolving. These threats impact critical global infrastructure, placing the nations’ economy, security, public safety, and health at risk. In addition, over the years, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems in nuclear power plants have matured from analog to digital systems. These digital systems also actively evolve as technology advances, bringing new risks and vulnerabilities. Therefore, attackers try penetrating nuclear power plants and align their attack scenarios through such cyber systems. Nuclear power plants are protected from cyberattacks using a defense-in-depth concept in which security controls are layered throughout the network. Understanding various risk assessment methods for cybersecurity in nuclear facilities is crucial to prevent such attacks. This presentation reviews the history of nuclear infrastructures’ cybersecurity, the cyber vulnerability of nuclear power plants, the defense-in-depth concept, the cybersecurity risk assessment methods for nuclear security, and some essential frameworks for designing and implementing cybersecurity plans for nuclear power plants.

This free virtual presentation will be conducted through Zoom. To gain access, it is necessary to sign up for the presentation no later than Tuesday, 27 January 2026, at Secretary@crs-hps.org.

 

The November course offerings have been posted on the Courses page of the HPS website. Information on the following courses is available:

Facility Decommissioning Training Course—Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)

Laser Safety Officer (LSO) Training—Kentek Corporation

Certification Review Course Part I and Self Study Course Part I —Bevelacqua Resources

Gamma Spectroscopy—ORAU’s Professional Training Programs

Introduction to Radiation Safety Online Training Course—ORAU’s Professional Training Program

 

Photos courtesy of Jess Joyce and Deepesh Poudel

Participants gathered in the Dane Room in Madison for three days of guided long-form health physics problem solving on Monday‒Wednesday of the annual meeting. The activity was organized by the HPS Mentorship Committee. The questions covered topics such as tritium production in a nuclear power plant, ventilation and respiratory protection, and environmental transport as modeled by a radioactive raccoon and were written by Deepesh Poudel and Thomas Johnson. Poudel, Johnson, John Klumpp, and Brian Serencsits served as volunteer coaches.

 

 

Photos courtesy of Jess Joyce

The Mentorship and Student Support Committees were delighted to see a full room on Monday for the Speed Networking event – a night of fun, networking, and refreshments.

 

 

Photos courtesy of Maritza Edwards

The LGBTQ+ & Allied Mixer Board Game Shuffle provided an opportunity to meet new people, build community, and play a variety of board games in a relaxed and welcoming space for LGBTQ+ folks and allies.

 

 

 

Photos courtesy of Jason Rusch

The technical tour of SHINE, a cutting-edge radiopharmaceutical production company in Wisconsin, provided an insider’s look at their innovative technology, from producing critical medical isotopes to their ambitious vision for the future of clean energy through fusion. The tour was a unique opportunity to see firsthand how SHINE is shaping the future of both healthcare and energy.

 

 

Photos courtesy of Maritza Edwards

The First Nations Cultural Landscape Tour delved into the rich history of the land on which Madison stands. Led by knowledgeable guides, including UW-Madison students and members of the Ho-Chunk Nation, this tour offered a unique perspective on the 12,000+ years of human presence along the shores of Lake Mendota. Participants gained insights into the deep connections between the Ho-Chunk people and Teejop (the area now known as Madison) and learned about the ongoing efforts to honor Indigenous cultures and knowledge.

 

 

Photos courtesy of Jason Rusch

Participants took a guided tour of the majestic Wisconsin State Capitol, one of the most beautiful in the country. From the marble interiors to the panoramic views from the observation deck, this tour was a perfect blend of history and grandeur.

 

 

Photos courtesy of Jess Joyce

 

 

Dr. Ramona Gaza, Section President, and Dewayne Holcomb, Section Past President

This year’s Health Physics Society (HPS) Nonionizing Radiation (NIR) Section annual business meeting will be held on Friday, 7 November 2025, 15:00–17:00 EST.

The meeting is scheduled to be held virtually via the HPS-sponsored Zoom platform. Click here to join.

The annual business meeting will include annual reports and discussion of the year’s accomplishments. The incoming members of the 2026 NIR Section Executive Board will be named and will discuss the initiatives for the year ahead.

The success of any section is centered around the involvement of its membership. If you are interested in contributing ideas or maybe working on NIR Section projects, please attend and speak up during the OPEN DISCUSSION. If you cannot attend, you can send ideas to Dr. Ramona Gaza.

 

Kevin Nelson, HPS President Emeritus

The International Commission on Radiological Protection 8th International Symposium on the System of Radiological Protection (ICRP 2025) was held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 7–9 October 2025. More than 700 radiation protection professionals participated in person and a few hundred followed online. The focus of the symposium was on the System of Radiological Protection and the activities of the ICRP committees. ICRP is comprised of the Main Commission; the Scientific Secretariat; four standing committees including Committee 1 on effects, Committee 2 on doses, Committee 3 on medicine, and Committee 4 on application; as well as a number of task groups supporting the work of the committees.

Topical areas discussed at the meeting included sustainability, biological effects, environmental exposures, dosimetry, optimization in diagnostic imaging, proton and heavy ion therapy, justification and optimization, health surveillance of exposed workers, sources and impacts of uncertainty, education, training, communication, NORM, reasonableness and tolerability, and artificial intelligence in radiation protection.

USA participants on ICRP committees are as follows:

Main Commission

Nicole Martinez (Member), Clemson University, USA

Fred A. Mettler (Member emeritus), University of New Mexico, USA

R. Julian Preston (Member emeritus), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), USA

Committee 1

Gayle Woloschak (Vice-Chair), Northwestern University, USA

David Richardson (Member), University of California, Irvine, USA

Committee 2

Derek Jokisch (Member), Francis Marion University, USA

Choonsik Lee (Member), National Cancer Institute, USA

Keith Eckerman (Member emeritus), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), USA

Committee 3

M. Mahesh (Member), Johns Hopkins Medical Institution, USA

Juan Camilo Ocampo Ramos (Member), University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA

William Small (Member), USA

Madan M. Rehani (Member emeritus), Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School, USA

Committee 4

Jason Harris (Member), Purdue University, USA

 

Women in Radiation Protection Section Board of Directors

The Women in Radiation Protection (WiRP) Section of the Health Physics Society (HPS) is excited to announce the launch of the WiRP Certified Health Physicist (CHP) Exam Scholarship Program—a new initiative supporting women in the field of radiation protection as they pursue professional certification.

WiRP will award two scholarships:

• Part 1 Scholarship – for early-career professionals demonstrating strong potential and commitment to the field.
• Part 2 Scholarship – for mid- to later-career professionals demonstrating leadership, mentorship, and technical excellence.

These awards cover the application and examination fee for the respective 2026 CHP exam. In addition, thanks to the generous support of BIE Academy, each recipient will also receive a complimentary online CHP Preparation Course to aid in their study and exam readiness—an incredible resource valued at several thousand dollars.

Who Should Apply:

Current WiRP and HPS members in good standing who are actively preparing to sit for the Part 1 or Part 2 CHP exam in 2026

Application Materials:

Applicants will submit:

• A completed online application form – click here
• A one-page personal statement (500–700 words) describing motivation, goals, and professional society engagement
• A résumé or CV (maximum 2 pages)
• An optional letter of recommendation (from a CHP, supervisor, or mentor)

How to Apply:

Complete the online application using Google Form link.

Supplemental materials (personal statement, résumé/CV, and optional recommendation letter) should be emailed to hpswirpsection@gmail.com with the subject line “WiRP CHP Scholarship Application – [Your Name]”

Deadline: All application materials must be received by 1 December 2025.

Awardees will be announced early in 2026! Winners will be reimbursed for their testing fees and provided with access to the BIE Academy CHP online prep course at that time.

This initiative is an exciting step toward empowering women in radiation protection to reach the highest levels of professional achievement! Thanks to the BIE Academy for partnering with us on this initiative! For more information on their courses, visit the BIE Academy website.

Please submit any questions you have about this program to hpswirpsection@gmail.com.

 

HPS Member Lee Bettenhausen died 10 September 2025. His obituary can be found on the Longwood Funeral Home website. An In Memoriam piece will be put on the HPS website at a future date.

 

Mike Lewandowski, FHPS, CHP, HPS President

The Health Physics Society (HPS) Board of Directors and Advisory Panel started a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) exercise during the HPS 70th Annual Meeting in Madison earlier this year. One area identified from the input from that activity was a lack of clarity regarding how HPS members can get involved.

If you would like to be on an HPS committee, we welcome you to volunteer. There are different ways to volunteer. You can click on the Volunteer button on each committee page. You can contact the committee chair and director listed for each committee. You can contact me directly.

After a volunteer has been identified, the committee chair is consulted to determine if that person would be a good fit for the committee. A number of factors are considered. We want each committee to have members from across the Society. Having different viewpoints based on education, experience, professional areas of expertise, and geography make for a broader committee experience. Once consensus has been reached regarding a volunteer’s status, the volunteer is either approved by the Board or appointed by the president under authority granted by the Board. The volunteer is then notified and their name is added to the HPS website as a member of the committee.

Each of our committees has an opportunity for volunteers to join and gain expertise through participation. Prior knowledge of a particular topic, process, or strategy employed by a committee is not required. Being interested in the committee’s work and being willing to jump in and tackle the committee’s work is sufficient to have a successful committee experience.

Many committees have an open space, but the greatest need is on the Continuing Education Programs Committee. If you are interested in selecting the continuing education lectures, professional enrichment program courses, or training webinars, this committee might be just the right fit for you. Contact me or Charles Wilson if you are interested in the committee.

If you have questions or concerns about what HPS is doing (or not doing), please contact me or any member of the Board. We serve you and want to hear from you.

 

Kendall Berry, MSPH, CMLSO, FHPS, HPS Secretary

The Health Physics Society will soon be holding its annual national elections for leadership positions. This is a vital opportunity for members to shape the future of our Society and ensure strong, visionary leadership for the coming term. Positions open for election are President-elect, Secretary-elect, and two Director positions.

We encourage all eligible members to cast your vote to support those who will represent your interests and advance our shared mission. Watch your email for voting information.

 

Health Physics Society (HPS) member Lorraine Day died 21 April 2024. An In Memoriam piece has been posted on the HPS website.

 

The 2025 Health Physics Society Salary Survey is now open through 31 December 2025. Your contribution to the survey will help current and future health physicists and their employers understand the value of our profession. You need to be logged in to the Members Only side of the HPS website to participate in the survey.

 

Latha Vasudevan, Public Relations, and Spenser Lynn, Secretary

The State of Texas Chapter of the Health Physics Society (STC-HPS) held its fall technical meeting and affiliates fair at Rice University in Houston, Texas, on 1–3 October 2025. STC-HPS President-elect Michell DeLeon put together an excellent agenda and coordinated the entire meeting. The first day featured a four-hour workshop on laser safety taught by Spenser Lynn and attended by six people. The topics covered during the workshop were the fundamentals of laser safety, laser hazard analysis, administrative and engineering controls, and comparison of the ANSI standard with the Texas rule on laser safety. The laser safety workshop received positive feedback from the participants.

At the executive council meeting on 1 October 2025, the leadership team discussed the chapter budget and new initiatives. Plans are underway to have future meetings in a new location to maximize member participation and engagement.

One of the other highlights of the meeting was the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) roundtable forum, where experts discussed the biggest challenges in launching an MRI safety program, clinical and technical considerations, protocol development, how to best manage fetal dose concerns during the use of contrast agents in pregnancy, and emerging modalities and multi-use. Panel members were Andreea Dohatcu, diagnostic medical physicist, MD Anderson; Sandra John Baptiste, associate program director, medical physicist, MD Anderson; Michael Martin, ARSO, Texas A&M University; Raja Muthupillai, MR physicist; Amanda Olicia, MR safety officer; and Sandra Ramirez, RSO, MD Anderson.

The two-day event on 2–3 October included an affiliates fair and an extensive schedule of presentations on various topics:

• Bob Emery, UT Health, Houston – “Considering Radiation Safety Program Image”
• Ian Feldman, City of Houston – “Houston Securing the Cities Preventative Rad/Nuc Detection Program”
• Brian Christian, Advocates for Responsible Disposal in Texas – “Update on the 89^th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature”
• Victor Perales, Texas A&M EHS – “Basics of Industrial Radiography”
• Vihar Bhakta, MD Anderson Cancer Center – “CIRP Disposal Process”
• Brian Kelley, MD Anderson Cancer Center – “Exploring the Radiation Safety Aspect of Current and Emerging Theragnostics”
• Ramona Gaza, NASA Space Radiation Analysis Group – “From LEO to Moon to Mars: Radiation for Astronauts”
• Stan Bravenec, VHA Medical Emergency Radiological Response Team – “Americium Inhalational Exposure with Successful Chelation Therapy”
• Mark DeHart, Abilene Christian University – “Graduate Education for a Nuclear Future: Reactor Innovation and the Road to Health Physics”
• Janet Guiterrez, UT Health, Houston – “Concisely Summarizing the Radiological Permit Responsibilities for a Complex Biomedical Research and Academic Ecosystem”

Most of the affiliates were able to talk about their new products, one of which was leveraging AI into building a modern dosimetry software platform. The STC-HPS thanks all the speakers for providing very high-quality presentations during the meeting. The attendees greatly enjoyed networking opportunities with speakers as well as affiliate-sponsored breakfasts. Special thanks to our affiliate members: The Doctor’s Software LLC, Radiation Detection Company, Mirion, F&J, NAC Philotechnics, GammaTech Industrial LLC, RTI, Suntrac Services Inc, Owens Scientific Inc, M3D, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and LabLogic.

The full agenda of the meeting can be found on the STC-HPS website.

 

 

The Health Physics Society (HPS) has written letters to President Donald Trump, Congress, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in support of the University Nuclear Leadership Program (UNLP), urging Congress to add funding back to the NRC’s budget for UNLP and encouraging NRC to distribute that funding.

The letters may be found on the HPS Correspondence 2025–2027 page.

 

Edward A. Tupin, Anne Jennings, Erhard Kohler

Photos courtesy of US Government, Department of Transportation, US Maritime Administration

Come experience a time capsule of the atomic age—the world’s first nuclear-powered merchant ship, the Nuclear Ship Savannah, will host a public site visit 15 November 2025. Conceived by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1955, Savannah was built as part of his Atoms for Peace program as a joint project between the Atomic Energy Commission and the Maritime Administration. Named after the revolutionary SS Savannah of 1819, the first steamship to make a transoceanic voyage, the NS Savannah was also pioneering as the world’s first commercial application of nuclear power for ship propulsion. The ship was designed by noted naval architectural firm George G. Sharp, Inc., with interiors by Jack Heaney and Associates, and its pressurized water reactor was designed by Babcock & Wilcox. In operation as a passenger-cargo ship from 1962 to 1965 and a cargo ship from 1965 to 1970, Savannah served as a floating ambassador promoting the safe and peaceful use of nuclear power just as Ike envisioned. During that time, the ship traveled more than 720,000 kilometers to 32 domestic and 45 foreign ports, with over 1.4 million visitors touring the ship, proving the safety and feasibility of nuclear power for merchant ships.

Savannah also served as a floating showcase of mid-century American art and design, with atomic and futuristic motifs featured prominently throughout the ship—in the light fixtures in the dining room, in the China service, in floor tiles in the main stairwell, and on the tabletops in the veranda and cocktail lounge. Now you, too, can experience the ships’ mid-century modern interiors, dining room, veranda and cocktail bar, engine and control rooms, bridge, galley, passenger and officer staterooms, crew mess, and other spaces, just as passengers and visitors did during its operation.

Perhaps most significantly, although the nuclear reactor space was off limits during the ship’s operation, you can now safely walk inside the reactor containment. There, visitors can see and touch preserved reactor components and interpretive displays representing components of the nuclear power plant, which have been removed. These all combine to aid in understanding how a nuclear reactor works—truly a unique experience! There is no other pressurized water reactor in the world today that can offer this sort of experience.

Savannah will be open for guided and self-guided tours from 10 am to 3 pm on Saturday, 15 November. The ship is located at 4601 Newgate Avenue, Pier 13 Canton Marine Terminal, Baltimore, MD. Please note: no open-toed shoes and the ship has limited accessibility for those with disabilities. For more information and to RSVP, see the NS Savannah website.

 

Brant Ulsh, CHP, PhD, Editor in Chief

The hot days of summer are turning cooler, the leaves are starting to change color, we finally got some rain, and my grass is growing again. It is a good time to look back over this year in the life of the Health Physics Journal and evaluate the progress we have made in 2025.

We started off the year with a monumental milestone—the transition to online only. We had been receiving nudges in that direction for several years, but I approached this event horizon cautiously. I know many HPS members—mostly our older colleagues—just liked to read the Journal in print form and were not keen on losing that monthly connection to the profession showing up in their mailboxes. On the other hand, I received periodic feedback—mainly from some of our young and mid-career colleagues—who wanted to access the Journal electronically and were concerned about producing the Journal in print for environmental reasons. In the end, it simply became financially untenable to continue in print, as costs were continuing to rise, especially in the long aftermath of COVID. When we learned that we could eliminate page charges—a bugaboo since my first day as editor in chief—if we went electronic only, I knew the time had come.

The feedback I have received has been overwhelmingly positive, and even those who miss the print edition were mainly wistful and understanding rather than critical. I greatly appreciate that. Despite my trepidation, the Journal’s finances continue to be in great shape, our submissions are up, and even our impact factor is up (though this is a trailing indicator and does not reflect the impact of going online only).

So, the takeaway message is we came through the transition smoothly, and things are going well with your journal. Thank you for being loyal readers and navigating this transition with us!

The November issue of Health Physics is now available online. The editor’s pick paper is “Assessment of Occupational Exposure in Some Radiology Departments in Ghana”.