Photo courtesy of Edward Wallace
Left to right, Secretary-elect Cindy Flannery, Director Guss Potter, Secretary Kendall Berry, Director George Tabatadze, Treasurer Deirdre Elder, Director Greg Fairchild, President Mike Lewandowski, President-elect Mike Mahathy, Director Matt McFee, Director Zach Tribbett, and Executive Director Brett Burk; not pictured: Director William Irwin
Mike Mahathy, HPS Treasurer and President-elect Designate
To Health Physics Society (HPS) chapter officers, I will be taking office in July as HPS president-elect. I am open for scheduling an in-person or remote visit to your chapter. My presentation will be “Contemporary Health Physics at the Intersection of the ALARA Principle and Artificial Intelligence.”
Feel free to contact me to discuss scheduling a presentation.
Back to Table of ContentsMike Lewandowski, FHPS, CHP, HPS President and Awards Committee Chair
One highlight of each International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) International Congress is the Rolf Sievert Award. The Sievert Awardee is selected from nominations from IRPA Associate Societies. The Health Physics Society (HPS) has been invited to nominate a member for the Sievert Award. This award honors Rolf M. Sievert, a leader and pioneer in radiation protection, and is given to a pre-eminent figure in the discipline for their outstanding contributions to radiation protection.
Any HPS member may nominate someone for the Sievert Award. The nomination package should include a nomination letter detailing the particular contributions the candidate has made in the field of radiation protection that would justify the candidate’s selection as the recipient of the award, a copy of the nominee’s CV, and verification that should the nominee be selected, they would be able to attend IRPA 17 (29 May‒2 June 2028 in Valencia, Spain) to present the Sievert Memorial Lecture as part of the IRPA 17 opening plenary session. The Sievert Award includes funding to defray the awardee’s cost to attend the International Congress.
Please submit all nominations using this form. The form will prompt you for all required information and will let you click a link to upload the necessary documents to a Dropbox established for this purpose. Please contact me or any member of the Awards Committee if you have questions.
The deadline for submitting your nomination is 14 August 2026. If you have questions about the nomination process, please contact me.
Back to Table of ContentsGeorge Tabatadze, HPS Director, Science Support Committee
The Science Support Committee of the Health Physics Society (HPS) will once again host its Summer Science Teacher Workshop, a virtual program designed to support middle and high school educators in teaching one of the most widely misunderstood yet essential topics in science: ionizing radiation.
This free, five-hour workshop offers a practical and accessible introduction to radiation science, with a strong emphasis on classroom application. Led by experienced health physics professionals, the program combines clear explanations of fundamental concepts with real-world examples that help students understand how radiation is used safely and effectively across society.
Participants will explore a broad range of topics, including radiation fundamentals, instrumentation, biological effects, and applications in medicine, industry, energy, and everyday life. The workshop also highlights current issues such as radioactive waste and introduces students to career pathways in health physics, helping educators connect classroom content to real opportunities.
A key feature of the program is its focus on hands-on learning. Selected participants will receive a classroom instrumentation kit at no cost, which includes a working Geiger-Mueller counter, safe naturally occurring radiation sources, and ready-to-use teaching materials. These resources are intended to support ongoing instruction well beyond the workshop itself.
Workshop Details
Dates: 21 July and 23 July 2026
Time: 1–3:30 pm Central Time each day
Format: Virtual
Registration fee: Free
Registration deadline: 26 June 2026
Certificates of completion will be awarded.
Instrumentation kits are limited and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Kits will be shipped only within the United States.
Educators interested in strengthening their confidence in teaching radiation science and bringing engaging, evidence-based content into their classrooms are encouraged to apply.
HPS chapter members and officers are encouraged to share this opportunity with local science teachers, school districts, and educational partners. Broad outreach at the local level is essential to ensuring that this program reaches educators who can benefit most and helps expand awareness of radiation science education.
Registration is available here. The deadline to register is 26 June 2026.
Back to Table of ContentsBarbara Hamrick, HPS Recorder
The 2026 Health Physics Society (HPS) Members Meeting was held 8 July 2026 at the 71st HPS Annual Meeting in National Harbor, Maryland. Highlights are below. More details will be available in the meeting minutes, which will be available on the HPS website soon (HPS Member Meeting Minutes).
2026 HPS Awards
2026 Section Awards
Future Meetings
11–15 July 2027, Tacoma Convention Center, Tacoma, Washington
11–15 June 2028, Knoxville Convention Center, Knoxville, Tennessee
Back to Table of ContentsThe Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is releasing a number of significant rulemakings for public comment over the next several months, including a major revision to the Radiation Protection Framework. The early release of that revision is now available. Health Physics Society (HPS) members can provide their input on this revision to be used to create the official HPS comment.
Please submit your suggestions for the official HPS comment through this designated Google Form.
The form collects member comments and routes them to the Government Relations Committee, Executive Committee, Board, and president for review and compilation into the Society’s official submission. Submitting here does not guarantee that any individual comment will appear verbatim in the final HPS comment, as input is synthesized into a single coordinated response.
A few things to keep in mind:
To allow HPS leadership enough time to review and compile everything, please submit your comments no later than 10 days before the comment deadline published in the respective Federal Register Notice (FRN) for each rulemaking.
Thank you for lending your expertise to help ensure the Society’s voice is well represented.
Back to Table of ContentsModerators: Dr. Emily Caffrey, CHP, and Dr. Charles Wilson, CHP
The Health Physics Society (HPS), jointly with the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, the American Academy of Health Physics, the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, and the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, is holding a webinar and open forum on the proposed rules stemming from the May 2025 executive orders (EO). The focus of this forum will be on EO 14300-related rule changes.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) web page for this rulemaking can be found on the NRC website.
*Any opinions expressed during the webinar reflect the speaker, not the HPS, NCRP, AAHP, AAPM, or CRCPD.
“Executive Orders on Radiation Protection: Discussion of Proposed Rules” will be held Wednesday, 15 July, 12:00‒2:00 pm Eastern. Click here to register. The webinar will include:
Rules for Participants
By joining the webinar, you agree to:
The sessions will not be recorded; however, AI will be utilized to take notes. The outcome of the open forum will be a summary of findings and recommendations submitted for publication. Participants will have the opportunity to submit comments and thoughts for the paper anonymously or named as preferred.
Back to Table of ContentsThe July 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)
Radiation Safety Officer Training — ORAU’s Professional Training Programs
Medical Radiation Safety Officer Training — ORAU’s Professional Training Programs
Laser Safety Officer (LSO) Training — Kentek Corporation
We are saddened to report that Health Physics Society (HPS) member Ronald Shearin died 16 June 2026. His obituary can be found on the Walker’s Funeral Home website. An In Memoriam piece will be put on the HPS website at a future date.
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The August 2026 issue of the Health Physics journal is now available online for subscribers.
One article per issue of Health Physics is made freely available to nonsubscribers for a limited time (usually 6 weeks). Read the free August article: “DoseBusters: A Fully Immersive Virtual Reality Game for Radiation Protection and Detection” by Jackson H. Eggerd, Estefania Munoz Barron, Jianyu Tu, Jordan D Noey, and Kimberlee J. Kearfott.
Back to Table of ContentsCongratulations to the recipients of the following Health Physics Society (HPS) awards, which will be presented in July during the 71st HPS Annual Meeting in National Harbor, Maryland.
Founders Award: Steve King
Elda E. Anderson Award: Caleigh Samuels
Robley D. Evans Commemorative Medal: Kimberlee Kearfott
Fellow Award: Maia Avtandilashvili, Ben Edwards, Wayne Gaul, and Patrick LaFrate
G. William Morgan Lectureship Award: Dr. Peter Bryant and Dr. Werner Ruhm
Dade Moeller Lectureship Award: Dr. John Till
Back to Table of ContentsText and photos by Thomas Johnson, CSU Student Branch Advisor
Preparing blood samples: Students are supervised by Professor Miura while they prepare blood samples for karyotyping
Colorado State University (CSU) students recently completed a two-week course (ERHS 475A Study Abroad Japan: Basics of Radiation Emergency Medicine) held at the Hirosaki University Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine (IREM). The students were able to perform multiple radiobiology experiments on their own blood, including karyotyping and basic analysis. They were also able to visit the Fukushima Daiichi reactors,“difficult to return zone,” and participate in an array of additional cultural activities. Our Hirosaki University hosts—Professors Miura, Fujishima, Anderson, and Hosata—provided multiple lectures (all in English) on radiobiology. Among the cultural activities was the opportunity to visit the Tsugaru Clan’s Hirosaki Castle and park while wearing kimonos. The CSU students also enjoyed a special evening with Hirosaki University students cooking takoyaki (octopus) and making their own onigiri. This course is open to all who qualify, and we plan to hold it again in May of 2027. Contact Tom Johnson if you are interested in attending!
Cultural day Hirosaki: CSU Students pose while wearing kimonos in Hirosaki Castle park during a cultural awareness day
Student dinner: Hirosaki University Students demonstrated how to prepare Takoyaki and onigiri and participated in a trivia session one evening during the program.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is releasing a number of significant rulemakings for public comment over the next several months, including a major revision to the Radiation Protection Framework now expected on 6 July 2026. Health Physics Society (HPS) President Mike Lewandowski has requested that the Government Relations Committee coordinate the collection of member input so that the HPS can submit a single, official comment on the rulemakings of greatest interest to our community.
We invite you to share your suggestions for the HPS comment collection through the designated Google Form.
Submitting through this form allows your input to be considered in the official HPS comment. The form collects member comments and routes them to the Executive Committee, Board, and president for review and compilation into the Society’s official submission. Submitting here does not guarantee that any individual comment will appear verbatim in the final HPS comment, as input is synthesized into a single coordinated response.
A few things to keep in mind:
To allow HPS leadership enough time to review and compile everything, please submit your comments no later than 10 days before the comment deadline published in the respective Federal Register Notice (FRN) for each rulemaking.
Thank you for lending your expertise to help ensure the Society’s voice is well represented.
Back to Table of ContentsCraig Little, HPS Agency Liaison
Each year the Health Physics Society (HPS) president, executive director, federal agency liaison, and congressional liaison visit the Washington, DC, area. This year Mike Lewandowski, Brett Burk, Craig Little, and David Connolly were joined by HPS member Emily Caffrey during the visits from 4 May through 6 May. Here is a synopsis of the visits to the various agencies.
Environmental Protection Agency
We met with Armin Ansari, acting director of the Radiation Protection Division (RPD) and several of his staff. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) RPD lost approximately 40% of its staff last year, but has recently received an influx of 14 non-HP staff from the Office of Research and Development. Using internal resources, RPD is training the new staff in the basics of health physics. EPA will rely on HPS and other nongovernmental organizations to comment on upcoming proposed rules changes by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
In meetings with three commissioners, President Lewandowski reiterated who and what HPS is and our support for science-based regulations. He also noted the increased necessity of NRC support for health physics education. We also invited the commissioners to attend the 2026 HPS Annual Meeting to be held in National Harbor, 6–9 July. Individual meetings and topics as below.
We met with Chairman Ho K. Nieh and several of his staff. The chairman mentioned impending rules changes. He also suggested that ALARA will likely be replaced with “graded approach.” He is confident that the proposed rules will be out by early July. Chairman Nieh asked specifically if HPS was going to comment on the proposed rules and we outlined for him the process suggested by President Lewandowski for doing a complete technical review in light of the short public comment period.
We met with Commissioner Douglas Weaver, the newest commissioner, and his technical assistant for reactors, Shilp Vasavada. This was our first visit with Commissioner Weaver. It was a wide-ranging conversation in which we discussed low-dose radiobiology, repair mechanisms, and cancer rates in areas with high background values. He suggested that HPS should have an official point of contact with NRC. We are looking for a viable and willing NRC staff member to approach.
Commissioner Matthew Marzano was on travel during our visit to White Flint and we arranged for a teleconference. He is familiar with HPS, having met with us on several previous occasions. We described the process that HPS will use to develop responses to proposed rules and discussed funding for health physics education programs.
The final NRC meeting was with Russ Felts, deputy director of the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (NRR), and John Tomon, CHP. Felts will be leading the new branch of NRR after an upcoming reorganization. Brett Burk broached the subject of the upcoming HPS annual meeting and subsequent webinar opportunities. Tomon noted the NRR has supported the Million Worker Study (MWS) and thinks it dovetails well with the regulatory changes that are upcoming. They are interested in doing a 15-year follow-up to MWS, and funding for that may be available. Both Felts and Tomon very much want HPS input on the draft regulations. The summer internship program, Nuclear Regulator Apprenticeship Network, is moving to NRR. The USA Jobs announcement will be published in late fall.
Department of Energy
Following a welcome from Office of Environmental Compliance and Radiation Protection (EH-11) Group Director Josh Silverman, we met with Mike Stewart in person and David Pugh, Tom Carver, Christine Lobos, and George Chiu remotely. These individuals represented occupational and environmental radiation protection and DOELAP functions within EH-11
The Department of Energy (DOE) has merged the occupational radiation protection (835) team with the public and environmental radiation protection (834) teams as a result of the loss of personnel. President Lewandowski noted that one of our topics of interest is workforce development—the Nuclear Energy University Program and the University Nuclear Leadership Program are the vectors for funding universities. These programs are out of the purview of EH-11. David Connolly mentioned the Health Physics Academic Education Center (HPAEC) as an organization that is looking to help. President Lewandowski mentioned the furthering of studies around low dose as a way to resolve discussions and arguments about cleanup requirements.
DOE has been directed to come up with its own regulatory changes without ALARA. DOE is looking at including optimization and some additional guidance on risk management. They are curious to see where NRC is going with 10 CFR 20 in particular.
During the meeting, we discussed the fact that the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved manufacturer of chelating agent DTPA recently stopped producing it, which is creating a problem for both national strategic stockpile and DOE facilities. A number of other countries produce it, but none are FDA approved.
We reminded the group of the HPS annual meeting in July in National Harbor, Maryland.
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Please join us for the 6th Radiation Epidemiology and Dosimetry Course, hosted by the Radiation Epidemiology Branch of the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. This course is intended for people interested in learning about the health effects of radiation exposure. Lectures will begin with fundamentals and progress to topical sessions on medical, occupational, and environmental radiation exposures. A draft of the course agenda can be found on the course website. The course material assumes participants have some familiarity with basic scientific concepts, statistics, biology, and physics.
The course will run 14–17 December 2026 in Rockville, Maryland from 9 am to 5 pm daily. This is an in-person event only. Lectures will be delivered in a large-group format (200+ people). Seating in the main room will be available each day on a first-come, first-served basis, with live streaming to an overflow room. Lectures will be recorded and posted online after the event. Informal lunch and evening gatherings will provide additional opportunities for discussion and networking. Coffee and meals will be on your own.
Registration is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. Participants can register on the 2026 Radiation Epidemiology and Dosimetry Course website. Early registration is encouraged as space is limited.
For course-related questions, please visit the course website or contact Bessie Sinclair or Vibha Vij.
Back to Table of ContentsDr. Richard Harvey, Chapter President
Spring 2026 WNYHPS chapter meeting attendees at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Photo courtesy of Jillian Oleandi
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center hosted the Spring 2026 Meeting of the Western New York Chapter of the Health Physics Society (WNYCHPS) on 1 May 2026. The hybrid meeting included HPS President Michael Lewandowski, Troy Meisner (New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental Radiation Protection), and Dr. Fred Mis (President, Multi Industrial Services, Inc.).
Lewandowski presented “Radiation Gauging, a Practical Application of Basic Science” and discussed health physics news and updates. Meisiner hosted a “Regulatory Hour” and delivered a presentation regarding New York State Certified Radiation Equipment Safety Officer updates. In addition, Charles Burns, Sara Heim, and Nathan Kishbaugh (New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental Radiation Protection) answered queries from attendees. Mis presented his work on “Determination of the Sterilization Capabilities of the Kimtron Box Irradiator to Meet US Food and Drug Yeast and Bacterial Content Levels for Commercial Marijuana Consumption Use.”
The WNYCHPS is grateful to all the presenters for their participation and would like to express our gratitude to Mis and Multi Industrial Services, Inc. for their sponsorship of this meeting. The chapter also thanks Burk & Associates for their continued support of our hybrid chapter meetings.
We warmly invite all members and nonmembers to attend our future meetings in person or engage virtually and connect with fellow health physics colleagues!
Back to Table of ContentsBarbara Hamrick, HPS WebOps Editor in Chief
The fix is in place and members can now access the Health Physics journal (the Journal) directly from the hps.org website. Please make sure you are signed in to the website. When you are logged in, the top two buttons on the upper right will read “Profile” and “Logout” ‒ you can then hover over the word “Publications” in the main menu and click on the picture of the Journal. You will arrive at the Journal’s website, signed in and ready to download all the content available there.
Wayne Glines, Health Physics News Contributing Editor
Netflix is currently showing a five-part drama series, titled Radiation Emergency, on the 1987 radiological accident in Goiânia, Brazil. This accident involved the abandonment of a cesium-137 (Cs-137) (in the form of a highly soluble and readily dispersible cesium chloride salt) teletherapy unit. This unit was subsequently partially disassembled, and the source capsule ruptured, resulting in the widespread contamination of Cs-137 and the direct deaths of four individuals.
This Netflix series follows the course of the accident, the extent of the contamination, the response following discovery of the contamination, and the impact on effected communities.
I would be most interested in Health Physics Society members’ “critique” of the historical accuracy and presentation of this series, as well as opinions as to whether this series would be useful to radiological protection professionals, regulatory authorities, or the general public. Please provide any critiques, comments, and opinions, to me at wglines34@charter.net. Based on the response, I will issue an article summarizing the response.
For those who are interested, there are numerous reports and accounts of this accident in the literature. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has published two reports devoted to this accident: IAEA Report (1988) and IAEA TECDOC-1099. The January 1991 issue of the Health Physics journal was devoted to the Goiânia accident. Also, several years ago, the Herbert M. Parker Foundation hosted a Parker Lecture on this accident by Dr. Luiz Bertilli, who was directly involved in the recovery actions for Goiânia.
Back to Table of ContentsWayne Glines, Health Physics News Contributing Editor
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant accident and the 15th anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. On 27 April 2026, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) will host global radiological protection experts in presenting the webinar Lessons for Radiological Protection from the Chornobyl NPP and Fukushima Daiichi NPP Accidents.
Since 1986, the ICRP has followed the consequences of these events, reviewing health effects, environmental and non-human biota impacts, and social impacts, assessing their implications for radiological protection and issuing several publications reflecting the lessons learned from these and other radiological events. In this webinar, members from ICRP Committees 1, 2, and 4 will present an overview of key scientific and practical insights from these two major accidents and summarize their impact on radiological protection worldwide. These presentations will be followed by a moderated discussion with international organizations, exploring the central questions: Are we better prepared to protect people and the environment in situations of radiological accidents? What have we truly learned from these accidents?
As with all ICRP digital events, registration is free; however, participants and organizations are encouraged to purchase a paid option wherever possible.
Please visit the event page where you can read the full program and register for the webinar.
Back to Table of ContentsWayne Glines, Health Physics News Contributing Editor
On 9 April 2026, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Task Group 111 will host a workshop to present its draft report on Factors Governing the Individual Response of Humans to Ionising Radiation. Please click here for additional information, to access the draft report (which is currently open for public consultation until 1 May), and to register for this event.
As with all ICRP digital events, registration is free; however, participants and organizations are encouraged to purchase a paid option wherever possible.
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Do you have professional health physics books you no longer use but that would be helpful to someone else in the field? As you are doing a year-end cleaning at your home or office, consider listing the books you want to share on HP Professional Book Sharing page of the Health Physics Society website.
Are you looking for professional health physics books, but have a limited budget? Peruse the titles on the page and see if any fit your needs. Then contact the person giving away the book to arrange shipping. The book giver and receiver are responsible for arranging and paying for shipping.
To have your book listed on the sharing page, email the Health Physics Society news editor a photo of the cover; the title, author, publisher, and publication date; and your email address.
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