Health Physics News

The Medical Health Physics Section invites you to a virtual workshop on alpha emitters in medicine! This meeting will explore the full spectrum of medical health physics aspects of alpha-emitter therapy, from production pathways and foundational science to preclinical and clinical trials, radiation safety concerns, and emerging issues of interest. Join colleagues online for two days of focused discussion on this rapidly evolving field.

Dates: 18–19 February 2026

Registration: https://www.xcdsystem.com/hps/store/index.cfm?ID=NZtC19M

Program: https://www.xcdsystem.com/hps/program/MUXaREy/index.cfm

Meeting website: https://www.xcdsystem.com/hps/program/MUXaREy/index.cfm

 

Sponsorship and exhibit sales for the 71st Health Physics Society Annual Meeting are now open. The meeting will be held 6‒9 July 2026 in National Harbor, Maryland. Many levels of sponsorship opportunities and exhibit hall booth space are available. Please contact exhibits@hps.org to become a sponsor or exhibitor. More information is available in the sponsorship guide.

 

Looking forward to the upcoming 71st HPS Annual Meeting and want to share your wisdom or experience? The Continuing Education Programs (CEP) Committee is calling for you to be a part of the program! Please click here to submit your proposed course.

Professional Enrichment Program courses (PEPs, 90+ minutes most likely to be held Monday) and Continuing Education Lectures (CELs, less than one hour and held during the week) will be renumerated at the normal HPS rates.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact CEP Committee Chair Charles Wilson. The (only and final) submission deadline is 28 March 2025. Authors will be notified in April.

We are also still looking for more abstracts for the scientific program! Click here to submit yours now.

 

Students, it is time to apply for awards to help toward your health physics education. The Students area of the Health Physics Society (HPS) website offers an abundance of information on scholarships, fellowships, and grants available to health physics students. For 2026, HPS is offering several scholarships and fellowships. The HPS also offers travel grants for HPS member students planning to attend the next annual meeting of the HPS.

• Scholarships and Grants
• HPS Fellowships
• Travel Grants

The application process is open and the deadline for submission of applications for scholarships, fellowships, and travel grants is 23 March 2026.

Click here to access the scholarships and fellowships application form. Click here to access the travel grant application form.

Advisors and HPS members, please encourage health physics students you know to apply soon.

 

Erich Fruchtnicht, State of Texas Chapter President

The State of Texas Chapter of the Health Physics Society (STC-HPS) invites you to join us for our spring STC-HPS meeting! The meeting registration link is posted on our chapter home page.

We will be meeting 9‒10 April 2026 at the Hotel Indigo in Waco, Texas. The Executive Council will meet the evening of 8 April, and all members are welcome to attend and join in the welcome reception to be held at the hotel. Presentations and networking opportunities will take place 9 and 10 April.

If you are interested in presenting a topic, please contact STC President-elect Michelle DeLeon. This is a great opportunity for the chapter membership to learn from each other, so we want to hear from you!

A hotel room block has been reserved at the Hotel Indigo for anyone travelling in for the meeting. The booking link is posted on the chapter home page.

Please spread the word and we look forward to seeing you in Waco!

 

Deepesh Poudel, Bae Chu, HPS National Harbor Task Force Chairs; Emily Caffrey, HPS Program Committee Chair

Early-career professionals, you are the future of our field, and your work deserves to be seen!

The Health Physics Society (HPS) program Committee (PC) invites you to submit abstracts for the 2026 HPS Annual Meeting. Whether your experience comes from applied projects, research, field work, case studies, or preliminary results, we encourage you to share your work with the broader health physics community.

Presenting at the HPS annual meeting offers a unique opportunity to showcase your contributions, receive constructive feedback from experienced professionals, and connect with colleagues from industry, academia, national laboratories, and regulatory agencies. It’s also a great way to build your professional network and gain visibility early in your career.

Abstracts are short (fewer than 250 words) and may be submitted for either oral or poster presentation (or no preference). The abstract submission deadline is 20 March 2026 (no extensions), and submissions must be made through the online portal.

The PC looks forward to highlighting your work and welcoming the next generation of health physics leaders at HPS 2026.

 

Shannon Neff, San Diego Chapter Secretary; Photos courtesy of Bridget Smith

The San Diego Chapter of the Health Physics Society (SDHPS) has been busy with meetings and activities.

In October 2025, the chapter met at Vertex Pharmaceuticals and enjoyed dinner together as well as the interesting talk “Radiation Safety Considerations for Hospital Acquisitions.”

The chapter kicked off 2026 with an online meeting where new SDHPS officers were elected. Bridget Smith of Class7Training LLC, former secretary, now holds the position of chapter president. Shannon Neff will be assuming the role of secretary. Vanessa Perez will serve as treasurer. Shannon and Vanessa both work at the Naval Hospital in San Diego and are looking forward to developing their leadership skills and deepening their knowledge of health physics while serving the SDHPS.

Our February meeting included a very informative talk by Donna Earley of the Southwestern Low Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW) Commission, who shared updates on the state of c LLRW disposal in the Southwest Compact. These updates included discussion of a new law that requires disposal of sealed sources that have not been used for three years at a given site. SDHPS officers and members also had the opportunity to tour the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station decommissioning site. Visitors were able to see the decommissioning progress since their visit several years ago as well as visit the on-site waste storage facility. Visit the SCHPS YouTube channel for more information about our meetings and speakers.

 

Mike Lewandowski, FHPS, CHP, HPS President and Awards Committee Chair

In January we announced the call for nominations for Health Physics Society (HPS) awards. Several nominations have been emailed to the Awards Committee and we’re happy to announce that we have published a Google form to more easily track the nominations. Please submit all future 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.

As a reminder, following is a list of HPS awards and nomination deadlines. You can find details for each of these awards in Section 13 of the HPS Rules and on the Awards page of our website.

The deadline for submitting nominations for the following awards is 1 March:

• Distinguished Public Service Award
• Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award
• Elda E. Anderson Award
• Fellow Award
• Founders Award
• Geoffrey G. Eichholz Outstanding Science Teacher Award
• Robley D. Evans Commemorative Medal

The deadline for submitting nominations for the Student Science Award is 30 May.

If you have questions about the nomination process, please contact me at awards.chair@hps.org.

 

Cincinnati Radiation Society Secretary/Treasurer

The Cincinnati Radiation Society, in collaboration with the Mound Science and Energy Museum Association, will be hosting a hybrid (via Zoom) Tech Talk by Catesby Mallard titled “Phosphogypsum Waste Recycled as Road Materials.”

A watch party for the talk will be held in Miamisburg, Ohio, and it will also be streamed live via Zoom Wednesday, 25 February 2026. Log in between 6:30 and 6:55 pm (Eastern) as the log-in option will close promptly at 7:00.

Anyone wishing to join virtually or in person should send a request to Secretary@CRS-HPS.Org and the Zoom link and credential instructions will be provided.

 

Jon Napier, PhD, CHP, Environmental/Radon Section President

The Environmental/Radon Section is interested in hosting a special session at 2026 Health Physics Society Annual Meeting in National Harbor, Maryland. The section board would like to further discuss how the recent executive orders and policy changes may impact environmental health physics.

The session would explore how revising policies with regard to ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) and the linear no-threshold (LNT) model could impact environmental health physics, including:

• Regulatory and operational practices of dose minimization and risk estimation.
• Impacts to monitoring, remediation, and risk communication.
• Case studies where environmental health physicists responded to evolving policy.
• Future research needs, including the integration of emerging scientific insights into revision of exposure guidelines.

If you are interested in participating in this special session, please submit an abstract through the online portal and indicate that your abstract will be for a special session in the dropdown menu, Also email me, Jon Napier, so the section can keep track of submissions.

 

Ken Gavlik, Section Past President

As in previous years, the Health Physics Society (HPS) Decommissioning Section is excited to host a dedicated special session at the 71st HPS Annual Meeting in National Harbor, Maryland, 7–9 July 2026.

This session provides a premier opportunity to showcase your D&D work in depth through an expanded 30-minute presentation—double the time typically available in standard technical sessions—allowing for richer discussion and greater visibility.

Abstracts should be submitted directly to HPS via the link https://www.xcdsystem.com/hps/abstract/abstract.cfm by 20 March 2026. Be sure to indicate your interest in presenting in the Decommissioning Section special session at the time of submission. Additionally, please email the proposed presentation title and expected presentation length to either Kevin Banks or Ken Gavlik as soon as possible, and no later than 16 February, to support effective session planning.

We strongly encourage your participation and look forward to highlighting the important work being done across the decommissioning community.

Additionally, following the special session, the Decommissioning Section will host a Decommissioning Section happy hour.

 

Harrison Redman, CHP, CLSO, Chapter Past President

The Northern California Chapter of the Health Physics Society (NCCHPS) has a new LinkedIn page! Health physicists and radiation safety professionals in the northern California area are invited to join the chapter for in-person and virtual meetings, held every other month! See the NCCHPS new LinkedIn page for details!

 

 

Nonionizing Radiation Section Executive Board

The Health Physics Society (HPS) Nonionizing Radiation (NIR) Section will be hosting a special session on NIR topics during the 2026 HPS Annual Meeting (6‒9 July 2026) in National Harbor, Maryland. While the exact date of the special session is not set yet, we are excited about this opportunity and hope that you will join us and participate.

• Session Chair: Lorna Omenya (Duke University)
• Session Cochairs: Ramona Gaza (NASA Johnson Space Center) and R. DeWayne Holcomb (University of Texas at Austin)

We are seeking members of our Section willing to present talks on topics involving NIR safety during the 2026 NIR Special Session. Authors should submit their abstracts to the HPS through the online portal (please be sure to indicate that this submission is for the NIR Section Special Session) and contact the HPS NIR Section Session Chair Lorna Omenya (Duke University) for inclusion and scheduling. Remember the Abstract submission deadline is 20 March 2026.

The NIR Section business meeting will be hosted on the same day, and we will send an announcement at a future date.

NIR Section Executive Board:

Ramona Gaza, NIR Section President

Lorna Omenya, NIR Section President-elect

R. Dewayne Holcomb, NIR Section Past President

 

The Health Physics Society (HPS) Continuing Education Programs Committee is excited to announce a free webinar on 26 February 2026, 1:00‒2:30 pm ET, featuring Stephen Musolino speaking on behalf of a team of experts on “Evaluation of the Radioactive Material Release in the Harborview Research and Training Building and Some Implications for Emergency Response.” Click here to register now.

On 2 May 2019, during the ¹³⁷Cs source recovery operation, a source capsule in a research irradiator containing approximately 77.1 TBq was breached. Based on a geometric reconstruction analysis of the damage to the capsule, approximately 46.3 GBq (0.04%) was impacted by the chop saw (grinder) inside a mobile hot cell on the loading dock at the University of Washington Harborview Research and Training (HRT) Building. A very small fraction of the material impacted, less than 1%, was released from the mobile hot cell and then to the rest of the HRT Building. The objectives of this project were to assess the accidental release of ¹³⁷CsCl and its implications related to emergency response methods and the ramifications of ¹³⁷CsCl transport. The phenomenology of this event was also compared with past alkali halide dispersal events. The vast number of measurements and samples collected by the remediation contractors, the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Emergency Support Team, and the small number of retrospective samples collected by the authors informed the analysis. The techniques included (1) autoradiography and electron microscopy of samples collected from the HRT Building and the irradiator, (2) 3D visualization of deposition on surfaces and within the ventilation system, and (3) a study of the damage to the source capsule to evaluate the Cs particle size and particle composition due to the grinding accident. Subsequently, the cesium contaminant transport through the numerous pathways in the building was reconstructed to assess the deposition on surfaces as a function of particle size. The implications for emergency response are relevant to data quality and management. A Data Quality Objective guides data collection methods so that they have appropriate accuracy and precision for the intended application. Recommendations were made with respect to the sample collection protocols and sample archival.

Coauthors include Stephen V. Musolino (Brookhaven National Laboratory [retired]), Frederick T. Harper (Sandia National Laboratories [retired]), Daniel J. Blumenthal (National Nuclear Security Administration), Jon Schwantes and Edgar C. Buck (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory), and Kevin P. Carney, David L. Chichester, Thomas V. Holschuh, Joshua J. Kane, and Daniel J. Murray (Idaho National Laboratory).

Registration is required! Click here to register now.

 

Stars, stripes, and science come together at the 2026 Health Physics Society Annual Meeting (HPS 2026) as the meeting coincides with America’s 250th birthday—the United States Semiquincentennial! To mark this historic occasion, the Baltimore–Washington Chapter Local Arrangements Committee is offering exclusive, patriotic HPS 2026 merchandise.

Stars, Stripes, and Seriously Good Apparel

Show off your HPS pride with bold, American flag-inspired apparel, including navy or white performance polos, navy t-shirts, and navy hats—a sharp, professional look that carries you from opening plenary to the closing session without missing a beat.

Our performance polos feature a comfortable poly/spandex moisture-wicking fabric with four-way stretch, an embroidered meeting logo with a Capitol-fireworks theme, and additional patriotic details, including red-and-white stripes on the inner collar and a star pattern on the inner placket. Professional and polished enough for the office, flexible enough for health physicists on the move.

The cotton t-shirts and vented snapback hats offer a clean, modern look that’s ideal for a DC-area summer—breathable, stylish, and field-tested by busy health physicists.

Presales Are Open — Don’t Let This Offer Decay Away!

Discounted presale pricing is available through 1 May, with convenient pickup at the conference center 6–9 July 2026 at Gaylord National Harbor, Maryland. Order now through our web store. Ordering early guarantees the size and color you want!

• Navy polos and hats will be available by presale and on-site at the conference in limited quantities and sizes—once they’re gone, they’re gone (no half-life extensions).
• White polos and navy t-shirts are presale only, with no plans for on-site sales.

Gear up, show your stars and stripes, and celebrate 250 years of America with pride, purpose, and HPS spirit.

Please contact Matthew Mille for more information.

 

Deepesh Poudel, Bae Chu, HPS National Harbor Task Force Chairs; Emily Caffrey, HPS Program Committee Chair

The Health Physics Society (HPS) Program Committee strongly encourages students to submit abstracts for the HPS 2026 Annual Meeting. If you have completed a class project, are working on a thesis or dissertation (including work in progress), or have results from an internship, summer research, case study, or preliminary investigation, your submission is welcome. A completed paper is not required, and posters are especially encouraged as a great first-time conference presentation experience.

Presenting at the HPS 2026 Annual Meeting gives you the opportunity to share your work with professionals from industry, academia, national laboratories, and regulatory agencies; receive valuable feedback; and build connections for future careers or graduate study. Abstracts are short (fewer than 250 words) and must be submitted through the online portal by 20 March 2026 (no extensions).

We look forward to showcasing your work and welcoming the next generation of health physicists.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at pc@hps.org.

 

Steve Grimm, AIRRS Section President

Welcome to an update from the Academic, Industrial, and Research Radiation Safety (AIRRS) Section of the Health Physics Society (HPS).

Certified Health Physics Exam: Grants Available, Mentors Needed

The HPS Society Support Committee announced another year of certified health physicist (CHP) study groups! Like last year, they are offering 10 study sessions leading up to both Part I and Part II American Board of Health Physics (ABHP) examinations. The AIRRS Section is looking for CHP mentors or volunteers for the 16 April 2026 session on the topics of “Controls and Procedures” for Part I and “University” health physics for Part II. The study group will be held virtually from 19:00 to 21:00 EST. If you are interested, please email SocSupport.Chair@hps.org to register and for follow-up questions.

The AIRRS Section is offering financial reimbursements to 2026 ABHP CHP exam candidates who are approved by ABHP to take the exam and are not already receiving financial support from their employer or other institutions. The AIRRS Section is offering up to ten $100 grants to registered candidates for Part I and five $200 grants for Part II candidates. Applicants for the grant must be AIRRS Section members (you can join anytime!). Applications with receipt of exam fee payment must be submitted by 1 April 2026. A registration form will be available at https://hps.org/section/airrs/#airrsnews. Check back soon!

AIRRS Section Seeking Nominations for Section Officers

Interested in getting involved with the Society? Serving on an HPS section is a great way to help keep the Society running and meet other HPS members. No experience required!

The AIRRS Section is seeking nominations for the following section officer positions:

1. Treasurer (three-year term ‒ one year as Treasurer-elect, two years as Treasurer)
2. Board Member (three-year term)
3. Board Member (three-year term)

Elections for these AIRRS Section Board positions will be held in May. Terms begin after the July HPS annual meeting.

Section Board members are expected to attend quarterly Executive Board meetings to discuss planning for special sessions at the annual HPS meeting, AIRRS Section initiatives, AIRRS Section awards, and any other special projects that may come up. More information on officer roles is listed on the AIRRS Section Bylaws.

Please submit your nomination (including a brief biosketch and professional photo) to airrs@hps.org by 30 April 2026 to be considered for the ballot.

Self-nominations are accepted. All candidates for officers and Board members must be HPS AIRRS Section members in good standing to run.

AIRRS Section Call for 2026 Outstanding Radiation Safety Program Award Nominations

The AIRRS Section is opening the application for the “2026 Outstanding Radiation Safety Program.”

This award was created to acknowledge a radiation safety program that has performed exceptionally when faced with the challenges involving the use of radioactive materials or radiation-producing devices in an academic, industrial, or research institution.

The award consists of an HPS plaque and one paid registration for a representative to attend the HPS annual meeting. The 2026 AIRRS Section Award for Outstanding Radiation Safety Program application form is currently available on the AIRRS Section Awards web page. The award description, including selection criteria, can also be found there. The deadline for submission of the application packet is 31 March 2026.

2026 HPS Annual Meeting

The AIRRS Section encourages its section members to share their experience, measurements, data, project, or other offerings at the 2026 HPS Annual Meeting in National Harbor, Maryland, in July by giving a talk or presenting a poster.

Because AIRRS Section members are typically at the operational front lines of radiation safety, we gather all sorts of experiences ‒ working with novel forms of radioactive material or radiation-producing equipment, measuring and monitoring doses, developing procedures, training personnel, managing new projects, navigating regulations, consulting with personnel, etc. The operational health physics that you do is likely of interest to other HPS members.

To submit an abstract for a poster or a talk, visit the 2026 HPS Annual Meeting website. AIRRS-related abstracts should be submitted for either of the following session topics: “Academic Radiation Safety” or “Industrial Radiation Safety.” Or, even if you don’t have a talk to give, just come attend the meeting and listen to the presentations and meet other HPS members and vendors!

2026 John Horan Health Physics/Radiation Safety Symposium

The AIRRS Section is supporting the annual John Horan Health Physics/Radiation Safety Symposium hosted by the Great Salt Lake Chapter and the Eastern Idaho Chapter of the HPS at the University of Utah campus, Salt Lake City, Utah, on 9–10 April 2026.

This year’s symposium is focusing on “radiation safety workforce development.” It will include presentations on proposed changes to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Department of Energy radiation safety regulations, recent initiatives in Utah and Idaho to build small modular reactors, and the state of health physics training/education programs to meet the need for future radiation safety professionals.

Want to get involved?

There’s a lot of work to be done in the AIRRS Section. If you would like to pitch in and help out with any of those initiatives or in any other way, please contact us!

 

Jason Rusch, Title Protection Committee Chair

The Health Physics Society Title Protection Committee is launching an exciting “soft restart” with a huge vision for our profession’s recognition, and we are looking for passionate volunteers to round out our team. We have an exciting slate of projects ahead, including guerrilla marketing campaigns, strategic benchmarking, and exploring new ways to cultivate the next generation of health physicists. We are actively seeking a diverse group of voices—from students and early-career members to seasoned veterans—to help us drive these initiatives. Best of all, you can make a major difference with a minimal time commitment of just 1–2 hours a month.

If you are ready to help shape the public face of health physics, please contact me to join us!

 

The Health Physics Society Great Salt Lake Chapter and Eastern Idaho Chapter are sponsoring the 2026 John Horan Health Physics/Radiation Safety Symposium 9–10 April 2026 at the University of Utah Campus, Salt Lake City, Utah.

The event will include a reception, a poster session, cyclotron and proton therapy facility tours, and a technical symposium. More information can be found on the symposium website.

 

Mike Lewandowski, HPS President 2025‒2027

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 Saturday, 21 February 2026. The reactor has been decommissioned, and the ship is now a museum dedicated to its rich history. The Health Physics Society is a partner in the historical preservation project. Following license termination (expected in 2026), the Savannah is likely to be moved to a permanent location outside of the Baltimore area. In February, there is an opportunity to visit the ship and tour the containment vessel. The ship will be open from 10 am to 3 pm, and you can experience its mid-century modern interiors, engine and control rooms, and other spaces, just as passengers and visitors did during its operation. In addition, you can now take a self-guided tour of the containment vessel, which housed the nuclear reactor – truly a unique experience. Savannah is located at 4601 Newgate Avenue, Pier 13 Canton Marine Terminal. Please note: no open-toed shoes or heels, and the ship has limited accessibility for those with disabilities. Please RSVP at: https://www.ns-savannah.com/upcomingevents.

 

Craig Little, Nominating Committee Chair

It always seems odd, coming on the heels of the recent Health Physics Society (HPS) election, but the HPS Nominating Committee is soliciting candidates for the election of 2027 officers and Board members. Please help us! The offices that will be up for election in fall 2026 are treasurer-elect and two directors. That means that the committee is hunting for at least four candidates for potential Board members and two candidates for treasurer-elect.

Chapters, committees, sections, or individuals can suggest the names of willing nominees ‒ emphasis on willing. If you have an associate or colleague who has been active in HPS and wants to try being a Board member or treasurer-elect, encourage them to submit their name, do it for them, or have their section, chapter, or committee do it. If they’ve run before, but not been chosen or elected, we encourage trying again by letting the committee know of that interest. Any person who wants to learn about the required duties and time commitment can contact existing Board members or officers. To submit a nomination or receive more information, contact a member of the Nominating Committee or Nominating Committee Chair Craig Little.

 

Andrew Najjar, MS, CHP, Society Support Committee Chair

We are excited to announce another year of CHP Study Group! Like last year, we will be offering 10 study sessions leading up to both Part I and Part II American Board of Health Physics examinations. There is no cost and all are welcome to attend. The study group will be held virtually 19:00-21:00 EST on the below dates:

We are actively looking for:

1. Participants
2. CHP mentors to help facilitate technical discussion.
3. Volunteers to develop and/or identify study material to be reviewed for a specific session.

For CHP mentors and volunteers, please choose your session based on the topic for effective and efficient learning.

Please email SocSupport.Chair@hps.org to register and for follow-up questions.

 

WiRP Board Members

Congratulations to the Women in Radiation Protection Section (WiRP) 2026 CHP Scholarship Recipients!

These scholarships recognize the dedication and commitment of our members as they advance their professional development through preparation for the certified health physicist examination. We wish both recipients every success as they prepare for their exams.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the Bolen Institute of Excellence (BIE) Academy and Dr. Joseph Bevelacqua, PhD, CHP, RRPT, for their generous sponsorship of these scholarships. Their support of our members’ professional development is greatly appreciated.

Please join us in congratulating Patrycga and Diana on this achievement!

 

Thomas Johnson, CSU Student Branch Advisor

Colorado State University (CSU) graduate students recently completed their annual practicum to Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The visit included an occupational medicine resident from the University of Colorado in a combined worker health program. Students were able to visit multiple reactors, including some under construction. The highlight of the visit was a tour of the EBR-1 reactor. Students had an opportunity to discuss operational aspects of health physics with INL health physicists, many of whom are alumni. Processing of fuels for new reactors, hot cells, and calibration facilities were all visited and discussed in detail with INL representatives. For the first time in 10 years, there was almost no snow during this visit, so students were able to visit the SL-1 site and the SL-1 burial site!

 

Martha Dibblee, Section Newsletter Editor

The Health Physics Society (HPS) Accelerator Section is sharing a call for articles for quarter one of the HPS Accelerator Section Newsletter. Events, pictures, jobs, etc., are welcome. Send articles to section Newsletter Editor Martha Dibblee.

 

 

 

Sara Dumit and Angela Meng, Public Information Committee

March is National Women’s History Month! Join us in celebrating the remarkable contributions of women in health physics—past, present, and future. Throughout March, we’ll spotlight both historical and contemporary women who have made a lasting impact in radiation protection.

Visit the HPS celebratory web page to explore their achievements and submit nominations by 15 February to help us recognize more outstanding women in our field.

And don’t forget—Sunday, 8 March, is International Women’s Day! Let’s take this opportunity to honor and uplift the women shaping the future of radiation protection.

 

We are saddened to report that Health Physics Society member George Chabot died 21 December 2025. An In Memoriam piece has been posted on the HPS website.

 

Deepesh Poudel, Bae Chu, HPS National Harbor Task Force Chairs; Emily Caffrey, HPS Program Committee Chair

Happy New Year! As 2026 gets underway, planning is well underway for the 2026 Health Physics Society Annual Meeting, and now is the time to submit your abstract.

The Program Task Force is shaping an exciting technical program that will feature strong scientific content, practical applications, and engaging discussions across the breadth of health physics. We invite HPS members to be part of this program by contributing an oral presentation, a poster, or a special session.

Abstracts for oral and poster presentations can be submitted through the online abstract portal. Members interested in organizing a special session are encouraged to reserve a session slot early by emailing the proposed session title and desired length. Individual abstracts for special sessions may follow later.

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the Program Committee.

The final deadline for abstract submission is 20 March 2026, and there will be no deadline extensions.

We look forward to your submissions and to welcoming you to National Harbor for what promises to be a fantastic 2026 HPS Annual Meeting.

 

Mike Lewandowski, FHPS, CHP, HPS President

I hope everyone had a wonderful winter holiday season and I wish you all a Happy New Year. Although 2026 is just getting underway, I see great things in store for the Health Physics Society (HPS). We have new officers and directors who will be taking on their responsibilities at the annual meeting. Congratulations to each of them and a warm welcome. I know that Mike, Cindy, Gus, and Bill will do a great job with the remaining team leading our Society. I also want to thank everyone who ran for office. Each person on the ballot cares enough about the future of our Society to step up to lead.

Next month we have an excellent virtual winter workshop sponsored by the Medical Health Physics Section, “Alpha Emitters: From Production to Clinical Use.” It’s not too late to register. And for the 71st HPS Annual Meeting in National Harbor, abstract submission is now available. Submit your abstract and join your colleagues at this meeting which will immediately follow the US Independence Day holiday. Please note that the annual meeting schedule has been shifted by one day (opening plenary session on Tuesday, 6 July) from the traditional start on Monday. This change was made to allow meeting attendees to celebrate the Independence Day holiday at home with family and friends before traveling to National Harbor. The Gaylord Hotel has the meeting rate available for the Independence Day holiday so if you choose to celebrate in our nation’s capitol, please reserve your hotel room now.

Outside of HPS, we have changes in the leadership of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Department of Energy (DOE) that will impact radiation regulation in the United States. We expect to have proposed revisions to radiation regulations from both the NRC and DOE this year. There are nearly daily announcements about plans and agreements for new nuclear power generation. This is a very dynamic and exciting time to be a radiation protection professional!

There are two final points I need to make in this column. The Academic Education Committee and the Title Protection Committee are looking for volunteers. Please reach out to me, Jeff Caudill (AEC Chair), or Jason Rusch (TP Chair) for more information or to volunteer. Please also renew your HPS membership as soon as possible. With the change to electronic-only access to the Journal being driven by the list of active members in the HPS X-CD membership database, anyone who did not renew their membership by 31 December has been made inactive in the database and is no longer visible to the rest of the membership. This makes it difficult to contact other HPS members. We’ll work on a solution to this unintended consequence, but prompt payment will immediately resolve the issue.

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

 

Dave Niven, IRPA Communication Officer

Happy new year to everyone! With the holidays, you may have missed the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) December 2025 IRPA Bulletin – but now’s a great time to catch up.

Each quarter we publish highlights from our associate societies, updates on IRPA task groups, upcoming international events, and more. The current issue and all of our back issues are posted on the IRPA Bulletin page on our website.

Want to get the IRPA Bulletin, and other important IRPA news, sent directly to your inbox each quarter,? Sign up here to be added to our mailing list, or follow us on LinkedIn.

 

To renew your Health Physics Society (HPS) membership, please log into your membership account and go to your member profile home page. Click on the “Join/Renew your membership with HPS” tab:

This will take you through the renewal process including adding your section renewals and will allow you to pay for your membership at the end:

Please email members@hps.org if you have any questions.

 

Congratulations to the Health Physics Society (HPS) officers and Board of Directors members who will take office in July at the 2026 HPS Annual Meeting in National Harbor, Maryland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deepesh Poudel, Bae Chu, HPS Annual Meeting Program Task Force Cochairs, and Emily Caffrey, HPS Program Committee Chair

If you are a president of a Health Physics Society (HPS) section, committee, or chapter, we invite you to propose special sessions for the 71st HPS Annual Meeting, taking place 6–9 July 2026 at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Maryland. Technical sessions will run 7–9 July. Special sessions are an excellent way to highlight topics important to your section, chapter, or committee and to spark focused dialogue within the health physics community.

Abstracts for special sessions should ideally be submitted using this link with the name of the session entered in the box. If speakers are unable to provide their abstracts at the time of your submission, the individual session abstracts may be filled in later. Or, you may simply email us the proposed session title and the desired session length, and we will reserve the slot for your group.

If you have any questions, please email the Program Committee at pc@hps.org.

 

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.