Addressing the Decline of Academic Health Physics Programs: Challenges, Solutions, and Opportunities for the Future

This presentation will highlight the status of academic Health Physics programs in North America, introduce potential solutions, and share some opportunities for practicing experts to efficiently maximize their impact on the next generation. The need for Health Physicists continues to grow with new reactor designs, the increase in novel radiopharmaceuticals, the need to manage environmental exposure scenarios, and the looming potential to harness fusion energy. The ability to research the safety issues of tomorrow, solve yesterday’s problems, and teach the next generation in the field of Health Physics is vital.

The trend of closing academic programs and lack of people coming into the industry was foreshadowed in the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) published Statement 12 from 2015, “Where are the Radiation Professionals?” and reiterated recently in Physics Today [1], the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists [2], and the Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics [3]. In April 2023, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) published a paper that stemmed from their symposium in Vancouver in 2022. The paper stated that the ICRP is“...concerned that a shortage of investment in training, education, research, and infrastructure seen in many sectors and countries may compromise society’s ability to properly manage radiation risks, leading to unjustified exposure to or unwarranted fear of radiation, impacting the physical, mental, and social well-being of our peoples.” [4] The paper called for worldwide action to strengthen expertise in radiological protection.

The United States is down to seven active graduate programs, Canada two, and Mexico none. The lack of experts entering the field is also evidenced by the number of experts willing and able to teach. McMaster University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham have teamed together to share skills and facilities to optimize the transfer of information to the next generation.

[1] https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/article/76/10/18/2912730/Alarm-sounded-over-declining-US-radiation

[2] https://thebulletin.org/2023/07/nuclear-safety-staffing-in-the-united-states-a-crisis-with-no-easy-fix/

[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9880967/

[4] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00411-023-01024-5