TH-C-P-618-01: CRCPD: Partnering With the AAPM To Assure Resolution to Radiation Protection Issues

For the past ten years the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD) and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) have had the pleasure of combining technical expertise from their respective fields to develop comprehensive policies, procedures, and regulations. By expanding high quality educational opportunities for CRCPD through AAPM outreach at the national and local levels, this collaborative partnership has been further strengthened. Regulations are laborious to develop and implement through the bureaucratic maze; it is with the help of our partners that we can—through education, communication, and a cooperative spirit—prepare policies, procedures, and regulations that encourage and maintain high standards in radiation protection. Challenges from the past and expectations of the future will be discussed from three perspectives: the national CRCPD vision (an overview from the Executive Director); a discussion of radiological terrorism and how medical physicists can play a role; and the need to proactively prepare for regulatory change in response to fast-paced technological innovation.