HPS–2010: The Strategic Plan for The Health Physics Society
(June 29, 2000)
INTRODUCTION
This strategic plan is a dynamic, continuous process to create a planned future for the Society. With input from all members, we envision the Society’s future and initiate actions to achieve our vision. This plan describes key elements of our activities and is the basis for our long-term planning and operational decisions. It is not a detailed stepbystep course to reach the objectives; rather it outlines strategies that may be used to move the Society from where it is to where we want it to be. The essentials of the plan include wishes for the future (Vision); the critical aims (Strategic Objectives); specific targets in support of the objectives (Goals); and approaches for achieving the goals and objectives (Strategies).
On June 29, 2000, the Board of Directors modified the Society’s Vision Statement to the following:
THE SOCIETY STRIVES TO EXCEED EXPECTATIONS FOR THE RECOGNITION, TRUST, AND CONFIDENCE OF THE PUBLIC, THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY, AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.
THE SOCIETY CONTINUES TO ESTABLISH MECHANISMS AND INTERRELATIONSHIPS TO PROMOTE AN ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF HIGHLY TRAINED PROFESSIONALS.
THE SOCIETY CONTINUES TO IMPROVE ITS EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY IN MEETING THE NEEDS OF ITS MEMBERSHIP.
We are convinced that our vision for the Society’s intended future is desirable and achievable. We challenge the entire organization to make the vision a reality. Meeting the challenge is crucial in supporting and fostering the Society for the next ten years, hence the name HPS–2010.
Following are four strategic objectives. They are critical to achieving our vision. Supporting goals and strategies are below each strategic objective. The order of their presentation has no significance.
1Objective: Maintain the HP professional pipeline.
1.1Goal: Improve science and mathematics teaching.
1.1.1Provide HPS recognition awards for teaching excellence.
1.1.2Sponsor teacher workshops.
1.1.3Urge federal support for science and mathematics education.
1.1.4Form partnerships with high school science and mathematics departments.
1.1.5Form partnerships with other scientific professional societies’ science and mathematics enhancement programs.
1.2Goal: Encourage students to study science and mathematics.
1.2.1Work with science and mathematics teachers in promoting science and mathematics studies.
1.2.2Volunteer to provide lectures and demonstrations to elementary and high school classes.
1.2.3Help organize science and mathematics programs with local schools, civic groups, etc.
1.2.4Establish essay contests, science fairs and other competitions.
1.2.5Arrange tours of places of work.
1.2.6Work with businesses to create “attend work with a parent day.”
1.2.7Include training and education on radiation bioeffects and general risk analysis in interactions with teachers and students.
1.3Goal: Encourage students to get into health physics careers.
1.3.1Encourage workstudy programs.
1.3.2Invite high school and college students to local chapter meetings.
1.3.3Develop and distribute a high quality videotape program on “What is a Health Physicist.”
1.3.4Develop and distribute a brochure on careers in health physics.
1.3.5Continue awarding HPS scholarships.
1.3.6Encourage the reestablishment of scholarships by government agencies.
1.3.7Participate in college and university outreach programs.
2Objective: Improve the acceptance and recognition of the Society.
2.1Goal: Enlighten elected officials and the public on radiation safety issues.
2.1.1Provide understandable, factual radiation safety information to local, state, and federal officials.
2.1.2Address public issues and correct misinformation in letters to newspaper editors and to television and radio newscasters, and at relevant public forums.
2.2Goal: Enlighten our news media personnel on radiation safety issues.
2.2.1Participate in science reporters’ workshops with other scientific societies.
2.2.2Invite reporters to local chapter meetings.
2.2.3Provide understandable, factual, and timely information to reporters.
2.2.4Offer to reporters health physics consultation, advice, and reviews.
2.2.5Provide media training.
2.2.6Encourage news organizations to include the Society on contact lists as experts in radiation safety.
2.3Goal: Establish the Society as the source of expertise in radiation safety.
2.3.1Hire a public relations firm to help give the Society a voice.
2.3.2Develop and deliver position papers on critical and topical issues.
2.3.3Prepare members to testify at public hearings.
2.3.4Respond to news media articles/segments that are not factually correct.
2.4Goal: Develop the image desired for the Society to guide PR efforts.
2.4.1Assign an ad hoc committee to develop the image statement: who we are, what we represent and what we stand for.
2.5Goal: Improve interaction with others in allied professional societies.
2.5.1Obtain and make available to HPS members copies of membership rosters from allied professional societies.
2.5.2Facilitate joint functions between HPS chapters and allied professional societies.
2.5.3Emphasize that the Health Physics Society represents radiation safety professionals in Society interactions with other professional societies that represent radiation users.
2.6Goal: Provide reliable and useful information about radiation protection to people from all walks of life.
2.6.1Identify issues that precipitate the largest number of inquiries and rank them.
2.6.2Identify segments of the population or specific audiences who originate inquiries.
2.6.3Solicit the help of technical writers, writer-editors, secondary school and primary school instructors, and newspaper and advertising copy writers in developing brochures that match target issues to target segments of the audience.
3Objective: Evaluate the management of the Society to assure that it is effective and efficient.
3.1Goal: Review the overall management of the Society to identify ineffective and inefficient systems, processes and structures.
3.1.1Require the President Emeritus Committee to review the overall management of the Society.
3.2Goal: Develop a method to deal with member complaints so that the underlying situations can be corrected.
3.2.1Involve the complainant in developing the solution along with others who are knowledgeable of the processes.
3.2.2Make use of ad hoc committees for issues that cut across committee jurisdictions.
3.2.3Make use of the principle of continuous improvement.
3.3Goal: Improve internal communication.
3.3.1Solicit Newsletter reporters to provide articles on Board meetings, Chapter Council meetings, Chapter activities, etc.
3.3.2Conduct periodic surveys of membership to solicit ideas and direction for the Society.
3.3.3Establish a column in the Newsletter or journal to keep members better informed on significant radiation safety issues presented in forums outside the Society.
3.3.4Update HPS World Wide Web pages at least once every six months.
3.4Goal: Develop the capabilities of the Secretariat to assist the HPS.
3.4.1Establish accountabilities, responsibilities and expectations for the Secretariat and have the Board monitor the performance against them.
3.4.2Publish a list of the services available from the Secretariat to HPS members serving in various capacities and to the general HPS membership.
3.5Goal: Involve a greater number of members in the administration and activities of the Society.
3.5.1Periodically publish a committee vacancy list in the Newsletter and solicit volunteers.
3.5.2Encourage committees to have at least one-fourth of its members to have joined the HPS within the previous five years.
4.Objective: Confront the “linear–no threshold” controversy.
4.1Goal: Establish a Society consensus on LNT issue.
4.1.1Solicit a review article for Health Physics on the history, meaning, implications, and applications of the LNT theory.
4.1.2Establish an ad hoc committee to devise a list of pros and cons for membership consideration.
4.1.3Publish a draft position statement on the LNT issue for HPS membership consideration and debate.
4.2Goal: Encourage legislators and rulemakers to adopt the Society consensus on the issue in their activities.
4.2.1Establish procedures to provide HPS input during public comment periods in federal rulemaking.
4.2.2Submit HPS petitions for rulemaking to relevant federal regulators that require consideration of the HPS LNT position in setting radiation dose standards.
4.3Goal: Educate the public on the meaning of the Society consensus on this issue.
4.3.1Communicate the HPS LNT position statement to other professional societies and encourage them to adopt a similar position.
4.3.2Send letters to the editors of prominent newspapers and news magazines regarding the HPS LNT position statement.