John Damilakis, PhD
President, IOMP

New term as President of IOMP 2022-25

I am very proud to be a medical physicist. It is also my great honor and pleasure to be the IOMP President for the next 3 years. We live in a world that is constantly changing. The world looks strikingly different from the one W.V. Mayneord lived in when he became the IOMP’s first President almost 60 years ago. We need to address current issues and try to predict the future.

I will briefly sketch a few plans that will be discussed with the IOMP ExCom during my presidential term. First, starting a dialogue with our national and regional member organizations is important to understand their needs and pay attention to their requirements. Based on the results of this dialogue and previous experience, I will work with IOMP Officers and Chairs to develop our new strategic plan to enhance member benefits.

We need to expand the visibility of IOMP and the work of our members. There are many ways to do this. For example, IOMP’s website is not only its internet identity but also an excellent tool for communication with colleagues and the public. Any effort should be made to improve and enrich the content and expand our website.

We need to achieve financial sustainability through efficient and effective financial planning. There are several ways to increase income for the benefit of the Medical Physics society, for example, we can increase the number of corporate members by strengthening our relationship with the industry.

We provide advanced education through the ‘IOMP School’. The main activity so far was the organization of webinars. We will continue organizing webinars. There is high demand for developing continuing education courses in medical physics due to the rapid development of medical techniques based on ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. I hope that the COVID-19 pandemic will be soon over and we will be able to organize onsite events, for example, a Workshop Series for cutting-edge topics.

We need to increase the impact of IOMP’s publications and further develop our publishing portfolio. Specific actions may include exploring new publishing models and potentially developing a new journal. We also need to produce a number of policy statements, guidelines, and recommendations. All IOMP committees can play an important role in policymaking, and especially the Professional Relations Committee, the Science Committee and the Education and Training Committee.

I’m happy that in the new ExCom we have representatives from all continents, Africa, Asia, South and North America, Australia, the Middle East, and Europe.  We need to increase IOMP’s role in expanding diversity within our field.

We have excellent relationships with international organizations such as the IAEA, WHO, and ICRP. It is true that the healthcare sector is ‘an interdependent world’. To meet challenges and address major issues, it is important to develop a strong and positive relationship with international organizations and interested parties in the area of healthcare.

Last but not least, we need to streamline processes and improve internal organizational structure. To be a valued organization, and able to achieve our strategic goals, we should improve internal organization.

I would like to thank you all for your trust and support. I will do everything I can to give IOMP a more powerful voice. I look forward to working with IOMP Officers, committee chairs, committee members, and all of you in moving the profession forward over the next years.