The Birth of Medical Physics Acts and Institutions
1900s
1900
- The American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS), “the first and oldest radiology society in the United States,” is founded.
1909
- The The Institut du Radium (Radium Institute) of Paris is founded.
1915
- The Western Roentgen Society (precursor to the Radiological Society of North America [RSNA]) is established.
1916
- The American Radium Society (ARS), “the oldest society devoted to the study and treatment of cancer,” is founded.
1920
- The Western Roentgen Society is renamed to the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
1924
- The American College of Radiology (ACR) is founded in Ohio.
1928
- The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) is created to address the subject of radioprotection.
1934
- The American Board of Radiology (ABR) is incorporated in Washington, D.C.
1958
- The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) is established.
- The American Club of Therapeutic Radiologists is founded. This organization would later become the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO).
1978
- The American Brachytherapy Society (ABS) is founded.
1979
- The Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM) is established.
1980
- The European SocieTy for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) is founded.
1987
- The American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP) is established to certify medical physicists and related professionals in Radiation Therapy and Diagnostic Imaging Physics.
1989
- The Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP) is formed.
1992
- The Mammography Quality Standards Act becomes law in the US, establishing the essential role of qualified medical physicists in mammography quality assurance.
2000s
2001
- The American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP) forms a working agreement with the American Board of Radiology (ABR): the ABMP offers certification in Magnetic Resonance Imaging Physics (MRI Physics) and Medical Health Physics (MHP) while the ABR offers certification in Diagnostic Medical Physics, Nuclear Medical Physics, and Therapeutic Medical Physics.