Hertel Nolan E
*Center for Radiation Protection Knowledge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831; †Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Program, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332.
Health Phys. 2017 Feb;112(2):172-175. doi: 10.1097/HP.0000000000000621.
The Where are the Radiation Professionals (WARP)? statement issued by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements estimates that in 10 y, there will be a human capital crisis across the radiation safety community. The ability to respond to this shortage will be amplified by the fact that many radiation protection (health physics) academic programs will find it difficult to justify their continued existence since they are low-volume programs, both in terms of enrollment and research funding, compared to the research funding return and visibility of more highly subscribed and highly funded academic disciplines. In addition, across the national laboratory complex, radiation protection research groups have been disbanded or dramatically reduced in size. The loss of both of these national resources is being accelerated by low and uncertain government funding priorities. The most effective solution to this problem would be to form a consortium that would bring together the radiation protection research, academic, and training communities. The goal of such a consortium would be to engage in research, education, and training of the next generation of radiation protection professionals. Furthermore, the consortium could bring together the strengths of different universities, national laboratory programs, and other entities in a strategic manner to accomplish a multifaceted research, educational, and training agenda. This vision would forge a working and funded relationship between major research universities, national laboratories, 4-y degree institutions, technical colleges, and other partners.
美国国家辐射防护与测量委员会发布的《辐射专业人员何在？》声明估计，10年后，辐射安全领域将出现人力资本危机。由于许多辐射防护（健康物理学）学术项目招生人数少、研究资金少，与那些招生人数多、资金充足的学术学科相比，研究资金回报低且知名度低，因此这些项目将难以证明自身继续存在的合理性，而这一事实会加剧应对这种短缺的难度。此外，在整个国家实验室体系中，辐射防护研究小组已被解散或规模大幅缩减。政府资金优先级低且不确定，正加速这两种国家资源的流失。解决这一问题最有效的办法是组建一个联盟，将辐射防护研究、学术和培训领域的团体联合起来。这样一个联盟的目标是开展下一代辐射防护专业人员的研究、教育和培训工作。此外，该联盟可以战略性地整合不同大学、国家实验室项目和其他实体的优势，以完成多方面的研究、教育和培训议程。这一设想将在主要研究型大学、国家实验室、四年制学位授予机构、技术学院和其他合作伙伴之间建立起一种有效的、有资金支持的合作关系。
