Medical physicists urge licensure in Massachusetts to protect patients using diagnostic and therapeutic radiation

Medical physicists testified to the Joint Committee on Public Health in support of H2425, an act to license medical physicists, saying licensure would set statewide minimum qualifications and improve public protections for patients who undergo diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy. Navin Hariharan, a board‑certified therapeutic radiological physicist working at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and site lead physicist at Winchester Hospital, described the technical responsibilities of medical physicists: calibrating equipment, supervising quality programs, establishing safety protocols and implementing advanced therapy systems. He told the committee these skills matter for roughly 38,000 residents diagnosed with cancer in Massachusetts each year and for many more who receive imaging studies. Martin Fraser, a medical physicist with 45 years’ experience treating patients across the state, described cases where technical insufficiencies and inadequate procedures have caused serious dosing mistakes historically—and argued licensure would help ensure consistent standards, training and accountability across facilities. He said his accreditation work for the American College of Radiology had identified clinics lacking adequate physics oversight; while accreditation can deny certification, licensure would prevent poorly qualified individuals from moving to other facilities without regulatory consequences. Both witnesses asked the committee to forward the bill as a public‑protection measure that sets an objective standard—education, board certification and licensure—to ensure all practicing medical physicists meet consistent qualifications and that regulators can address substandard practice.