The new Master of Health Physics academic advisory board, appointed by S.Y. Chen, director of the Professional Master of Health Physics program, held its first meeting on Wednesday, September 18 on the Main Campus.

The new board members who are professionals in the field of radiation protection and health physics practices include Steven Bakhtiar, national expert in radiochemistry and director of the Department of Energy New Brunswick Laboratory; David Hearnsberger, radiation safety officer at Argonne National Laboratory; Susan Langhorst, assistant professor/radiation safety officer at Washington University in St. Louis; Ruth McBurney, executive director at the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, Inc.; Matthew Moeller, president/CEO at Dade Moeller & Associates, Inc.; Richard Vetter, retired radiation safety officer at Mayo Clinics; and R. Craig Yoder, senior vice president at Landauer, Inc. Representatives from IIT were also present.

The key role of the advisory board is to offer guidance on current industry demands and future trends, allowing IIT’s program to adapt to the ever-changing needs of the industry and strengthen its position as one of the leading professional health physics programs in the country. The discussion covered topics such as meeting the market’s needs, curriculum development, student recruitment, professional development, collaborations with national laboratories, and development of a Chicago consortium.

The board members’ first project will be to make their professional advice available to students through taped interviews which will be available online for students enrolled in the Master of Health Physics program. Visit to learn more about the Master of Health Physics program.