Wesley Bolch, professor in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering , will be honored as the 2014 recipient of the Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award by the Health Physics Society at its 59th annual meeting in Baltimore on July 15, 2014.
The Health Physics Society (HPS), formed in 1956, is a scientific organization of professionals who specialize in radiation safety. Its mission is to support its members in the practice of their profession and to promote excellence in the science and practice of radiation safety. Today its nearly 5,000 members represent all scientific and technical areas related to radiation safety, including academia, government, medicine, research and development, analytical services, consulting, and industry in all 50 states. The society is chartered in the United States as an independent nonprofit scientific organization.
The society’s Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award is designed to acknowledge outstanding contributions to the science and technology of radiation safety. The recipient of the award is recognized for accomplishments of fundamental importance to the practice, acceptance, and advancement of the profession of health physics. This is a second prominent award given to Bolch by the Health Physics Society. In 1993, Bolch was awarded the Elda E. Anderson Award given to a young member of the Health Physics Society to recognize excellence in (1) research or development, (2) discovery or invention, (3) devotion to health physics, and/or (4) significant contributions to the profession of health physics. Two of Bolch’s University of Florida PhD alumni were also honored with the Elda Anderson Award – Phillip Patton in 2008 and Derek Jokisch in 2010.
Bolch served as chair of the HPS Academic Education Committee from 1992 to 1997, served on the HPS Board of Directors from 2000 to 2003, and was president of the Florida chapter of HPS from 2003 to 2004. He has served as the associate editor for the society’s professional journal Health Physics since 2002. In the early 1990s, Bolch spearheaded the establishment of a national program of student branches of the society. Presently, the UF Society of Health and Medical Physics Students is one of the more active student societies in the UF College of Engineering.