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AAPM is deeply engaged in advocacy, continuously working to represent the interests of our profession with dedicated AAPM staff, expert consultants, and lobbyists actively monitoring, responding to, and leading initiatives that affect medical physicists.

(May 12, 2026)

AAPM State Champions Chair Participates in ASTRO Advocacy Day
Sook Kien Ng, PhD, DABR, Chair of AAPM's State Champions (Champs) Subcommittee, joined more than 100 participants from 35 states in Washington, DC, on April 27–28 for ASTRO Advocacy Day 2026. The two-day program included advocacy training, speaker presentations, Hill meeting preparation, and meetings with congressional offices.

ASTRO Advocacy Day brought together more than 100 ASTRO members and AAPM members from 35 states in Washington, DC.
ASTRO Advocacy Day brought together more than 100 ASTRO members and AAPM members from 35 states in Washington, DC.

As part of the Indiana delegation, Dr. Ng met with congressional offices to discuss the Radiation Oncology Case Rate (ROCR) Act and the importance of sustained federal investment in radiation research through NIH, NCI, and ARPA-H. The Indiana team met with Senator Todd Young during a coffee meeting, helping establish an important connection for future advocacy efforts. The Indiana and Ohio teams also met with Congresswoman Victoria Spartz's office and her staff expressed interest in visiting Indiana University Hospital.

The Indiana team met with Senator Todd Young during a coffee meeting, which helped establish an important connection for future advocacy efforts.
The Indiana team met with Senator Todd Young during a coffee meeting, which helped establish an important connection for future advocacy efforts.

Sustained federal investment in radiation research is essential to continued advances in cancer care, including more precise treatment delivery, improved imaging integration, adaptive radiation therapy, proton therapy, radiopharmaceuticals, and other innovations that rely on medical physics expertise. These policy discussions provided an opportunity to reinforce the role of medical physicists in supporting safe, effective, and accessible radiation oncology care.

The Indiana and Ohio teams met with Congresswoman Victoria Spartz's Senior Policy Adviser, Ola Hawatmeh, who expressed interest in a facility visit.
The Indiana and Ohio teams met with Congresswoman Victoria Spartz's Senior Policy Adviser, Ola Hawatmeh, who expressed interest in a facility visit.

The meetings helped lay the groundwork for continued engagement with Indiana's congressional delegation and provided advocacy experience that can inform State Champions' work with policymakers and regulators.

Please contact Lauren DePutter, AAPM’s Director of Government Affairs and External Relations, with any questions or concerns.

How you can help!

Your voice and participation strengthen our advocacy efforts. Numerous opportunities exist for AAPM members to advocate by lending their voices, experiences and collective expertise.

How AAPM is Actively Advocating:

  • Monitoring and Engagement: Our staff and dedicated volunteers closely track news, policy actions, and communications from peer and partner organizations. This ensures we are informed and responsive, supporting relevant initiatives beneficial to our members.
  • Informing Membership: Stay updated through the AAPM Newsletter, e-News, association emails, committee updates, meeting sessions, social media, and by direct contact with staff and volunteers.
  • Working Collaboratively: AAPM has worked to establish a close and cooperative working relationships with numerous government bodies, organizations and key federal agencies, such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with a range of medical providers, corporation, suppliers and peer professional societies. AAPM recently spearheaded a joint response to the July 17, 2025 Federal Register notice regarding proposed changes to the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR) Program, with 5 peer societies adding their support. Read the response HERE.

Together, we can ensure the voice of medical physicists remains strong, informed, and influential.

 

Activities

Highlights of Recent Activities (2025):

  • AAPM recently spearheaded a joint response to the July 17, 2025 Federal Register notice regarding proposed changes to the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR) Program, with 5 peer societies adding their support. Read the response HERE.
  • Supported multiple coalition letters advocating for robust federal funding of NIH and NSF research programs.
  • Endorsed ASTRO’s ROCR bill aimed at enhancing radiation oncology reimbursement.
  • Initiated a "Take-Action" campaign opposing indirect funding caps at NIH, successfully mobilizing over 90 advocacy messages to Congressional offices.
  • AAPM leadership approved an official Advocacy Agenda, a strategic roadmap to guide our government relations efforts moving forward.
  • AAPM’s inaugural Advocacy Day (Hill Day) scheduled for Thursday, July 31, 2025 immediately following our Annual Meeting.
  • Launched CHAMPS, a state-level grassroots advocacy program:
    • The Steering Subcommittee is actively recruiting and training state volunteers.
    • This program sets targeted advocacy goals and provides training resources to enhance state-level advocacy.
  • Strengthened partnerships and provided training through CRCPDS, enhancing our relationships with federal and state radiation programs.
  • ECON Committee diligently monitors and prepares for annual CMS rule cycles, offering training to members and submitting formal comments on behalf of medical physicists.
  • Through WGPVAC, we proactively engaged for the Veterans Affairs Hospitals—the nation’s largest healthcare system—to safeguard medical physics contracts crucial for patient care. AAPM previously facilitated the introduction of HR6800 to address hiring and retention challenges for therapy physicists within the VA, and we’re actively pursuing its reintroduction and expansion to diagnostic physicists.

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