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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.

(March 10, 2026)

Congressional & Federal Agency Update

Senate Passes Legislation to Reauthorize SBIR and STTR Programs

On March 3, the Senate passed the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act (S. 3971) to reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs through September 30, 2031. The bipartisan legislation, led by Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Joni Ernst (R-IA), follows several months of negotiations and comes after a temporary lapse in the programs earlier this year.

The legislation preserves merit-based competition for awards and maintains the ability of universities and research institutions to participate in the STTR program. It also includes provisions allowing unused FY2026 funds to be carried forward to ensure that resources allocated to the programs are not lost. The bill now awaits consideration in the House of Representatives.

SBIR and STTR programs support early-stage research and commercialization across a wide range of fields, including biomedical imaging, radiation technologies, and other areas relevant to the medical physics community.

AAPM Submits Comments on AI in Clinical Care

AAPM submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in response to a Request for Information on accelerating the adoption and use of artificial intelligence in clinical care.

The response emphasized that safe and effective AI implementation requires robust validation, lifecycle oversight, clear governance structures, interoperable data infrastructure, and a trained workforce responsible for monitoring system performance. AAPM encouraged HHS to adopt risk-based regulatory and governance frameworks, align reimbursement policies with demonstrated clinical value, and support the development of national benchmarking datasets and validation standards.

The comments also highlighted the importance of post-deployment monitoring, performance drift detection, and independent validation mechanisms, particularly for AI systems integrated into safety-critical environments such as medical imaging and radiation therapy.

AAPM Raises Concerns About Proposed Student Loan Borrowing Limits

AAPM submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Education regarding a proposed rule that would narrow the definition of “professional student” for federal loan borrowing limits.

AAPM urged the Department to recognize accredited medical physics programs as qualifying professional degree programs. The organization noted that the pathway to becoming a medical physicist includes graduate education, completion of an accredited clinical residency, and board certification through the American Board of Radiology.

AAPM cautioned that lowering federal borrowing limits for these programs could restrict access to medical physics education and contribute to workforce shortages in radiation oncology and medical imaging, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

Coalition Letter Supports Continued Investment in ARPA-H

AAPM joined a coalition letter urging Congress to provide at least $1.7 billion in FY 2027 funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), with funding available through FY 2029.

The coalition emphasized that ARPA-H funding should be provided separately from NIH appropriations to ensure that investments in high-risk, high-reward research add to existing biomedical research funding rather than draw from it.

Signatories highlighted ARPA-H’s early impact in launching more than 200 projects and advancing initiatives across areas including artificial intelligence, advanced medical devices, cancer biomarker monitoring, women’s health, and rural health technologies. Other organizations signing the letter include the Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research, the American College of Radiology, AIMBE, Research!America, and several research universities and patient advocacy organizations.

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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