Editor’s Message, February 2024

Welcome to 2024! I hope you all had time to relax and recharge over the holidays and are ready to conquer the year ahead. In this first message of the year, I would normally begin with a look torward the coming year for CRPA and the exciting things to ahead (of which there are many!). Instead, I’d like to highlight some work from last year to close out 2023 and thank everyone involved.

First, I’d like to welcome our new member of the Bulletin Editorial Board: Alicia Douglas, from McMaster University. Alicia has agreed to fill the newly created role of student and young professional advisor on the advisory board and will help us make sure this demographic is well represented in each issue of the Bulletin. Welcome Alicia![1]

Next, our social media work really took off in 2023. What began as a simple way to highlight the Bulletin for our readers has grown into a full social media team that covers not just the Bulletin but also historical anniversaries, upcoming events, and other useful information for the radiation protection community. The team includes Francis Arnaldo, Matt Bernacci, Mackenzie Tigwell, and Hannah Graham, with Laila Omar-Nazir (McMaster University) graciously agreeing to lead the group. If you have anything you’d like to share on CRPA’s social media, let us know!

2023 also saw the first in-person CRPA conference since the pandemic. With it came the Anthony J. MacKay student paper contest. Matt Bernacci (University Health Network), chair of our Student and Young Professionals Committee, did a wonderful job coordinating the contest and has also been doing some great work alongside our secretariat, Sue, to streamline the entire process. For those who plan to enter the contest this year, the deadline is February 16 and all the details are on our website.

Finally, I’d like to thank everyone who has been involved in the President’s Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). This group formed in 2020 by then-president Ed Waller, who also presented the work of the task force at the North American congress of the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) in 2022. While this is no longer an official CRPA task force, I hope EDI principles continue to make their way into all CPRA initiatives and day-to-day activities.

Such a great 2023 might be hard to top! But CRPA is a great organization and I have no doubt 2024 will be even better. If you’re not a CRPA member already, why not find out for yourself and make 2024 the year you join?

[1] Check out Alicia’s article in this issue about her experiences at her first CRPA conference: Highlights from a Young Professional’s First CRPA Conference and Suggestions for Future Conferences [Link to follow]