The Third Annual Thomas S. Tenforde Topical Lecture HPS Ask the Experts: The Most Intriguing Questions and Answers.

The Health Physics Society (HPS) conceived of the idea of an online "Ask the Experts" (ATE) feature in 1999 when the Society created its website. ATE features are popular now, but at that time it was a novel idea, so there was no assurance it would succeed. Now 20 y later, the HPS considers its ATE feature a success and the most valuable service the Society offers for the public. Nearly 13,000 questions have been submitted to the feature. They come both from members of the public and from health physicists. All have been answered personally by radiation safety experts. While it is important to answer questions personally, it is recognized that the most far-reaching impact of the feature is the written material on the ATE section of the website, which is provided for people searching for answers to their concerns and questions. Posted material includes frequently asked questions, summary papers on topics of interest, and links to other pertinent information. This is in addition to answers to a select group of submitted questions. To enhance the information search, all postings, including answers to questions, have headlines. These serve as keywords that facilitate website searches. The feature, managed by one lead editor, 20 topic editors, and more than 300 experts, draws over one million visitors per year. This statistic suggests that a substantial number of people are finding answers to their questions on the site and, therefore, do not need to submit personal questions. ATE editors have learned much about effective interaction with questioners, especially members of the public. Most important, answers should show compassion, present the bottom line first, be brief, and use plain language. Heavy reliance on peer-reviewed documents adds to the credibility of the information. Questions from the public cover a wide range of subjects; however, by far the most frequent deal with medical exposures, especially computed tomography procedures. Other questions deal with a wide range of concerns including products from Japan, granite countertops, radon, smoke detectors, luggage and whole-body scanners, and radiation exposure from airline travel. Another major concern is exposure to nonionizing radiation sources such as cell phones, radar, ultraviolet radiation, lasers, and power lines. Examples are provided of the most intriguing questions that have come to the ATE feature and the answers provided by the experts.

Presidential Perspectives: Women's Views From the Top.

This paper presents the perspectives of past presidents of the Health Physics Society who also happen to be women. Only 6 out of 63 Society presidents have been women, and of these six, five are still living and briefly reflect on their experiences here, alongside a brief discussion of the first female president of the Society. These perspectives provide historical insight into the evolution and happenings of the Society as well as adding personal touches to the office of the president that hopefully will encourage junior Society members to consider serving.

ATE evolution: becoming your resource.

The Health Physics Society (HPS) Web site was created in 1996 to further the HPS mission of promoting communication among people who conduct radiation safety activities; to encourage scientific, professional, and public education; and to disseminate sound scientific information. In 1999, a new feature called "Ask the Experts" (ATE) was added allowing individuals from around the world to pose questions concerning radiological protection. With the help of four editors, 20 topic editors, and 125 subject experts, nearly 5,000 questions have been answered. Response to questions submitted is rapid with the topic editor corresponding directly with the questioner. Most responses involve only one interaction although there may be follow-up interactions to fully resolve issues in the questioner's mind. Experts must provide prompt, valuable, and sound scientific answers in an easy-to-understand manner. The ATE feature is the most popular on the HPS Web site. With a current average of three questions submitted each day (including weekends), it became increasingly difficult for a person browsing the Web site to find information among the many posted questions and answers. Because of this difficulty, some questions were being asked repeatedly. It was decided to redesign the ATE feature to make the process of finding information easier. Answer categories were merged, eliminated, added, or reduced in size. "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQs) or information sheets were developed. As a result, 36 categories became 25, and 18 FAQs, 22 information sheets, and 8 reference sheets were created to provide useful information resources for HPS members, radiation safety professionals, and the public.