Health Physics Society

The Health Physics Society (HPS) is a nonprofit scientific professional organization whose mission is excellence in the science and practice of radiation safety. It is based in the United States and the specific purposes of the society's activities include encouraging research in radiation science, developing standards, and disseminating radiation safety information. Society members are involved in understanding, evaluating, and controlling potential risks from radiation relative to the benefits.

The Society was formed in 1955, with an organizational meeting in June, 1955 at Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio. As of 2013, the membership consists of approximately 5,500 scientists, physicians, engineers, and other professionals. The headquarters are in McLean, VA. The society is an affiliate of the American Institute of Physics.

It publishes Health Physics since 1958, a peer reviewed scientific journal; Health Physics News for material of interest to members, and Operational Radiation Safety. It operates a public information website, "Radiation Answers", and has begun a series of special publications (The first, Radiation and Risk: Expert Perspectives was published on March 2012.)

It holds its annual meeting in July, and a mid-year meeting in January or February.

The society's archives are held at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

The society has 37 geographically based chapters, all in the United States, except for one chapter in the Georgian Republic and one in Taiwan; there are 8 Sections on special interests.

The First Annual Meeting was held in 1956 at the University of Michigan.
The 57th Annual Meeting of the society was held at Sacramento, California on July 22–26, 2012.
The 58th was held July 7–11, 2013, in Madison, Wisconsin; the 59th was held in Baltimore in July 2014 and the 60th in Indianapolis in 2015.