Re: HPS Membership

["Wesley M. Dunn" <WDUNN@brc1.tdh.state.tx.us>]

At least some of us has missed the point of Ron's comment.  The 
issue I saw Ron raising is as follows: 

An individual is claimed by the newspapers as the institution's 
"leading radiation safety expert".  What would lead you to accept 
this as a valid claim of expertise?  

The field of health physics is not all that large.  I know, either 
personally, by name or by face, a significant number of those 
individuals who are truly expert in the field.  Also, as an HP, I 
get protective of my field: I don't wish the public to accept 
"expert" commentary from someone who does not actually have that 
expertise (it's usually known as "fraud").  So if I see a name I 
don't know, I ask "is this person really an expert?".  Since I don't 
know every expert in the field, I check my resources, starting with 
the HPS membership handbook.  If I find a listing of the person as 
an HP, CHP, etc...., I am much more willing to give them the 
benefit of the doubt than if they are not.

But please note there is a major difference between "giving the 
benefit of the doubt" than automatically accepting the person is or 
is not an expert. As others have pointed out, being a member of the 
HPS or having CHP behind one's name does not confer infallibility, 
nor does the lack thereof confer incompetance.  

Wes
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Wesley M. Dunn, CHP                        512-834-6688
Deputy Director, Licensing                 512-834-6690 (fax)
(Texas) Bureau of Radiation Control        wdunn@brc1.tdh.state.tx.us
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