The Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) is the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

professional body A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) is a group that usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in ...

and

learned society A learned society ( ; also scholarly, intellectual, or academic society) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and sciences. Membership may be open to al ...

for

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

s and technologists within the field of

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

, founded in 1995, changing its name from the Institution of Physics and Engineering in Medicine and Biology (IPEMB) in 1997. The Institute is governed by an elected Board of Trustees reporting to which are the Science, Research and Innovation Council and the Professional and Standards Council. The councils have operational responsibility for scientific and professional aspects of the Institute's work, respectively. Beneath the councils is a substructure of committees, groups and panels of members, which undertake the work of the Institute. The Institute is licensed by the

Engineering Council The Engineering Council (formerly Engineering Council UK; colloquially known as EngC) is the UK's regulatory authority for registration of Chartered and Incorporated engineers and engineering technician. The Engineering Council holds the nat ...

to register Chartered Engineers, Incorporated Engineers and Engineering Technologists and by the

Science Council The Science Council is a UK organisation that was established by Royal Charter in 2003. The principal activity of The Science Council is the promotion of the advancement and dissemination of knowledge of and education in science pure and applie ...

to register

Chartered Scientist Chartered Scientist (CSci) is a professional qualification in the United Kingdom that is awarded by the Science Council through its licensed member organisations. Holders of this qualification can use the post-nominal letters CSci. Chartered sci ...

s, Registered Scientists and Registered Science Technicians. The aim of the Institute and its members, set out in its charitable objects and articles of association, is to promote for the public benefit the advancement of physics and engineering applied to medicine and biology, and to advance public education in the field.

History

The organization can trace its origin to three societies: *the Hospital Physicists Association (HPA) founded in 1943, *the Hospital Physics Technicians Association (HPTA) founded in 1952, and *the Biological Engineering Society (BES) founded in 1960. The HPA created its scientific arm in 1984, the Institute of Physical Sciences in Medicine (IPSM). The trade union and scientific activities split in 1989: the scientific arm merged with the BES to form IPEMB while the trade union (HPA) joined the

Manufacturing, Science and Finance Manufacturing, Science and Finance (or the Manufacturing, Science and Finance Union; almost exclusively known as MSF) was a trade union in Britain. Over eighty members of Parliament (primarily members of the Labour Party) were members. Histor ...

Trades Union (MSF). The Association of Medical Technologists (AMT), formerly HPTA, merged with IPEM in 2001.

Membership

There are several categories of membership: *Fellowship (FIPEM): This is the most senior category of membership. It is only awarded to Full Members (MIPEM) who have made an outstanding contribution to Medical Physics or Engineering. *Full Membership (MIPEM): This category is for people seeking recognition as professional Scientists, Engineers or Technologist in the field of Medical Physics or Engineering. It includes the old Incorporated Membership. *Associate Membership: For people working in the relevant area including STP trainees. Postgraduate students and apprentices in an appropriate field are eligible for free Associate Membership *Professional Affiliate Membership: For professionals who are working with applications of physics and engineering applied to medicine but who are working as professionals other than clinical scientists or clinical/biomedical engineers e.g. doctors, radiographers, nurses, vets and dentists. *Affiliate Membership: For anyone with an interest in Medical Physics and Engineering. Full-time undergraduate students are eligible for free Affiliate Membership *Honorary Fellowship is awarded for outstanding contributions in the field of physics or engineering applied to medicine or related biological science. *Company Membership *Dual Membership with the

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based not-for-profit learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, physics research, research and applied physics, application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide ...

allows a 25% discount on membership subscriptions payable to each organisation for those who are or become individual members of both organisations.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

The Institute is a signatory of the Engineering Diversity Concordat of the

Royal Academy of Engineering The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) is the United Kingdom's national academy of engineering. The Academy was founded in June 1976 as the Fellowship of Engineering with support from Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who became the first senio ...

and the

Diversity Declaration and has its own Equality Policy.

Annual Conference and Woolmer Lecture

The Institute holds an annual conference on Medical Physics and Engineering. During this conference the flagship lecture of the Institute, the

Woolmer Lecture The Woolmer lecture is the flagship lecture of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine. It takes place annually during the Institute's Medical Physics and Engineering Conference. Dedication The lecture is dedicated to Professor Rona ...

, is presented. The lecture is dedicated to Professor Ronald Woolmer who was the first Director of the Research Department of Anaesthetics at the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ...

. Woolmer convened a meeting at the Royal College of Surgeons, London, to discuss the evolving field of engineering applied to medicine. It was agreed that the group should hold regular meetings and as a result the Biological Engineering Society (BES) was formed with Ronald Woolmer as the first President. Woolmer died two years after the formation of the BES and it was agreed that a memorial lecture would be sponsored in recognition of his achievements.
The following table includes a list of the lectures since 2002:

Publications

IPEM owns three international

peer-reviewed journals An academic journal (or scholarly journal or scientific journal) is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. They serve as permanent and transparent forums for the dissemination, scr ...

: *''

Physics in Medicine and Biology ''Physics in Medicine & Biology'' is a biweekly peer-reviewed medical journal covering research on the application of physics to medicine, physiology, and biology. It was established in 1956 and is published by IOP Publishing on behalf of the Inst ...

'' (PMB) *''Medical Engineering and Physics'' *''Physiological Measurement'' PMB and Physiological Measurement are published in association with

IOP Publishing IOP Publishing (previously Institute of Physics Publishing) is the publishing company of the Institute of Physics. It provides publications through which scientific research is distributed worldwide, including journals, community websites, maga ...

while Medical Engineering and Physics is published by

Elsevier Elsevier ( ) is a Dutch academic publishing company specializing in scientific, technical, and medical content. Its products include journals such as ''The Lancet'', ''Cell (journal), Cell'', the ScienceDirect collection of electronic journals, ...

.
The Institute also publishes: *''SCOPE'' – The Institute's quarterly magazine which is free to members and non-members. *a report series *educational and teaching material *a comprehensive e-book programme jointly with IOP Publishing

President of IPEM

The IPEM president serves for two years and takes office at the Annual Conference. The following table includes a list of all past presidents of IPEMB/IPEM.

References

External links

www.ipem.ac.uk
– The Official site of the IPEM
E-SCOPE
– The online archive of the IPEM magazine (www.ipem.ac.uk/ScientificJournalsPublications/SCOPE/E-SCOPE.aspx) {{authority control ECUK Licensed Members Educational institutions established in 1995 Engineering societies based in the United Kingdom Medical physics organizations Organisations based in York 1995 establishments in the United Kingdom Scientific organizations established in 1995 Medical and health organisations based in the United Kingdom