The International Organization for Medical Physics (IOMP) is a professional organization for medical physics with nearly 22,000 members in 84 countries.
IOMP is charged with a mission to advance medical physics practice worldwide by disseminating scientific and technical information, fostering the educational and professional development of medical physics and promoting the highest quality medical services for patients.
IOMP was formed in January 1963 initially with 4 affiliated national member organizations (Canada, Sweden, UK, USA). After 50 years of active existence and global support for the medical physics profession, IOMP has a membership of 80 national member organizations and 6 regional organizations. IOMP is affiliated to IUPESM, IUPAP and ICSU and is officially connected to IFMBE.
IOMP collaborates with professional bodies such as IRPA and ICRP and international organizations such as WHO and IAEA in promoting the development of medical physics and safe use of radiation and radiological equipment technology.
IOMP publishes an electronic Newsletter (Medical Physics World) and an open-source journal (Medical Physics International).
To raise awareness about the role medical physicists play for the benefit of patients, IOMP organizes the annual International Day of Medical Physics (IDMP) on November 7 - the birthday of Marie Sklodowska-Curie.
The World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering (World Congress) is organised by IOMP (together with IFMBE and IUPESM) as well as the International Congress of Medical Physics (ICMP), held between World Congresses.
The International Day of Medical Physics (IDMP) is observed annually on 7 November to highlight the role of medical physicists in healthcare and to raise awareness about the importance of medical physics in patient diagnosis, treatment, and safety. The idea for the International Day of Medical Physics was proposed by the IOMP in 2013. The date commemorates the birthday of Marie Sklodowska-Curie (1867âÂÂ1934), whose pioneering research on radioactivity laid the foundation for modern medical physics and radiological sciences.
The first official celebration took place on 7 November 2013, marking the 46th anniversary of IOMPâÂÂs establishment and recognizing CurieâÂÂs legacy in the application of physics to medicine. The initiative aimed to promote the visibility of the medical physics profession and its contribution to global health care systems.
The main objectives of IDMP are to:
Each year, the IOMP announces a global theme and encourages medical physicists and organizations worldwide to celebrate through:
National and regional medical physics societiesâÂÂsuch as the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics (EFOMP), and the Asia-Oceania Federation of Organizations for Medical Physics (AFOMP)âÂÂalso organize local events and publish materials to commemorate the day.
Each yearâÂÂs IDMP carries a specific theme reflecting current global priorities in healthcare physics:
Medical physicists play a vital role in the safe and effective use of radiation and advanced technologies in medicine. Their work includes:
The IDMP serves as a platform to acknowledge their contribution to improving patient outcomes and advancing global health technologies.
Countries are represented by the respective National Organizations for Medical Physics.