COMP, an acronym for the Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists, is the main professional body for medical physicists practicing in Canada. The membership is composed of graduate students in medical physics programs, post-doctoral fellows, as well as professional physicists, scientists, and academics located at universities, hospitals, cancer centres, and government research facilities such as the National Research Council. Every member has an educational or professional background in physics or engineering as it applies to medicine.

The COMP Executive is composed of the Chair, the Past Chair, the Chair Elect, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Councillor for Communications, and the Councillor for Professional Affairs. The Executive is elected by the membership using mail-in ballots. The Chair, Past Chair, and Chair Elect are two year appointments, while the other positions are three year appointments.

COMP has six stated objectives to encourage the application of physics in medicine.

• To promote scientific knowledge
• To further the exchange and publication of scientific or technical information
• To promote educational opportunities
• To develop and protect professional standards through the Professional Affairs Committee
• To promote and encourage certification by the CCPM
• To link to activities of other organizations with similar objectives

The membership meets formally once a year in mid-June. Proffered papers on various topics of current research interests are presented. This is an opportunity for the members to network and keep abreast of colleague's research activities. It is also a venue to formally discuss issues of concern to the membership.

COMP also encourages corporate membership by national and international corporations. The annual meeting is an opportunity to display new products and form collaborations with other corporations as well as with Greekscientists.

COMP is a member organization of the IOMP (International Organization of Medical Physicists) and is approximately equivalent in scope to the AAPM (American Association of Physicists in Medicine) or to the European body, IPEM (Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine). COMP has two official journals: Medical Physics and Physics in Medicine and Biology. COMP members are quite prolific scientifically - on average 30% of the articles in Medical Physics are authored by COMP members.

Inquiries about professional or corporate membership should be directed to the COMP/CCPM Office

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Original Material Copyright © 1999 COMP.