The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) 's work is incredibly important. ARPANSA is Australia's primary authority on radiation protection and nuclear safety, regulating all aspects of Commonwealth activity in the radiation space. Its mandate is to assist in maintaining the safety of Australia's people and biota in the face of potential radiation risks. Dr Ivan Williams, the Chief Medical Radiation Scientist at ARPANSA, joins us in our latest episode to discuss the topic of becoming a learning organisation.

Critical to performing ARPANSA's work is being across enormous amounts of data, research, regulations, and audits. Staff must also be across contemporary developments in technology, medical practice, and clinical practice. Due to the nature of their work, it is these reasons why there is an expectation that staff invest in their own learning and development.

In this compelling chat, Ivan outlines the vast range of methods that they use to galvanise learning across the organisation, which include sitting on international and national organisations in producing authoritative papers, in-house training with people returning from conferences to distribute relevant information across the agency, monthly knowledge hubs for management, sitting on international committees, staff performing pHD’s at hospitals, and much more.

Ivan also discusses the modes of learning and how, with the nature of their work being technical and hands-on, ARPANSA needs to demonstrate competence to internal and external independent observers, regulators, or reviewers. On-the-job training is particularly beneficial as it provides a lot of practical technical expertise that cannot be achieved by just reading books.

It's a great conversation that provides an understanding of the critical work that ARPANSA provides to Australia and how, as an organisation, they prioritise learning while delivering their huge and essential remit.

Listen to episode thirteen:

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Find out more about this Trailblazer:

Dr Ivan Williams

Chief Medical Radiation Scientist and
Medical Radiation Branch Head
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA)

Dr Ivan Williams is an internationally recognised and nationally certified expert in radiation oncology medical physics and medical radiation protection. Ivan trained as a radiation oncology medical physicist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, Melbourne, Australia and has worked internationally.

Ivan started with the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency as the inaugural Director of the Australian Clinical Dosimetry Service which he planned and built to be a nationally impacting service with international recognition.

In 2021, he was appointed to the International Commission on Radiation Protection’s committee on medical radiation protection. In 2024, he represented Australia at the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation.

Ivan is particularly passionate about the appropriate use of science, data and information to improve patient and public health with national impact.

Tune in next week as we speak to a new trailblazer in another episode in our series on Thriving in Uncertainty.

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