Ms Nicky Whilde
I am standing for election as President Elect of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine because I believe I can provide clear and credible leadership at a critical time for the organisation.
I have over 35 years of practice in the field of Radiotherapy Physics, having worked both in the UK and Far East, and in Public and Private sector radiotherapy departments.
I am the Head of Radiotherapy Physics at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust and currently Chair IPEM’s Radiotherapy Professional Standards Panel, where I also lead the Advancing Practice for Dosimetrists subgroup. I additionally act as Vice Chair of the Radiotherapy Board on behalf of IPEM.
I regularly represent the profession at national and international level, having built credibility and influence to an extent that organisations trust my opinion. Through this work, I have ensured that medical physics is represented and advocated for with commissioners, charitable groups and other senior leaders.
I am naturally bound up in the pressures arising from workforce shortages. As a result, I am deeply passionate about workforce development and careers progression across all professional groups. Nationally, I have played a key role in shaping workforce strategy through my involvement with the Radiotherapy Board and NHSE, contributing to workforce planning discussions that resulted in a one‑off £700k national training fund. This fund predominantly supported dosimetrist skills‑mix development. It is my conviction that skills mix should be utilised for all medical physics careers, to make the roles attractive with a clear pathway to senior roles, for those that want it.
As Chair of IPEM’s Radiotherapy Professional Standards Panel (RTPSP), I have gained significant experience in strategic leadership and consensus‑building. This experience has reinforced my credibility at a national level. The following are examples of the many projects I have overseen as Chair:
- Refresh of the IPEM Radiotherapy Physics Workforce Staffing Calculator
- Paper to challenge the expectation of 9,000#/Linac / p.a. in the Radiotherapy Service Specification
- Statement on the use of Artificial Intelligence in Radiotherapy
- Review and update of the Extended Hours Working Document
- Statement on the use of big data in Radiotherapy (final draft)
One of my biggest strengths, along with a genuine love and enthusiasm for my work, is building relationships. I have built strong relations with fellow professionals and patients; and with senior Trust managers wherever I have worked, communicating the role of Medical Physics workforce so that they understand what this relatively small staff group contributes to their hospital.
As President, my priority would be to ensure that IPEM remains an authoritative voice for physics and engineering in medicine—one that is respected by policymakers, regulators, professional partners, and industry. I would approach the Presidency with integrity; working closely with all stake-holders to ensure IPEM is visible, forward‑looking, and reactive.