ICRP Main Commission Announces Emeritus Members

2021-05-17

Pictured L-R: Professor Madan Rehani, Jean-François Lecomte

By unanimous decision, the ICRP Main Commission has appointed Madan Rehani as an emeritus member of Committee 3 and Jean-François Lecomte as an emeritus member of Committee 4, effective at the start of the next ICRP term on 1 July 2021. This is an honorary distinction conferred for life, recognising their extraordinary contributions to ICRP.

Professor Madan Rehani joined ICRP Committee 3 (Radiological Protection in Medicine) in 1997.  He Chaired the four Task Groups which led to ICRP Publications 87 (Managing Patient Dose in Computed Tomography), 102 (Managing Patient Dose in Multi-Detector Computed Tomography), 117 (Radiological Protection in Fluoroscopically Guided Procedures outside the Imaging Department), and 129 (Radiological Protection in Cone Beam Computed Tomography).

In addition, Professor Rehani also served on the Task Groups leading to ICRP Publications 85 (Avoidance of Radiation Injuries from Medical Interventional Procedures), 113 (Education and Training in Radiological Protection for Diagnostic and Interventional Procedures), 120 (Radiological Protection in Cardiology), 121 (Radiological Protection in Paediatric Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology), and 135 (Diagnostic Reference Levels in Medical Imaging).

Madan is currently the Director of Global Outreach for Radiation Protection at the Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, Massachusetts), and has received over a dozen awards from various national and international organisations.  To his credit, Professor Rehani has over 200 publications worldwide in various accredited journals, as well as serving as the Senior Editor of the British Journal of Radiology.

He and his wife Usha, a dentist, have two wonderful daughters who are both enjoying success in their personal and professional lives.  One of which has found a related career path, practicing as a neuro-radiologist.

When asked about being recognised as an Emeritus Member, Professor Rehani replied, “I am honoured and humbled by the decision of ICRP to make me an Emeritus member of ICRP. I have ICRP protein in my blood and am happy that it will have a lifelong run.”

Jean-François Lecomte joined ICRP Committee 4 (Application of the Commission’s Recommendations) in 2001, taking over the role of Secretary of the Committee in 2005.  He has served on many Task Groups, in particular, the groups that produced ICRP Publications 101b (The Optimisation of Radiological Protection - Broadening the Process), 126 (Radiological Protection against Radon Exposure), 142 (Radiological Protection from Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material NORM in Industrial Processes), and 146 (Radiological Protection of People and the Environment in the Event of a Large Nuclear Accident).

Jean-François was also a regular participant in the Fukushima Dialogue initiative which was led by ICRP and local organisations in Japan in response to the earthquake, tsunami, and resulting nuclear accident of March 2011.  Through his work on Committee 4, he also communicated with many national and international stakeholders about ICRP recommendations through numerous workshops, conferences, and congresses.  His contributions to the international radiological protection community are still highly visible through the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA), and the French Radiological Protection Society (SFRP).  While retiring from Committee work, Jean-François will continue to serve on ICRP Task Group 114 on Reasonableness and Tolerability in the System of Radiological Protection.

An expert in radiological risk management, particularly existing exposure situations (natural radiation such as Radon), management of contaminated sites, and post-accident recovery, Mr Lecomte started his career as an administrative civil servant at the former French nuclear safety authority.   He joined the French interministerial technical committee for the Euratom Treaty, where the French position on the European nuclear issues was defined under the authority of the Prime Minister’s Office.  Most notably, he participated in the negotiation of the Basic Safety Standards (BSS) directive adopted in 1996.

Recruited by what is now the French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), Mr Lecomte ended up as the Senior Expert in Radiological Protection after various roles in different departments.  His international work continued with significant contributions to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), and the European NERIS Platform to name a few.

When asked about receiving lifelong status as an emeritus member, Mr Lecomte responded, “I am very honoured and proud to receive this distinction from the International Commission on Radiological Protection.”

Congratulations to both deserving volunteer experts.  ICRP, and the world of radiological protection are forever indebted to your efforts and contributions.