"We wouldn’t tolerate this level of risk for our patients without doing something about it. So why are we tolerating it for ourselves?"

As minimally invasive procedures surge worldwide, so does the hidden risk to those performing them. Radiation exposure isn’t just an occupational nuisance, it’s a serious, long-term threat to clinician health.

Dr. Bella Hausen, endovascular clinician consultant from the U.K. and Course Director for the inaugural Global Symposium on Interventional Radiation Protection (SIRP 2025), shares about the critical role of radiation safety and what to expect from this year’s meeting.

HMP Global, in collaboration with Occupational Radiation Safety in Interventional Fluoroscopy (ORSIF), is hosting SIRP, an online and on-demand event set for September 26–27.
 

Q: Why is radiation safety more urgent now than ever before?

A: Honestly, we’ve reached a tipping point. We can’t keep brushing this off. Most of us in interventional practice have accepted radiation and lead as part of the job, but the toll it's taking on our health is real. We’re seeing colleagues with serious orthopedic issues, early cataracts, even brain tumors.

We wouldn’t tolerate this level of risk for our patients without doing something about it. So why are we tolerating it for ourselves?

We’ve got tools that can reduce scatter, lighten the load on our backs, and make procedures safer for everyone in the room. We need to get serious about using them. It starts with awareness and it grows with action. And that’s exactly what we’re aiming to spark with SIRP.

Q: Why is SIRP a must-attend for interventional professionals?

A: Because this one’s for us. For once, the focus isn’t just on the patient (though of course that matters too). It’s on the whole team in the lab: your safety, your career, your health.

This is the first time we’re coming together, across specialties and continents, to talk only about radiation safety. The meeting covers what we’re doing, what’s working, and what needs to change.

The faculty is brilliant. SIRP is led by real-world operators who live these challenges every day. We’ve kept the sessions practical and packed with takeaways. I’m especially excited for the recorded cases because seeing these ideas in action makes a difference.

Session highlights:

• Session 1: Scatter Radiation – What You MUST Know! (9–10:20 a.m. ET, September 26)
• Session 2: Radiation Exposure and Your Body (11:50 a.m.–1 p.m. ET, September 26)
• Session 4 Roundtable: Radiation Safety in Action, with Dr. Robert Foster (3:45–5:50 p.m. ET, September 26)
• Session 5: Protecting Women in Practice (9–10 a.m. ET, September 27)
• Session 7 Roundtable: How Do We Build Momentum for Change?, led by Dr. Foster (12:45–1:45 p.m. ET, September 27)

Whether you’re a cardiologist, radiologist, surgeon, EP, tech, nurse, you’ll find your voice here. This is about changing our culture, and we need every voice at the table.

Q: What can attendees look forward to at SIRP 2025?

A: You’ll walk away with more than CME points; you’ll leave with ideas and tools you can use right away. Things you can try on your next shift. We’ve built the program to be immediately useful.

Plus, everything’s available on-demand for a full month afterward, so you can revisit sessions, catch what you missed, or share them with your teams.

I hope attendees walk away feeling seen because until now, there hasn’t been a space like this, where our safety is the top priority.

And just to say, fellows, residents, students: your registration is free. You are the future of this field, and we want you to start off protected, supported, and heard.

Register now for SIRP 2025 and be part of the movement to make interventional practice safer for every operator, every shift, everywhere.

Bella Hausen, MD, is a British endovascular research and innovation consultant. Her current interests are medical education, radiation protection for patients and staff, critical limb ischemia management, arteriovenous fistula salvage, pain management and women’s health.