Prof. Supriyanto Leads Southeast Asian Federation of Organizations for Medical Physics and Expert Team at Badan Pengawas Tenaga Nuklir, Strengthening Human Resources and Medical Physics Collaboration in Southeast Asia.

Depok, March 9, 2026 – Prof. Supriyanto Ardjo Pawiro, Professor of Radiotherapy Physics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, has been officially elected as President of the Southeast Asian Federation of Organizations for Medical Physics (SEAFOMP) for the 2025–2028 term. The announcement was made through the organization’s official website.

In addition, he has also been appointed as Chair of the Conformity Assessment Expert Team at Badan Pengawas Tenaga Nuklir (BAPETEN) for 2026. This appointment is stipulated in the Decree of the Head of BAPETEN Number 2721 of 2025.

In an interview with the Communications Team of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Prof. Supriyanto Ardjo Pawiro emphasized that one of his main priorities while leading the Southeast Asian Federation of Organizations for Medical Physics (SEAFOMP) is to enhance the capacity and quality of human resources in the field of medical physics across Southeast Asia. He also highlighted the importance of reducing the gap between the number of medical physicists and the population size in ASEAN countries.

“Enhancing the capacity and quality of medical physics human resources in the ASEAN region is a priority, including minimizing the gap between the number of medical physicists and the population size,” he said.

Southeast Asian Federation of Organizations for Medical Physics (SEAFOMP) plays a strategic role as a platform for collaboration among medical physics professionals in Southeast Asia. The organization serves as a forum for exchanging ideas and formulating solutions to various challenges in the development of medical physics, ranging from education and research to professional training.

During his term of leadership, Prof. Supriyanto Ardjo Pawiro will work alongside other executives of the Southeast Asian Federation of Organizations for Medical Physics (SEAFOMP), namely Kitiwat Khamwan, Ph.D., from Chulalongkorn University representing the Thai Medical Physicist Society as Vice President; Ramon Carlo L. Cruzpero, M.Sc., from Philippine General Hospital and University of the Philippines representing the Society of Medical Physicists in the Republic of the Philippines as Secretary General; as well as Taweap Sanghangtum, Ph.D., from King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital representing the Thai Medical Physicist Society as Treasurer.

In Indonesia, the field of medical physics has shown significant progress over the past decade. The number of medical physicists has increased fourfold compared to ten years ago. However, according to Prof. Supriyanto Ardjo Pawiro, when compared with the country’s population size, the need for medical physicists remains considerable. In addition, disparities in the quality of human resources between Java and regions outside Java continue to pose a challenge.

Another challenge has emerged alongside the radiotherapy facility expansion program initiated by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia. The program aims to increase the coverage of radiotherapy facilities from around 50 percent of provinces to nearly 90 percent across Indonesia. This expansion of service capacity requires a greater number of specialized radiotherapy medical physicists within a relatively short period of time.

“Collaboration among various stakeholders is essential to produce specialized radiotherapy medical physicists to support this healthcare facility expansion program,” he explained.

In terms of technological advancement, Indonesia is also developing radiotherapy facilities equipped with Proton Therapy technology, which offers high precision and accuracy, particularly for treating cancer in children. Currently, one government hospital and one private hospital are preparing to provide this service. The development of human resources for this technology is also being carried out through support from the national project of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) INS6022.

Prof. Supriyanto Ardjo Pawiro emphasized that the use of radiation technology in healthcare facilities must go through strict planning and licensing processes to protect the public from the risks of radiation exposure. In practice, medical physicists play a crucial role in ensuring that the quality of radiation technology equipment is consistently maintained so that patient safety can be guaranteed.

As Chair of the Conformity Assessment Expert Team at Badan Pengawas Tenaga Nuklir (BAPETEN), he is also responsible for ensuring that the conformity testing process for diagnostic and interventional radiology X-ray equipment is conducted in accordance with established standards. This process functions as an external audit mechanism to ensure the quality of radiology services in Indonesia. The results of the evaluation will serve as the basis for issuing certification of eligibility for the use of radiology equipment in patient services.

According to Prof. Supriyanto Ardjo Pawiro, conformity testing plays an important role in maintaining the quality of radiation-based diagnostic technologies so they remain accurate while also ensuring patient safety.

At the regional and global levels, Indonesia is expected to continue strengthening collaboration with ASEAN countries to enhance the capacity and quality of medical physicists. This effort is important to support improvements in healthcare services based on radiation technology, both ionizing and non-ionizing radiation.

Prof. Supriyanto Ardjo Pawiro also emphasized the significant opportunities for Indonesian students and young researchers to contribute to this field. They are encouraged to develop innovations in health technology that can be utilized in patient care in the future.

“Students and young researchers have great opportunities to develop healthcare technology innovations that can improve the quality of healthcare services in the future,” he concluded.