“Over the past 25 years, there’s been a shift in ionizing radiation usage from research labs to medical diagnosis and treatment,” Wiik said. “Some research labs still use radioactive materials, but not as many. Since medicine uses so much more ionizing radiation now than 25 years ago, there are a lot more employees that require radiation monitoring, and more emphasis is put on patient dose.”
Laser safety was not such a concern back then, either, he said. About 10 years ago, Wiik was tasked with building and managing a laser safety program as the laser safety officer. “Non-ionizing laser radiation offered a new set of challenges and learning opportunities and broadened my contact with new people I’d not met,” he said.
As Wiik prepares to retire from the Whiddon College of Medicine on Oct. 1, he says meeting and working with so many people at the university and health system have been the most rewarding part of his tenure.
A retirement celebration for Wiik is planned for Wednesday, Sept. 28, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Medical Sciences Building third-floor multipurpose room.
