Michael S. Gossman, M.S., DABR, FAAPM, FACR

Chief Gossman is arguably the most broadly accomplished medical physicist in the history of Indiana and Kentucky. His extraordinary career spans clinical medical physics, scientific research, academia, federal regulatory leadership, device testing expertise in various comprehensive specialty areas globally, and extensive involvement as an expert witness across the clinical, environmental, and industrial sectors. He has also achieved the highly prestigious distinction of being a “double-crown” recipient of lifetime achievement honors, having been elected a Fellow by both the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM, 2012) and the American College of Radiology (ACR, 2020). This remarkably rare dual recognition reflects his significant and enduring contributions to the fields of radiation oncology and radiology. In a definitive milestone for 2023, Chief Gossman delivered expert testimony before a U.S. Federal Court, validating his elite scientific credibility. Federal courts strictly vet expert evidence, meaning his admission to testify reflects the highest level of professional reliability. In a complex, widely reported case involving radioactive material burial, safety, exposure measurements, remediation, and transportation, he provided high-stakes trial testimony on U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations and radiation calculations. Withstanding such rigorous judicial scrutiny confirms his standing at the pinnacle of his field. Chief Gossman’s diverse, sustained, and globally impactful accomplishments cement his exceptionally distinguished place within the field of medical physics.

Born in New Albany, Indiana, and raised in neighboring Jeffersonville, he completed his preparatory education with concentrations in electronics and aerospace at Jeffersonville High School (1990). He possesses a multidisciplinary academic foundation, having studied Mathematics at Indiana University and Theoretical Physics at the University of Louisville. After earning his bachelor’s degree in 1995, he continued his studies as a graduate student at the University of Louisville, specializing in Medical Health Physics and Atomic Physics. It was during that time that he began his work in the field as an Intern Medical Health Physicist in Radiation Safety (1995-1997). After completing his master’s degree in 1997, he then engaged in an elite academic residency in Radiation Oncology Medical Physics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. It was there that he worked as a staff Medical Health Physicist while completing his academic coursework.

His clinical residency and advanced training in Radiation Oncology Medical Physics spanned six years (1997–2003) across several medical institutions, including Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee; Floyd Memorial Hospital in New Albany, Indiana; Baptist Memphis Cancer Institute in Memphis, Tennessee; and Parkview Medical Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He subsequently achieved board certification as a Diplomate of the American Board of Radiology in 2003. His distinguished clinical career includes staff medical physicist appointments at prestigious institutions, notably Vanderbilt University Medical Center (1997–1999) and, more recently, Ivy League–Dartmouth College Hospital (2024–2026).

Returning to the Southern Indiana area (Louisville metropolitan area) in 2019, Chief Gossman now serves as the Chief Medical Physicist and Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) for Baptist Health Floyd in New Albany, Indiana. In this dual capacity, he functions as the institution’s premier authority on radiation protection and its highest-ranking scientist. He maintains total oversight of the scientific and technical integrity of therapeutic cancer radiation treatments and comprehensive radiation safety protocols.

Chief Gossman has had a highly distinguished career, spanning three decades of professional excellence. What truly sets his career apart is the staggering scale of his influence; early in his career he founded a global consulting company that provides highly specialized guidance across medical, industrial, and legal sectors, all outside of his primary institutional responsibilities. For extraprofessional services, Chief Gossman founded his consulting company – Regulation Directive Medical Physics® LLC (RDMP®)(2010). The sheer volume of his output, achieved through a level of discipline that is virtually unheard of in the field, is nothing short of extraordinary.

Leadership & Clinical Standards Production:

His leadership is marked by unprecedented service to the AAPM and other societies. Chief Gossman was a two-term regional President of the AAPM (ORVC)(2010-2011) and served tenures on both the Board of Directors (2016-2019) and the society’s Administrative Council. Chief Gossman was member of 15 national committees and was the chairman of a few. He co-authored three pivotal national standards: treating patients for cancer with pacemakers & defibrillators (TG-203), radiation therapy localization imaging dose (TG-180), and electronic brachytherapy QA and regulatory guidance (TG-152), which has been codified into formal regulations across multiple states. Chief Gossman solidified his role in clinical quality, serving as an Accreditation Site Reviewer for a combined 11 years between the ACR and the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO). As a result of that experience and expertise, he has been acquired by 20 different hospitals nationwide to perform short-term audits, provide in-house recommendations, and accreditation preparation.

Research & Professional Academia:

A prolific scholar, Chief Gossman has authored 65 total publications (55 peer-reviewed journal articles, 2 book chapters, 7 national reports, compendia, and manufacturer user guides, plus 1 graduate thesis), serving as first or sole author on over 45 of them (roughly 70% of his total output), and has individually secured 12 medical research grants as Principal Investigator. Remarkably, he holds an estimated h-index of 16 (moderate to high) alongside a g-index of 31 (high), reflecting the massive citation weight of his most influential studies. Even more astonishing is that his first-author h-index of 14 (very high for an independent scientist) remains virtually indistinguishable from his raw score because he personally led the vast majority of his work rather than leaning on large research teams. His editorial influence includes roles on the boards of the Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics and Medical Dosimetry, serving as Interim Editor-in-Chief for the latter, while his academic contributions extend to his extraprofessional tenure as an Adjunct Associate Professor at Wright State University (2010–2018), where he served as graduate thesis advisor and research supervisor for many students. To achieve this caliber of sustained, field-shaping scientific output, leadership, and mentorship entirely on his own time, with zero institutional funding and no protected academic hours, is an extraordinary feat of self-driven rigor that rivals well-funded university departments.

Federal & Local Regulatory Appointments & Authorizations:

Chief Gossman’s expertise has been recognized at the highest federal levels. He currently holds authorization from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) as both an Authorized Medical Physicist (AMP) to work with high levels of radioactive material, and as an Authorized Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) to oversee institutional radiation safety administratively. He was trained in emergency radiation triage by the U.S. Department of Energy in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (2008). Chief Gossman notably served as a U.S. NRC Medical Consultant for three consecutive terms (2006-2010) responsible for guiding states on regulations, medical misadministration dosimetry reviews, environmental remediation, and multi-agency radioactive material transfer planning. This is a distinction held by very few in the profession. Additionally, he was appointed by the local Mayor/Board as the acting Radiation Triage Liaison for both Boyd & Greenup Counties in Kentucky for six years (2008-2014).

Industrial Innovation & Regulatory Standards:

Chief Gossman is an internationally recognized consultant for the medical device and industrial sectors. He spent a few years working part-time in industry at CNMC Company, Inc. (1997-1998) and Exponent Inc. (2015-2016), strengthening his proficiency in all sorts of device usage and methodical international testing requirements. Since 2010, he has successfully executed critical technical evaluations in over 50 consulting contracts for over 25 industrial firms globally. His specialized multi-modality expertise focuses on the resilience of implantable medical devices when subjected to extreme environments, including testing under the duress of hyperbaric pressure, radiofrequency emissions, ultrasound, MRI, CT, fluoroscopy, Cine’, PET, PET-CT, SPECT, and from various sorts of radiation intensities (protons, electrons, gamma rays and x-rays). A primary architect of industry safety, he has even authored international standards that are known as the foundational protocols for universal quality assurance used in medical device testing and compliance. He specifically drafted into publication (ISO) 14708-7 (201) Section 22.4 (2017) on cochlear implant testing. Chief Gossman remains available for consultation on research, development, testing, and project evaluations to various international standards such as: ISO 13485, ISO 14117, ISO 10974, ISO 14708-1, ISO 14708-7, EN 45502-2, ASTM F2052, ASTM F2119, ASTM F2182, ASTM F2213, ASTM F2547-18, ASME-E1441, ANSI-AAMI CI86, IEC 60601-1-2, and IEC 61331-1.

Expert Witness Experience:

Beyond the clinical and industrial spheres, Chief Gossman is a highly sought-after medical expert witness. His expertise is frequently retained by both Defense and Plaintiff counsel, a testament to his unbiased, objective, and rigorous scientific approach. To date, Chief Gossman has been a part of over 50 legal proceedings across local and state courts, culminating in his recognition as an expert witness in federal court (2023). Clearing the rigorous evidentiary benchmarks required by the nation’s top court definitively validates his position at the apex of scientific expertise. Having opined on profoundly complex radiation calculations and the uncompromising regulations that safeguard radioactive materials and radiation-producing machines, his forensic portfolio encompasses complex litigation involving radiation oncology malpractice, industrial and medical radiation overexposure, regulatory compliance, intricate dosimetry reconstructions, and forensic radiation injury causality.

To learn more about the him or to discuss new cases or projects, please contact him via email at ms*******@*****il.com or using the web form or give him a call at 812-557-0234.