Caption: Richard Kice participates in a radiological response exercise with his Bioenvironmental team at Nellis Air Force Base. The scenario involved a joint emergency response to a simulated incident with a stolen Co-60 blood irradiator, including coordination with Security Forces, Fire Department, Environmental, and Emergency Management personnel.
Ask most Certified Health Physicists (CHPs) what inspired them to pursue certification, and you’ll hear a familiar answer:A mentor. A role model.
Someone they admired and wanted to emulate.
But for Richard Kice, the Radiological Control Manager for Mission Support and Test Services, LLC at the Nevada National Security Sites (NNSS) in Las Vegas, it was just the opposite.
“I didn’t have that kind of role model,” Richard said.
In fact, he experienced the opposite.
“The CHPs I met early in my military career weren’t people I wanted to become. They made me question whether getting certified was even worth it or if I really wanted to continue in the field of Health Physics,” he said.
True story.
Richard didn’t always want to become a CHP. But what began as an introduction to the field through the U.S. Air Force turned into a decades-long career shaped by three things: deep technical experience, a deep passion for the job, and an even deeper desire to do right by those he was charged with protecting as a health physicist.
And, he adds, an eventual realization.
If good role models weren’t there to guide him toward certification, maybe he could become one for others.
Here’s how he got there—and how you might get there, too.
Early Impressions That Left a Mark
When Richard graduated from the Air Force Academy with a degree in physics, health physics wasn’t even on his radar. It wasn’t until a senior-year advisor encouraged him to explore the field that the door opened.
He went on to work in medical and industrial health physics roles in the military.
But despite his growing responsibilities, certification remained out of reach—not because he didn’t believe in the field but because he didn’t believe in the people who represented it.
“Back then, many of the CHPs I encountered were technically sharp but ethically questionable,” he said. “Some were so focused on climbing the military ranks that they made poor safety decisions”
Others didn’t seem to want to invest in younger professionals.
“And the message they kept sending me was: You don’t need this. It’s just a measure of test taking ability. It doesn’t make you any better of a health physicist,” he said.
That kind of mindset had a long-lasting impact. For well over a decade, Richard chose not to pursue certification.
So, what changed?
A Turning Point—and a Decision to Lead Differently
It wasn’t until Richard was in his 15th year in the Air Force, working as the sole radioactive materials inspector—evaluating health physics programs across the globe—that he had a shift in perspective.
“I realized just how much I knew,” he said. “The depth of my knowledge—across hospitals, waste facilities, operational health physics, regulatory compliance, EMF radiation, laser safety—it all came together. I was being asked repeatedly for guidance everywhere I went. That’s when it hit me: This wasn’t something I should simply walk away from or knowledge I should be hoarding to myself.”
Richard began to see the CHP credentials not as a mere formality but as a symbol of credibility that validated his experience and reinforced the kind of ethically driven safety professional he had worked to become.
With this new perspective on being a CHP, he finally sat for the exam. At first, he didn’t even come close to passing. No guidance, no mentoring, no encouragement.
“I basically took the test blind with little to no preparation the first two times. Taking the Part I and Part II on the same day was probably not the wisest of strategies either,” he said.
While it took him multiple attempts to eventually pass both parts, narrowly missing out by a handful of points repeatedly, he did not allow the disheartening results to dissuade him from his goal.
“Perhaps it was feeling ‘pot-committed’ after paying to take the test multiple times or just pure stubbornness,” he said.
This persistence also drove him to reach out for guidance and mentorship. “I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the direct and indirect roles that Dr. Janine Katanic, CHP, and Dr. Thomas Johnson, CHP, had in my eventual passing of the exams.”
“The journey was frustrating, sure. But the process made me a better health physicist and ignited a fire to continue to grow and learn that didn’t stop after I passed.”
And, he added: “The process was forming me into better leader. I just wouldn’t see the impact for a few years.”
Why Mentorship Matters, Now More Than Ever
Today, Richard leads a team of 75 radiological protection personnel, including 11 health physicists. Only one other health physicist is a CHP—so far.
But that’s something he’s actively working to change.
“I want to be what I didn’t have,” he said. “I want to give my HPs the support, guidance and encouragement I never received.”
Richard facilitates continuous training, as well as weekly growth and learning opportunities for his folks. He routinely sends out daily challenges and thumbs rules, to keep his team sharp. Carefully drawing a line distinction between ethics and compliance.
And he encourages all his staff, not just the younger professionals, to pursue professional certifications like becoming a CHP or NRRPT.
“I tell them: If you want to consult someday or move into leadership, people will look for those letters after your name. They matter. And more importantly, they mean something…and they should,” he said.
For Richard, the CHP credential isn’t just about passing a test.
It’s about accountability.
“When you’re a CHP, a code of ethics is attached to that title,” he said. “If you violate it, there’s recourse. That accountability should matter. It should set you apart.”
“We all hope we can trust a health physicist to make ethically sound decisions; however, there is no means of professional accountability…For the CHP, there is.”
Redefining What a Role Model Looks Like
Richard doesn’t shy away from the fact that his experience with early mentors was disappointing.
But rather than let that define him, he’s flipped it on its head.
“I tell my team: Bad examples are still examples. Learn what you can from them and allow it to positively form who you are or want to be,” he said.
He sees the health physics field changing. He said the industry needs to be ready, and he hopes that stories like his help shift the culture of mentorship and leadership.
“We need more CHPs who aren’t just experts. We need CHPs who care, who teach, who lift others up,” he said. “If we want this profession to survive and thrive, we have to model the kind of integrity and encouragement that attracts the next generation.”
Richard may not have had a good health physics role model as a young professional. But every day, in every meeting, and mentoring session, he’s striving to be one.
And becoming a CHP, he says, is the biggest reason why.
Interested in learning more about the advantages of becoming a Certified Health Physicist?
Reach out to us today. We’re here to support your journey.