An ad hoc meeting of 16 leaders representing a range of existing medical physics academic programs met on July 24, 2007 during the 2007 AAPM annual meeting in Minneapolis to discuss the founding of SDAMPP. This meeting was initiated by Jim Dobbins and Ehsan Samei from the graduate program at Duke, along with significant input by Bill Hendee, Gary Fullerton, and others. The purpose, vision, and need for this new organization were discussed. It was unanimously agreed upon by those present that such an organization was needed, and that it should be independent but work closely with existing organizations (such as AAPM).
A tentative timetable was put forward to develop a charter, write bylaws, secure 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, select initial officers, and solicit input from all current medical physics programs in North America and other selected international locales. It was proposed that the organization attempt to launch in 2008, with a goal of having its first annual meeting to coincide with the AAPM meeting in summer of 2008.
Jim Dobbins and Ehsan Samei were voted as co-chairs of the initiative. A Steering Committee was formed consisting of the following individuals:
| Jim Dobbins (co-chair) | Duke University |
| Ehsan Samei (co-chair) | Duke University |
| Sam Armato | University of Chicago |
| John Bayouth | University of Iowa |
| Jay Burmeister | Wayne State University |
| Geoff Clarke | Univ. of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio |
| Gary Fullerton | Univ. of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio |
| Maryellen Giger | University of Chicago, 2009 President of AAPM |
| Bill Hendee | Medical College of Wisconsin, editor Medical Physics journal |
| David Hintenlang | University of Florida |
| Ed Jackson | Univ. of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| Frank Lohr | Mannheim Medical Center, Univ. of Heidelberg, Germany |
| Colin Orton | Wayne State University, editor emeritus Medical Physics |
| E. Ishmael Parsai | University of Toledo College of Medicine |
| Ervin Podgorsak | McGill Univ Health Center |
| Russ Ritenour | University of Minnesota Medical School |
| Steve Rudin | SUNY Buffalo |
| Fang-Fang Yin | Duke University |
| Jim Zagzebski | University of Wisconsin |