Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society

Awards Committee

Charter

Effective Date:  1/29/2022
Last Reviewed: 1/29/2022

PDF version

1. Name 
   The Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) Awards Committee
   
   
2. Purpose
   UHMS presents yearly awards to individuals recognized for their significant contributions to the specialty of undersea and hyperbaric medicine. The Awards Committee serves on behalf of the UHMS BOD to review nominations and select yearly award recipients through the voting process below.
   
   
3. Council Membership and Organizational Structure
   The awards committee membership aims to reflect the professional demographic constituency of the UHMS and its core stakeholders.  As such, the committee is open to any UHMS member in good standing, with an aim to include physicians, nurses, and technologists with all geographic areas represented.
   
   The chair of the Awards Committee shall be the BoD Vice President as per the UHMS Constitution and By-Laws. The Vice President shall always be an international member of the UHMS.
   
   All other members of the committee shall be volunteer members of the UHMS. The aim is for the committee to have at least one member from each category (MD/DO, MPH/PhD, RN, CHT) and geographic location (Americas, Europe, and Asia/Africa/Oceania). An annual invitation to participate on the committee will be sent to all UHMS members. In the event that representation from any category or location is lacking, the Chairperson, with assistance from the Executive Director, will seek to achieve and maintain a balance in the committee with respect to geographic and position representation through targeted invitation.
   
   Volunteer participation will be reviewed annually. There are no limits on consecutive membership terms; volunteers may, however, withdraw their participation at any time by contacting the Chair. Volunteer members of the committee are expected to participate in annual voting process and charter review and are asked to participate in committee efforts and/or virtual meetings throughout the year. Any absence of three (3) consecutive formal meetings without due cause will trigger a review by the Chair. The Chair, after consultation with UHMS Executive Director, President, or BoD as appropriate, shall have the authority to dismiss committee members in the event that they fail to uphold the UHMS Code of Conduct or adequately fulfill their duties and obligations.
   
   
4. Meetings
   Due to the widespread geographic locations of committee members, it is anticipated that the majority of committee communication will be conducted electronically through email correspondence or via virtual teleconference as appropriate.  Electronic communication is acceptable if it meets the requirements to review nominations and select year award recipients.
   
   The requirement for meetings will be at the discretion of the Chair.
   
   A simple majority of the appointed members will establish a quorum for purposes of conducting official committee business.
   
   
5. Nominations
   An individual must be a member of the UHMS in good standing in order to nominate an individual for a UHMS award.
   
   All nominees (except for the R Behnke award) must be a member of the UHMS in good standing. Nominees for the Paul C. Baker Award for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Safety Excellence or the Excellence in Critical Care Hyperbaric Medicine Awards must be an Associate Member of the UHMS in good standing.
   
   Two or more individuals may be jointly nominated for any award if in the opinion of the nominator more than a single individual contributed significantly to the effort or project prompting the nomination (for example, a joint research effort).
   
   All committee members except the Chair may be nominated for any award. An alternate voting procedure shall be implemented as outlined below.
   
   Nominations for an individual who has received the same award previously may be considered after a minimum of 5 years has elapsed since the previous award, however only in the event that the current nomination is strictly based upon substantial contributions that differ from those of the prior award.
   
   Nominations may be submitted through the UHMS online nomination portal, or by completing the provided PDF/word document and submitting to uhms@uhms.org. 
   
   If no suitable nominations are received, the award will not be awarded. 
   
   
6. Voting
   Upon receipt of yearly UHMS award nomination, the Awards Committee will review to ensure nominations meet the requirements for the award, as set out in Annex A, and select yearly award recipients.
   
   Committee members may nominate individuals for any award. Any committee member who provides a nomination for an award will recuse themselves from the vote for that award.
   
   All committee members except the Chair may be nominated for any award. Any committee member nominated for an award will recuse themselves from the vote for that award.
   
   Voting will be tracked by the Chair through an electronic ballot process. Ballots not returned by the timing as per the Chair will be considered an abstinence vote. Responses from a minimum of 51% of the awards committee (quorum) must be returned to establish an official vote related to committee affairs.
   
   Providing that quorum requirements are met, determination of award recipient will be based upon a simple majority of the votes returned. In the event of a tie vote, a second vote will be completed including only the nominees in the tie. Should the vote remain a tie, the Chair will seek review with the BoD.
   
   The Awards Committee is the final authority for the selection of yearly award recipients, subject to the concurrence of the UHMS BoD. Correspondence concerning individual awards will not be entered into unless directed by the BoD.
   
   
7. Charter Review
   
   This charter is a living document and shall be reviewed at least annually and as required. Changes can be made as required with a majority vote of the Awards Committee and the UHMS BoD.

ANNEX A
UHMS ANNUAL AWARDS

UHMS Yearly Awards