Baromedical Nurses Association: 3rd Qtr

I was asked to share my observations and experiences at the UHMS ASM this year.  Here are my highlights.

As I arrived in Atlanta during the first week of June, I decided to take a new path from the airport to the hotel- the subway.  It was a remarkable $3.00 expense on a tight budget versus a Taxi or Uber.  I checked into my hotel and quickly went to the registration desk to sign in.  As I signed in, there was a sea of Blue Air Force Uniforms surrounded by other National Air Force and other military uniforms.    We were attending a jointly combined UHMS Annual Scientific Meeting with the Aerospace Medical Association.  During the 4-day meeting, we were able to select from either track and listen to various lectures from either Aerospace Medicine or Hyperbaric Medicine.  Poster Presentations alternated between the two groups daily. There were several pre/post-course workshops, specifically talking about evaluating equipment for safe use in Hyperbaric or Hypobaric environment, and Management 0f Decompression Illness in Remote Settings. 

The Opening Ceremony began with a powerful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner by 3 US Air Force Officers.   After the welcoming remarks the first lecture topic was “Open Innovation at NASA- Good Ideas Can Come From Anywhere”, followed by: The Eric Kindwall Memorial Lecture by Dr Shai Efrati.  I felt this presentation was very moving- “The Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine Experience With Treating Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Soldiers”.  It discussed the importance of treating both military and civilians for PTSD from war implications.  It was very moving to hear the comment, “You know something is wrong, when after an attack on your city, no animal or baby made any noises.  Their brains were injured and should be treated like a wound on the brain that needs to heal!” 

Another very moving lecture was the UHMS Lambert Keynote Lecture by Chris Lemons entitled: “Last Breath- Reasoning with Life and Death at the Bottom of the North Sea”.  Chris Lemons is a deep-sea diver that worked on the oil lines on the bottom of the North Sea (over 300 feet deep) and there was an accident that severed his tether line that fed him breathing gas and warm water for over 30 minutes until his partner could find him and pull him back to the submersible for resuscitation.  There is a documentary on Netflix about his encounter as well as a movie call, “Last Breath”.      

The BNA Nurses mingled with the audience taking notes and sharing personal stories between them.  During the break, everyone would go to the Exhibit area for refreshments and visit the various exhibits to include the Baromedical Nurse’s Association table and speak to other nurses. 

At the Baromedical Nurses’ Association Luncheon, 24 members attended and celebrated our 40^th anniversary.  Heather Wheaton, BNA President, lead the meeting by sharing a PowerPoint presentation defining the financial and membership data for the organization, various roles of all the executive Board and Committee Chairpersons, current and future goals, and celebrated our distinguished award winners for 2025:

1. Dianne Norkool Award: Gillian Covert, BSN, RN, ACHRN Gillian is a Regional Nurse Manager for 5 UPMC locations. She is also the UMPC hyperbaric resource person for 40 hospitals. She assisted in the development of the EPIC hyperbaric module in the hospital system.
2. The Rising Star: Tyler Kennett, BSN, RN, CHRN Tyler is a dedicated, committed leader at Intermountain Health where he is the Safety Director who leads daily hyperbaric operations. Tyler is a BNA committee member. He is currently studying to become an NP
3. Circle of Excellence Award: Tamara Poli, CHT Tamara is a knowledgeable and compassionate CHT employed at Northern California WC and HBO. She is known as an excellent mentor to new personnel and whose commitment to patient safety is her highest priority.
4. Laura Josefsen’s Lifetime Achievement Award: Janet Bello, BSN, RN Janet has been a part of hyperbaric nursing for many years where she has served as a BNA Director at Large and a committee member. She has been a part of the UHMS accreditation program as a nurse surveyor since 2006. She has been a consultant, educator and author in hyperbaric nursing.

 Overall, we had another very successful meeting celebrating the many research projects, posters, presentations, and just spending time telling stories and making memories!  What a great place to network with our colleagues.  Please check the calendar for the 2026 BNA annual meeting and make memories with us in Denver.