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BNA Column -2nd quarter 2024

This is an excellent year for the Baromedical Nurses Association!  Hyperbaric Nurses Day – April 6 (our 8th year) was a success with over 70 attendees!  Great interaction with the presenters and attendees provided further insight, critical thinking, and personal experience regarding clinical issues.  The presentations are available on the BNA website.

We look forward to attending the UHMS Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans! Please sign up to attend the BNA luncheon on Friday, June 14th, at noon (advance purchase only) from 12 to 1 p.m. 

The BNA board meeting following the luncheon will be open to all BNA members at the meeting and via Zoom for those unable to attend in person.  The board will review updates on the BNA board and committees' status, pass the gavel to the incoming president, and present the BNA awards for this year.  It is exciting that there were a record number of nominations for awards this year!  The awards are The Diane Norkool Award, The Circle of Excellence Award, The Rising Star Award, and the Laura Josefsen Lifetime Achievement Award.

We will also be in the break area at the ASM with a new look. Daphne Copeland, LPN/CHT, LPN/LVN nurse representative, will print a new tablecloth, and a new banner will be on display to show the new BNA logo! Daphne has also created New BNA Logo Items that are available for sale on the BNA website, www.hyperbaricnurses.org. Some items will be displayed at the meeting, and you can order items not displayed.

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  • Two of the agenda items to look for this coming year: 
  • Monica Skarban is working with amazing nurses to revise the Hyperbaric Textbook! 
  • 2025 will be the 40th anniversary of the BNA, and our goal is to have a special celebration!
  • We encourage your participation in the BNA.  Your involvement enhances the success of our organization!
  • If you are joining us for the UHMS Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans, please be sure to sign up for the BNA luncheon on Friday, June 14th, from 12-1 pm. (there is a fee)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Greetings from all of us here at UHMS!

It's game time! As we prepare to release this issue of Pressure, we're filled with anticipation as we pack up and head to the vibrant city of New Orleans for the start of the 56th UHMS Annual Scientific Meeting. We can't wait to see you there!

We expect it to be a wonderful learning experience in a quaint and intimate meeting setting. The Astor Crowne is a beautiful and historic hotel property located at the corner of Canal and Bourbon streets.

This year, we have an impressive schedule, including two pre-courses: Thoracic and Pulmonary Issues in Diving and Advances in Wound Management. The general session is June 13-15th, and the schedule can be found here: ASM24_Schedule_v7.pdf (uhms.org).

This is a reminder that our Annual Awards Banquet will be held on Friday evening, June 14, rather than Saturday. Please join us and help celebrate our peers who are being recognized for their outstanding contributions to UHMS and the field.

Also, during the dinner, we will experience a governance transition, during which Dr. Pete Witucki, UHMS President, will pass the gavel to Dr. Owen O'Neill.

Dr. Witucki has effectively led the UHMS board for the past two years, and his tenure has seen UHMS continue to grow its value initiatives for members and the specialty. His leadership style reminds me of Theodore Roosevelt’s saying, "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."

Pete's contributions to UHMS and the field will be remembered long into the future. One of his significant accomplishments was roping Dr. Dick Sadler into a plan to relocate the UHMS Physician Training and Diving Medicine Course from Seattle to San Diego in less than a year. With that move came retooling the course by expanding the content, experiences, and faculty and getting it re-credentialed through DMAC.

Hands down, it is one of the heaviest lifts of all time, and the cherry on top is when Dr. Simon Mitchell said, "UHMS PTDM is the best diving medicine course in the world."

Congratulations, Pete, on a job well done.

Thinking about achievements, the Gulf Coast Chapter town hall in March was a triumph. Equally noteworthy was the virtual town hall on undersea medicine hosted by the Midwest Chapter of the UHMS on May 4. These events were meticulously planned, and the content was of the highest quality, underscoring the value of our initiatives.

Stay tuned for the upcoming Northeast and Pacific Chapter town halls later this year.   

I had the pleasure of attending the ONR-NAVSEA Deep Submergence Biomedical Program Review with many of our peers in mid-April at Avery Point in Groton, CT. Once again, I was thoroughly impressed by the level of basic science happening globally in the undersea biomedical area. 

Great job, Sandra Chapman and Captain Joy Dierks!

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Most recently, Dr. Owen O'Neill, Derall Garrett, and I enjoyed attending and supporting the 94th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Aerospace Medical Association in Chicago, IL. It was a spectacular meeting with over 1750 attendees in a great venue, the Hyatt Regency Downtown.

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As you might remember, the UHMS collaborates with AsMA on several fronts, including providing them with UHMS electronic posters and expertise. Hats off to Derall, who managed the electronic posters this year. He did a fantastic job.

Dr. O'Neill and I were invited to attend the AsMA Council meeting, where we witnessed the unanimous vote of their Council to approve a historical agreement between AsMA and the UHMS take place. The agreement memorializes holding joint meetings for the next six years and collaborating in new and innovative ways.

The UHMS board voted to approve the agreement at its April board meeting, making the AsMA Council vote much more significant.

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The AsMA planners, including AsMA President Dr. Joe Dervay and Executive Director Jeff Sventek, did an excellent job hosting this year's meeting, and we look forward to joining them in Atlanta at the Hyatt Regency next year.

~

I will return to my soapbox momentarily to repeat my message from the Q1 issue of Pressure.

We need your help. The physician, advanced provider, nurse, therapist, and technician should take responsibility for seeking and maintaining certification and completing 12 hours of continuing education annually. Hospitals, management providers, and chamber manufacturers are accountable for supporting and promoting hyperbaric facility accreditation and providing urgent and emergent hyperbaric medicine care for all patients.

This is a call to action for everyone involved in hyperbaric medicine: to get engaged, get educated, get certified, get your facility accredited, and show that you're doing what you claim to do, particularly around delivering optimal outcomes and treating patients of all acuities regardless of payor source.

Please review our position statement on Certification Matters: UHMS POSITION STATEMENT.

The UHMS tent is wide open, so please come in and join us to make our specialty vibrant and viable for generations to come!

UHMS Finances

I am pleased to report that UHMS's Financial position remains strong.

Jan-Apr 2024 PL
    Actual   Budget
Income   $627,523   $585,727
Expense   $512,045   $545,160
Net   $115,477   $40,567

Our balance sheet remains healthy, with operating, savings, and investment accounts continuing to hover at near-all-time highs.

Additionally, we are happy to highlight that UHMS has achieved a 100% score and a Four-Star rating on Charity Navigator -Charity Navigator - Rating for Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society for Accountability & Finance.

This means you can give confidently, knowing the UHMS is a disciplined charity.

Member Benefits

As a reminder, UHMS members receive three free CE/CME credits upon joining or renewing. This benefit represents an immediate $40 savings for Associate members and $60 for Regular members annually. 

Associate Member Town Hall

Members are invited to attend the UHMS Associate Council town hall meeting on the second Thursday of every quarter, where invited speakers present on relevant topics that apply to our specialty.

Corporate Partners

If you are a UHMS Corporate Partner, please attend our monthly Corporate Partner Town Hall meeting series. These are held on the 1st Wednesday of every month at 12 PM and are intended to be an open forum for discussing the challenges and successes your businesses and practices are experiencing and to create momentum and collaboration where appropriate.    

If your organization wants to educate the UHMS membership about the care provided or the goods and services offered, consider joining our Corporate Partnership Program. See https://www.uhms.org/corporate-memberships.html.  

MEDFAQs

The UHMS offers its version of "ask the experts." MEDFAQs can be found at the following URL – https://www.uhms.org/resources/medfaqs-frequently-asked-questions-faq.html, and is a valuable tool for our membership.

If you are familiar with MEDFAQs, check back, as new Q&As are posted regularly.

Research

The UHMS Research Committee continues to be very active. We hope to announce some good news in the new year on the IRB front, where members of our community can come to the UHMS for the Institutional Review Board's needs.

We are soliciting donations from our members for two research initiatives. One is the Continuous Glucose Monitor study (https://www.uhms.org/cgm-hyperbaric-oxygen-study), and the Multicenter Registry for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Dartmouth (MRHBO2) continues seeking funds for free hospital membership. The MRHBO2 is funded entirely via grants, not by the registry's participating hospitals - https://www.uhms.org/donate-to-the-multicenter-registry-for-hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy.html.

Remember that donations to the UHMS Funds for Research and Policy Advancement are tax-deductible. For more information, check out the UHMS website –  https://www.uhms.org/funding.html.   

QUARC

To better understand the field's challenges, log in and visit the QUARC page – https://www.uhms.org/resources/quarc.html. Here, you will find impending legislation and other relevant policies on the provision and limitations of HBO2 coverage and the UHMS's responses and guidance.

The chairs of QUARC are requesting that any unusual denials or challenges with physicians gaining access to insurance panels for HBO2 services, let us know as soon as possible, please – jpeters@uhms.org.

UHM

If you are a UHMS member, we are happy to announce a new search feature for previous issues and articles from UHM/UBR - https://www.uhms.org/publications/uhm-journal/download-uhm-journal-pdfs.html. Currently, the feature works with keywords.

If you have a suggestion or comment on how we can serve you better, please email me directly at jpeters@uhms.org or call me at 561-776-6110 extension 100.

It is my pleasure to serve you and our membership, and I continue to look forward to hearing from you.

John Peters

Multicenter Registry Update for Q2 2024

Publications:

  • A study on radiation cystitis using registry results is now in publication in the Journal of Urology - Patient Reported Outcome Measures Following Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Radiation Cystitis: Early Results From the Multicenter Registry for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.Moses RA, Hunter AE, Brandes ER, Zhang Z, Rees JR, Peacock JL, Bihrle W 3rd, Sethuraman K, Weaver LK, Buckey JC Jr. J Urol. 2024 Apr 4
  • Publication with results for non-UHMS approved indications is under review at the Interactive Journal of Medical Research
  • Kinjal Sethuraman at the University of Maryland is working on the 2023 Annual Report on urgent indications
  • Abstracts with registry results will be presented as posters at the UHMS annual meeting

New Indications in Redcap Template:

  • Hypospadias is being added to the compromised flaps/grafts indication
  • Facial filler injections are being added as a subset of Acute Ischemia
  • Venous ulcers are being added as a non-UHMS indication
  • Sickle cell has been added to the medical history

New Center Enrollment:

  • Northwell Health has completed all requirements and has been added to the registry
  • Alfred Health in Melbourne, Australia, has signed the Consortium agreement

The below are the figures showing the distribution of referral indications for 2023 registry entries and specialties referring patients for HBO2.

Information on joining the registry may be found on the UHMS website through the following link:

https://www.uhms.org/el/resources/uhms-supported-hyperbaric-registry/multicenter-registry-for-hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy.html

Referring Physician 19onNon UHMS indications 2023

Non UHMS indications 2023
Referring Physician 2023

 

Navigating the Challenges: Can Your Facility Pass UHMS Hyperbaric Facility Accreditation?

As medical institutions strive for excellence in patient care and safety, achieving accreditation from reputable organizations is paramount. For facilities offering hyperbaric medicine, accreditation from the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) signifies adherence to rigorous standards and best practices. However, the journey toward UHMS accreditation is not without its hurdles. Let's delve into some potential stumbling blocks and strategies to overcome them.

  1. Staff Training and Credentialing: One of the primary requirements for UHMS accreditation is ensuring that staff members possess the necessary qualifications and certifications. This includes hyperbaric medicine training, medical licensure, and specialized certifications. Lack of adequately trained staff can hinder accreditation efforts. Investing in comprehensive training programs and encouraging staff members to pursue relevant certifications can address this challenge.
  2. Equipment Maintenance and Safety: Hyperbaric chambers and associated equipment must meet stringent safety standards to ensure patient well-being during treatments. Regular maintenance, inspection, and equipment calibration are essential prerequisites for accreditation. Facilities may encounter obstacles related to outdated equipment, insufficient maintenance protocols, or inadequate documentation of safety checks. Establishing a robust maintenance schedule, conducting thorough equipment assessments, and maintaining detailed records can help overcome these challenges.
  3. Facility Design and Infrastructure: The physical layout and design of the hyperbaric facility play a crucial role in ensuring operational efficiency and patient comfort. Facilities seeking UHMS accreditation must comply with specific requirements regarding chamber placement, emergency egress routes, and environmental controls. Challenges may arise if the facility lacks adequate space, ventilation, or accessibility features. Conducting a thorough review of facility design, addressing deficiencies, and implementing necessary modifications can facilitate accreditation.
  4. Documentation and Quality Assurance: Comprehensive documentation is a cornerstone of UHMS accreditation, demonstrating adherence to protocols and standards. Facilities must maintain meticulous records related to patient treatments, safety procedures, equipment maintenance, and quality assurance activities. Incomplete or inaccurate documentation can impede the accreditation process. Implementing robust documentation systems, conducting regular audits, and training staff on documentation requirements can mitigate this challenge.

Navigating the path to UHMS Hyperbaric Facility Accreditation requires dedication, attention to detail, and a commitment to excellence in patient care. By addressing potential challenges proactively and implementing robust quality assurance measures, facilities can enhance their chances of achieving accreditation and demonstrate their commitment to delivering high-quality hyperbaric medicine services.

How to Prepare for an Accreditation Survey

We are excited to announce that we will host a "How to Prepare for Accreditation Survey" session on May 22 from 1:00 to 5:00 EST. If you plan to get your facility accredited or have an upcoming reaccreditation, you are most welcome to join us. During this session, we will discuss why accreditation is important, how it works, and what you must do to be well-prepared. If you're interested in attending this session, please email us, and we will send you the invite once we have all the details sorted.

Passings

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van der VaartTheodorus Aloysius Marie "Dick" van der Vaart

The passing of colleague and founder of the Recompression Chamber Bonaire 

Dr. van der Vaart is remembered dearly by the many people he has touched.  He was one of the busiest GPs on the island, from when there were only a few. He was an active musician, playing the drums in many bands through the years.  He may be known best for setting up and maintaining the Recompression Facility on Bonaire.  Almost 40 years ago, he saw the need and arranged the donation and delivery of the first recompression chamber.  This not only saved and improved countless lives but was part of the basis that elevated Bonaire to be one of the top dive destinations. You are not likely to find anyone from the island that does not know him or at least of him. He passed away on Monday night.

He developed a small but strong team that manned the chamber both inside and out.  Much of the staff has worked with him for decades, demonstrating his ability to create and maintain a strong team.  In the early days, when there were only a few GPs on the island, he would often be juggling emergencies, running next door to deliver a baby or set a broken limb while the diver was tended to inside the chamber.  To put the time frame into perspective, not only was this before cell phones, most people did not even have home phones, so he had to send the police to find the staff in the middle of the night.

The chamber began for the divers; however, shortly thereafter, Dr. van der Vaart saw the possibilities of healing wounds that would otherwise never heal. He successfully saved innumerable limbs from amputation.  He has treated patients for almost each of the various approved ailments that can be treated in the chamber.  Not only did he need to train doctors and nurses to work at the chamber, but it was also a big challenge to train the doctors, not involved in the chamber, about what types of things can be done, so that they refer the patients that can be helped.  To some, this big tube looks like witch doctoring and takes some convincing, but the results spoke for themselves.

With careful management, he was able to upgrade the facility with a new chamber and building, bringing us to have a state-of-the-art facility, considered one of the best in the Caribbean. After his colleague was taken by COVID, he was on call 24/7/365 for all the COVID shutdown and more.  Only for his passion for the chamber and the patients was he able manage the chamber from its inception to, and past his retirement from his GP position where he played a huge role in the health of the island population.

In 2022, the King was pleased to appoint him Officer in the Order of Orange Nassau.

It is with unending respect and regret that we as Board and Team of the Recompression Chamber bid him farewell and send our heartfelt condolences and support to his family and friends.

~ Board and Team of the Recompression Chamber Bonaire

 

RonSechristRON SECHRIST

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Ron Sechrist, our beloved founder, who left us yesterday evening. Ron established Sechrist Industries in 1973, and his visionary leadership has propelled us to the forefront of the hyperbaric industry. Last year, we were fortunate to celebrate our company’s 50th Anniversary with Ron. His presence at the event reminded us of the enduring passion and commitment that serve as the building blocks of our success. Deepak Talati, our President, said, "Ron was not only a brilliant engineer but also one of America’s leading entrepreneurs. His contributions have been fundamental to our identity and innovation culture. He will forever remain an inspiration to our Sechrist family." Our thoughts are with Ron’s family during this difficult time, especially his wife and children, who were his world. Ron’s legacy will forever be a guiding light for Sechrist Industries. Let us honor his memory by continuing to innovate and excel in the field he so passionately helped shape.

~ Sechrist Industries, Inc

 hickeyCAPT. Matthew Hickey, MD

Captain Matthew John, Medical Corps, USN (Ret.), died peacefully surrounded by his family on April 2, 2024, following a fierce battle with pancreatic cancer that he fought with unwavering courage. He was 59. Raised in Bay Shore, NY, Matt was the son of Edward and Eileen Hickey. He graduated from Bay Shore High School in 1982, reported to the Naval Academy the same year and was assigned to the 36th Company, serving as a company commander his first-class year. He graduated in 1986 with a BS in Ocean Engineering, was commissioned an ensign, and received orders to BUD/S (SEAL) training (Coronado). Following BUD/S graduation in Class 141, Matt spent the following 8 years as a Naval Special Warfare Officer, serving tours at SEAL Team ONE (Coronado), SEAL Team EIGHT (Virginia Beach) and the Naval Academy. He deployed in support of Operations EARNEST WILL (1988), SHARP EDGE (1990) and DESERT SHIELD (1990). While stationed at the Academy, he assisted 17 midshipmen in successfully executing Operation MISSING MASCOT, the only known "mule-napping" of all four Army mules just prior to the 1991 Army-Navy football game. He met the former Cynthia (Cindy) L. Armistead of Virginia Beach in 1989 and was married in November of 1992. In 1995, Matt transitioned to the Medical Corps. He graduated from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (1999), completed internship at Cook County Hospital (2000) and residency at University of Illinois at Chicago (2003). He received initial board certification in Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 2004 and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine in 2005. As a Navy physician, he served tours at Naval Special Warfare Group FOUR (Norfolk), the US-UK Personnel Exchange Program (Alverstoke, England), the Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Naval Special Warfare Development Group (Virginia Beach), and Commander Submarine Force Atlantic (Norfolk). Upon Navy retirement in June of 2017, Matt continued his service to the country as an occupational medicine specialist at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Concurrently, he became a co-owner of a medical practice - Neuroenhancement & Cognitive Optimization Associates (NEUCOA), to help veterans with TBI and PTSD. He volunteered his free time as an active parishioner at Sacred Heart Catholic Church (Norfolk), as an Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine exam developer for the American Board of Preventive Medicine, and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Navy SEAL Foundation. His greatest joy was spending time with Cindy and their daughters. Matt is survived by his wife, Cindy; their daughters, Kate, Anne, Claire and Emma; his parents, Edward and Eileen; his siblings, Edward/Ed Jr, William/Bill (Margaret), and Susan Masto (Chris); and 16 nephews and nieces. A celebration of life will be held at the Brigade of Midshipmen Chapel at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Date to be determined. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the following charities:

Navy SEAL Foundation https://www.navysealfoundation.org/donate/ 

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center (specify pancreatic cancer) https://secure.jhu.edu/form/Kimmel 

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network https://pancan.org/

Published by Newsday on Apr. 5, 2024.

 

DaVanzo Joan headshotJoan DaVanzo

Dear UHMS Members,

As all of you know, the field of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine has avoided more than one potentially devastating payment reduction proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) based on flawed Medicare data. We have survived these threats so far through the efforts of many people, but perhaps the most important person in the recent battle with CMS was Joan DaVanzo of Dobson/DaVanzo. Joan was personally known to only a handful of UHMS members, but without her help, we might not have been able to stave off a 40% reduction in hospital facility fees beginning in January of 2024. 

The UHMS is a member of the Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders, and Alliance Executive Director, Marcia Nusgart provided this tribute to Joan who died of breast cancer on Feb 25th

Caroline E. Fife, MD

Dear Alliance members,

It is with great sadness that I share news of the passing of Joan DaVanzo, a long-time friend and passionate supporter of the Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders. Joan passed away on Sunday, February 25th after a difficult battle with cancer and its complications over the past year. Many of you have been aware of her passing and asked me how best to honor her. Information about which charities one could contribute to were just named so I waited until now to send all of this information out. 

A health policy expert, Joan founded Dobson | DaVanzo with her husband, Al Dobson. Through their health policy consultancy, Joan and Al were a driving force behind the Alliance’s Wound Care Evidence Summit (2022)  and our two respected and widely quoted wound care research study papers on the economic impact and burden of chronic wounds:  “An Economic Evaluation of the Impact, Cost, and Medicare Policy Implications of Chronic Nonhealing Wounds,” (Value in Health, 2018) and “Chronic wound prevalence and the associated cost of treatment in Medicare beneficiaries: changes between 2014 and 2019” (Journal of Medical Economics, 2023). She had great insight, creativity and vision as well as enthusiasm on issues that the Alliance tackled. I attached two pictures of Joan at our Alliance Evidence Summit.

Most recently, Joan was active in the wound care community’s response when CMS unexpectedly, and without explanation - implemented a 40% reduction to the payment rate for hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the 2024 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System final rule that published in November. Joan and her team analyzed outpatient claims using CMS methodology and concluded that the cost estimate provided with the HOPPS rule was an error, providing the Alliance and other advocates with an independent economic analysis to submit to CMS to request a technical correction. Strengthened by this analysis, our advocacy was successful, and CMS corrected and re-issued the HBOT payment rate.

But most importantly, Joan was a good friend—she was always giving, kind, gracious, fun and a great cook who loved to entertain. I came to know her years ago through our mutual involvement in Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation (www.WBL.org) a premier network of over 1,400 female senior executives across the health care and life sciences industry where we both served on the board and she as a mentor to so many, including myself.

Joan will be so dearly missed. Her husband Al Dobson advised me that he will be holding a celebration of her life in mid-May- if anyone is interested in attending he asked that you contact Whitney Webster from his staff- whitney.webster@dobsondavanzo.com

There are two ways to donate in Joan’s memory if you desire. A Joan DaVanzo memorial fund has been established at American Wild Horse Campaign in her honor. Donations can be made to American Wild Horse Campaign, PO Box 1733, Davis, CA 95617. Donations in her memory also can be made to the WBL Boundless Campaign – that supports women lead start-up health care companies and the WBL Fellows program. https://www.wblboundless.org/. Her obituary appeared in the 3/17/24 Washington Post https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/washingtonpost/name/joan-davanzo-obituary?id=54650642.

Sincerely,

Marcia Nusgart, R.Ph.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders
5225 Pooks Hill Road Suite 627 South
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
tel 301.530.7846  |  cell. 301.802.1410
Connect with me on LinkedIn  |  Follow the Alliance on LinkedIn
www.woundcarestakeholders.org

 

Pressure 2nd Quarter 2024 – President’s Message

This is my final President’s Message after serving my two-year term. At the UHMS Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans this June, I will pass the gavel to the very capable Dr. Owen O’Neill.

When I assumed the role of UHMS President at the UHMS ASM in Reno, Nevada, in 2022, we were coming out of the COVID pandemic, and it was our first live meeting in several years. As I reflect on these past two years, I feel very thankful for our organization and all that it offers:

UHMS Staff:John Peters (Executive Director), Lisa Tidd (Membership and Meeting Planning), Stacy Harmon (ACCME and Education), Eric vanBok (Web Development), Lorrie Coté (Publications), Derall Garrett (Hyperbaric Facility Accreditation), Beth Hands (HFA Coordinator), Dave Hostler (Journal Editor), Enrico Camporesi (Editor Emeritus), Renee Duncan (Previous Managing Editor), Alyson Boyer Rode (AV), Gia Castellino (CPA), Sherill White-Wolfe (ASM volunteer), Lora Garrett (ASM volunteer).

UHMS Colleagues: Our organization has so many talented and generous people who are always willing to give their time and expertise. These people have stepped up when we need speakers, educators, policy writers, committee members, and more.

UHMS Education: I cannot wait to see what we come up with next, given the wonderful educational content our organization provides, such as our annual scientific meetings, chapter meetings, PATH course, medical examination of divers’ course, and physicians training in diving medicine course.

UHMS Financials:Has become strong and remains strong under the watchful eyes of Dr. Helen Gelly and John Peters.

UHMS Initiatives:From policy statements to supporting research initiatives to the Indications Manual. Stay tuned for the new UHMS STEM Program to support future scientists.

UHMS Committees: A big shout out to all members who give their time and energy to get the important work done at the committee level. It definitely matters.

UHMS Board of Directors:Thank you to the Members at Large who have served with me on the BOD. Your thoughtfulness and willingness to speak your mind have been greatly appreciated. The SBAR format has allowed for efficiency and production. Meeting time length is down and production is up.

Serving these two years as President of a truly remarkable organization filled with such talented people has been a pleasure.

See you in New Orleans.