Pacific Chapter
Meeting Date: Saturday, August 9, 2025
Chapter Town Hall Topic: Safety
Virtual Platform: TEAMS
Times: PT: 9am; MT: 10am: CT: 11am; ET: 12pm
The continuing medical education mission of the Pacific Chapter of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society is to develop and promote programs that improve the scientific knowledge of physicians and other allied health professionals, in the Pacific Coast and Western regions of the United States and Canada, in matters related to undersea and hyperbaric environments and appropriate applications of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Registration/Speakers/Agenda
-See speakers/agenda tabs below Event Properties- *YOU FIRST MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION* Virtual: PT: 9am; MT: 10am: CT:11am; ET: 12pm FEES: Sponsorships are welcome. Contact uhms@uhms.org UHMS Cancellation/Refund Policy: $100 administrative fee will be held on all MEETING(S)/COURSE(S) cancellations from the time you register, until 60 days prior to the meeting/course date. From 59 days to one (1) month prior, 50% of fees will be held on all cancellations. NO REFUNDS will be issued one (1) month before or after the meeting/course date. Please login to register for this event
Andrew Melnyczenko's combined military and civilian experience in Hyperbaric Medicine spans 23 years. He is the Technical and Safety Director of the Hyperbaric and Altitude Medicine Program at the Mayo Clinic. He is also a UHMS member and serves as the chair of the UHMS safety committee. Andrew’s professional interests lie in education, emergency preparedness, and advancing the practical use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.
Gray Ladd is a retired Navy Diver after 24 years of active duty service. He was stationed all over the nation and performed UWSH, Salvage, Readiness and Training, Combat Swimmer, and Special Warfare with an emphasis on Mixed Gas diving, Operational Risk Management, and diving and hyperbaric systems. After the military, he studied Fire Science and NFPA code compliance and worked as a Firefighter/EMT for a year. During that time he kept his foot in the waters of hyperbarics and diving as he worked part time at Virginia Masons' Center for Hyperbaric Medicine (CHM). Gray assumed the full time role as Hyperbaric Engineer and Safety Director at VMMCs' large 24 person multiplace CHM in the summer of 2022 where he continues to work to this day.
Leo Tanaka is a former Air Force senior flight surgeon, dive medical officer, and pararescue medical director. His interests are in immersion pulmonary edema and special operations dive medicine, with presentations given at the Special Operations Medical Scientific Assembly and posters discussed at the UHMS annual conference. He is also well-versed in medical standards, helping create the first special warfare medical standards for the United States Air Force (USAF). He looks to build further evidence for the UHM field, to include further developments to a hyperbaric registry and to advance acceptance of further indications for HBOT.
Richard, widely knows by the nickname, "Gus", has over fourty-eight years experience in clinical, supervisory, teaching, staff and middle management positions in acute care hospitals. This experience includes forty years as a Respiratory Therapist, twenty years as EMT-I, twenty-three years as a Naval Reserve Hospital Corpsman, twenty-three years in Hyperbaric Medicine, eighteen years’ experience in wound and burn care, and nineteen years as a Registered Nurse. Experience in hyperbaric medicine has included Technical Director, Program Director, Nurse Manager and Critical Care Educator specific to hyperbaric medicine. Member and Special Expert for the National Fire Protection Association, NFPA 99 Technical Committee, Hyperbaric and Hypobaric Facilities –March 20, 2023 to Present Currently, Gus teaches hyperbaric medicine across the U.S. and beyond, serves as the Principle for R.B. Gustavson Consultants, LLC, and is studying with Walden University Online, looking forward to earning his Doctor of Public Health.
Seth presently serves as the Sharp Grossmont Hospital Hyperbaric Program Lead and Safety Director. Within the Hyperbaric Department, Seth supervises chamber operations, daily patient care, maintenance, and training. He has an extensive background as a diver, with more than 22 years of experience. He holds certifications as a Hyperbaric Technologist, Diver Medic, and Hyperbaric Safety Director. Seth is a certified Commerical Diver through the Association of Commerical Divers International; as a commercial diver, he worked predominately as a US Navy contractor and minefield maintenance diver. He is also certified as a Course Director and Emergency First Response Instructor-Trainer through the Professional Association of Diving Instructors; he has certified more than 500 recreational divers. Seth is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and National University Polytechnic Institute.
MEMBER: Physician/PhD or Equivalent - $70
MEMBER: Non-Physician/Resident/Fellow/Student - $50
NON-MEMBER: Physician/PhD or Equivalent - $90
NON-MEMBER: Non-Physician/Resident/Fellow/Student - $70
Event Properties
Event Start Date
08-09-2025
Event End Date
08-09-2025
Location
Virtual platform
Categories
UHMS Directly Provided Meeting
Andrew Melnyczenko
CHT
Read Bio
Anthony Johnston
ACHRN
Read Bio
RN since 1997, HBO RN since 2000. Hyperbaric Safety Director. Selected for inaugural Publishing chair for Baromedical Nurses Association 2018. Hyperbaric and wound care Registered Nurse at UCHealth, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
Brenda Freymiller
BSN, CWOCN, CWS
Read Bio
Brenda Freymiller is a Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse from Salt Lake City, UT. She has been a WOC Nurse for 20 years.
Gray Ladd
MD
Read Bio
Leo Tanaka
MD
Read Bio
Richard Gustavson
MPH, RN, CHRNC-A, CHT-A, CRT, UHMSADS
Read Bio
Seth Tufvesson
BS, CHT, DMT
Read Bio
12:00-12:05 pm
Introduction/CE Requirements: Leo Tanaka, MD
12:05-12:35
Normalization of Deviance in a Safety Culture: Gus Gustavson, MPH, RN, CHRNC-A, CHT-A, CRT, UHMSADS
Read Description
12:35-1:05
Management of Inside Attendant Omitted Decompression: Gray Ladd, CHT
Read Description
1:05-2:05
Field of Safety in HBO2- Soft Chamber to Off-Label and their Effects on our Field
Read Description
3:40-4:10
Advancing Safety in Hyperbaric Medicine: Recent Projects and Future Initiatives by the UHMS Safety Committee: Andrew Melnyczenko, BSHCA, CHT
Read Description
2:10-3:10
UHMS Accreditation, from A to Z
Read Description
3:10-3:40
Safety in Diving from the USMC, to Commercial and Recreational Diving, to Hyperbarics: Seth Tufvesson, LtCol (USMC), CHT, EMT-P
Read Description
Continuing Education Credits
-In order to receive continuing education credits you must complete and submit an evaluation-
Accreditation Statement: The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Designation Statements:
- Physician CME: The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society designates this live activity for a maximum of 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
- Nursing/RRT Contact Hours: This live activity is approved for 4 CE hours provided by Florida Board of Registered Nursing/RRT Provider #50-10881. License types: RN, LPN, CNS, ARNP, CNA, CRT, RRT, RCP Provided through the Florida State Board of Nursing and the CE credits are reciprocal and approved for nurses within all states. Receiving credit for Florida providers is simple, attend the course and our staff will upload your credits directly to the Florida State database. For out of state credit, we provide this letter for you to file with the respective nursing board.
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- NBDHMT: This live activity is approved for 1.5 Category A credit hours and 2.5 Category B credit hours by National Board of Diving and Hyperbaric Medical Technology, P.O. Box 758, Pelion, South Carolina 29123.
- NBDHMT Accreditation Statement: For CHT recertification purposes, the NBDHMT requires a minimum of nine of the minimum 12 required Category A credits relate directly to any combination of hyperbaric operations, related technical aspects and chamber safety.
- NBDHMT Accreditation Statement: For CHT recertification purposes, the NBDHMT requires a minimum of nine of the minimum 12 required Category A credits relate directly to any combination of hyperbaric operations, related technical aspects and chamber safety.
- NBDHMT: This live activity is approved for 1.5 Category A credit hours and 2.5 Category B credit hours by National Board of Diving and Hyperbaric Medical Technology, P.O. Box 758, Pelion, South Carolina 29123.
Full Disclosure Statement: All faculty members and planners participating in continuing medical education activities sponsored by Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society are expected to disclose to the participants any relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies. Full disclosure of faculty and planner relevant financial relationships will be made at the activity.Disclosure:
The following individuals have disclosed a relevant financial relationship with ineligible companies. Financial relationships are relevant if the following three conditions are met for the individual who will control content of the education:
A financial relationship, in any amount, exists between the person in control of content and an ineligible company and;
- The content of the education is related to the products of an ineligible company with whom the person has a financial relationship and;
- The financial relationship existed during the past 24 months.
- All of the relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated
None of the individuals in control of content (planners/faculty/reviewers/authors) for this educational activity have relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
No commercial support was received for this activities:
Disclaimer: The information provided at this CME activity is for Continuing Medical Education purposes only. The lecture content, statements or opinions expressed however, do not necessarily represent those of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society.
CME For MOC Program Guide Designation Statements for ABMS Boards
Required instructions to learners on how to obtain CME for MOC
CME For MOC points are earned through completing a comprehensive evaluation component that assesses individual learner competence, performance, and/or the impact on patient outcomes. Some boards require evaluation feedback that will include a summary of what was discussed and the best next steps for the learner. The evaluation feedback will be provided to you upon submitting the evaluation form.
As an accredited ACCME provider, the UHMS is now responsible to submit physician learner CME credits into the ACCME PARS system. However, it is the physician’s responsibility to submit the necessary information required to match with the ACCME PARS system. It is also the physicians responsibility to check with their respective board(s) to see that the credits were applied accordingly.
- American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA)
“This activity contributes to the CME component of the American Board of Anesthesiology’s redesigned Maintenance of Certification in AnesthesiologyTM (MOCA®) program, known as MOCA 2.0®. Please consult the ABA website, www.theABA.org, for a list of all MOCA 2.0 requirements.” - American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM)***
“Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to [credits approved] MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.” - American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (ABOHNS) ***
“Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn their required annual part II self-assessment credit in the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery’s Continuing Certification program (formerly known as MOC). It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of recognizing participation.” - American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) ***
“Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery’s Maintenance of Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABOS credit." - American Board of Pathology (ABPath)
This activity has been registered to offer [credits approved] AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM towards the American Board of Pathology’s Continuing Certification program Lifelong Learning credits. - American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) ***
“Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn up to [credits approved] MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABP MOC credit.” - American Board of Surgery (ABS) ***
“Successful completion of this CME activity [which includes participation in the evaluation component], enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME [and Self-Assessment] requirement(s) of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit." - American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) ***
“Successful completion of this CME activity [which includes participation in the evaluation component,] enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME [and Self-Assessment] of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery’s Maintenance of Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABTS credit."
***Will require evaluation feedback
Chapter Officers
President
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President-Elect
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Past-President
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Secretary
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Member-at-Large
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Member-at-Large
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Member-at-Large
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Member-at-Large
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