The UHMS Annual Awards
The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society presents yearly awards to select individuals recognized for their significant contributions to the specialty of undersea and hyperbaric medicine.
All members of the UHMS in good standing are invited to nominate any individual for their choice of the following awards.
- Please note requirements for nomination as described within the award description.
- To submit nominations, please fill in the attached form. Please note it is important in assisting the awards committee to write a short citation of a maximum of 300 words outlining the reasons why your nominee is deserving of the award.
- Two or more individuals may be jointly nominated for any award if, in the opinion of the nominator, contributed significantly to the effort or project prompting the nomination (for example, a joint research effort).
- 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.
- Awards may not be awarded in the absence of a suitable nominee
Full details of the nomination and voting process may be found in the Awards Committee Charter (click here).
SUBMISSION DEADLINE DATE: APRIL 15
ONLINE nominations forms are linked on the award descriptions below.
The Albert R. Behnke Award
This is the premier award of the UHMS. This award is presented at the annual meeting to an individual in recognition of outstanding scientific contributions to advances in the undersea or hyperbaric biomedical field.
- Nominee is not required to be a UHMS Member
| 2023 | Michael Strauss |
| 2022 | David Doolette |
| 2021 | John Feldmeier |
| 2020 | Paul Sheffield |
| 2019 | Enrico Camporesi |
| 2018 | Paul Cianci |
| 2017 | Wayne Gerth |
| 2016 | Alfred Bove |
| 2015 | Neil Hampson |
| 2014 | Paul Weathersby |
| 2013 | Richard Moon |
| 2012 | Richard Vann |
| 2011 | Alf Brubakk |
| 2010 | Simon Mitchell |
| 2009 | Keith Van Meter |
| 2008 | Stephen R. Thom |
| 2007 | Tom S. Neuman |
| 2006 | David R. Pendergast |
| 2005 | Jean-Claude Rostain |
| 2004 | None awarded |
| 2003 | James Francis |
| 2002 | Yoram "Rami" Grossman |
| 2001 | Michael Bennett |
| 2000 | None |
| 1999 | Noemi Bitterman |
| 1998 | Ronald Y. Nishi |
| 1997 | Claes E.G. Lundgren |
| 1996 | Stephen R. Thom |
| 1995 | Alf Brubakk |
| 1994 | Dag Linnarsson |
| 1993 | Jon T. Mader |
| 1992 | John M. Hallenbeck |
| 1991 | Jefferson C. Davis |
| 1990 | Mark E.Bradley |
| 1989 | Heinz R. Schreiner |
| 1988 | Herbert A. Saltzman |
| 1987 | Leon E. Farhi, |
| 1986 | Ralph W. Brauer |
| 1985 | Dennis N. Walder |
| 1984 | Otto Van Der Aue |
| 1983 | Peter B. Bennett |
| 1982 | E.E.P. Barnard |
| 1981 | Xavier Fructus |
| 1980 | Carl Magnus Hesser |
| 1979 | John W. Bean |
| 1978 | Karl E. Schaefer |
| 1977 | Edward H. Lanphier |
| 1976 | H.V. Hempleman |
| 1975 | Edgar End |
| 1974 | Hermann Rahn |
| 1973 | Hermann Rahn, |
| 1972 | Kenneth W. Donald |
| 1971 | George F. Bond |
| 1970 | Christian J. Lambertsen |
| 1969 | Albert R. Behnke |
Excellence in Commercial Diving Award
This award is presented at the annual meeting to a UHMS member for outstanding contributions to the commercial diving industry in the area of increased productivity or performance of the working diver. Specific recognition is given to practical application of biomedical knowledge to the solution of problems encountered in diving operations.
- Nominee must be a UHMS Member
| 2023 | Philip Bryson |
| 2022 | None awarded |
| 2021 | None awarded |
| 2020 | Robert Sanders |
| 2019 | None awarded |
| 2018 | Owen O’Neill |
| 2017 | Tony Alleman |
| 2016 | Keith Van Meter |
| 2015 | David Smart |
| 2014 | Joseph Serio |
| 2013 | None awarded |
| 2012 | Mahito Kawashima |
| 2011 | Stephen Reimers |
| 2010 | Eric Fink |
| 2009 | None awarded |
| 2008 | Yoshihiro Mano |
| 2007 | Kevan P. Corson |
| 2006 | None awarded |
| 2005 | None awarded |
| 2004 | None awarded |
| 2003 | David Doolette |
| 2002 | David M. Heaney |
| 2001 | None awarded |
| 2000 | None awarded |
| 1999 | None awarded |
| 1998 | Andre Galerne |
| 1997 | Robert Wong |
| 1996 | C. Gordon Daugherty |
| 1995 | J. Morgan Wells |
| 1994 | William P. Fife |
| 1993 | Richard E. Moon |
| 1992 | Richard D. Vann |
| 1991 | Ichiro Nashimoto |
| 1990 | None awarded |
| 1989 | Wouter Sterk |
| 1988 | Robert W. Hamilton |
| 1987 | Peter Edel |
| 1986 | Henri G. DeLauze |
| 1985 | Glen H. Egstrom |
| 1984 | Dick Clarke |
| 1983 | David A. Youngblood |
| 1982 | None awarded |
| 1981 | David H. Elliott |
| 1980 | Hannes Keller |
| 1979 | Paul Webb |
| 1978 | Edward T. Flynn & William H. Spaur |
| 1977 | Albert A. Buhlmann |
| 1976 | Xavier Fructus, Robert Naquet, Jean Claude Rostain |
| 1975 | Peter Bennett |
Excellence in Diving Medicine Award
This award is presented at the annual meeting to an individual UHMS member for an outstanding contribution to teaching, education, science and/or safety in the field of Diving Medicine and related fields.
- Nominee must be a UHMS Member
| 2023 | Robert "Bob" Sanders |
| 2022 | Richard "Dick" Sadler |
| 2021 | Nick Bird |
| 2020 | Peter Wilmshurst |
| 2019 | Bruce Derrick |
| 2018 | Jim Chimiak |
| 2017 | Petar Denoble |
| 2016 | Simon Mitchell |
| 2015 | Neal Pollock |
| 2014 | John Freiberger & John Wassel |
| 2013 | James Holm & Tracy LeGros |
| 2012 | D. Lindsie Cone |
| 2011 | Morgan Wells & Dick Rutkowski |
| 2010 | Jim Joiner |
| 2009 | Guy Dear |
| 2008 | Alessandro Marroni & Donald R. Chandler |
| 2007 | E.Cuauhtemoc Sanchez & Keith Van Meter |
| 2006 | Tom S. Neuman & Eric Kindwall |
| 2005 | David Smart / Mike Davis |
| 2004 | Dick Clarke |
| 2003 | Richard D. Vann & Helen T. Davis |
| 2002 | Glenn J. Butler & Mahito Kawashima |
| 2001 | Wilbur T.Workman & Oskar F. Ehm |
| 2000 | Drew Richardson, Michael A. Lang, Jordi Desola, Jurg Wendling |
| 1999 | Keith Van Meter & Carl Edmonds |
| 1998 | E. Cuauhtemoc Sanchez & Robert W. Hamilton |
| 1997 | Robert M. Wong & Paul J. Sheffield |
| 1996 | Joel Dovenbarger & David H. Elliott |
| 1995 | Glen H., Egstrom & Hideyo Takahashi |
| 1994 | Hugh D. VanLiew & Enrico Camporesi |
| 1993 | Eric P. Kindwall & George B. Hart |
| 1992 | DAN & Dirk J. Bakker |
| 1991 | Merrill P. Spencer & Mary Anne Rokitka |
| 1990 | Yehuda Melamed & Ramsdale R. Pearson |
| 1989 | James W. Miller |
| 1988 | Alfred A. Bove & Robert C. Bornmann |
| 1987 | Carl Edmonds & James Vorosmarti, Jr |
| 1986 | James R. Stewart & Arthur J. Bachrach |
| 1985 | Jefferson C. Davis & Andrew A. Pilmanis |
| 1984 | Paul G. Linaweaver & Hugh D. VanLiew |
| 1983 | Philip B. James & Norman S. Portenoy |
| 1982 | James T. Joiner & Charles W. Shilling |
| 1981 | Norman K.I. McIver |
| 1980 | None awarded |
| 1979 | Georges Arnoux & Robert Holland |
| 1978 | S.A. Warner |
Excellence in Hyperbaric Medicine Award
This award is presented at the annual meeting to an individual UHMS member in recognition of continued diligence and excellence in the practice of hyperbaric medicine, particularly in areas of basic and clinical research as it might impact patient care.
- Nominee must be a UHMS Member
| 2023 | Shai Efrati |
| 2022 | Owen J. O'Neill |
| 2021 | Enoch Huang and Davut Savaser |
| 2020 | None awarded |
| 2019 | Susan Churchill |
| 2018 | Michael Bennett |
| 2017 | Brett Hart |
| 2016 | Caroline Fife |
| 2015 | Laurie Gesell |
| 2014 | Helen Gelly |
| 2013 | Paul L. Claus |
| 2012 | Heather Murphy-Lavoie |
| 2011 | No Recipient |
| 2010 | Neil Hampson |
| 2009 | Jayesh Shah |
| 2008 | Robert Warriner, III |
| 2007 | J. Benjamin Slade |
| 2006 | Jim and Susan Joiner |
| 2005 | None awarded |
| 2004 | Martin R. Hamilton-Farrell |
| 2003 | Michael Strauss |
| 2002 | Lindell Weaver |
The Young Scientist or Medical Doctor Award
This award is presented at the annual meeting to an individual UHMS member. It is to recognize the work of a young scientist or medical doctor whose performance is consistently outstanding. The recipient can be either a clinician or researcher practicing in hyperbaric and/or diving medicine and must not be older than 40 years of age.
- Nominee must be a UHMS Member
| 2023 | Kristi Ray |
| 2022 | Dan Popa and Jon Stockton |
| 2021 | None awarded |
| 2020 | Virginie Papadopoulou |
| 2019 | Charlotte Sadler |
| 2018 | Dawn Kernagis |
| 2017 | Cory R. Dubose & Yolanda Michetti |
| 2016 | Walter Chin |
| 2015 | Takuya Oyaizu |
| 2014 | Mimi Sammarco, PhD |
| 2013 | Bruce J. Derrick & Masaki Horie |
| 2012 | Anne Cherry |
| 2011 | No Recipient |
| 2010 | Jorge Dario Gomez Castillo |
| 2009 | Amir Mor |
| 2008 | None Awarded |
| 2007 | Jayesh Shah |
The Paul C. Baker Award for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Safety Excellence Award
This award is for an Associate Member, in good standing, for outstanding contributions to the advancement of safety in hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Specific attention is given to those who have implemented outstanding hyperbaric safety programs, authored hyperbaric safety publications, developed, or presented on hyperbaric safety related research. The award may be made for a single contribution of great importance or for many contributions over the years.
- Nominee must be a UHMS Associate Member
| 2023 | Andrew Melnyczenko |
| 2022 | Richard "Gus" Gustavson |
| 2021 | Kaye Moseley |
| 2020 | Greg Brown |
| 2019 | Geness Koumandakis |
| 2018 | None Awarded |
| 2017 | None Awarded |
| 2016 | Sherri Ferguson |
| 2015 | Julio Garcia |
| 2014 | James Bell |
| 2013 | Jeff Mize |
| 2012 | Francois Burman |
| 2011 | Kevin "Kip” Posey |
| 2010 | Richard Barry |
| 2009 | Stacy Handley |
| 2008 | Terry Beard |
| 2007 | Steve Fabus |
| 2006 | Steve Wood |
| 2005 | Greg Raleigh |
| 2004 | Kevin Corson & Christy Pirone |
| 2003 | Robert Sheffield |
| 2002 | Jay Duchnick |
| 2001 | Sue DeSantis & Ken Rideout |
| 2000 | Brian Foley |
| 1999 | Jim McCarthy |
| 1998 | Dick Clarke |
| 1997 | Paul Baker |
Excellence in Critical Care Hyperbaric Medicine Award
This award is presented at the annual meeting to an Associate member in recognition of all the hyperbaric nurses and hyperbaric technicians that currently spend countless hours on-call as well as dealing with the tragedy and trauma of critical cases in life and death situations worldwide. The specific focus of this award is on the provision of critical care with 24/7 availability, whether in support of commercial or sport diving, undersea medicine, or in the clinical hyperbaric medicine arena. This award is restricted to a nurse or technical staff member from a 24/7 facility.
- Nominee must be a UHMS Associate Member
| 2023 | Geness Koumandakis |
| 2022 | Jacinta Showers |
| 2021 | Virginia "Ginny" Nolting and Johnny Sanchez |
| 2020 | None Awarded |
| 2019 | Julio R. Garcia |
| 2018 | Greg Brown |
| 2017 | Esacar Agbay, Jr. |
| 2016 | Wafa Daoud & Megan Zynkian |
| 2015 | Mary Chin |
| 2014 | Brock Chamberlain |
| 2013 | Diane McNamara |
| 2012 | Richard “Gus” Gustavson |
| 2011 | Tiffany Hamm |
| 2010 | Jeff Mize |
| 2009 | No Recipient |
| 2008 | Ted Gurnee |