President's Column: 4th Quarter 2024
Dear Members of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS),
First and foremost, as President of the UHMS, I would like to extend everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous holiday season as we move into the final months of 2024. As we close this year, we will also enter the nomination period for UHMS board positions, beginning on December 3rd. Please come forward with nominations for candidates you believe best serve the society. I would also like to encourage our new and young members to volunteer to help on UHMS Committees or Councils. Our volunteers must be the next generation of experts.
Additionally, I would like to reinforce the value of hyperbaric facility accreditation and UHMS membership. Reach out to colleagues who may not be members but are enthusiastically practicing UHM. Also, reach out to centers that have yet to participate in the UHMS Accreditation Program. As we move forward, the accreditation process may be linked to the ability of hyperbaric centers to be reimbursed by CMS and private insurance carriers. Don’t be left behind.
With great enthusiasm, I share some transformative developments for our organization. Our society has long been committed to advancing the science, clinical practice, and applications of hyperbaric and undersea medicine. This year, we are embracing a new chapter to enhance our collective impact and broaden our reach. In June 2025, we will resume a joint annual scientific meeting with the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia. This partnership represents an exciting convergence of expertise as both organizations explore extreme environments' physiological challenges—whether undersea, at high altitudes, or beyond. This collaboration will deepen our scientific and clinical insights and foster new, multidisciplinary research opportunities that will benefit both fields. Our annual meetings will now be co-hosted for the next five years, a commitment that reflects our shared dedication to growth and mutual learning.
Additionally, I am pleased to announce a leadership role that underscores our society’s evolving relationship with AsMA, the society from which we were born. John Peters, who has served as UHMS Executive Director with steadfast dedication for over a decade, has accepted an invitation to serve as Executive Director of the Aerospace Medical Association as well. With the full support of the UHMS Executive Board, John has signed a contract, crafted in collaboration with AsMA, to assume this dual role pending final approval from their board. We are confident that his leadership across both organizations will enhance alignment and foster collaboration, creating more enriching opportunities for our members.
Importantly, John has assured us that his commitment to UHMS remains unwavering. He has pledged to maintain his dedication to our society, with a contingency to step down from the AsMA role if it ever conflicts with his responsibilities here. His dedication, experience, and vision for the UHMS and AsMA make this a powerful step forward for both organizations.
I am excited about what lies ahead. This partnership elevates our annual scientific meetings and allows us to share valuable expertise with colleagues in aerospace medicine, many of whom are UHMS members. We are embarking on a journey that will strengthen both organizations and deepen the value we provide to our members and the broader medical community.
I am also pleased to share some recent achievements that reflect our society’s commitment to excellence in hyperbaric medical education and training. This past month, we celebrated the graduation of an additional 28 students from our P.A.T.H. program (Physician Advanced Training in Hyperbaric Medicine) at Northwell Health Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, New York. This accomplishment marks a significant step forward as we expand physicians' knowledge and expertise in undersea and hyperbaric medicine.
The PATH program remains robust and continues to thrive, underscoring the high demand for advanced training and the dedication of our educational teams. PATH participants have educated themselves beyond the Introductory Course in Hyperbaric Medicine (ICHM) they were required to successfully complete before the PATH program. They have now moved on to better provide specialized hyperbaric care, and in doing so, they help reinforce our mission to improve patient outcomes through cutting-edge research and evidence-based practice.
We look forward to seeing how these graduates will contribute to our field and further the impact of hyperbaric medicine in their communities. The success of these programs reaffirms the UHMS’s role as a leader in undersea and hyperbaric medicine education by training physicians who will serve alongside our fellowship-trained and board-certified Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine physicians. Doing so assures that our specialty remains in capable hands for years to come.
I am also thrilled to share a remarkable milestone in our ongoing efforts to expand physician expertise in dive medicine. This past June, the Physician Training and Dive Medicine (PTDM) course reached a new record, training an unprecedented number of physicians from the United States and Canada in San Diego, California. Under the dedicated leadership of Dr. Pete Witucki, our UHMS immediate president, this two-week, 80-hour program combined intensive didactic sessions with hands-on, practical in-water training that challenged and inspired each participant.
The enthusiasm and energy these students showed throughout the program were substantial, and it was clear that they found the curriculum rewarding and rigorous. After completing the PTDM course, each participant will take a comprehensive post-program examination. Once they pass this final step, they will receive their certificates of completion and earn the prestigious DMAC 2D certification. This certification equips them to evaluate, diagnose, and manage medical conditions specific to divers, a vital skill set that strengthens our community’s ability to support safe diving practices.
This achievement underscores the importance and success of our PTDM program in preparing physicians for the unique demands of dive medicine. We are proud to see our society’s training initiatives reach new heights, and we look forward to the positive impact these newly trained professionals will have within the diving and hyperbaric medical communities.
As we look ahead to our annual scientific meeting in early June 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia, I want to reiterate that this year’s event will be held in collaboration with the Aerospace Medical Association, bringing together two dynamic fields for an unparalleled educational experience. This partnership represents a unique opportunity to broaden our perspectives and deepen our understanding of the science and medicine of extreme environments. The ASM planners from the UHMS and AsMA meet weekly to prepare for this event. We will have exciting keynote speakers this year, including Chris Lemons, highlighted in the documentary film “Last Breath” (2019), which centers on his harrowing experience in September 2012 while conducting maintenance work approximately 100 meters below the North Sea. Chris faced a life-threatening situation when his umbilical cable—providing essential breathing gas, heat, and communication—was severed due to a malfunction in the support vessel’s dynamic positioning system. Remarkably, despite being stranded on the seabed with only a few minutes of emergency breathing gas from his bailout bottle, Chris survived for over 30 minutes until rescue teams found him lifeless and eventually resuscitated him.
I’m looking forward to hearing about Chris’s description of his return to life experience.
I encourage each of you to participate actively in this year’s meeting. We invite you to submit abstracts showcasing any noteworthy cases you’ve managed using hyperbaric medicine and highlighting ongoing research efforts within your hyperbaric centers. Sharing these insights enriches the scientific value of our gathering and fosters collaboration and innovation across our field. Your contributions—whether through presenting cases or research findings or simply engaging with fellow members of the UHMS and AsMA—are vital to making this a memorable and enlightening meeting.
Together, we can ensure it is one of our most impactful and educational gatherings yet. I look forward to seeing each of you there and witnessing the vibrant exchange of knowledge that our community does best.
Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for the UHMS and these important initiatives as we make significant strides forward. It makes me proud to serve as the President of the UHMS. See you all in June!
Warm regards,
Owen J. O’Neill, MD, MPH, FUHM
President, Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society