Executive Director's Report: 2nd Qtr. 2026

Warm greetings to you and your families. As we move through the second half of 2026, I want to thank each of you for your continued commitment to UHMS and to the advancement of undersea and hyperbaric medicine.

This past quarter, the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society has continued to execute our mission and advance our vision to be the global leader in undersea and hyperbaric medicine. Our focus remains clear: elevating safety, science, education, accreditation, clinical practice, and professional collaboration across our specialty. UHMS exists so that every member benefits when we operate at the tip of the spear, setting standards, creating knowledge, supporting professional development, and advocating for excellence.

The specialty of undersea and hyperbaric medicine is grounded in science-driven guidance, high-quality education, and a discipline-wide commitment to safety. That commitment remains essential as we continue to reinforce the importance of recognized codes, standards, training, and accreditation across hyperbaric practice. UHMS will continue to champion safe systems, informed providers, and evidence-based care because safer chambers and better-prepared teams save lives.

To New Heights

The AsMA-UHMS Annual Scientific Meeting in Denver demonstrated the power of collaboration across aerospace, undersea, hyperbaric, operational, and clinical medicine. Final registration was corrected to 1,784, tying last year’s total after a duplicate was identified. The near-final breakdown included 1,320 AsMA registrants, 267 UHMS registrants, and 198 individuals registered as both.

Meeting participation reflected the breadth and scale of this joint effort. Available registration details included physician and non-physician participation, specialty programming, live-stream access, and several focused sessions, including Diving, Emerging Challenges, Mental Health, Radiation, and Virgin Galactic programming.

The 2026 evaluation process also provided important insight. As of June 4, there were 459 evaluation summaries available from the Denver meeting, while the 2025 Atlanta evaluation file included 754 summaries. These evaluations are already being used to identify what worked well and where adjustments can improve future educational programming.

Overall feedback was strongly positive. Attendees described the meeting as educational, informative, engaging, and valuable for professional development. The most consistent strengths included high-quality content, evidence-based learning, relevance to clinical and operational practice, peer exchange, and international engagement.

At the same time, the evaluations gave us clear and actionable opportunities for improvement. Recurring themes included audio challenges, noise between sessions, room capacity constraints, scheduling conflicts, and the difficulty of choosing between simultaneous high-value sessions. These are operational issues we can address through better planning, improved room assignments, strengthened audiovisual support, and more intentional program design.

Annual Scientific Meeting Update

The 2026 Denver meeting is now behind us, and planning for the 2027 AsMA-UHMS Joint Scientific Meeting in Dallas is already underway. The 2027 meeting is scheduled for May 23-28 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.

We are using the Denver experience to strengthen the Dallas meeting. A draft ASM content survey has already been developed to gather member input on preferred content, attendance history, and recommendations for creating a more productive and valuable meeting experience.

That survey specifically asks members to identify topics of interest and provide recommendations for making attendance more valuable. This feedback will be important as we continue balancing hyperbaric, undersea, aerospace, operational, clinical, research, and professional development content for the joint meeting.

The 2027 Dallas meeting also gives UHMS an opportunity to align the ASM with broader educational priorities. Planning is underway for a 2027 PATH Skills Lab in Dallas in collaboration with Dr. Andrew Applewhite and his UHMS-accredited facility. The program is being aligned with the May 2027 ASM to increase participation, visibility, and hands-on training access.

Corporate Partner Appreciation

Our Corporate Partners continue to play an important role in sustaining UHMS’s mission and advancing education, safety, research, and professional engagement across the field. Industry support remains vital to UHMS’s ability to carry out its mission, and we continue to promote value for this important group of supporters.

Interest in the ASM exhibition remained strong. The 2026 ASM included 39 companies and 44 booths, compared with 37 companies and 40 booths in 2025. This continued exhibitor engagement reflects the value organizations see in connecting with UHMS, AsMA, and the broader communities represented at the joint meeting.

The Importance of Certification

Certification remains a hallmark of professional experience, competency, and commitment to best practices. UHMS continues to support professional pathways that elevate the credibility of our specialty and strengthen the knowledge base of those caring for patients in hyperbaric and undersea medicine.

PATH continues to mature as a major workforce development platform. UHMS now supports approximately 300 PATH learners, including approximately 165 graduates.

UHMS also continues to support quarterly PATHways Connect: An Applied Learning Forum for UHMS PATH Graduates, with sessions listed for February 19, May 28, August 20, and November 19.

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

Facility Accreditation: A Commitment to Excellence

UHMS Hyperbaric Facility Accreditation (HFA) remains the gold standard for ensuring safety, quality, and adherence to evidence-based clinical best practices in hyperbaric medicine. Accredited facilities demonstrate a commitment to patient safety, operational excellence, risk management, and compliance with recognized industry standards. Beyond its standing within the hyperbaric community, UHMS holds a unique position in healthcare accreditation. UHMS is one of only four specialty accrediting organizations formally recognized by The Joint Commission as a complementary accrediting body, underscoring the rigor, credibility, and national significance of the UHMS accreditation program. The UHMS HFA program is also ISO accredited, further reinforcing its commitment to objective, internationally recognized quality standards. Facilities that pursue UHMS accreditation send a clear message to patients, regulators, payers, and referring providers that they are committed to the highest standards of safety and quality in hyperbaric medicine.

Maintaining Safety Diligence in Hyperbaric Systems

Safety remains the foundation of everything we do in hyperbaric medicine. The risks associated with HBO2 require continued diligence in equipment maintenance, emergency preparedness, staff training, and adherence to recognized standards. UHMS will continue to emphasize hyperbaric safety through education, accreditation, guidance, and advocacy.

UHMS also continues to capture data from hyperbaric mishaps reported to the GHIR system, supporting the Society’s broader commitment to learning from events and strengthening safety across the field.

The Value of UHMS Membership

Your membership in UHMS is more than just an affiliation—it is an investment in your professional growth and the advancement of hyperbaric medicine. As a UHMS member, you gain access to cutting-edge research, clinical practice guidelines, educational opportunities, networking events, and advocacy efforts that aim to shape the future of our specialty. Additionally, membership provides exclusive discounts on conferences, workshops, and certification programs that support your career development.

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.

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

Member Benefits

As a reminder, UHMS members receive three free CE/CME credits upon joining or renewing. This member benefit was described in the Q4 2025 template as an immediate annual savings opportunity for Associate and Regular members.

Associate Member Town Hall

Members are invited to participate in the UHMS Associate Council town hall meeting, held on the second Thursday of every quarter, where invited speakers present on topics relevant to the specialty.

Corporate Partners

UHMS Corporate Partners are encouraged to continue participating in the monthly Corporate Partner Town Hall meeting series. These meetings are held on the first Wednesday of every month at 12 PM and are intended as an open forum for discussing challenges, successes, collaboration, and marketplace developments.

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 remains highly active. UHMS is currently funding systematic analyses and provides funding to Dartmouth University for the Multicenter Registry for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (MRHBO2). This is important because these contributions help keep the registry free for participating members. The MRHBO2 is funded entirely through grants, not by the participating hospitals of the registry - https://www.uhms.org/donate-to-the-multicenter-registry-for-hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy.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, along with 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 be reported to us as soon as possible, please – jpeters@uhms.org.

Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Journal

UHMJ continues to be an important part of UHMS’s mission to advance knowledge and support scientific exchange. The July Executive Director report noted that the journal was on track for Q2 2026 and that new editorial leadership was strengthening quality and oversight through more rigorous manuscript review standards.

Looking Ahead

UHMS remains committed to expanding educational initiatives, strengthening partnerships, advancing research, improving accreditation, supporting safety, and advocating for policy developments that benefit our field. The transition from Denver 2026 to Dallas 2027 gives us an opportunity to build on a successful joint scientific meeting, incorporate member feedback, and continue strengthening the UHMS-AsMA partnership.

Thank you for being an integral part of our community. Your expertise, dedication, and engagement make a difference in advancing the science and practice of undersea and hyperbaric medicine.

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

Sincerely,
John Peters
Executive Director
Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society