Welcome to the Canadian Chapter / Chapitre Canadien of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (CC_UHMS)! Our organization is a new, federally registered not-for-profit Corporation in Canada. It has taken years of persistence to get to the point of having a Canada-wide diving and hyperbaric medical society. Physicians and other professionals in Canada involved in hyperbaric and diving medicine have for decades separately faced many challenges. The Great Lakes Chapter (GLC) of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society was a beacon of activity and excellence but encompassed only part of the country and in fact was registered in the USA and not in Canada. A group of hyperbaric physicians in Toronto and elsewhere in Ontario also worked together on some issues in that province. But there was little opportunity for professionals in hyperbaric and diving medicine from across Canada to work with each other.
Each of the leaders who came together to help form the Canadian Chapter no doubt has their hands full dealing with many professional issues close to home. However, all recognized that we could not successfully address all the challenges individually. The GLC had a strong record of cross-border cooperation and a strong focus on research as it could draw from the talents of Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC, formerly DCIEM) in Toronto, and the State University of New York, University at Buffalo. The GLC could not tackle the pressing issues related to standards of care, professional credentials and many others that need national cooperation. So on the shoulders of the GLC, and with the support of professionals all over Canada, our new Canadian Chapter of the UHMS has been formed.
The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS), based in the USA, has been helpful and supportive of our efforts to establish the Canadian Chapter (Chapitre Canadien) and we would like to recognize and thank our colleagues in the USA for this assistance. While it is essential to have a Canadian organization for hyperbaric and diving medicine to deal with our particular challenges and different health care and political systems, the establishment of the CC_UHMS in no way means we are narrowing our focus. In fact, by strengthening ourselves we will build greater cooperation with the UHMS, other hyperbaric medical societies around the world, and we hope continue the close personal and professional cross-border ties that developed over 30 years in the Great Lakes Chapter.
Perhaps our theme for the present should be:
“From coast, to coast to coast: building on the shoulders of the Great Lakes Chapter”
There are many issues, challenges and problems facing the CC_UHMS. These range from promoting high quality care and protection of the public to ensuring appropriate professional certifications and encouraging high quality scientific research into uses of hyperbaric oxygen treatment and also related to diving and the undersea environment. But which of these very broad issues will our new organization address? The answer, as is clear from the extract from our bylaws below, is all of them! But all this will not happen overnight. We need to recruit new members and build our organization and welcome all members to become involved in the work of our Corporation, on our committees, at meetings and other events. I would encourage all professionals involved in hyperbaric and diving medicine and related fields to join and work with us.
Best wishes
Dr. Ken LeDez,
President, CC_UHMS
