EUBS ExCom Elections 2025 – European Underwater and Baromedical Society

According to the EUBS Constitution and Bylaws, it is time to hold our annual elections for the Executive Committee. All regular EUBS members will receive an “Invitation to Vote” by e-mail; voting must be done before August 30th (before the EUBS Annual General Meeting).

We will this year elect a new Vice President and also a new Member-at-Large, to serve on the Executive Committee for a period of four years. You will find the picture and a short description of each candidate below.

Vice-President 2025 candidate:

Anders KJELLBERG

Dr Anders Kjellberg (MD, PhD) is an ICU Consultant, Head of the Hyperbaric unit, Perioperative Medicine and Intensive Care, at the Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm.

He has been a diving physician with the Swedish Armed Forces from 2002 to 2010 (part-time), and after his training as ICU Specialist, obtained his PhD at the Dept Physiology and Pharmacology, of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, in 2024.

His main area of interest is to find a suitable biomarker for individual HBOT dose-response with the overall aim to individualise treatment for better efficacy and safety. He performs clinical trials with HBOT
compliant with ICH-GCP which is the international standard for pharmaceutical drugs. All trials include exploratory sub studies on mechanisms and biomarkers. His dissertation in February 2024 was on clinical trials with HBOT for COVID-19 and Long COVID. In his preclinical research he currently explores adjuvant HBOT in ovarian tissue transplantation and IVF treatment, hoping to launch a clinical trial later this year. He is part of the steering committee for the international multicentre randomised trial on HBOT for NSTI led by Professor Hyldegaard in Copenhagen.

You can download his CV from this link.

Member at Large 2025 candidates (in alphabetical order):

Pieter BOTHMA

Dr. Pieter A. Bothma (MB ChB (UCT), M.Med. (Anaesth), FCA(SA), M.Prax.Med, FECB, RCPath(ME)) received his medical, anaesthetic, critical care, and hyperbaric training in South Africa. He relocated to the United Kingdom in 2002 and has been an EUBS member since 2008 and submitted abstracts, posters and lectures at the annual meeting on many occasions. He has served as the Medical Director of the East of England Hyperbaric Unit at the James Paget University Hospital in Great Yarmouth for the past 18 years. He was previously the Medical Director of LHM Healthcare at Whipps Cross Hospital in London, a post he held for 10 years. Dr Bothma currently serves as the Chairman of the British Hyperbaric Association (BHA) and represents the BHA on the Board of Representatives of the European Committee for Hyperbaric Medicine (ECHM).

Amongst his wide professional interests, the treatment of critically ill patients in the hyperbaric environment is his passion. He has contributed to numerous publications in the fields of intensive care and hyperbaric medicine, with a particular focus on air and gas embolism.

Since 2019, Dr Bothma has also been trained and appointed as a Medical Examiner, working closely with regional coroners to improve standards in mortality review and reporting.

You can download his CV from this link.

Benoît DESGRAZ

Dr. Benoît Desgraz is the current President of the Swiss Society of Subaquatic and Hyperbaric Medicine. He serves as a senior consultant in sports cardiology and leads the Subaquatic and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy consultation at the University Hospital in Lausanne (CHUV). He divides his clinical activities between CHUV and the Subaquatic and Hyperbaric Medicine Unit at the University Hospital in Geneva (HUG), where the only public hyperbaric chamber in Switzerland is located.Dr. Desgraz obtained his FMH Specialist title in Cardiology in 2019 and has advanced training in Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine, along with a Doctorate in Medicine. He is actively involved in scientific committees, including the International Association of Francophone Hyperbaric Centers, and has contributed to various symposiums and educational programs.

His main interests are exercise physiology underwater and cardiac adaptation to immersion, as well as medical conditions related to diving and cardiology.

Dr. Desgraz is fluent in French, English, German, and Italian.

You can download his CV from this link.

Selin Gamze SÜMEN

Assoc. Dr. Selin Gamze Sümen was born in Ankara in 1967. She graduated from Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, obtaining the title of Medical Doctor in 1991. In 1997, she completed her residency at the Department of Underwater Medicine and Hyperbaric Medicine, Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine. She participated in a research project with a scholarship programme at the Department of Underwater Medicine and Hyperbaric Medicine at Karolinska Hospital during her residency. Throughout her professional career, she obtained an MBA and gained experience in marketing and human resources in the pharmaceutical industry. She is a member of the Health Board of the World Confederation of Underwater Activities (CMAS) and an active member of the European and National Society of Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine, as well as the Turkish Underwater Sports Federation.

In her medical field, she contributed to the establishment of hyperbaric oxygen treatment centers in two clinics: one located at the medical faculty and the other at the hospital of the Ministry of Health. She was also appointed as a medical consultant during the production phase of the pressure chambers intended for use in eight hyperbaric oxygen treatment centers established in state hospitals under the Ministry of Health. Additionally, she has served as a medical consultant for the world championship competitions in both indoor and outdoor freediving, organized by CMAS. For many years, she has been actively involved in inspecting hyperbaric oxygen treatment centers located in both hospitals affiliated with the Ministry of Health and private clinics. She continues her research and studies in the field of Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine, disseminating her studies on a wide range of platforms across various disciplines. She has authored numerous publications related to diving and hyperbaric medicine in ophthalmology, dentistry, diving health, plastic surgery, ear, nose, throat, and chronic wound care. She has been lecturing and training residents in the department. Three physicians have graduated with a thesis under her guidance in this field. Furthermore, she has pioneered many publications addressing injuries caused by marine animals. Currently, she is continuing her academic career at the University of Health Sciences, Hamidiye International Faculty of Medicine, and Kartal Dr. Lütfi Kırdar City Hospital, where she holds the position of Associate Professor.

You can download her CV from this link.

All EUBS members in good standing will receive a “Invitation to Vote” email (sent by “noreply@electionrunner.com”) containing the mini CV and picture of candidates; simply click on the link in the e-mail (yes it’s safe) and you will be taken immediately to the voting ballot. Please make sure your e-mail address on file is correct, if needed, check your data by logging in on the EUBS website.
As the Ballot e-mail may occasionally be considered spam, or be blocked by a (company or institution) Firewall, please check also your spam mailbox. If you have not received the Ballot Sheet e-mail by July 31st, please contact the EUBS Secretary (secretary@eubs.org).