Who are we?
SPUMS is the leading medical society representing doctors in the field of Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine in the South Pacific region. SPUMS holds an Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) each year to advance the science and practice of Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine and networking.
Full membership is open to registered medical practitioners with an interest in Diving and/or Hyperbaric Medicine. Associate membership is also open to other health-care workers, medical students, educational organisations, commercial companies in the diving and hyperbaric fields and non-medical persons.
Members and associate members receive a generous discount to ASM registration as a benefit of membership.
SPUMS also accepts registration for its annual scientific meetings from non-members, upon payment of the full ASM registration fee.
SPUMS is a not for profit medical society with the following purposes and aims:
- To promote and facilitate the study of all aspects of underwater and hyperbaric medicine.
- To provide information on underwater and hyperbaric medicine.
- To promote communication between members of the Association and to publish a journal for the Association.
- To convene members of the Association annually at a scientific conference and to hold meetings and other functions or activities to inform, and to develop fellowship and friendship amongst members of the Association.
A full copy of the Purposes and Rules is available on the SPUMS website.
Please note that the SPUMS purposes and rules have some sections specifically referring to the Annual scientific meeting:
Our privacy commitment to you
Confidentiality and privacy protection is essential for health care. SPUMS is not a healthcare provider. SPUMS facilitates the exchange and sharing of scientific information between members, and provides scientific information about underwater and hyperbaric medicine, and promotes best practice in the field.
We are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the information we collect from members, visitors to our website, people who contact us and from our suppliers and affiliates.
SPUMS is also required to comply with applicable Commonwealth, State and Territory privacy law. Under these privacy laws, we are required to comply with a set of privacy principles. The core principles are in the Privacy Act 1988. More information about these principles and Australian privacy law can be found on the Australian Information Commissioner’s website: www.oaic.gov.au
What information do we collect and store for the Annual Scientific Meeting?
SPUMS collects personal information and contact details from members, associate members, and non-member registrants who register for its scientific meetings.
Information is mainly collected directly from the person(s) concerned, through the SPUMS ASM website and through emails, telephone calls, and mobile devices.
Why do we collect this information and what do we use it for?
Registrants at SPUMS annual scientific meetings provide their personal details for the sole purpose of conducting the Annual Scientific Meeting, and its associated social events. The information supplied by delegates is used by the conference convener and SPUMS Executive Committee to effectively deliver the scientific meeting. With your permission, your name and institution may be included in a delegate list supplied in addition to the conference programme, to facilitate networking and conference socialising.
We provide your name and email address to the conference venue and travel provider, to facilitate the following:
- To confirm your conference registration and the type of registration
- For the purposes of planning the conference and its social events
- For the purposes of accessing conference accommodation, practical diving workshops, non-delegate activities, pre- or post- conference trips, discount codes, special deals and other linked events or services.
SPUMS Executive may access the delegate contact list and emails solely to provide previous delegates with promotional material about the following years’ ASM, and SPUMS membership (if applicable).
You are entitled to see what information we hold about you
Under Australian privacy law, you have rights of access to personal information that we hold about you. These rights also include correction of any errors in this information. SPUMS members are able to access and update their own personal information that is stored on the SPUMS website, including practice details. Some limited access is available via the ASM website. If members have any concerns or queries regarding their personal information, they should contact the SPUMS Webmaster:
For how long do you keep my personal information supplied for ASM registration?
When the annual scientific meeting is completed, that years’ ASM website is closed and its information becomes inaccessible to all except the convener and SPUMS web assistant for administrative use and statutory reporting requirements. Most of this access would be in de-identified format. The conference programme (without delegate list) and abstracts may remain accessible for future reference.
How can SPUMS members update or amend their ASM information?
SPUMS members can easily update their information by logging on to the SPUMS website, using their identifier and password. If you are unable to do this or require assistance please contact
How is your information stored and protected?
Information is stored in electronic systems under our control and website information with contracted data storage providers. These providers may be located outside Australia and includes Cloud storage. We take appropriate steps to protect the security of the information we hold about you, including protections against unauthorised access, virus or other electronic intrusions, fire, theft or loss. Data is regularly backed up to maintain security.
SPUMS executive and support staff are bound by strict requirements regarding confidentiality and protection of the privacy of the information we collect and hold about you.
SPUMS uses a secure third party provider STRIPE https:// www.stripe.com/en-nz to process payments to our bank accounts.
SPUMS does not store credit card or financial information in any format. STRIPE's privacy and security policies are available at: https://stripe.com/en-nz/privacy.
How do I obtain more information or have a complaint about SPUMS about privacy protection?
Please contact