Ultrasound Academy
Previously known as Malta Point of Care Ultrasound (MPOCUS), we have been providing ultrasound education since 2010. We are a team of physicians who have personally experienced the impact of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) on the practice of our profession and have a passion to pass on this knowledge and skill to other healthcare workers. We are also encouraged by the growing evidence base for the value of bedside ultrasound and the endorsement of its use by numerous specialist organisations.
We appreciate the incredible value of adding POCUS in medical practice and the immense satisfaction that this brings to healthcare professionals who know they are providing the best care for their patients. We recognise that, so far, the provision of POCUS education and accreditation has been limited or inconsistent for many medical professionals and healthcare workers, and it is our goal to address this need. We are convinced that ultrasound should be an essential tool for most healthcare professionals.
The Faculty
Our faculty is composed of physicians who have been using ultrasound in clinical practice for over 15 years, and recognise it’s value in informing clinical decisions and guiding interventions. We have a passion to empower other healthcare workers to become proficient in ultrasound, convinced that their practice and patients will benefit from it’s application.
Dr Konrad Borg
An Emergency Physician by profession, since 2006, Konrad pioneered the use of Point of Care ultrasound (POCUS) in Malta and is passionate about Ultrasound education. He is the Ultrasound lead of an Emergency Department where ultrasound use is now an integral part of patient management with more than 40 Emergency physicians and trainees competent in its use.
Konrad organised his first ultrasound course in 2010 and established the Malta Point of Care Ultrasound group (MPOCUS) to further POCUS ultrasound education in Malta. He has directed and taught courses in Malta and the UK including Level 1 and 2, Finishing school, Focused ECHO and Ultrasound in Shock (FEUS), Emergency Ultrasound for Nurses and Paediatric Vascular Access courses. In 2014, he designed and delivered a pilot module in ultrasound education for medical students in the preclinical years and is a casual lecturer in Emergency Ultrasound for the Radiography Course. He completed a PgC in Focused Ultrasound from King’s College, London and a PgD in Medical Ultrasound from Teeside University, Newcastle.
Dr Mark Attard Biancardi
Dr. Mark Attard Biancardi is an Emergency consultant at the Emergency Department of Mater Dei Hospital in Malta. He graduated in 2006 from the University of Malta with a Doctarate in Medicine and Surgery and started training in Emergency Medicine in 2008. In 2012 he became a member of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and in 2016 completed his fellowship with the European Board of Emergency Medicine.
Mark holds a Masters degree in Medical Ultrasound from Teesside University (UK). His areas of interest are medical education and Point of Care Ultrasound. Mark teaches on various resuscitation courses both locally and abroad with the European and Malta Resuscitation Council and since 2013 has been involved in teaching on Point of Care Ultrasound courses.
Dr Andre Mercieca
Andre Mercieca is an Emergency Medicine Consultant at Mater Dei Hospital, Malta. In 2007 he graduated as a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Malta. He became a Member of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in 2013 and completed his Fellowship with the European Board of Emergency Medicine in 2016. He has completed an MSc in Medical Ultrasound at Teesside University, UK in 2019. He has a special interest in medical education, and regularly teaches at various life support and ultrasound courses.
Andre compares his clinical work prior to his introduction to point-of-care ultrasound to a baker whisking egg whites, prior to the invention of the stand-mixer. He believes by being aware of the limitations and advantages of each modality, all healthcare professionals can safely master the various applications of Point-of-care ultrasound as an extension of their clinical examination.
Dr Daniele Lauretta Agius
The youngest of the group, Daniele Lauretta Agius, is a final year trainee in emergency medicine at the Emergency Department of Mater Dei Hospital in Malta. He graduated as a Doctor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Malta in 2014 and in 2016 started his formal training in Emergency Medicine. In 2018 he became a Member of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and in 2021 he successfully completed his Fellowship with the European Board of Emergency Medicine.
A sceptic at first, Daniele soon learnt the true value of using Point of Care Ultrasound in Emergency Medicine. He started assisting in the running and co ordination of courses shortly after attending his Level 1 and has been involved in the organisation of courses ever since. Passionate about medical education Daniele strives to not only uphold the standard of teaching we have managed to reach, but to constantly improve upon it and offer candidates the best teaching experience possible.
Dr Adrian Spiteri
Adrian Spiteri is as an Emergency Medicine Consultant at Mater Dei Hospital, Malta since 2016. He graduated in 1999 and moved to the UK in 2006 to specialise in emergency medicine. As soon as an ultrasound machine was available for daily use on the ED shop-floor at St Mary’s hospital London in 2007, Adrian started to delve into the huge potential such a machine has in changing emergency care for our patients. He quickly realised that point of care ultrasound gave trained clinicians the ability to look into a patient’s body and extract information so critical to timely patient care drastically improving the diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic management. Adrian attended several courses building his knowledge and experience over the years. He became Fellow of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in 2011 and worked as Consultant at St George’s hospital London till 2016, during which he served as ultrasound lead training senior trainees and emergency consultants in level 1 ultrasound.
During this time, Adrian also taught as ultrasound instructor with Infomed Ultrasound courses held in London. Adrian attained an MSc in Medical Toxicology in 2017 at Cardiff University, Wales and is currently reading for an MSc in Medical Ultrasound at Teesside University, UK.