Advanced course on Ultrasound in Gynecology 2025

Prof. Antonia Carla Testa is currently Associate Professor of the Institute of Obstetric and Gynecological Clinics at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy and Director of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences School at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart-Claudiana University, Bolzano, Italy. She is the Director of the Departmental Operational Unit of Outpatient Gynecology and Director of the Center for Ultrasound in Gynecological Oncology “Class Ultrasound” at the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital Foundation, IRCCS.

Her main scientific areas of interest are ultrasound diagnosis of gynecological tumors, ultrasound assessment of pelvic anatomy, innovation in ultrasound. She was medical consultant for leading companies (Samsung, Esaote, GE, Canon and Philips) in the development of ultrasound equipment to improve their ability to diagnose and recognize pelvic tumor masses.

She has published over 250 papers in international Medline-indexed journals (H-index of 49 on Scopus, 8,730 citations), authored 20 international book chapters, and has given 350 invited lectures over the past ten years at international scientific meetings. She was Associate Editor of “Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology” 2006-2015. She chaired the 26th World Congress on Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology in Rome, Italy (ISUOG), 2016 with over 3,000 delegates. Since 2014, she has organized the Oncological Gynecology Ultrasound Advanced National Courses, attended by more than 3,500 gynecologists.

She was a Board Member of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG), 2011-2019 and she was the Vice President of the “Società Italiana di ecografia in Ginecologia e Ostetricia”, 2008-2010.  She is a member of the ISUOG Education Committee (since 2019) and Chair of the ISUOG Visual Encyclopedia (VISUOG) Gynecology Project (since 2013). She is currently the Editor of the Glown (FIGO Global Women’s Medicine) Textbook of Ultrasound in Gynecology.

As a member of the Steering Committee of the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) collaborative group (since 1999), she participated in the research protocols with the enrollment of over 35,000 patients from 35 centers globally. She organized the IOTA6 study involving more 21 centers in Italy. Through the courses she has organized in Italy, nearly 3,000 gynecologists have achieved IOTA accreditation.

She participated in the preparation of the National Guidelines for uterine sarcomas (SIGO, 2019), in the revision of the Italian Guidelines on ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology (SIEOG, 2022), in the development of the International Consensus on preoperative diagnosis of ovarian tumors (ESGO/ISUOG/IOTA/ESGE, 2021), and in the development of Guidelines for the fertility-sparing treatment and follow-up in gynaecological cancers (ESGO/ESHRE/ESGE, 2024)

Country: Italy

Field: Gynecology

Specialties: Gynecological oncology, gynecological ultrasound

Languages: Italian, English

Professor Davor Jurkovic is a professor of gynaecology and director of the gynaecology diagnostic and outpatient treatment unit at University College Hospital, London. He is an internationally recognised expert in gynaecological and early pregnancy ultrasound. He has published extensively on these topics and has edited five books. He has helped to develop and run the RCOG training programmes in gynaecological ultrasound, acute gynaecology and early pregnancy. He is also a founding member of the educational charity Focus on Gynaecology. In 2020 he was awarded Ian Donald Gold Medal by the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology for his contribution to the advancement of diagnostic ultrasound through research and innovation. 

Country: UK 

Specialties: Gynaecology and Gynaecology diagnostic and treatment unit and Early pregnancy unit 

Languages: English; Croatian 

2020 Gold Medal Award article

James is a Consultant Radiologist at University College London Hospital and the current RCR-BSGAR Travelling Professor.

Having trained predominantly in Leicester, he completed a specialist GI imaging Fellowship at St Mark’s Hospital, London, with a focus on intestinal failure, IBD, CT colonography and locally advanced pelvic cancer.

As a consultant in Leicester prior to his move to London, James held positions including Ultrasound Simulation Lead, Clinical Lead for Ultrasound, Head of GI Radiology, Head of Service and Head Undergraduate Radiology.

Clinically James performs approximately 2000 abdominal and gynaecological ultrasound examinations per year, is a champion of bowel ultrasound and has widely taught both the theoretical and technical aspects of abdominal, bowel and gynaecological ultrasound to both radiologists, sonographers and gynaecologists.

Dr. Joel Naftalin is a full-time Consultant Gynaecologist at University College London Hospitals. His main areas of expertise are early pregnancy and gynaecological ultrasound, emergency gynaecology and complex benign gynaecological surgery that often involves minimally invasive (keyhole) surgery. 

He regularly manages women with a wide range of gynaecological symptoms including heavy or painful periods, pelvic pain or irregular bleeding. He is able to diagnose and treat a wide range of benign gynaecological conditions including fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis and ovarian cysts. He performs laparoscopic and hysteroscopic surgery, as well as open surgery when necessary. He is also able to perform outpatient surgical procedures such as hysteroscopy to remove fibroids or polyps, treatment of miscarriages and removal of retained coils. 

Having graduated from University College London in 2002, he underwent postgraduate training in North East London. During this time he completed a research fellowship in gynaecology ultrasound with Prof Davor Jurkovic. He was subsequently awarded an MD from the University of London for his research work on the role of gynaecology ultrasound in the assessment of adenomyosis and endometrial cancer. Before taking up his consultant job at University College Hospital, he completed a fellowship in minimal access surgery at the Homerton University Hospital where he helped establish their Endometriosis Centre. He has numerous published papers related to his fields of expertise and is still active in research. He gives regular lectures on emergency gynaecology, early pregnancy and gynaecological ultrasound. 

A/Prof. Povilas Sladkevicius has spoken on OB/GYN ultrasound all around the world as a lecturer at various courses: Sweden, Norway, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Russia, Poland, Egypt and the United Kingdom. A/Prof. Sladkevicius is a senior consultant of the ultrasound unit at Skane University Hospital, Sweden. He has previously worked at St. George’s Hospital, London University, London, United Kingdom.

Notable publications: A/Prof. Sladkevicius has more than 100 publications in English, Russian, Swedish and Lithuanian.

Country: Sweden

Field: Gynecology; Obstetrics; Fertility

Specialties: 3D & 4D ultrasound; gynecological ultrasound; gynecological oncology; early pregnancy; reproductive medicine

Languages: English; Russian; Swedish; Lithuanian

Ligita Jokubkiene is an associate professor at Lund university, Sweden and senior consultant in obstetrics and gynecology at the Department of Obstetrics and gynecology, at Skane University Hospital Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Malmö, Swede. She has defended her thesis with the title ”Three-dimensional ultrasound studies of normal and abnormal ovaries” in 2012. Currently she is an active researcher leading several research projects with focus on ultrasound diagnostics in gynecology, particularly on endometriosis, pelvic floor birth-related injuries and pelvic pain. She is also participating in international multicenter studies lead by IOTAnstudying ovarian masses. Ligita Jokubkiene is supervising master and PhD students.

Ligita Jokubkiene organizes and leads national and international courses on ultrasound diagnostics from basic to advanced level. She has been an invited speaker at many international courses and congresses. Ligita Jokubkiene is a chair of Educational courses subcommittee at ISUOG (International Society of ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology). She is also a chair of the Ultrasound reference group at Swedish Society of Obstetrics and gynecology in Sweden.

Ligita Jokubkiene is a chief supervisor of the medical Students at the Faculty of Medicine, Lund University.

Country: Sweden 

Field: Gynecology; Obstetrics 

Specialties: endometriosis, pelvic floor ultrasound; 3D & 4D ultrasound; gynecological ultrasound; gynecological oncology; early pregnancy;

Languages: English; Swedish;