Dr Mario R Sammut recognised as Honorary Member of EURACT – European Academy of Teachers in General Practice/Family Medicine

Dr Mario R Sammut, Visiting Senior Lecturer within the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Malta, has been officially recognised as an Honorary Member of the European Academy of Teachers in General Practice / Family Medicine (EURACT) in appreciation of his outstanding dedication and impact on the advancement of Family Medicine education.

The certificate was presented on 24 October 2025 by EURACT President Prof. Dr Nele Michels during a EURACT Council Meeting held in Bratislava, after an introduction by Dr Renzo De Gabriele, Malta’s current representative to the Academy who nominated him for the honour. EURACT was launched in 1992 to foster and maintain high standards of care in European general practice/family medicine through learning and teaching.

Dr Sammut has been active in Family Medicine education since 1992. During 1992-2006 he was a member of Council of the Malta College of Family Doctors where he worked with colleagues to develop and sustain a continuing medical education (CME) programme for members in his successive roles as research secretary, honorary secretary and education secretary.

The College was instrumental in setting up the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Malta in 2001 and Dr Sammut has formed part of the teaching staff since then. The department focuses mainly on undergraduate education but also developed and delivers a postgraduate Masters in Family Medicine.

In 2005 Dr Sammut was selected for the role of National Coordinator of Malta’s Specialist Training Programme in Family Medicine and set up the programme to start in 2007. He remained in the role of Postgraduate Training Coordinator in Family Medicine until he retired from government service in 2023.

Having been involved in all in all aspects of Family Medicine education (undergraduate, specialist training, CME and postgraduate), Dr Sammut was appointed to the EURACT Council as Malta’s representative in 2004. During his 15 years in this position, he spent 9 years on the Executive Board and 6 years as Honorary Secretary and contributed actively to the development and delivery of various EURACT educational and training documents and activities.

The accompanying photograph shows Dr Mario R Sammut (centre) being presented with his certificate of Honorary Membership of EURACT by Prof. dr. Nele Michels, EURACT President (left) and Dr Renzo De Gabriele, EURACT Treasurer (right).