Speakers
Deborah Van Doorn
Utrecht University
DEBORAH VAN DOORN works at Utrecht University - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences. She is a senior teacher in veterinary parasitology. In the past few years her research activities were mainly focused on the epidemiology of cyathostomin infections in horses and the resistance development of cyathostomins against macrocyclic lactones. Molecular identification of cyathostomin species and involvement in anthelmintic resistance. Resistance development of Parascaris equorum against macrocyclic lactones. Development of web based tool for practitioners, professionals and students (https://www.parasietenwijzer.nl/e/). Investigation of the attitude of practitioners and horse owners towards helminth control in horses. Incidence and prevalence studies of a variety of parasite species in horses and other mammals.
Therefore she invested in knowledge transfer through lectures and practicals/workshops and non scientific articles on animal helminth and protozoan infections.
Wilbert Pellikaan
Animal Nutrition Group of Wageningen University & Research
Wilbert Pellikaan is assistant professor at the Animal Nutrition Group of Wageningen University & Research. In 2007 he obtained his current position within the Animal Nutrition Group with half of his time dedicated to lecturing subjects in general animal nutrition and animal nutrition physiology, and supervising undergraduate and graduate students. His main area of research is ruminant nutrition with a special interest in using novel tanniniferous fodder legumes in dairy cow nutrition to reduce enteric methane emissions. Since 2011 he conducts equine nutritional related studies within the Centre for Animal Nutrition, in collaboration with the Faculty of Veterinary Science at Utrecht University.
In 2007 he participated as a workpackage leader in an EU funded research training network ‘HealthyHay’, focussing on the effect of sainfoin tannins on methane production. This project was successfully continued in a subsequent EU funded initial training network ‘LegumePlus’ (www.legumeplus.eu) in which he also participated as a workpackage leader of the animal nutrition section. Currently, he is involved in an FACCE ERA-GAS network ‘Methlab’, where lactic acid bacteria are being used as silage inoculants or direct fed microbials to reduce enteric methane emissions from dairy cows, and is a partner within the EU-funded project ‘Equianfun’. The latter program studies the functioning of anaerobic fungi in the equine hindgut, which are of key-importance to dietary fibre degradation.
Current research interests and projects include the use of alkanes combined with stable isotope technique to assess botanical composition in diets of free ranging ruminants and equids, the use of tanniniferous feeds in dairy cow and equid nutrition, and further developments of in vitro techniques to study fermentation processes and microbial responses in the gastro intestinal tract of ruminants and equids.
Meriel Moore-Colyer
Royal Agricultural University
Professor Meriel Moore-Colyer graduated with a BSc hons in Agriculture in 1984 from University College of Wales Aberystwyth and completed her PhD in Equine Digestive Physiology at the University of Edinburgh in 2000. Meriel lectured in production animal and equine nutrition at Aberystwyth University from 1989 – 2004 during which time she won OECD and British Council scholarships for a sabbatical study period in France to continue her work on digestive physiology in the horse. Her research interests include fundamental digestive physiology and development of novel feeds for horses. More recently reducing dust in the stable environment has been a focus, concentrating on manipulation of forage to reduce the allergenic burden and improve the health and welfare of stabled horses. Meriel is a registered Animal Scientist with the Royal Society of Biology and a member of the scientific board for the European Workshop for Equine Nutrition.
Currently the Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange at the Royal Agricultural University Meriel remains actively involved with teaching and supervising post-graduate research students in the Centre of Equine Management and Science. She is committed to the translation of equine research to the horse industry and regularly gives talks at international conferences and industry CPD days across the Globe. A practical horsewoman Meriel has ridden from an early age, but recent retirement of her dressage horse has prompted a ‘hanging-up of the boots’ it remains to be seen how long she can live without a horse in her life !!
Geert Janssens
Ghent University
Prof. Geert Janssens is head of the lab, and is teaching animal nutrition to the veterinary students.
Research focuses most on the role of intestinal events on metabolic traits, nutritional modulation of energy homeostasis, and micromineral-related physiology. He appreciates the added value of comparative nutrition, involving species from throughout the animal kingdom within both wild and domesticated animals.
He is president of the European Society of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition until September 2016.
Pat Harris
Waltham centre for pet nutrition
After qualifying from Cambridge, Pat completed her PhD at the AHT into the Equine Rhabdomyolysis Syndrome. She joined the WALTHAM Petcare Science institute in 1995 and is responsible for their equine research conducted in collaboration with experts at institutes and universities globally. This provides the science behind the SPILLERSTM, BUCKEYETM Nutrition and WINERGYTM brands. Pat is a European Specialist in Veterinary Clinical and Comparative Nutrition, a RCVS recognised specialist in veterinary clinical nutrition (equine) and a BEVA Past-President. She is the author or co-author of over 500 scientific papers, abstracts and book chapters with recent emphasis on obesity, laminitis and senior horse nutrition.
Adolfo Paz-Silva
University of Santiago de Compostela
Adolfo Paz-Silva is senior lecturer at the Animal Health Department, in the Faculty of Veterinary of Lugo, University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). In 2003 he obtained his current position with full of his time dedicated to lecturing subjects in Epidemiology, Zoonoses and Public Health, and Parasitic Diseases, as well as supervising undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students. His main area of research consists of the control of parasites, through feasible diagnostics, proper treatment and development of preventive measures. He is Diplomate of the European Veterinary Parasitology College (EVPC Diplomate) and EBVS® Veterinary Specialist in Parasitology, member of the Spanish Society of Parasitology and the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP).
Since 2013 he is the coordinator of the COPAR (Control of Parasites) Research Group at the USC, focused on reducing the levels of contamination by certain pathogens in the soil as a contribution to the integrated control of parasites among grazing animals, with a especial interest in applying strategies relying on biological agents as soil filamentous fungi.
Current research interests include the search for introducing sustainable procedures into routine programs for the control of parasites, mainly through the formulation of fungi with parasiticide activity into different presentations as a useful tool to prevent that grazing animals, especially horses, become infected while feeding on grasslands.
Aránzazu Meana
European Veterinary Parasitology College
Aránzazu Meana, DVM, PhD, EVPC Diplomate and EBVS® Veterinary Specialist in Parasitology was graduated from Veterinary Medicine Faculty at the University Complutense of Madrid (UCM), Spain.
After a short period as general practitioner in a private clinic, she became assistant for the Animal Health Department of the same University, where she completed her PhD thesis in 1990 about pathogenesis of ruminant gastrointestinal parasitic diseases. She did some postgraduate studies in Cambridge and Glasgow Veterinary Schools and is currently Full Professor in Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, while being also in charge of Parasitology Laboratory at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (UCM).
Her areas of research are the epidemiology and control of parasitic diseases, focusing mainly on gastrointestinal parasites of herbivores (ovine, bovine and equine) in which she has an active participation on meetings, and scientific congresses, including several books on clinical cases equine and bovine parasitology and many published papers. She was involved in the discovery in Europe of the honeybee intestinal microsporidium Nosema ceranae, closely related with recent honeybee high colony losses.
She is a member of the Spanish Society of Parasitology, the European Scientific Council for Companion Animal Parasites (ESCCAP) and the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP). Diplomate of the European Veterinary Parasitology College (EVPC) since 2005, she has been secretary of ESCCAP- Spain from 2005 to 2011 and EVPC from 2012 to 2018. She is currently the EVPC Vicepresident.
Edwin Claerebout
Ghent University
Edwin Claerebout is an EBVS® European Veterinary Specialist in Parasitology (dipEVPC) and professor in parasitology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Ghent University, Belgium, where he lectures on parasitic diseases in domestic animals. His research interests are parasitic diseases in livestock, in particular gastro-intestinal parasites. Prof. Claerebout serves on the board of the Benelux branch of the European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites (ESCCAP) since 2008.
Emanuela Valle
University of Torino
Dr. Emanuela Valle, DVM, PhD is Professor at the Department of Veterinary Science of the University of Torino and EBVS® European Specialist in Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition. She is in charge of the nutrition consultancy service at the teaching veterinary hospital, with particular reference to the nutrition of equine patients. Teaching activities are related to equine welfare course, equine clinical nutrition and animal nutrition. She is the author of peer-reviewed scientific publications and conference papers. She is also a writer for horse magazines. She is currently involved in different projects related to equine management especially related to the contribution of management and nutrition on the welfare of the horses and equine clinical nutrition. She is a horse enthusiast and owns donkeys and horses to ride as amateur.
Lieven Vlaminck
Ghent University
Lieven Vlaminck graduated as a Doctor in Veterinary Medicine from Ghent University, Belgium in 1993 and started his professional career in the surgery team of the Large Animal Surgery Department, Faculty of veterinary medicine, Ghent University. In 1999, he started a parallel PhD project which resulted in 2007 in completion of this PhD research project entitled ‘postextraction molariform tooth drift and alveolar grafting in ponies’. He was given the title of diplomate ECVS in 2008 after passing the certifying exam. In the same year he was promoted assistant professor in large animal surgery at Ghent University, later associate professor in 2013. He also became an ECVD Eq diplomate in 2013 and has been active within the college’s board and committees since then. Current research topics are dental problems in New World Camelids, equine cheek teeth occlusal fissure vs dental disease, bits and trauma to the bars and soft tissues of the horse’s mouth, epidemiology of EOTRH in horses, and endodontic techniques in equine cheek teeth.
Richard Ducatelle
Ghent University
Veterinarian, graduated from Ghent University in Belgium in 1978.
PhD in veterinary pathology from Ghent University in 1983.
Scientific advisor for the Belgian government from 1985 till 1989.
Professor in veterinary pathology at Ghent University, Belgium, since 1989.
Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Pathologists.
Diplomate of the European College of Poultry Veterinary Science.
President of WVPA Belgian branch since 1991.
Past-president of the European Society of Veterinary Pathology.
Member of the board of directors of Ghent University.
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Scientific publications
Author or co-author of more than 650 scientific publications listed in the web of science (64 on equine health) and more than 400 abstracts in proceedings of international congresses.
Invited speaker at more than 100 national and international congresses.
Inventor on more than 10 patents.
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Research
Research interest is mainly in gastro-intestinal health, with a focus on poultry, calves and pigs.
Mentor of more than 20 PhD theses in this field of research.
Dominique-M Votion
University of Liège
Dr. Dominique-M Votion, DVM, PhD is a senior researcher at the ‘Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health’ (FARAH) research unit from the University of Liège (Belgium). She is currently in charge of research programs related to muscle disorders. These researches aimed at developing new diagnostic tools for muscle disorders in sport horses as well as at defining the preventative measures for atypical myopathy. In 2005, she launched the “Atypical Myopathy Alert Group” (AMAG) an informal European epidemio-surveillance network consisting of owners of horses, equine practitioners, national epidemiological networks and universities gathered to warn alerts regarding atypical myopathy (http://www.myopathie-atypique.be). Her teaching activities are related to environmental toxicology. She is the author of peer-reviewed scientific publications and conference papers that are available on request through an open repository and bibliography (http://orbi.ULiège.ac.be/). She loves riding her horse and attaches great importance to her horse having access to the pasture while minimizing risk of environmental intoxication.
Myriam Hesta
Ghent University
Myriam started working at the Animal Nutrition Laboratory at the veterinary faculty in Ghent shortly after she graduated as a veterinarian in 1996. She started the nutrition consultation service and successfully passed her ECVCN (European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition) diplomate exam in 2001. In 2003 she also received a PhD degree with her work on prebiotic supplementation in dogs and cats.
At this moment she is associate professor in animal nutrition at ECAN (equine and companion animal nutrition) at the department of veterinary medical imaging and small animal orthopaedics at Ghent university.
Her current topics of interest are obesity, gastrointestinal health and nutritional effects on immunity in companion animals including equines. She is supervising 3 ECVCN residents and is promoter of several PhD students at this moment. She is also former president of the European college (ECVCN). Myriam is an active member of several scientific committees (Scientific advisory board of FEDIAF) and is regularly invited as a speaker at international congresses and symposia.
Robin van den Boom
Utrecht University
Robin van den Boom graduated with honours From Utrecht University in 1996 and started his training in Equine Surgery. In 2002 he was registered as specialist in Equine Surgery bij the KNMvD (Royal Netherlands Veterinary Association, RNVA) and in 2004 he successfully completed his PhD on synovial fluid of the horse.
After completing his PhD Dr. van den Boom trained as a resident in Equine Internal Medicine and in 2009 passed the specialist exams of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine.
From September 2014 until February 2017 Robin was Head of the Department of Equine Health at the University of Adelaide (Australia) but since March 2017 he is, once more, a member of the Equine Medicine team at Utrecht. Recently his research has focussed on equine dermatology (in particular Insect Bite Hypersensitivity) and gastrointestinal problems (colic).
Lieuwke Kranenburg
Utrecht University
Lieuwke Kranenburg graduated in 2003 from Utrecht University. She worked in a mixed small animal/equine practice in Weesp for three years. After which she returned for an equine internship at the Department of Equine Sciences from Utrecht University followed by an equine medicine residency. After completing the residency and passing the boards exam of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine in 2011 she worked as a equine medicine specialist for three years at Dierenkliniek Emmeloord.
In 2014 she returned to Utrecht University at which she has worked since.
She is responsible for the equine digestive programs in the bachelor and master. And she also is the equine represent for the subject of clinical reasoning.
She is involved in research projects which mainly include equine digestive issues such as sand colic, inflammatory bowel disease and gastric ulcers.
Lieuwke is a past member of the NEVA board and past FEEVA representative for the Netherlands.
Tresemiek Picavet
DBP Veterinary Services
1984 Graduated in Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Belgium.
1984-1985: Surgery Department Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Ghent: equine orthopedic examinations, research and medical imaging horse under supervision of Professor Verschooten.
1986-1992: Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, supervised by Professor Oyaert, Professor Muylle, and Dr. Nuytten.
Special interest in equine respiratory horses, exercise physiology and gastro-intestinal .
1992 - 2014 specialist in equine internal medicine and responsible for equine anaesthesia in De Bosdreef.
2004 Diplomate Equine Internal Medicin ECEIM.
From 2014 till now private equine referral practice DBP Veterinary Services, Spelonckvaart 44, 9180 Moerbeke-Waas, Belgium.
Chair of the Flemish Scientific Horse Health Association, member of the Education and Credentials Committee of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine
Married to Paul De Baerdemaeker, 2 children. Hobby’s: friends, reading, horse riding.
Miel Hostens
Utrecht University
Assistant Professor at department of Farm Animal Health focusing on Herd Health Management in relation to Precision Livestock Management and Big Data in Dairy Cows.
- Education of bachelor & master students in Veterinary Medicine.
- Statistical training of Ph.D. students in data management in the area of dairy cows.
- Post academic and extension services in the area of herd health management in dairy cows.
Driven by a passion for dairy farming grown on my grandmother’s farm but adjusted towards data science by a technology driven mother, I was able to find a hot spot between both disciplines. I share an extreme passion for both disciplines, and I’m devoted to creating methodologies using precision livestock farming to monitor sustainable food production systems from a global perspective.
Gunther van Loon
Ghent University
Gunther van Loon graduated from Ghent University, Belgium, in 1992 and has worked at Ghent University, Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, ever since. In 2001 he finished his PhD on “Atrial pacing and experimental atrial fibrillation in equines”. In 2004 he became ECEIM Diplomate and in 2011 Associate Member of ECVDI. In 2015 he received the ‘WEVA Research Award’ for outstanding research regarding ‘Advances in Equine Cardiology’. He is now Professor in Large Animal Internal Medicine at Ghent University and his major interests are Equine Internal Medicine, cardiology (arrhythmias, electrophysiology, cardiac pacing, echocardiography, TDI, 2D ST, biomarkers), and thoracic and abdominal ultrasound.
Caroline Loos
Kentucky University
After receiving her PhD in 2018, Dr. Caroline Loos remained at the University of Kentucky where she currently works as a Postdoctoral Scientist. Her research program focuses on equine nutrition, physiology, and endocrinology. More specifically, the research objectives of her PhD, and much of her postdoctoral work, were to investigate the effect of diet and disease on muscle protein metabolism. Caroline has conducted several studies looking at the impact of dietary protein quantity and quality on the activation of skeletal muscle anabolic signaling pathways. She also has a strong interest in the field of endocrinology, in particular with regards to equine insulin dysregulation and metabolic syndrome. Caroline has completed several research trials investigating the effect of dietary protein levels on hyperinsulinemia and conversely, how insulin resistance may affect whole body and muscle protein metabolism. She also looked at the therapeutic potential of specific plant-derived extracts and other dietary additives in the treatment and management of horses with insulin dysregulation. Currently, Caroline is involved in several projects looking at the effect of diet and insulin resistance on gut health and gut permeability.
Caroline Loos was born and raised in Belgium but has been living in the Lexington, KY, USA, for the last 12 years. She has been working in different sectors of the equine industry for over 15 years and works as a nutritional consultant for the equine feed industry.
Caroline is also an avid endurance rider and through her life’s passion and career hopes to make a difference in horse welfare and performance.
Ingrid Vervuert
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University
Prof. Ingrid Vervuert is a veterinarian, and she did her doctoral degree in Animal Nutrition. She is a diplomate in Animal Nutrition and Dietetics. In June 2019, Prof. Vervuert has been appointed as a professor. Currently, Prof. Ingrid Vervuert is in charge of the entire spectrum of teaching and research in the Institute of Animal Nutrition, Nutrition Diseases and Dietetics at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Leipzig. In addition, she is the head of the nutritional consultation service for veterinarians and animal holders. Her research areas are focused on obesity, minerals and the prevention of gastric ulcers in equines. In addition, current project focus on poisoning plants and the voluntary intake behaviour in horses as well as on forage strategies to compensate forage shortage by climate changes in equines.
Gilbert Gault
INRAe/VetAgro Sup
Dr Gilbert GAULT DVM (Toxicology) is an associate researcher at USC 1233 INRAe/VetAgro Sup and technical consultant on natural toxins for the national veterinary intoxication call centers (Nantes & Lyon) and the equine pathology epidemiosurveillance network. He has investigated and documented mainly intoxications by natural toxins. His veterinary thesis (1993) is dedicated to original poisonous plants and his university PhD work is related to anticoagulant poisonous plants (Ferula). He has worked for the local health administration. Recently, in the context of climate change and using a unique approach to health, he has observed an increase in poisonings from novel or potentiated poisonous plants. He participates in a multidisciplinary equine group (veterinarians, agronomists, pharmacists, chemists, ...) to investigate and confirm intoxications by toxic plants of Equideae. He develops information for equine workers and users through webconferences (on the IFCE website) and writes scientific or popularization publications. His hobby is to understand the interactions between plants and animals and the circumstances that lead to accidental situations for domestic and wild animals
Marie-Céline Hottat
Ghent University
Marie-Céline is in contact with horses from a very young age thanks to the BWP sports horses breeding of the family. She studied Veterinary Medicine at the University of Louvain-La-Neuve and University of Liège (Belgium) from 2012 to 2018. Then, she completed a year of internship at the Equine Clinic of "De Morette "in Asse and 3 years residency in Animal Nutrition at the University of Ghent. She is now educational supervisor in Animal Nutrition at Ghent University. If you have any question about horse nutrition or about the nutritional service of Ghent, do not hesitate to contact her (marieceline.hottat@ugent.be or dienstpaardenvoeding@ugent.be).
Ellen Roelfsema
Utrecht University
Ellen Roelfsema graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University in 1999 where she then went on to complete a residency in Equine Internal Medicine and a PhD in Equine Exercise Physiology. In 2006 she was registered as a specialist in Equine Internal Medicine by the KNMvD (Royal Netherlands Veterinary Association, RNVA) and in 2012 she became a specialist of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine (ECEIM). In 2007 she successfully completed her PhD entitled: “Endocrinological and behavioral adaptations to experimentally induced physical stress in horses”. Currently, Dr. de Graaf-Roelfsema is an assistant professor at the Department of Equine Internal Medicine, Utrecht University where she works as a specialist in the University Clinic for Horses and has teaching as well as research responsibilities. Her clinical interest is in equine internal medicine, donkey medicine, metabolic and endocrinological diseases and poor performance. Her research focuses mainly on endocrinological and metabolic disorders (EMS, PPID) and laminitis.
Emmanuelle Van Erck
Equine Sports Medicine Practice (ESMP)
Dr Emmanuelle Van Erck - Westergren graduated from the Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Maison Alfort (France) in 1996. She did a PhD on respiratory functional tests in horses at the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Liege (Belgium). Her work led her to participate in research projects in Equine Sports Medicine at Cornell University (USA) and at Uppsala University (Sweden). These experiences triggered her passion for equine sports medicine. In 2000, she became a Senior Consultant at the Centre for Equine Sports Medicine at the University of Liège where she dealt with referred cases in sports medicine, participated in numerous research projects and collaborated in the training of veterinary students. In 2007, she was invited to develop the equine internal and sports medicine unit in the CIRALE in Normandy (France). Emmanuelle became a de facto diplomate of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine (ECEIM) in 2008 and was subsequently acknowledged as a European specialist in Equine internal medicine by the Order of Veterinarians.; In 2010, she was invited to be a board member of the International Committee at the International Conference on equine Exercise Physiology (ICEEP), an internationally recognised organisation in Equine sports medicine. Emmanuelle is the author of more than 40 scientific articles and regularly lectures at international scientific meetings. She is a member of the board of the Belgian Equine Practitioner Society (BEPS) and on the scientific committee of the French Association of Equine Veterinarians (AVEF). She continues to collaborate on applied research projects in Equine Sports Medicine, to teach clinical training for veterinary students and practitioners and to contribute regularly to writing in both scientific and lay reviews. She was appointed Team Vet for Belgium in 2015 and was elected president of the Belgian Equine Practitioner Society (BEPS) in 2019.
Andrea Ellis
UNEQUI
Dr Andrea D. Ellis is a renowned equine scientist, whose early research (PhD) focused on food intake behaviour and nutrient digestion in horses and sheep, and set her on a path of becoming a specialist in equine nutrition and behaviour. After working as a Scientific Researcher in the The Netherlands, for four years with a focus on nutrition and developmental bone disease and on nutrient evaluation systems for horses, she joined Nottingham Trent University as Senior Lecturer, where she led the design of an MSc in Equine Health and Welfare.
Andrea now runs her own consultation company UNEQUI, Science and Creativity. She is passionate about animal nutrition and welfare, good science and biology education. Her equine research focus has been food intake behaviour and ethological requirements, as well as behavioural markers of welfare (e.g. ridden horse pain ethogram) and changing human behaviour towards better animal welfare. Andrea lectures and carries out research in Nutrition, Behaviour, Welfare and Ethics at various institutions, such as the University of Edinburgh and Nottingham Trent University and collaborated on the first Global Equine Nutrition Course on ANIVADO.com. She supports the ESVCN as executive administrator and recently enjoyed co-ordinating on-line congress delivery. Through the UNEQUI creativity arm, Andrea also provides illustrations, event photography, clay-art and scientific drawings.
Regine Schreiner
Feed and Additives GmbH, Munich
Dr Regine Schreiner is a veterinarian with a doctoral degree from the faculty of Biotechnology and Molecular Animal Breeding of the Veterinary University of Munich. After working at the Technical University of Munich at the Faculty of Human Nutrition Physiology and in research, she started in the regulatory affairs department of a contract research organisation– dealing with feed additives and veterinary medicinal products. In 2014 she founded her own consultancy dealing with feed and feed additives only: Feed and Additives GmbH. She is Vice-Chairman of the European Federation of Food Safety Consultants (EFFSACO) and a German expert for feed and feed additives regulatory affairs (BDSF geprüfte Sachverständige für Futtermittel). She observes closely European legislative initiatives related to feed and their political development leading to new feed and food legislation.
Michaela Herzog
Feed and Additives GmbH, Munich
Dr Michaela Herzog studied veterinary medicine at the Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, where she earned her doctorate at the pathology institute in 2004. For several years she worked in equine and farm animal practice, where she gained extensive experience in animal nutrition and feeding management.
After a few additional years in small animal practice and technical editing for a scientific publishing house, she joined the Feed and Additives GmbH in March 2019, where she brings her practical experience in animal nutrition to the field of regulatory affairs and now acts as Senior Regulatory Affairs Manager with focus on EU feed additive dossiers, reports, labels, formulations. As a passionate rider and horse owner, the nutrition of the horse is of particular interest to her.
Chris Proudman
University of Surrey
Chris Proudman graduated from Cambridge University Vet School in 1988 and was awarded a PhD in Equine Epidemiology from the University of Liverpool in 1996. His academic career has embraced teaching equine medicine and surgery, equine intestinal disease research and various leadership roles at the University of Liverpool.
He has a long-standing involvement with the horseracing industry, including veterinary work on racecourses in Northwest England and membership of the Horserace Betting Levy Board's veterinary advisory committee.
Appointed as Head of the University of Surrey's new Vet School in 2013, he leads the development and delivery of a 21st-century curriculum focussed on graduate confidence and competence, and on innovation in animal health. His current research work focuses on the role of the horse's gut bacteria in intestinal health and disease.
Mathijs J.P. Theelen
Utrecht University
Mathijs J.P. Theelen
DVM, PhD, Dipl.ECEIM, EBVS European Veterinary Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine
Assistant Professor Equine Internal Medicine
Curriculum Vitae
Mathijs is a Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine (Dipl.ECEIM) working at Utrecht University Equine Hospital. In his clinical work he focusses mainly on gastroenterology, hepatology and neonatology. He is head of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for foals. After his graduation from Utrecht University in 2008, Mathijs started working as a researcher at the University of California in Davis, USA. After that he worked in a large equine referral hospital (Lingehoeve Diergeneeskunde) in the Netherlands before returning to Utrecht University to start his residency in equine internal medicine. He passed his board exams in 2014. In 2022 Mathijs defended his PhD thesis entitled ‘Fighting antimicrobial resistance in foal sepsis: does the gut conspire against us?’. His PhD was a collaboration between the Department of Clinical Sciences and the Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University and focused on antimicrobial resistance and the role of the microbiome as a potential reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes (resistome). Mathijs is actively involved in many research projects and has (co-)authored several scientific publications on topics related to equine neonatology, (molecular) microbiology, gastroenterology and hepatology. He aims to perform high quality research that is relevant for clinical practice. Mathijs regularly speaks at national and international conferences. He is currently also Member of the Equine Health Advisory Committee of the Morris Animal Foundation, Chair of the Advanced Training Advisory Committee of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine (ECEIM), Member of the sounding board for equine veterinarians of the Royal Dutch Veterinary Association (KNMvD) and Member of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.
Louis C. Penning
Utrecht University
Louis C. Penning (The Hague, international city of peace and justice, 1963), PhD, is an associate professor in veterinary regenerative medicine at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University (UU) the Netherlands. He is an expert member of the Dutch Society for Cell Biology, a member of the Dutch Society for Hepatology and a member and financial controller of the European Society for Comparative Hepatology. For his work as a PhD and post-doc in molecular oncology, molecular endocrinology and molecular cardiology, click here.
His broad experience and creative mind benefit the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine where he is responsible for molecular and cell biology research in internal medicine and (neuro)surgery with a focus on stem cell biology in horses and companion animals. He is an expert on organoid technology, which he exploits for nutritional and pharmacological studies and disease modelling. Involved in a multi-centred Centaur-project aiming at the development of equine liver organoids. Hobbies include outdoors (sailing) and classical martial arts. Critical, creative, and collaborative.
Juan David Carbonell Bonelo
Complutense University of Madrid
Juan David Carbonell Bonelo is a veterinarian from Cali, Colombia, has a master’s degree in tropical parasitic diseases, and is currently a resident of the European College of Veterinary Parasitology at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). He is also a Ph.D. student in the department of animal health of the UCM under the supervision of professor Aranzazu Meana Mañes. His research focuses on parasitic dermatitis in horses.
Juan David performs diagnostic activities in the microbiology and parasitology laboratory of the Complutense veterinary clinical hospital. He attends outpatient consultations in equine dermatological problems, including mites and scabies, hypersensitivity to Culicoides bites, and emerging skin lesions caused by Gasterophilus.
Bart van der Hee
Wageningen University
Bart is a postdoctoral researcher at Wageningen University, employed by the Host-Microbe Interactomics group at the Department of Animal Sciences. He graduated from applied university HAS with a project comparing several digestibility markers in horses, and Wageningen University studying immunomodulatory properties of probiotics. In his current work, he mainly focuses on development and functional application of intestinal models and complex cell systems. One of the main areas of interest is the effects of microbe-produced metabolites on the intestinal epithelium, and uncovering their molecular mechanisms of interaction.
More information on the research group can be found following one of these links:
https://www.wur.nl/en/Research-Results/Chair-groups/Animal-Sciences/Host-Microbe-Interactomics.htm
Roosmarijn E.C. Luiken
Utrecht University
Roosmarijn (PhD, DVM, MSc epidemiology) is a researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University, the Netherlands. She studied Veterinary Medicine (2012) and Epidemiology (2018) at Utrecht University. She obtained her PhD at the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences by working in one of the first large scale projects on the resistome and microbiome of European livestock (“EFFORT”), which also included the occupationally exposed humans and the environmental reservoir air.
Currently she works in the group of Clinical Infectiology (since 2020) where she continues to do research and contribute to education on the microbiome, resistome, AMR and the relationship with health and disease and antimicrobial usage in a variety of animal species, including horses. She also works on improving antimicrobial stewardship for veterinarians and farmers together with WUR and the Dutch ministry of agriculture.
Roosmarijn especially enjoys searching for ways to make (seemingly) difficult datasets and quantitative study projects accessible for experts with different backgrounds and working together to do interdisciplinary research.
Jürgen van Baal
Wageningen University
Jürgen van Baal is senior researcher with the Animal Nutrition Group of Wageningen University & Research (the Netherlands) since 2007. His field of expertise is Cell Physiology with a special focus on the transport and sensing of nutrients. He currently studies the effects of minerals (e.g. calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper) and postbiotics on growth performance, their uptake and intestinal health in pigs and poultry. Other projects include the unraveling of the molecular mechanisms underlying milk production in the mammary gland of dairy cow.
Since 2021, he is involved in the development of in vitro cell systems as a model to study the molecular mechanisms of equine acute and chronic metabolic disorders within the Centre for Animal Nutrition (CAN), in collaboration with the faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University (UU, the Netherlands).