Pat Harris

Waltham Petcare Science Institute

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 SPILLERS^TM, BUCKEYE^TM Nutrition and WINERGY^TM 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.

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.

Carolien Munsters

Utrecht University

Dr. Carolien Munsters is a specialist in equine sports physiology and earned her Ph.D. in this field in 2013 from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, focusing on the welfare and training of sport horses. Through her company, Equine Integration, she aims to enhance equestrian sports and horse welfare her mission is to promote equestrian sports and the welfare of horses. This by translating scientific knowledge and measurements into practice in order to support riders, trainers and coaches to improve the performance and welfare of their horses. For many years Carolien supports and advises various (inter)national equestrian athletes, Olympic teams, passionate amateurs, coaches and trainers in the field of exercise physiology of horses. She has contributed to team guidance of the Olympic Games in London, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Paris. She also coaches international sport horse-rider combinations in various disciplines to European and World championships. In addition to the coaching of (elite) sport horses, she is active as a researcher at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and author of several peer-reviewed scientific articles with focus on welfare, load and load capacity, performance and injuries in sport horses. Furthermore, she lectures at (inter)national scientific conferences and is active as project coordinator of the Sport Horse Welfare Foundation and as embedded scientist in equestrian sports for the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC* NSF). 

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. 

Cornélie Westermann

Utrecht University

Cornélie Westermann is a veterinarian and European Specialist/ Diplomate in Equine Internal Medicine (ECEIM). Her PhD research was on equine muscle metabolism and atypical myopathy.

Her clinical work at the Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, includes all aspects of equine internal medicine, including patient care and clinical teaching within this patient care.

Cornélie is the Director of Education of the Veterinary School.

Her main research topics are respiratory diseases, muscle diseases, and education.

Astrid van den Brom – Spierenburg

Utrecht University

Astrid van den Brom – Spierenburg (DVM, DipECEIM) got her veterinary degree in 2007 in Utrecht. After some years in practice, she started her residency in equine internal medicine at the Utrecht University Equine Clinic and is still working there today as a European Specialist Equine Internal Medicine (DipECEIM). In this job, she has the opportunity to combine clinical care with teaching and research. Her PhD research is on infectious diseases in foals, but respiratory medicine is one of her other favourite subjects.

Irene Tosi

Liège University

Dr. Irene Tosi, DVM, PhD, ECVSMR Initial Applicant

Irene obtained her PhD on muscle metabolism in horses and dogs in 2021, she is currently initial applicant of the European College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. She is in charge of consultations for poor performance and exercise-related diseases in horses and she participates to physiology courses at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Liège, Belgium.  Her topics of interest and research are exercise-induced muscular pathologies, chronic airway inflammatory diseases and respiratory immunity. 

Samy Julliand

Lab To Field

Samy Julliand holds an engineering degree in biology (AgroParisTech 2007), complemented by a PhD on the pathogenesis of equine glandular gastric disease (University of Burgundy 2024). After some international research experiences, Samy Julliand created Lab To Field in 2012. Located in Dijon (France), Lab To Field is a research organization that conducts projects as part of public basic research programs or in response to applied questions from manufacturers. The organization has its own farm dedicated to research in monogastrics and ruminants, including a stable enabling controlled conditions for horse projects, as well as biochemistry and microbiology laboratories. It specializes in the study of the relationships between diet, digestion, and health / performance in animals. Consequently, the analysis of gastrointestinal microbiota is at the heart of Lab To Field's expertise, as are the interactions between digestive microbiota and the host. In connection with this topic, Samy has been involved in the management of research programs on microbiota and immunity, evolution of microbiota and fibrolytic function with ageing, interactions between diet-microbiota-parasitism, effect of microbiota on athletic performance, etc. In order to share the knowledge that comes from research, Samy participated in the scientific committee of the European Workshop on Equine Nutrition from 2018 to 2024 and initiated the applied congress “Equine Nutrition & Science” in 2018.

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.

Caroline Loos

Cavalor

After receiving her PhD in 2018, Dr. Caroline Loos remained at the University of Kentucky where she worked as a Postdoctoral Scientist till December 2022.  From 2023 onwards she started working as equine nutritionist and researcher for Cavalor (USA).

Her PhD and Postdoctoral research program focused 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 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. 

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.

Ellen Roelfsema

Ellen Roelfsema DVM, PHD, DIP ECEIM 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 specialist in Equine Internal Medicine by the KNMvD (Royal Netherlands Veterinary Association, RNVA) and in 2012 she became 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 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 on 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.

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

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.

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.

Floor van Kootwijk

Equine Clinic Emmeloord

Beerend P. Hierck

University of Utrecht

Beerend Hierck (PhD) is a researcher, educational innovator, and head of the veterinary SkillsLab. He has been working at the Utrecht University Veterinary Medicine faculty since November 2021. Before that, he worked as a human anatomy teacher at Leiden University Medical Center. There, he received various awards as best and most innovative teacher of the Medical School as well as of Leiden University.

In 2016 he started focusing on innovative methods to teach and learn spatial anatomy. He developed DynamicAnatomy, an augmented reality application to learn about the 3D anatomy of the human lower leg and about the rotation of the ankle joints. When he transferred to Utrecht he started, together with Prof. Daniela Salvatori, a research group at the Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Clinical Sciences, which focuses on using eXtended Reality (XR) technology to improve spatial knowledge acquisition (“3D-learning”) and clinical competence. He developed AvatarZOO, which is a price-winning XR application currently used for Microsoft HoloLens 2, that allows students to interact with a digital 3-dimensional anatomy model of various animal species. In addition, AvatarZOO now also supports clinical competence development, without the need for (experimental) animals. Research projects at the vet faculty focus on 1) Personalized implementation into the curriculum, 2) Determining cognitive load while working in a digital 3D learning environment, and 3) Clinical competence development.

As educational innovator and head of the veterinary SkillsLab he is in a good position to focus on simulation technology for veterinary education.

Lenny van Erp

HAS Green Academy

Elaine (Lenny) van Erp-van der Kooij has an MSc in Animal Science from Wageningen University and a PhD in Veterinary Science from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Her PhD research was on coping behaviour in pigs. She is a professor in Precision Livestock Farming at HAS green academy in the Netherlands and Visiting Professor of Practice at Harper Adams University in the UK. Her main focus is improving the health and welfare of animals using sensor technology and data science. Projects and studies include AI and sensor applications in farm animals, horses and companion animals.

Rhana Aarts

Utrecht University

Rhana Aarts (1993) obtained her bachelor’s degree in Animal Husbandry with a specialization on Equine, Leisure and Sports from VHL University of Applied Sciences (NL) in 2016. As part of this, she completed a minor at Writtle University College (UK) focusing on Equine Science and Equine Sports therapy. In 2019 she graduated from Wageningen University (NL) with a Master’s degree in Animal Sciences specializing in Animal Nutrition and Adaptation Physiology. During her studies she conducted research with various animal species, including pigs, calves, cats, dogs and horses. She worked as a researcher for an animal nutrition company, before starting her PhD in 2021 at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University. Due to her interest in biomechanics, (exercise)physiology and animal welfare her PhD will focus on combining biomechanical and physiological parameters in order to improve equine welfare and performance during training and/or competitions. On a personal level, Rhana has been horse-riding since the age of 7 in various disciplines and has worked in a variety of stables around the world.

Bart van der Hee

Bart owns a small firm specialised in the field of species conservation and animal ecology (Progress Ecologie en Vormgeving). Next to that, he is a guest researcher at the Host-Microbe Interactomics group (Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University and Research). He graduated from applied university HAS with a project comparing several digestibility markers in horses, and Wageningen University studying immunomodulatory properties of probiotics. During his PhD and subsequent post-doctoral research, he mainly focused on the 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- and airway epithelia and uncovering their molecular mechanisms of interaction in health and disease. More information on his work can be found at www.progressecologie.nl or https://www.wur.nl/nl/onderzoek-resultaten/leerstoelgroepen/dierwetenschappen/host-microbe-interactomics-1.htm