Biography

Katrien van den Brink studied veterinary medicine at Utrecht University. After graduating, she gained broad working experience in various areas of the dairy industry. She began her career in large animal practice, primarily focusing on dairy cattle, with a specific interest in disease prevention and dairy cattle management. After several years in dairy practice, she returned to Utrecht University, where she served as a lecturer and researcher at the Department of Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. As an innovation manager, Katrien worked at the research farm for Aeres University of Applied Sciences. In this role, she was involved in teaching, practical on-farm training, and played a significant role in various research projects. Since 2018, Katrien has been working as a senior veterinarian at GD Animal Health in Deventer, the Netherlands. Her primary focus areas are disease prevention, biosecurity, and control of bovine infectious diseases, particularly BVD, IBR, and Leptospirosis. Following the Bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) epidemic in the Netherlands in 2023, Katrien has conducted multiple research studies on BTV-3 in the field. She also serves as the BTV specialist within Royal GD and is currently pursuing her PhD on the BTV-3 epidemic. Her extensive experience and research contributions have made her a key figure in the efforts to manage and control bovine infectious diseases.

Fields of expertise 

• Bluetongue
• BVD
• IBR
• Leptospirosis
• Animal welfare
  
  

Publications 

• Santman-Berends IMGA, van den Brink KMJA, Dijkstra E, van Schaik G, Spierenburg MAH, van den Brom R. The impact of the bluetongue serotype 3 outbreak on sheep and goat mortality in the Netherlands in 2023. Prev Vet Med. 2024 Oct;231:106289. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106289. Epub 2024 Jul 19. PMID: 39126984.
• Van den Brink, K.M.J.A., Santman-Berends, I.M.G.A., Harkema, L., Scherpenzeel, C.G.M., Dijkstra, E., Mars, M.H., Peterson, K., Snijders, N., Waldeck, H.W.F., Dijkstra, T., Holwerda, M., Spierenburg, M.A.H., van den Brom, R.,  2024. Bluetongue virus serotype 3 in the Netherlands; clinical signs, seroprevalences and pathological findings in ruminants. VET REC. Accepted.
• Van den Brink K.M.J.A., Santman-Berends I.M.G.A., Harkema L., Scherpenzeel C.G.M., Dijkstra E., Mars M.H., Holwerda M., v.d. Heuvel N., Spierenburg M.A.H., van den Brom R. Uitbraak van blauwtong serotype 3 in Nederland. Tijdschrift voor Diergeneeskunde 2023, 148, 45-49.
• Van den Brink KMJA, Aalberts M, Fabri ND, Santman-Berends IMGA. Effectiveness of the Leptospira Hardjo Control Programme and Detection of New Infections in Dairy Cattle in The Netherlands. Animals (Basel). 2023 Feb 24;13(5):831. doi: 10.3390/ani13050831. PMID: 36899688; PMCID: PMC10000230.
• Aalberts, M, van den Brink, K, van den Heuvel, K, van Wuijckhuise, L. Leptospira Hardjo introduction in certified-free herds in the Netherlands. Vet Rec Case Rep. 2021;e169. https://doi.org/10.1002/vrc2.169.
• Santman-Berends IMGA, Mars MH, Weber MF, van Duijn L, Waldeck HWF, Biesheuvel MM, van den Brink KMJA, Dijkstra T, Hodnik JJ, Strain SAJ, de Roo A, Veldhuis AMB, van Schaik G. Control and Eradication Programs for Non-EU Regulated Cattle Diseases in the Netherlands. Front Vet Sci. 2021 Aug 18;8:670419. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2021.670419. PMID: 34490388; PMCID: PMC8418201.

Oral presentations

• Katrien van den Brink; keynote lecture: Experiences about the BTV-3 epidemic in cattle in the Netherlands, Managing the BTV outbreaks in Europe, BTV conference, Lyon 5 november 2024, Boehringer Ingelheim, France
• K.M.J.A. van den Brink, I.M.G.A. Santman-Berends, R. van den Brom, L. Harkema, M.H. Mars, E. Dijkstra, M. Holwerda, N. van den Heuvel, M.A.H. Spierenburg,, C.G.M. Scherpenzeel. Bluetongue serotype 3 outbreak in cattle in the Netherlands in 2023: Clinical signs, pathological findings, transmission and implications. Proceedings of the World Buiatrics Congress 2024, 21 may 2024, Cancun, Mexico.
• Inge Santman Berends & Katrien van den Brink; keynote lecture: Bluetongue in the Netherlands 2023, ‘Lessons learned so far”. Epidays 2023, 8 november 2023, Friedrich Loeffler Institut, Germany.
• van den Brink KMJA, Aalberts M, Mars J, Waldeck HWF. Leptospira Hardjo control programme in the Netherlands. Stendaler Symposium Tierseuchen und Tierschutz beim Rind, 30 march 2023, Stendal, Germany.
• van den Brink KMJA, Aalberts M, and van Wuijkhuise L., Leptospira Hardjo re-introduction in a certified-free herd in The Netherlands. Proceedings of the World Buiatrics Congress, 8 september 2022, Madrid, Spain 2022.

Scientific posters 

• Effectivity of detection of new infections in the Dutch Leptospira Hardjo Control Program