Dr. Katinka De Balogh is on the board of directors with Veterinarians Without Borders North America/Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Amérique du Nord Canada.
Dr. Katinka de Balogh studied veterinary medicine in Berlin and Munich and obtained her doctorate in tropical parasitology from the Tropical Institute of the University of Munich in 1984. She specialized in tropical animal production and health in France and in Veterinary Public Health (VPH) in the Netherlands.
After a short career as a zoo veterinarian at the Rotterdam Zoo, she moved to Africa where she worked for a total of 9 years as a district veterinary officer (DVO) in rural Zambia and lecturer at the veterinary faculties of Lusaka (Zambia) and Maputo (Mozambique). In between, she worked for 2 years as an Associate Professional Officer at World Health Organization in Geneva.
In 1997, she started to work as a lecturer in VPH and international coordinator at the veterinary faculty in Utrecht, the Netherlands. From 2002 to 2016, she worked at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, Italy where she held various positions from Pro-poor livestock policy to Crisis Management Centre-rapid response coordinator to leading the VPH activities of the organization.
She has always been a strong advocate for One Health and has established close linkages with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) especially during her position at the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific located in Bangkok, Thailand. Since January 2021, she is the Senior Animal health and Production Officer at the FAO Investment Centre in Rome where she is also the focal point for One Health. Katinka has travelled to over 120 countries and is fluent in 7 modern languages.
This article explores the diverse and often underrecognized roles of veterinarians within a One Health framework, highlighting how their work in animal health, food safety, wildlife conservation, and climate adaptation strengthens communities, safeguards ecosystems, and supports global health resilience.
This article examines the vital role of veterinarians in immunization and disease prevention, highlighting how VWB’s One Health approach — through vaccination campaigns, CAHW training, and real-time disease surveillance — protects public health, supports farmer livelihoods, and strengthens animal health systems in vulnerable communities.
In remote areas, like the far North, dog bites are more prevalent. This Dog Bite Prevention Week, we're raising awareness about how reading dog body language and improving access to veterinary care can reduce bites—and prevent the spread of diseases like rabies.
