Karlijn Debusschere

After graduating as a veterinarian, I started a PhD at the faculty of Medicine and Health sciences, UGent. During my PhD, I gained a profound interest in the health and well-being of laboratory animals. In 2018, I started as the designated veterinarian at VUB, which I left after 5 years to turn back to Ghent University. I have been an active member of BCLAS and lately I am part of the board members. I am the chair of the BCLAS Working group Communication, responsible for collecting and distributing information regarding continuous education, animal welfare and alternative methods, as well as changes in legislation towards the BCLAS members. Additionally, I help with the symposium and some workshops.

Piet Dierckx

I graduated as a veterinarian in 1997, after which I gained some years of experience in veterinary practice before moving into the field of laboratory animal science. First at Home | Pharming Group N.V. and then at Home | Janssen Belgium.

I have been active within BCLAS for several years, initially as coordinator of BCLAS courses in Laboratory Animal Science, as co-organizer of BCLAS Workshops, and at a later stage I also joined the board.

In all these years, I have been able to experience how BCLAS, as an organization, is ideally placed to bring together the expertise and knowledge present in the various institutes of our country and to offer training, education, and other relevant support to animal care and research staff and the institutions they work for. Since 2022, I have been appointed chairman of BCLAS. In this position, I help ensure that we have a framework to accomplish the objectives our association has defined. I also like to put my shoulders to the wheel for initiatives related to the optimization of the functioning of AWBs and ECs, the promotion of transparency, and the exchange of knowledge/expertise and organs/tissues between institutes.

Stephanie de Vleeschauwer

After graduating from vet school, I started as a clinical veterinarian mainly for companion animals. Afterwards I did a PhD in Biomedical Sciences at KU Leuven. By doing research with laboratory animals, my interest in laboratory animals, their medicine and welfare developed. After my PhD, I worked in the lab of cardiac surgery where I mainly worked with sheep. During that time, I started my residency in Laboratory Animal Medicine. In 2016, I successfully ended my residency and became a Diplomate of the European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ECLAM). Since 2013, I am the designated veterinarian of the Laboratory Animal Center of KU Leuven. I have been involved with BCLAS for several years, the last years as board member. I am also one of the driving forces of the Working Group BCLAS LIVE, which is a working group to exchange experiences and best practices for in vivo research.

Debby van Dam

After graduating in Medical Biochemistry in 1998, I started a PhD focusing on the behavioural and neurochemical characterization of rodent models for neurodegenerative diseases. I have stayed active as a behavioural neuroscientist at the University of Antwerp since then, using various model systems. I am currently associate professor at the Department of Biomedical Sciences where I teach several FELASA-accredited Laboratory Animal Science courses, as well as neuroscience courses. I have been a member of the executive board of the Ethics Committee for Animal Testing at the University of Antwerp for over two decades and became chair of the committee in 2023. I joined the BCLAS board in 2024, where I aim to contribute to initiatives supporting the functioning of and interaction between ECs and AWBs, as well as education and training-related aspects.

Mirjan Thys

After graduating as a veterinarian in 2004, I started a PhD in bovine IVF at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UGent). Afterwards, I worked at Zoetis, first as technical/veterinary manager for the ruminant department for about 5 years, and then successively as clinical manager in the European Veterinary Medicine R&D for 3 years. Subsequently, I returned to the Ghent area and joined the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO) as a scientific researcher at the Animal Sciences Department with focus on animal welfare projects. Currently, I am working as a Scientist – Veterinarian for Sanofi Ghent with focus on small camelid (llama and alpaca) husbandry and immunization.

Along the way, I gained experience in working with large (farm) animals both in field and research setting. Since 2018, I have been an active board member of BCLAS: mainly as Secretary, but recently I also engaged to participate in the BCLAS Working Group Large Animal (which is being established).

Gaelle Lapouge

I am a biologist whose career has been marked by extensive and innovative research in the field of oncology. Since my thesis, I have specialized in studying prostate cancer using human cell culture models in vitro. Subsequently, I expand my research to skin cancer, working with genetically modified mouse models to better understand the mechanisms of this disease.

In 2019, I took on the role of director of the animal facility at ULB-Erasme. In this role, my mission is to guide researchers both administratively and practically, helping them conduct their research on animals while improving animal welfare. My commitment to ethics, the well-being of laboratory animals, and the good practice and training to researchers is at the heart of my concerns.

Wendy Roosen

I am a veterinarian and coordinator of the Animalium at the Biomedical Research Institute (BIOMED) of Hasselt University. I graduated with a Master’s degree in Veterinary Medicine from Ghent University in 2001, specializing in Science and Industry, and later obtained a Master’s degree in Applied Toxicology from the University of Surrey, UK, in 2008.
I have over 21 years of experience at Janssen Research & Development, where I worked as a non-clinical project toxicologist, study toxicologist, and veterinary ophthalmologist. In my last nine years at Janssen, I was an active member of the Animal Ethics Committee and the Animal Welfare Body.
In 2022, I joined uniQure, a biotechnology company, as Director of Toxicology and Translational Safety, where I was responsible for the development of gene therapies targeting neuroscience and metabolic diseases.
Since 2024, I have been responsible for animal welfare, health monitoring, and the daily management of animals at the BIOMED test facility, where I am the primary contact for Principal Investigators, advising on animal and husbandry-related matters. BIOMED’s mission focuses on multidisciplinary research in immunology, neuroscience, and cardiovascular disease, aiming to translate scientific discoveries into applications that contribute to a healthier society, in line with Hasselt University’s civic ambitions.
I am a member of the university’s Animal Ethics Committee and vice-president of the Animal Welfare Body. I have been participating in several NC3R (National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement, and Reduction of Animals in Research) working groups for over 15 years and joined the BCLAS board in 2024.

Stef Aerts

I was trained as a bio-engineer in agricultural sciences, and in 2006, I obtained a PhD in Applied Biological Sciences with a thesis on the societal and ethical aspects of animal production, both at KU Leuven.

Since 2008, I have been active in higher education. I served as the program director of the Bachelor of Agro & Biotechnology at the Odisee University College, where I also teach (animal) ethics, current topics, and laboratory animal science. From 2022, I am a Visiting Professor of Veterinary Ethics at Ghent University at the Veterinary Faculty, and since 2024, I teach professional ethics at the KU Leuven Faculty of Engineering Technology.

My research has broadened from animal welfare to the ethics of the use of animals, and I have been a board member of the European Society for Agricultural and Food Ethics for 10 years. Within Odisee, I am the lab director, and this has been the start of my activities in the laboratory animal sector. Currently, I am a member of several ethical committees of scientific institutes, and the president of the Flemish National Animal Research Council since 2021. I am proud to be appointed as a BCLAS Board member in 2024, and I hopee to provide some additional contacts and insights with regard to less typical species, as my “lab animal” research has mainly been in aquaculture and farm animals.

Kris Meurrens

I graduated in 1989 as a veterinarian at Ghent University and immediately started my career in research support. I now have more than 30 years of experience in Lab Animal Science and Medicine. Since 2012, I have been director and veterinarian at Central Animal Facilities KU Leuven.

My special interests are how to improve the day-to-day animal facility management (infrastructure, procedures, staff), how to support our researchers, and how to stimulate a culture of care in a large organization.  I have also interest and expertise in health monitoring and management, in particular of our mice colonies and facilities.

In 1992, I joined the BCLAS Board, where I have held several functions since.  Currently I am Vice-president and Treasurer.  I am also active in several BCLAS Working Groups and serve as the substitute-representative for BCLAS in the FELASA Board.

Since the regionalization of animal welfare matters in 2014, I am Vice-President of the Flemish Committee on Animal Experimentation.  I will start soon as one of the representatives in the recently founded Interregional or National Committee.

Tilly Haertjens

I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural and biotechnology, option animal care in 2008. Afterward, I started my career doing consultancies at dairy farms, first as a classifier of the exterior of dairy cattle in the context of breeding for livestock improvement. In 2012, I continued as a nutritionist and cow signal observer. In search of a more stable life and less time traveling, I started working at ILVO (Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) in 2020 as an Expert Dairy Farming and research assistant. I became more and more involved in the welfare of animals while doing trials and joined the animal welfare group at ILVO in 2021. After a request from BCLAS for people to join with experience in trials with large animals, I joined in June 2024. I am now getting to know BCLAS and hope that my experience and knowledge can be of value for the organization.

Alberto Pereira

As a member of the BCLAS Board, my primary goal is to share my expertise to enhance the guidance and support provided by BCLAS in Belgium on various issues related to the use of laboratory animals. In particular, I actively support (the workshops organized by) the Belgian Network for Animal Welfare Bodies (BENAWB). In doing so, I aim to improve the Culture of Care at the national level.

Katleen Hermans

I graduated as a veterinarian from Ghent University in 1997, and am now a professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the same university. Since 2004, I have been teaching laboratory animal science courses to veterinary students, as well as students in biomedical sciences, medicine, biotechnology, biology, and bioengineering. Additionally, I provide training for PhD students who require expertise in animal experimentation.

Within the BCLAS board, I have been actively involved as the (co-)lead of the BCLAS symposium working group since 2005. My journey began with organising the 2005 BCLAS symposium in the centre of Ghent with a two-person team. Since then, the symposium has grown into a two-day event, supported by a professional symposium organizer and a 10-person scientific committee, ensuring the delivery of high-quality continuing professional development (CPD) for the laboratory animal science community.

In recent years, we have transitioned to hosting the symposium in English, with simultaneous translation available in Dutch and French. We also offer online access to the lectures for those unable to attend in person. However, we continue to highly value the on-site networking opportunities that our symposium provides.

I look forward to welcoming you at one of our upcoming events!

Julie Kiebooms

I am a veterinarian with a PhD from the University of Ghent, Belgium. My journey began as a researcher, but my passion for enhancing animal health and well-being soon led me to the veterinary pharmaceutical industry, where I joined Zoetis. Over the years, I have been involved in the research and development of various veterinary vaccines, and have recently expanded my focus to the therapeutics field. As a board member of BCLAS, I actively support the organization’s mission through initiatives like the BCLAS 3R’s fund and by participating in the Symposium and board discussions.

Manu Wyffels

Filip Mulkens

Anne Vermeylen

Fabien Ectors

Lola Dechene