Dr Stéphane Pronost MSc, PhD, HDR Univ (D.Sc/habil. Equiv.)
Deputy Director, R&D Department LABEO Frank Duncombe BIOTARGEN, University of Caen Normandy, FranceXII IEIDC (Deauville): Co-Chair of the Local Committee
A veterinarian with an interest in infectious diseases James completed his veterinary studies at the University of Sydney, where he was awarded a BVSc, a BSc (Vet) and a PhD. James is currently a Professor of Veterinary Microbiology and Director of the Centre for Equine Infectious Disease at the University of Melbourne.
Stéphane have also trained and mentored numerous undergraduate and post-graduate students, supervised 8 PhD students and teach at the university of Caen since 1992. Stéphane is a member of the expert committee for Herpesviruses and Equine Influenza (EFSA, invited to WOAH ESP meeting for EI since 2012). He is also an expert in molecular biology in veterinary area for the COFRAC (French Accreditation Committee) since 2014. He is author or co-author of more than 250 papers (86 international publications in PubMed, 2024).
Dr Stephan Zientara, DVM, PhD, HDR Univ.(D.Sc/habil. Equiv.)
Director of the EU reference laboratory on equine diseases, Anses, Maisons-Alfort, FranceXII IEIDC (Deauville): Co-Chair of the Local Committee
A veterinarian with an interest in infectious diseases, Stéphan Zientara was graduated as doctor in veterinary medicine in 1987, in veterinary sciences (PhD) in 1995 and HDR in 2001. Stéphan was the Director of the Joint Research unit in Virology ANSES/INRAE/ENVA and is currently Director of the ANSES laboratory of Animal health in Maisons-Alfort (France), Director of the European Union reference laboratory on equine diseases, Deputy Director of the European Union reference laboratory on Foot-and-Mouth disease and head of the OIE reference laboratory on EHDV. Stéphan is a member of the expert committee for animal health at the French Food Safety Agency (Anses) and expert on animal health for international organizations such as WOAH (World organization for animal health), FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) and UE (European Commission) on viral diseases (African Horse Sickness, Foot-and-Mouth, Bluetongue, West Nile, …). He has participated in many EU grants. Stéphan was elected in 2019 and 2021 as president of the scientific committee of the « Standing Technical Committee » of the FAO/European Union commission on the control of Foot-and-Mouth disease. He is expert for WOAH on African horse sickness. His research interests cover several aspects of animal virology, especially the study of animal virus-host interactions and the evolution of viral populations through genetic recombination and reassortment in orbiviruses. He is author or co-author of more than 500 papers (264 international publications in PubMed, 2023).
Dr Albertine LEON-SECK, PhD, HDR Univ (D.Sc/habil. Equiv.)
Senior Researcher, LABÉO, DYNAMICURE (INSERM/U1311), University of CAEN/ROUEN Normandy France.
XII IEIDC (Deauville): Treasurer of the Local Committee
After an academic training at the University of Caen and in Applied Bacteriology at the Institut Pasteur (Paris), Albertine have been Head of Equine Bacteriology and Molecular Biology at the Research Department of LABÉO since 2012. In the same year, Albertine became a senior researcher in the DYNAMICURE research unit (INSERM/U1311) of the University of CAEN/ROUEN Normandy. Since 2023, Albertine have also been head of the necropsy-parasitology & microbiology unit in the animal health department at LABÉO (Saint-Contest). Her main theme is the diagnosis and characterisation of bacteria involved in the main infectious diseases of horses: Strangles, respiratory diseases, equine metritis, abortion... in epidemiological relation with human medicine in the One Health concept.Albertine have also trained and supervised numerous undergraduate and postgraduate students, and supervised PhD students.
Pr Jessika Cavalleri, DVM, PhD, ECEIM Diplomate
Head Clinical Section of Equine Internal Medicine University of Veterinary Medicine, Austria
XII IEIDC (Deauville): Local Committee members (alphabetical order)
Jessika Cavalleri graduated as veterinarian from the Free University of Berlin, Germany. She did her postgraduate studies in the Musculoskeletal Research Unit of the Equine Clinic of the Vetsuisse Faculty Zurich, Switzerland, where she continued her education in equine internal medicine. She is an EBVS recognised specialist of equine internal medicine and worked from 2005 to 2017 at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Germany. Since 2017 she is full professor of equine internal medicine at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria. She has a research interest in equine infectious diseases, focusing on hepatitis associated viruses and vector-borne diseases.
Dr Muriel Coulpier, PhD, HDR Univ (D.Sc/habil. Equiv.)
Animal Health department at INRAe, JRU Virology, Maisons-Alfort, France
Muriel completed internships in neuroscience before becoming a neurovirologist at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAe). She is interested in zoonotic viruses that target the horse and human brain (such as West Nile virus). She has worked for many years on deciphering the interactions between viruses and brain cells, and is currently engaged in research into broad-spectrum antiviral compounds to protect humans and equine against neuroviral infection.
Pr Anne Couroucé, DVM, PhD, ECEIM Diplomate, HDR Univ. (D.Sc/habil. Equiv.)
Head of the Clinical Unit of Equine Internal Medicine Oniris, Nantes France
Prof. Anne Couroucé graduated from Ecole Vétérinaire de Nantes in 1992 and has worked for a research unit in equine sport medicine "Pégase-Mayenne" up to 2001 mainly with french Trotters. She passed her PhD in this field area in 1997. In 2001, she entered Nantes Vet School as a lecturer in equine internal medicine. In 2004, she became ECEIM Diplomate and she is now, since 2016, a professor in equine internal medicine. Her research work focusses on equine sport medicine with a special interest in respiratory diseases. Anne Couroucé is head of the Clinical unit of Equine Internal Medicine at Oniris (Nantes Vet School). She is also the Past-President of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine (ECEIM), the president of the scientific committee of the Réseau d'Epidémiosurveillance en Pathologie Equine (RESPE) and the president of the veterinary committee of the French Equine Federation. She is also a member of the FEI veterinarian committee since 2021.
Dr Guillaume FORTIER, DVM, Msc., PhD, Dip. Inst.Pasteur, HDR Univ. (D.Sc/habil. Equiv.)
Chief Executive Officer LABÉO, University of Caen Normandy, FRANCE
Dr Guillaume Fortier first worked as a veterinary surgeon for 6 years in mixed practice, before turning to biology and then research via a university thesis defended at the University of Liège in Belgium. Today, he runs the LABÉO laboratories in Normandy as its Chief executive manager, including a major equine biology and research activity in France and numerous partnerships in Europe and around the world. LABÉO recently celebrated its official twinning with the Irish Equine Centre after more than 20 years of mutual collaboration, notably on infectious diseases. A nascent collaboration with the JRA and Dr Hiroshi BANAI is also underway on various aspects of equine infectious diseases. Since 2012, Guillaume Fortier has also been the veterinary consultant to the French Thoroughbred breeders Federation. His role involves liaising with breeders on the Board of FTBA as well as the European authorities and federations, with whom he works as a member of the EFTBA Veterinary Committee. Current challenges include a major 5-year genomics programme, as well as topical health issues such as viral arteritis, the threat of West Nile disease and vaccination programmes against influenza and rhinopneumonitis. Since july 2024, he is also the Honorary Chairman of GIS CENTAURE, which gather a consortium of more than 75 searchers and the two campus of Normandy Equine Valley and Caen University. In his spare time, Guillaume enjoys sailing, oenology and Brittany, not forgetting rugby and his many exchanges with Dr Des LEADON on this subject!
Dr Gaelle Gonzalez, PhD, HDR Univ. (D.Sc/habil. Equiv.)
Deputy director of the EURL for equine diseases, ANSES, Maisons-Alfort, France
Dr Gaëlle Gonzalez completed her PhD in 2011 on cystic fibrosis gene therapy and HDR in 2023. Her scientific focus switched to equine diseases. She started to work on Equine Influenza viruses focusing on their ability to cross the species barrier at the Center for Virus Research in Glasgow. She joined the Joint Research unit in Virology ANSES/INRAE/ENVA in 2016, directed by Stephan Zientara and lead projects on emerging arthropod-borne flaviviruses as West Nile and Japanese encephalitis virus and exotic equine encephalitis viruses (Eastern/ Western and Venezuela equine encephalitis viruses). She is interested in disease surveillance, in their epidemiology, prevention and control. She is strongly fascinated by viral determinants implicated in their pathobiology and their zoonotic potential as well as virus-host interactions. Since 2020, she is at the head of the French Reference Laboratory for West Nile virus and in 2021, she became the deputy director of the European Union Reference Laboratory on equine diseases. She is also an expert on West Nile virus for EFSA (European Food Safety Authority).
Sarah Mouchel
Head of Communication, LABÉO
Sarah is Head of communications at LABÉO since 2022. Before she has experiences as Communications project manager at Normandie Aménagement, Head of communications at Tramcités, Head of communications at Dassault Aviation And Head of communications at Renault Trucks
Dr Camille Normand, MSc, PhD
Junior Researcher, LABÉO, University of Caen Normandy, FRANCE
Camille Normand is a young searcher working on equid herpesvirus 4. Her thesis project concerned the characterisation of the pathogenesis of the virus, the infectivity and the stability of EHV-4 in the environment. She also performed the screening of antiviral compound against of EHV-4 and a with the identification of phylogenetic study of different strains implicated respiratory and abortion. During her internships, she worked also on equid herpesvirus 3 and equid herpesvirus 8. Camille recently specialise in bioinformatics and omics analysis. Camille is the point of contact for young students taking part in IEIDC.
Karen Perrin
Communication Manager LABÉO, France
Karen completed her Master in Communication and Marketing in 2012. Karen is the Communication Manager in LABÉO since 2016. Before she has experiences as Communications manager at WEBHELP, Marketing assistant at KPMG and Communication assistant at SNCF
Dr José Carlos Valle-Casuso, PharmD, PhD, HDR Univ. (D.Sc/habil. Equiv.)
Head of research unit “Physiopathology & Epidemiology of Equine Diseases”, ANSES, site de Normandie, France
Dr. VALLE-CASUSO completed his Ph.D. in 2010 by studying glucose metabolism in cancer cells and his HDR in 2024. He continues their Postdoctoral training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (New York, USA) and Pasteur Institute (Paris, France). Their studies were focused on the study of Cell host-Virus interactions, focused on the viral restriction factors, and exploring the importance of the cell metabolism for the lentivirus viral cycle and the establishment of the viral reservoirs. His scientific focus switched to equine diseases due to his interest in Equine Infections Anemia Virus. He joined the ANSES Laboratory for Animal Health in 2019, and he is since 2021 the Head of the Physiopathology and Epidemiology of equine diseases research unit. His main research projects are related to Equine Infectious Anemia Virus and Equine Arteritis Virus, but their team also collaborates on projects studying other equine viruses such as Equine Herpesviruses, Equine influenza. As a former pharmacist, he is also interested in identifying potential pharmaceutical targets and screening molecules to treat equine viral diseases. Furthermore, he is interested in the surveillance and prevention of equine diseases, and since 2021, he has been the Head of the French Reference Laboratory for Equine Infectious Anemia and the reference scientist for the equine infectious anemia virus and the equine arteritis virus at the European Reference Laboratory on equine diseases, headed by Stéphan Zientara.