Speaker Bios
Name: Dr. Frank van der Meer
Affiliation: DVM PhD Associate Professor, Global Health and Infectious Diseases
Biography: pg 1

Frank van der Meer graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University in the Netherlands in 1996. He worked for 1.5 years in large animal practice and returned to the Utrecht University to conduct research on horse reproduction. His strong collaboration with the virology department during that time sparked his still ongoing passion for viruses. Dr. van der Meer completed his PhD on the activity of antiviral compounds to Retro- and Nidoviruses in 2007.
In May 2008 he joined the newly established Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary to teach vaccinology, virology, diagnostics and immunology to veterinary students. Congruently, he continued his postdoctoral research in the Faculty of Medicine, focusing on Human Immunodeficiency Virus infections. At this moment Franks' research focuses on bovine viruses such as bovine viral diarrhea virus, bovine leukemia virus, bovine respiratory disease and the 'virome'. Another topic of interest is the discovery and study of wildlife viruses in the Canadian arctic. That viruses infect our wildlife is clear, but which viruses these are and what their impact is focus of these projects.

He collaborates intensively with researchers in Tanzania on animal and human pathogens, and has led for 11 years a One Health Field School in the Ngorongoro and Lake zone regions for veterinary and Bachelor of Health Sciences students.

*beekeeper for 21 yrs and gives presentations about bees and bee diseases