Matthijn de Boer new EPIZONE coordinator

EPIZONE is an international network of veterinary research institutes dedicated to the study of epizootic animal diseases, including those with zoonotic potential. The network plays a central role in improving the prevention, detection, and control of animal diseases and zoonoses, aiming to reduce their impact on both animal and public health in the EU and worldwide. In recent years, Professor Wim van der Poel, who works at Wageningen University & Research and Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR), was in charge of coordinating the EPIZONE collaboration. With effect from 1 May 2025, Matthijn de Boer is the new coordinator.

Community building

One of the key tasks envisioned by the new coordinator is to continue expanding the EPIZONE community by engaging new collaborating partners. “I am inspired by the EPIZONE mission and its potential to shape the future of animal health through collaboration and shared expertise. Bringing people together to tackle scientific challenges energizes me,” says Matthijn de Boer.

De Boer serves as Head of the Statutory Tasks Unit for Transmissible Animal Diseases (WOT-BD) at WBVR. From the early days of his career, he was also involved as a young scientist in the Young EPIZONE initiative. As such, he clearly recognizes the importance of supporting emerging professionals in the field. “I strongly support the Young EPIZONE initiative because of the opportunities it provides to young professionals, and I want to build on this and ensure that EPIZONE remains a dynamic platform for knowledge exchange,” he says.

Strengthen collaboration

Looking to the future, De Boer envisions further growth of the EPIZONE community. In addition to engaging new partners, he aims to invest more in short-term scientific missions and workshops, and to strengthen collaboration between young and established scientists.

He highlights recent national and international outbreaks including avian influenza, African swine fever, bluetongue, epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV), and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) – as major ongoing challenges, particularly given the lack of treatments or vaccines for some of these diseases. He also points to the rising threat of vector-borne diseases, which are especially difficult to control due to the nature of these insect vectors.

Tackling outbreaks together

“As EPIZONE, we play an important role in tackling these diseases and outbreaks together –sharing knowledge through our network, organizing courses and short-term missions, and collaborating on research to develop new preventive measures. Together, we can realize our ambition to improve the prevention, detection, and control of animal diseases and zoonoses,” according to De Boer.

“Matthijn de Boer is an experienced leader of animal health research programs, so I am very confident that he will be an excellent coordinator for EPIZONE,” says Prof. Van der Poel about his successor. “EPIZONE has become a strong network, and I am confident that Matthijn will continue to strengthen it.”