Prof. Ioannis Arsenakis

Dr. Ioannis Arsenakis is an Assistant Professor at the Laboratory of Anatomy & Physiology of Farm Aninals of the Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture at the Agricultural University of Athens. He graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2010. He then received a scholarship to continue his studies at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies of Edinburgh University and graduated with Distinction from the M.Sc. in Animal Biosciences in 2012. He continued working as a swine and poultry veterinarian in the Republic of Ireland for one of the biggest farm animal veterinary practices in Europe, until April 2013. From August 2013 and until October 2018, he continued working as a swine veterinarian for the Unit of Porcine Health Management at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Ghent University (Belgium). During this period, and while working for the same Unit he also completed his PhD studies, which focused on the different vaccination protocols with bacterins as a means to control Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infections in peri-weaned and fattening pigs. The Unit of Porcine Health Management of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Ghent University is one of the five most important clinics in Europe in terms of conducting both translational research and clinical work in swine. From July 2018 and until 2021 he worked as a swine veterinarian for ‘Tulip Ltd.-Pilgrims UK’ in England, covering for the counties of; East Anglia, Cambridgeshire and Essex. Tulip Ltd.-Pilgrims UK is one of the biggest pork producing integrators in the world. He was responsible for more than 32 farms, together with the experimental farm (FBF Facons) of the company, which is one of the most important experimental units for swine in the United Kingdom. He was also one of the veterinarians responsible for designing and running the Health Management Plans for the swine livestock kept by the company. He has conducted thousands of welfare assessments at pig farms, for the official audits concerning sows and fattening pigs in the context of farm assurance schemes for the accreditation of pork abiding with the highest welfare standards. As a swine veterinarian, he brings on the table heavy field experience from farm-to-fork operations combined with a solid academic background.

He has 13 published papers in international and peer reviewed Journals, in which 6 out of 13 is the first author. He also has 21 published peer-reviewed abstracts in international congresses, in which 13 out of 21 is the first author. In total, he has participated in 16 research programs funded by several companies, European consortiums, and the Flemish Association of Pig Farmers. He has been invited speaker in nine seminars and conferences organised by international research institutes, companies and veterinary associations and had to do with the Continuous Professional Development of swine veterinarians.