Brecht Devleesschauwer

Brecht Devleesschauwer is a Visiting Professor of Epidemiology and Risk Analysis at Ghent University and Head of Service for Health Information at Sciensano, Belgium's public health institute. He holds dual PhDs in Veterinary Sciences and Public Health from Ghent University and Université catholique de Louvain, with expertise in epidemiology, burden of disease assessment, and zoonotic diseases.

**Education**:

• PhD in Veterinary Sciences & Public Health (2010–2015), Ghent University & Université catholique de Louvain
• MSc in Statistics (Biometrics) (2011–2014), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
• BSc/VetMed from Ghent University

**Research Focus**: Specializes in epidemiology of zoonoses, burden of disease modeling, food safety, and health impact assessments. His work bridges veterinary and human public health, with contributions to global initiatives like the WHO/EURO Burden of Disease Network and the Global Burden of Animal Diseases (GBADs) program.

**Key Projects**: Leads national studies on Belgium's health status, including the Belgian Burden of Disease Study and initiatives like HELICON (assessing pandemic health impacts). Collaborates internationally on foodborne disease epidemiology and environmental health risks.

**Awards & Leadership**: Serves as President of the Belgian Association of Public Health and chairs the European Burden of Disease Network. Editor-in-Chief of Archives of Public Health, contributing to peer review across multiple journals.

**Teams**: Oversees Sciensano's Health Information Service and mentors over a dozen PhD students in epidemiology, public health, and veterinary sciences.