Marleen Kannekens-Jager studied Veterinary Medicine at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, graduating in 2006. She then worked in veterinary clinical practice for 12 years, primarily with companion animals and equines, with a particular focus on internal medicine and infectious diseases. During this time, she also began teaching veterinary students at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. In 2018, she applied for a role that combined teaching veterinary students in infectious diseases with work at the Veterinary Microbiological Diagnostic Centre (VMDC) at Utrecht University. She started her residency at the European College of Veterinary Microbiology (ECVM) in 2019. During her residency she worked on zoonotic diseases and was involved in research projects about SARS-CoV-2 in companion animals and MRSA in horses. At the VMDC, she gained hands-on experience in bacterial culturing of diagnostic samples, susceptibility testing, and serological and molecular diagnostics. She was also responsible for authorizing diagnostic test results and regularly consulted with veterinary practitioners on topics such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), diagnostic testing, and treatment options. In September 2024, she completed her residency and passed the examinations to become a Diplomate of the ECVM. Following this achievement, she began a research position at Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) in Lelystad, within the Department of Bacteriology, Host-Pathogen Interaction, and Diagnostic Development. At WBVR, she is involved in a range of projects related to (bacterial) notifiable diseases, with a particular focus on leptospirosis.
