
Prof. Dr. Tina Kotnik, Dr.Vet.Med.
Lecture
Canine leishmaniasis in the Balkans. Historical epidemiological patterns, sand fly vectors, and new insights from Slovenia.
I graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Ljubljana in 1991. Since then, I have worked at the Small Animal Clinic of the Faculty. I defended my master’s thesis in 1996 and my doctoral thesis in 1999, both focusing on the epidemiology and treatment of Microsporum canis.
Today, I am a full professor and senior researcher at the Faculty. The dermatology department of the Small Animal Clinic was established under my leadership in 1995, and since then I have regularly worked on dermatology cases. I deliver lectures to students and postgraduates at the Faculty, as well as to veterinarians in Slovenia and the Western Balkans.
I have been an associate member of the European Society of Veterinary Dermatology since 1996 and became a full member 25 years ago. I participated in the local organising committee for the European Veterinary Congress held in Bled, Slovenia, in 2009. With the financial support of this congress, the Slovenian Association of Dermatology was founded in 2010, and I am proud to be its first chairman. At the aforementioned ESVD congress in Bled, my interest in leishmaniasis as a neglected vector-borne disease was initiated by the LeishVet group, especially by its member, Professor Patrick Bourdeau. I am very pleased that we meet again at this event.
