Dr. Rafael H. Mateus Vargas

RAFA3_300dpi Rafael Hernán Mateus Vargas is a veterinarian graduated in the Universidad Nacional of Costa Rica. He additionally obtained his doctorate degree (Dr. med. vet.) after finishing his doctoral research at the Institute of Food Quality and Safety of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover, Foundation, with financial support of the German Service of Academic Exchange (DAAD). His career path as researcher was developed in different research institutions in Germany, including the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hannover (TiHo), the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), and now at the Georg-August University of Göttingen. Working fields include food, feed, animal, and environmental hygiene from a veterinarian/microbiologic perspective within a “One-Health”-framework. One of his major interests is the understanding of the relevant factors in the human-animal-environment interface involved in the global epidemiology of foodborne zoonoses, chemical contaminants, and antimicrobial resistance in micro- and macroenvironments at different levels of the food supply chain. Dr. Vargas leads the working group animal hygiene.