Animal Healthcare and Veterinary Phytotherapy Symposium

Short bio:

Marta Mendel completed her veterinary studies at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) in 2005, earning the title of professional veterinarian. Since then, she has continued her academic career at the University as a researcher and academic teacher, earning a doctoral degree (2010) and a postdoctoral title (2018). She is the former Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and currently serves as the Vice-Rector for Internationalization and the First Deputy-Rector at Warsaw University of Life Sciences.

Her research interests encompass the pharmacological evaluation of medicinal plants and plant-derived bioactive compounds, with a particular focus on their application in veterinary medicine. Her work employs in vitro and ex vivo experimental models to assess the biological activity of phytochemicals on gastrointestinal physiology and to investigate the underlying mechanisms governing their effects.

She is the Co-coordinator of Animal Health Network within the Society of Medicinal Plants and Natural Product Research.

marta_mendel@sggw.edu.pl

Thanks to the efforts of the Congress Presidents, Prof. Jean-Hugues Renault and Dr. Pedro Lameiras, the local organizers of the GA Congress 2026 gareims2026.org, the GA-networking group on Medicinal Plants and Natural Products in Animal Healthcare and Veterinary Medicine was invited to organize a one-day Pre-Congress Symposium again. The idea behind our net-working group, and in particular the symposium, is to bring together practitioners, scientists, and industry professionals in our field. After two years, we will meet again!

The symposium will cover the following aspects:

• animal self-medication
• ethnoveterinary medicine
• veterinary pharmacology of medicinal plants
• science and practice of veterinary phytotherapy
• clinical, in vivo, and in vitro research with medicinal plants or natural products for ani-mals
• feed additives and animal health care products based on plants rich in phytochemicals

The programme will comprise keynote lectures, invited short communications, and contributed presentations. Research contributions related to animal health and veterinary applications within the main congress will be showcased in a poster session organized as part of the Pre-Congress Symposium. In parallel, an international industry exhibition will feature companies presenting herbal feed additives, veterinary medicinal products, and phytogenic health solu-tions for animals. Scheduled breaks will provide opportunities for extensive professional ex-change and networking among scientists, practitioners, and industry representatives.

The Pre-Congress Symposium will take place on Sunday, 30 August 2026. Participation in the symposium may be booked either as a standalone event or as an addition to the main congress programme.

Registration for the various workshops will open next February.