“What really drives me is the same as it was 40 years ago: to develop the field. To help decide the direction we take – and to see that direction turn into real change across veterinary science and practice.”

That is how Henrik Elvang Jensen describes his motivation to his work. And that is also how Henrik has become one of the most prominent figures of his field in Denmark as well as internationally. Because he wants to be involved, and he wants to make his mark.

He is a Professor of Veterinary Pathology at the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. He also serves on influential boards, councils and committees such as the European College of Veterinary Pathologists and the European Food Safety Authority, which are bodies that set the standards for veterinary practice far beyond his home university.

Henrik is now being honored with the first-ever Award for Outstanding Research in Veterinary Medicine, awarded by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, recognizing the impact he has had throughout his career. In particular, Henrik has become a leading figure in both veterinary forensics as well as mycoses – invasive fungal infections affecting both animals and humans.

Giving animals a voice

In many ways, Henrik has helped give a legal voice to animals in Denmark, during court cases of animal abuse. As a veterinary pathologist, Henrik performs autopsies on euthanized or dead animals to find out what injuries or changes they have in their tissues, and why those changes have occurred. These findings are then used in legal cases.

But when Henrik first became a veterinarian, the foundational knowledge of bruises, lesions and especially the timeframes of such injuries had not been thoroughly established. Henrik’s solution was to do those studies.

“In a way, it was coincidental that I became so deeply involved in veterinary forensic medicine. But when I get into situations where I cannot say something with complete certainty, I make sure that I can – at least eventually. That’s how a lot of projects of mine have started. Because I want to be able to say things with absolute certainty,” says Henrik.

That pursuit of certainty has not only strengthened legal cases but also reshaped everyday practices in animal farming. Henrik has been the driving force in developing guidelines for animal husbandry that has drastically reduced e.g. shoulder ulcers in sows, as well as spearheading information campaigns to Danish farmers urging them to stop using car tires to hold feed for cattle, as the wire within the tires wound up getting eaten as well, damaging the cattle’s’ stomachs.

Fascination with fungi

Henrik’s other major research focus is fungal infections in humans and animals, mycoses, and the diagnostics of it. He has worked on fungi for so long that he can characterize most simply by looking at a cross section of it. And to top it off, he has developed in-situ methods - in their natural setting rather than in test tubes - to characterize fungi by identifying specific proteins in cells and tissues. These are used worldwide.

 “It’s absolutely essential with precise diagnostics of fungal infections. It’s not enough to say that it’s yeast or mold, for example. You have to identify on a species level to give the right treatment,” says Henrik.

He is a key contributor to global diagnostic and treatment guidelines of fungal infections – something which Henrik attributes to his network of colleagues all over the world. As he says it, he has been fortunate enough that they send him so many samples that he has gotten far more experience of fungal infections than most of his peers, as these types of infections are relatively rare compared to viral or bacterial infections. For now, at least.

“Fungal infections are becoming more common, partly because of climate change and the increasing use of immunosuppressive treatments. So, it’s a field, that is developing rapidly,” says Henrik.

A moment of ‘magic’

It was not predestined for Henrik to become a veterinarian, and even less so to become part of the academic side of veterinary science. His father was a craftsman, his mother was a nurse, and they grew up in a house on the Danish island of Læsø. He spent his afternoons helping on a farm, tending pigs and cows, and initially imagined this to be his career. But a memorable encounter with a veterinarian changed all that.

“There was this cow that was completely paralyzed. The vet gave it calcium intravenously, and within half an hour it was standing again, looking like nothing had ever been wrong. I know now that the cow had milk fever and just needed some calcium, but back then it seemed almost like magic to me. I knew right then that I wanted to be a veterinarian,” Henrik recalls.

After finishing his studies, Henrik worked as veterinarian for a year and a half in North-West Jutland. But he found the work too repetitive and lacked the challenges he craved. By chance, a position in pathology opened at the University of Copenhagen, and he seized it.

“I was totally captivated from the start. Both of the field itself, but also with the possibilities that came from going so deeply into the field: better source criticism and discussions, and you get influence in the field. That’s what hooked me, and it still does today. So, it was by chance that I became a pathologist, and now I always tell my PhD students not to be too afraid of chance defining your path,” says Henrik.

Looking ahead

After 40 years at the forefront of veterinary pathology, there are few signs of Henrik slowing down, despite being 67-years old. He has accepted that he will probably not take on any new PhD students to supervise, having supervised more than 20 throughout his career. For now, he will continue his work, teach veterinary students and organize international courses, particularly in fungal diagnostics.

“As long as I’m still at my full faculties, I want to continue and contribute with research, teaching and mentoring. These are the ways I can still make a difference. So, I don’t know when it’s time to stop for good. But I do know that I want a dog when the time comes,” says Henrik.

Receiving the Award for Outstanding Research in Veterinary Medicine is both an honor and, in this time of his career, also a recognition of a lifetime of impact. For Henrik, it’s a source of personal pride, sprinkled with some humility, and a lot of happiness. But he also feels the recognition has a larger impact:

“I’m very proud of course, that it’s me who is receiving this award. But I’m also very happy that I, as a pathologist, am receiving it. That my field is also getting this kind of recognition. That’s something I am very honored by,” ends Henrik Elvang Jensen.