INTERVIEW WITH ELENA GRATACÓS, GENERAL DIRECTOR OF BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM ANIMAL HEALTH SPAIN
In 2024, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Spain and the UNED presented the first and largest study to date on Veterinarians’ Mental Health conducted in Spain.
An initiative that highlighted the real situation and the issues of a group that predominantly expresses the feeling of little social recognition.
This reality requires a collective effort to value the role of the veterinarian.
 A goal for which Boehringer Ingelheim is actively working. |
Elena Gratacós, general director of Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Spain, talks about the essential role of veterinarians in society and a future that involves the implementation of the One Health approach.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF VETERINARIANS IN OUR SOCIETY?
Veterinarians are key players in public health, animal health and welfare, disease control, and food safety. It is an essential profession for society and plays a cross-cutting role in animal, human, and environmental health.
However, the reality is that it is often a profession that is not sufficiently visible or socially recognized.
The group acknowledges and expresses the structural challenges it currently faces, referring to important issues such as bureaucratic burden, care pressure, or the dropout rate of the profession.
| It is important to highlight the role of veterinarians in our society, and at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health we actively work to remind people of the role of the veterinary profession, as well as to support it in the challenges it faces. |
DOES SOCIETY AND THE MEDIA UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR WORK WELL ENOUGH?
If we talk about the figure of the veterinarian, I believe there is a lack of awareness of their role outside the clinical field and, in this regard, we have much to do.
But we are not facing a one-off problem and the challenge is greater, as it is necessary to make visible and make people understand the connection between animal, human, and environmental health.
To achieve an understanding of these concepts and this new reality, there is a real need for training and awareness.
At Boehringer Ingelheim we are aligned with this mission with objectives such as being close to the veterinary profession to offer them therapeutic tools, but also value-added services and training initiatives. All of this is accompanied by concrete actions to give voice to the work of veterinarians.
HOW CAN THE INDUSTRY IN GENERAL, AND BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM IN PARTICULAR, HELP REVERSE THE ABANDONMENT OF THE PROFESSION AND LACK OF RECOGNITION?
All stakeholders have the responsibility to offer support to the veterinary community for better performance of their profession. But not only that, we must also engage in all the work of education and awareness that lies ahead so that society understands the scope of veterinarians’ work in animal health and public health.
At Boehringer Ingelheim, we are clear that they play and will play a crucial role. We believe that support for the veterinary profession must be constant, structural, and adapted to their real needs. It is not just about offering health solutions, but about being present in their daily lives with useful training, practical tools, and recognition.
For companion animal veterinarians, we promote programs like Help4Vets, a comprehensive support platform for veterinarians that includes clinical resources, training capsules, management tools, a digital vademecum, and services like SMS4Vets or Diagnostic4Vets. All designed to facilitate their work and improve the relationship with the pet owner.
For production animal veterinarians, we promote specialization and professional exchange through forums like SoloDairy and SoloExtensivo, aimed at experts in dairy and extensive production, as well as initiatives like the ADS Conferences, technical debate spaces with field veterinarians. In more advanced areas, we offer programs like InmunoExpert, focused on applied immunology, and in parallel, we continue to recognize research and clinical talent with initiatives like the PRRS Awards or the BVDZero Awards, among others.
And we accompany all this with communication campaigns such as #WeLoVet or ‘More Than Veterinarians’, with which we seek to give visibility to their work, humanize their figure before society, and highlight the real impact of the profession on animal, public, and environmental health.
Because we understand that professional recognition and support are as necessary as innovation or prevention.
WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF ANIMAL HEALTH AND THE ROLE OF THE VETERINARIAN IN THE ONE HEALTH CONCEPT?
The role of animal health in the One Health concept is vital in matters as important as the prevention and control of zoonoses, food safety, responsible use of antibiotics, or animal welfare, among others.
But that’s not all. Because we must not forget that interconnection between animal and human health that we talked about.
The future lies in the balance and care of animal, human, and environmental health.
| Only this global concept will make us progress. In this context, the veterinarian is a key element for animal health. And, beyond that, it will be crucial for the real implementation of the One Health approach. |
