 | Association for Applied Animal Andrology |
About Our Association
The Association for Applied Animal Andrology (4A) is an international organisation that seeks to further the understanding of male reproduction in those animals which are of interest to mankind. It brings together representatives of science, industry and education to focus on a wide spectrum of endeavour, from maximising genetic progress in livestock to preserving rare and endangered species. It also fulfills a unique role by facilitating direct dialogue between cutting-edge science, education, and the animal breeding industries within an international context.
- Male animal anatomy, physiology and endocrinology
- Applied andrological cellular and molecular biology
- Andrological assessment, including semen.
- Male animal reproductive behaviour and reproductive management
- Semen assessment, preservation and insemination
- Semen transport, including methods and regulations
- Good laboratory practices (GLPs) in Animal Andrology
- Applicable biosecurity, including regulatory aspects
- Male reproductive genetics
- Male-factor infertility; causes, diagnosis and consequences
If any of these topics tweak your interest or curiosity, whether as a scientist, animal breeder, livestock producer or pursuant of knowledge, we encourage you to join our association and be part of an exciting and growing area of scientific endeavor as well as its applications in important fields such as world protein production and wildlife preservation.
Honoree List
In recognition of their outstanding contributions to Applied Animal Andrology, please click here to download details of the individuals who have been awarded lifetime honorary membership in the AAAA.
Meet our 2025 Executive Team
| President/Treasurer - Professor John Kastelic Professor Kastelic’s origins were on a cattle farm near Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He received his DVM from the U. of Saskatchewan (US) in 1982, and spent more than 2 years in private practice and 1 year in a MS program at US before transferring to the U. of Wisconsin-Madison. Under the supervision of OJ Ginther, he was involved in early studies on the use of ultrasonography for reproductive imaging and studying the ovaries, uterus and conceptus in cattle. He completed his PhD in 1990 and was then recruited by Glenn Coulter (AAAA Founding President) to work at the Lethbridge Research Centre (~200 km/130 miles from Calgary). In 2012, he joined the U. of Calgary, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, where he was a Professor of Theriogenology and Head of the Department of Production Animal Health until retiring in March 2025. Dr. Kastelic's main interests in andrology include scrotal/testicular thermoregulation and the effects of nutrition on puberty and reproductive development. Contact Details: |
| Vice President - Assistant Professor Guilherme Rizzoto Dr. Rizzoto graduated as a veterinarian in 2015 from the Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil, and received his PhD (“Pathogenesis of Heat Induced Infertility in Male Mammals”) in 2020 from the University of Calgary (Calgary, AB, Canada) where he worked with Dr. John Kastelic. From 2021- 22, he held a post-doctoral position (Promising Young Researcher Award) at UNESP (São Paulo State University – Botucatu, SP, Brazil) and is currently a post-doctoral researcher at Ghent University, with the support of a BOF Award (2022 – 25). He is also a Professor at UNESP in the Graduate Program in Animal Biotechnology (2019 - Ongoing). He is an enthusiast of animal andrology and theriogenology with several publications in the area and has also received important awards, including the Gustav Rosenberger Memorial Fund for young researchers. His research is focused upon impacts of heat stress on male fertility and he has received significant international grants in support. Contact Details: ResearchGate: Guilherme Rizzoto |
| Director - Doctor Laura Abril-Parreño Dr. Abril-Parreño is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Physiology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia (Spain). Her main interests are in sperm biology and the molecular mechanisms regulating the interaction of sperm with the female reproductive tract. In 2021, she earned her PhD from the University of Limerick (Ireland), where her research focused on sperm transport across the cervix in ewe breeds known to exhibit varying pregnancy rates following cervical artificial insemination with frozen-thawed semen. Through this work, she developed expertise in a range of Omics technologies—including transcriptomics, glycomics, and metabolomics—as well as in ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS), with applications in reproductive biology. Recently, Dr. Abril-Parreño was awarded the prestigious Juan de la Cierva Postdoctoral Fellowship in Spain. In addition, she is a member of the Spanish Association for the Study of Reproductive Biology (ASEBIR) and serves on the organizing committees of the COST Action ANDRONET (European Andrology Network – research coordination, education, and public awareness) and the Association for Applied Animal Andrology. Contact Details: ORCID ID: 0000-0002-9628-134X |
| Secretary - Associate Professor Maria S. Ferrer Dr. Ferrer currently works at the Department of Large Animal Medicine, University of Georgia. Maria does research in Andrology and spermatology. Current projects are stallion and bull immune mediated infertility, and testicular degeneration. Contact Details: |
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| Director - Associate Professor Elisa Giaretta Dr Elisa Giaretta obtained her veterinary degree from the University of Bologna in 2011, followed by her PhD (title “ Effect of antioxidant supplementation on pig and horse gamete storage”) under the supervision of Professor Carlo Tamanini. She is currently associate professor at the University of Padua in the Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science. Her research activity encompasses conservation of gametes and their quality parameters, including effects of natural antioxidants. In addition, she studies the energy metabolism and changes associated with capacitation and the acrosome reaction in sperm of different domestic species. Concurrent research interests are in farm animal adaptation and stress responses to change, aimed at developing animal health and welfare biomarkers. She has received several grants and awards and teaches subjects in both Animal and Veterinary Sciences. Contact Details: |
| Director - Dr. Christine Aurich
Associate Professor in Animal Reproduction, Vienna University for Veterinary Medicine, Austria DVM Hannover, Germany 1990; Dr med vet Hannover, Germany 1992; Dr med vet habil Hannover, Germany 1997; Associate Professor in Animal Reproduction, Vienna University for Veterinary Medicine, Austria 2000. Christine Aurich is the Chair of the Clinical Centre for Reproduction and the Graf Lehndorff-Institute for Equine Sciences of the Vienna University for Veterinary Medicine, Austria. She is a Diplomate of the European College of Animal Reproduction (ECAR). Her research focuses on gamete physiology, assisted reproductive technologies and pregnancy in domestic animals with main emphasis on the horse. She is the author of more than 250 scientific peer-reviewed articles in international journals and editor of a German-language textbook on equine reproduction. She is Co-Editor in Chief of the journal Animal Reproduction Science. Contact Details: Email: christine.aurich@vetmeduni.ac.at |
| Director - Professor Gary Althouse Professor Althouse has had a long, and continuing, distinguished career in which he has made significant contributions to animal reproduction and reproductive management (particularly with swine), scientific knowledge, education (both academic and industry) and leadership of academic and animal reproduction organizations. The latter has included the SFT (past-president), ACT (past-president), TF, AASV, ICBSP and IPVS. He is currently Associate Dean of Sustainable Agriculture and Veterinary Practices and Professor of Reproduction and Swine Health, holding the MD & DG Jones Endowed Chair in Animal Reproduction within the Department of Clinical Studies (where he also was Department Chairman for over 10 years). He has also won a number of awards including the Robert Whitlock Award for Excellence in Faculty Mentoring. Gary is an innovator and visionary with a wide and deep understanding of a number of disciplines, which has helped him to see the big picture. He also has been a generous collaborator and contributor, not only scientifically, but also with his leadership and educational knowledge and skills. Contact details: Email: gca@vet.upenn.edu |
| Director - Professor Joao Carlos Pinheiro Ferreira Dr. Ferreira holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of Pará (1990), a master's degree in Veterinary Medicine from the Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP, 1995) and a PhD in Veterinary Medicine from UNESP (2000). He is currently a Full Professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science at UNESP. He has experience in the area of ​​Veterinary Medicine, with emphasis on Reproductive Physiology, Animal Reproduction Pathophysiology, and Animal Welfare. Contact details: |
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Director - Professor Jorge Chacón Calderón
Dr. Chacón specializes in animal reproduction with a focus on clinical andrology (theriogenology). He earned his Veterinary Medicine degree from the School of Veterinary Medicine at UNA–Costa Rica in 1990, followed by a Master of Science in Herd Health and Animal Reproduction (Postgraduate Certificate in Tropical Veterinary Sciences) from UNA–Costa Rica in 1997. He completed his Ph.D. in Gynecology and Obstetrics at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala, Sweden in 2000. Since 1991, Dr. Chacón has served as a professor in the Department of Reproduction at EMV–UNA and has coordinated the Andrology Laboratory since 1995. Contact details: |
| Past President - Professor Peter Chenoweth Peter completed his Veterinary and PhD degrees at the University of Queensland Australia), and has taught in Veterinary Schools in both Australia and the US, in addition to establishing animal andrology laboratories in both countries. He was a co-founder of 4A, in Hungary in 1997. He has numerous publications in animal reproduction as well as veterinary education and animal welfare. He has co-published “Animal Andrology: Theories and Practices” (CABI 2014) as well as Manual of Animal Andrology (2022). He was recognized as the Theriogenologist of the Year in 2013, and received the Gilruth Prize from the Australian Veterinary Association in 2017 for “outstanding contributions to veterinary sciences”. He has served as served on the 4A Executive Board for a number of years, most recently as President. Although not eligible to be re-elected to the 4A Executive Board, he will continue to contribute in the post-hoc role of Past President. Contact details: Email: vacavet@gmail.com |
| Ex Officio - Glenn Coulter Glenn has had a long and distinguished career which has encompassed not only male reproduction (on particularly aspects of bull fertility) but also in administration, consulting and commercialization of useful technologies. He was part of the think-tank which, in Budapest Hungary, envisaged the creation of the organization which became 4A. Not only that, but Glenn was the inaugural president of 4A and played a pivotal role in its incorporation in Canada as a not-for-profit organization. 4A today is a tribute to Glenn’s vision and motivation, and this has been acknowledged with an Honorary Membership. Contact details: Email: 2coulter@telus.net |
