Dr. Jaco Bakker gained his Ph.D. at Utrecht University, Netherlands in 2017. Since graduating as a veterinarian in 2002, Dr. Bakker has continuously worked at the BPRC. In 2011, he was appointed as the director of BPRC’s veterinary department and the center’s designated veterinarian. His duties include membership of the Animal Welfare Body, general animal care, establishing and implementing enrichment programs, reviewing research protocols, disease monitoring (preventive medicine), evaluating new treatments for animals, supervising breeding programs, educating and training personnel (scientific and technical), and public education. As a member of the Animal Welfare Body, he is involved in the review of all animal care and uses applications to ensure the implementation of the three Rs. He is also actively involved in all research in laboratory animal science and medicine at BPRC whose aims are to improve veterinary care and welfare. Dr. Bakker has established several national and international collaborations, which have resulted in various joint publications and invitations to present research outcomes. He is a member of the American Primate Veterinarians, the European Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians, the European Society of Laboratory Animal Veterinarians, and the Animal Ethics Committee at Leiden University Medical Center. From 2017 to 2019, he acted as the president of the European Primate Veterinarians Society.