Dr. Katherine Polak is a veterinarian dedicated to improving animal welfare in Southeast Asia, and in limited-resourced communities around the world. She currently serves as the Head of Stray Animal Care – Southeast Asia for FOUR PAWS International, a global animal welfare organization based in Vienna, Austria working to end the suffering of wild, stray, and farm animals. Currently based out of Bangkok, Thailand, Dr. Polak currently manages a variety of companion animal programs in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, with a special focus on combating the cruel dog and cat meat trade in the region. A boarded specialist in both Shelter Medicine and Veterinary Preventive Medicine, her focus is on veterinary training, high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter programs, and organizational capacity building. She also serves as faculty at the University of Florida where she teaches in the online Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program, sits on the WSAVA Animal Welfare Committee, and has also co-edited the textbook, 'Field Manual for Small Animal Medicine' with Wiley Publishing, a resource for veterinarians working in under-resourced communities.