Katherine C Polak, DVM, MPH, MS, DACVPM, DABVP

Dr. Katherine Polak is Senior Vice President of Global Programs and Policy at Humane World for Animals (formerly the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International), where she oversees global efforts to improve animal welfare through policy, advocacy, capacity building, and systems-level change. Her portfolio includes companion animal welfare, wildlife protection, farm animal welfare, alternatives to animal testing, and animal rescue and response.

A veterinarian double board-certified in Shelter Medicine Practice and Preventive Medicine, Dr. Polak has spent much of her career developing and leading large-scale animal welfare programs internationally. Before joining Humane World for Animals, she managed companion animal welfare programs and campaigns across Asia for FOUR PAWS and served as International Director of Animal Welfare at Soi Dog Foundation in Thailand. There, she helped establish and manage one of the world’s largest street dog sterilization and vaccination programs in Bangkok.

Dr. Polak earned her veterinary degree from Iowa State University and holds master’s degrees in Public Health and Forensic Science. She completed a shelter medicine and surgery internship at Colorado State University and a shelter medicine residency at the University of Florida, where she currently serves as an adjunct faculty member in the online Shelter Medicine Program.

Her professional interests include shelter medicine, veterinary access to care, infectious disease prevention, humane dog and cat population management, and sustainable approaches to improving animal welfare globally. She has authored numerous scientific publications and is co-editor of Field Manual for Small Animal Medicine, published by Wiley, a practical resource for veterinarians working in under-resourced communities.

Dr. Polak serves on the international advisory board of the Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs. Her contributions to veterinary medicine and animal welfare have been recognized with several honors, including the Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ Veterinarian of the Year Award in 2019 and the Bridge Club ICON Award in 2025.