Departmental Affiliations
Center & Institute Affiliations
Research Interests
Refinement of science and the 3Rs; New Approach Methodologies (NAMs); human-relevant research and critical appraisal of animal models; quality and reproducibility of research and testing; humane education and ethical foundations of scientific training; animal welfare science, ethics, and law; zoonoses and human–animal–environment interactions; plant-based nutrition and public health; planetary health and sustainability
Experiences & Accomplishments
Kathrin Herrmann is a veterinary specialist in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics & Law (DipECAWBM, AWSEL) with a PhD in Biomedical Sciences. Her work centers on advancing humane, human-relevant research and strengthening animal protection through evidence-based, ethically grounded, and policy-relevant approaches. She emphasizes the interdependence of animal wellbeing, human health, and planetary health. At the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), Dr. Herrmann directs the Beyond Classical Refinement and Education Programs, where she teaches and mentors students and scientists in humane science, animal ethics, and the 3Rs. Her programs promote critical thinking, ethical reflection, and scientific rigor to support the transition toward human-relevant research and integrate animal protection within a public and planetary health framework.
Honors & Awards
2024
• LUSH Prize for Major Science Collaboration — awarded to the international Coalition to Illuminate and Address Animal Methods Bias (COLAAB), of which Dr. Herrmann is a founding member.
2018
• Seed Grant, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT).
• Open-access book publication support, funded by the LUSH Prize and LUSH Charity Pot.
2012–2015
• Full PhD scholarship, SET Foundation (Stiftung zur Förderung der Erforschung von Ersatz- und Ergänzungsmethoden zur Einschränkung von Tierversuchen), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Select Publications
Krebs, C. E., & Herrmann, K. (2024). Confronting the bias towards animal experimentation (animal methods bias). Frontiers in Drug Discovery, 4, Article 1347798. https://doi.org/10.3389/fddsv.2024.1347798
Marshall, L. J., Bailey, J., Cassotta, M., Herrmann, K., & Pistollato, F. (2023). Poor translatability of biomedical research using animals: A narrative review. Alternatives to Laboratory Animals (ATLA), 51(2), 102–135. https://doi.org/10.1177/02611929231157756
Herrmann, K., Pistollato, F. and Stephens, M. (2019). Food For Thought...Beyond the 3Rs: Expanding the use of human-relevant replacement methods in biomedical research, ALTEX - Alternatives to Animal Experimentation, 36(3), pp. 343-352. Available at: https://www.altex.org/index.php/altex/article/view/1301
Herrmann, K., & Jayne, K. (Eds.). (2019). Animal experimentation: Working towards a paradigm change (Vol. 22, 752 pp.). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004391192