Prof. Kassahun was born on December 20, 1968 at a place called Wadera in southern Ethiopia. He did elementary and junior level schooling at Odo Shakisso, and high school at Kibremengist and Yirgalem. Later he joined Addis Ababa University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and graduated with DVM degree in the year 1997. Six years after, he re-joined the same faculty and recieved Master of Science (MSc) degree in Tropical Veterinary Epidemiology. In the year 2013, he earned his PhD degree in Veterinary Medicine and Science from Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, center for epidemiology and biostatistics, Oslo Norway. Over the last 20 years of his professional journey, he served the livestock sector at various capacities, including field veterinarian, animal health team leader, instructor, faculty dean, researcher, research adviser and senior consultant for national and international organizations. He has been contracted by, among others, Hawassa University, Ministry of Agriculture, ILRI, ICARDA, Ethiopian Veterinary Association, Tufts University East African Regional Office, and VSF Suisse. Prof. Kassahun’s research mainly focuses on diseases affecting the productive and reproductive performance of cattle and small ruminants. In this connection, he reported the presence, clinical relevance and epidemiology of Neospora caninum infection in dairy cattle for the first time in Ethiopia in his PhD work. Currently, he is working on viral causes of reproductive disorders as a continuum of this achievement. Prof. Kassahun has authored and co-authored over 40 research articles in national and international peer reviewed journals.

Veterinary Science, center for epidemiology and biostatistics