Gustave Kateb was born on September 16 in Paris, France. Of Algerian and French descent, Kateb grew up in an affluent family in Paris' 16 arrondissement. He comes from a well-respected lineage in both the military and medicine. In his second year of medical studies with the prestigious Paris Descartes University, Kateb answered the appeal for volunteers in Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). He has subsequently volunteered numerous times on emergency frontline aid missions around the world. At age twenty, Kateb declined a prominent private medical practice in favor of a career with the French Defense Health Service.



Kateb's main discipline is toxicology and ecotoxicology. He has authored studies on biological agents and their effects on at-risk populations and damaged environments, and contributed reports to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Recognizing the ongoing need for doctors, Kateb continues to volunteer with MSF. He is a highly regarded medical officer for the French Army Special Forces Command.