Dr. Anna Mackay is on the board of directors for Veterinarians Without Borders North America/Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Amérique du Nord Canada.
Dr. Anna MacKay earned her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (DVM) in 1985 and a master’s degree in veterinary science from the University of Montreal in 1995, specializing in Pathology and Microbiology. After seven years in small animal practice, she transitioned to the public sector, working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), specializing in food safety and animal health. She served as Regional Veterinary Officer (RVO) and project manager for the National Animal Health Strategy (NAHS) framework at CFIA.
In 2015, she joined the agency's main headquarters in Ottawa as the National Manager and Project Director, where she developed and implemented a digital solution to automate risk calculation for the Establishment-based Risk Assessment (ERA) models in food and hatchery sectors. These models are designed to identify and target CFIA inspection activities at higher-risk establishments. Additionally, she initiated the development and implementation of ERA for the feed mills and renderers sectors. Until her retirement from CFIA's Science Branch in March 2024, she served as the National Manager and Project Director for the development and automation of the Work Tasking Logic Model (WTLM), an optimization tool for CFIA inspectors.
Anna joined the Veterinarians without Borders North America (VWBNA) board in 2017, contributing to fundraising efforts and serving on the Northern Program Advisory Group.
She is also actively committed in various veterinary organizations and community initiatives, such as the Association vétérinaire Québécoise de médecine de refuge (AVQMR) and the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program in her neighborhood since 2012.
Anna's background in food inspection, animal health and One Health initiatives drives her interest in the interconnected health of humans, animals, and the environment.
#VETSVolunteerVoices brings you stories of our passionate volunteers from the field. Meet Dayo Olaniyan, a Gender Advisor who spent three months in Ghana (May–August 2025) with our local partner, GAPNET, strengthening gender equity in livestock production and empowering rural communities.
In this edition of Ask an Expert, we connected with Dr. Richard Rusk, a public health physician and clinician who grew up in South Africa and is now based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. With expertise in the epidemiology of infectious and vector-borne diseases, he brings both human and animal clinical experience, along with a systems-level perspective, to addressing challenges facing communities in Canada and around the world.
#VETSVolunteerVoices brings you stories of our passionate VETS program volunteers from the field. This blog was written by Kayla Williams, a Veterinary Student and Animal Health Advisor who supported our VETS partner, the Apex Body of Women in Poultry Value Chain (WIPVaC-Apex), in Ghana from May to August 2025.
