Brian G. Bedard is a Board member with Veterinarians Without Borders North America/Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Amérique du Nord Canada.
Brian G. Bedard, the Director of Food Safety and Animal Health at Alinea International, is a veterinary epidemiologist and food safety specialist with 40 years of international development experience living and working in Africa, South East Asia, China, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.
His professional experience has involved animal health and production, food safety, disease control and pandemic preparedness planning, sustainable agriculture, education and training, and the facilitation of sustainable agri-food value chains through public-private partnerships. Through multiple overseas postings he has managed international development programs including the World Bank Global Food Safety Partnership (GFSP), the Global Program for Human and Avian Influenza (GPAI), One Health Initiatives, and food safety education and training as Executive Director of the Science and Education Foundation in the US. He currently oversees food safety and One Health programs in Southeast Asia, Africa and Central Asia for Alinea International.
In recognition of International Day for Biological Diversity 2026, VWB reflects on how healthy rangelands, community-led animal health systems, and pastoralist knowledge help sustain resilience across working landscapes worldwide.
Based on field insights from Senegal, this blog examines how VWB’s COHERS program is helping drive early gender-transformative change at the household level — reshaping who decides, who acts, and how families respond to risks affecting both human and animal health.
#VETSVolunteerVoices brings you stories of our passionate VETS program volunteers from the field. Meet Hiya Goyal, a Communications Advisor who spent five months in Laos (November 2025–March 2026) with our local partner, Health Poverty Action, strengthening communications and knowledge sharing while exploring how listening and storytelling can bridge gaps between policy, research, and community experience.
