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 this edition of Ask an Expert, we spoke with veterinarian Dr. Elena Garde, whose career has spanned wildlife disease research, zoonotic disease, disaster response and community-based animal health across Canada, Latin America and beyond.
Register now for our World AMR Awareness Week 2026 webinar, which brings together experts in antimicrobial resistance (AMR), animal health, and One Health to examine where progress is being made in the global response to AMR, why gaps persist between policy commitments and implementation, and what stronger coordination across human, animal, and environmental health can contribute to meaningful, lasting change.
Written by Janine Mitchell, Executive Director of VWB, in recognition of One Health Day (November 3), this article draws on the FAO Global Conference for Actions on One Health in Agrifood Systems and the VSF International General Assembly to explore what it takes to turn One Health commitments into action—from building equitable partnerships and strengthening collaboration to ensuring practical systems and accountability.
