Dr. Catherine R. Belanger is on the board of directors with Veterinarians Without Borders North America/Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Amérique du Nord Canada.
Catherine is a veterinarian who graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2019. After graduation, she spent time in a small animal emergency practice as well as the Meat Hygiene division of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. She has experience volunteering in both local and international veterinary outreach programs.
Currently, she is a PhD student in the Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph, where she is receiving training in veterinary epidemiology, zoonosis, and One Health. She concurrently works as a student epidemiologist in the Foodborne Disease and AMR Surveillance Division of the Public Health Agency of Canada.
This article explores the persistent threat of anthrax and the critical need for community-led surveillance in preventing zoonotic outbreaks. It highlights how VWB’s One Health approach—through the COHERS program, CAHW training, and gender-responsive outreach—strengthens local capacity to detect and manage neglected diseases, protecting both human and animal health in vulnerable communities.
#VETSVolunteerVoices aims to bring you stories of our passionate VETS program volunteers from the field. This blog was written by Guy Audet, a Business Development Advisor who supported our VETS program partner, WIPVaC-Apex, in Ghana from March to May 2025.
In Meru County, Kenya, Community One Health Champion Ann Kagwira is improving her farm’s productivity and herd health through ongoing collaboration with VETS volunteers and Meru Dairy — demonstrating how long-term support and continuous learning can drive lasting change for farmers and their communities.
