Madalyn Nielsen - Program Officer, VETS | Veterinarians Without Borders
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Madalyn Nielsen

Madalyn Nielsen is Program Officer, VETS at Veterinarians Without Borders North America/Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Amérique du Nord.

Madalyn Nielsen

Program Officer, VETS

Madalyn joined VWB in October 2025, bringing a lifelong passion for the intersection of animal and human well-being. Her early experiences showing dairy cattle in rural Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia) and working in a small animal veterinary clinic inspired her pursuit of a Bachelor of Arts in Bioveterinary Science and a Master of Arts in Global Development Studies—grounding her in the principles of One Health that now guide her work.

Madalyn has seven years of experience working for international cooperation programs and is a published academic author in the gender and rural development space. She is interested in how intersectional gender dynamics affect livestock-based livelihoods and believes that locally driven solutions including all gender identities are invaluable. Madalyn previously volunteered in Kenya through VWB’s Emerging Leaders Program as a Gender Advisor Volunteer.

In her free time, Madalyn loves to spend time outdoors, travel, and spend as much time with animals as possible.

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  • My voluntary assignments in Ghana for the past three years have dramatically improved animal production in terms of reducing mortality and increasing the size of the herd/flock.
    - Joseph Ansong-Danquah

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