Madalyn Nielsen is a VETS Program Officer for Veterinarians Without Borders North America/Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Amérique du Nord.
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.
#VETSVolunteerVoices brings you stories of our passionate VETS program volunteers from the field. Meet Grace Friesen, an Animal Health Advisor who spent three months in Kenya (May–August 2025) with our local partner, Meru Dairy, helping farmers improve herd health and milk production while learning firsthand how knowledge exchange can strengthen entire communities.
Josephine Mukagasana’s story shows how Community Hygiene Clubs are transforming health and confidence across rural Rwanda—empowering families to embrace handwashing, hygiene, and shared responsibility through the COHERS program’s One Health approach.
In this edition of Ask an Expert, we connected with Dr. Naima Jutha, Wildlife Veterinarian and Chief Veterinary Officer for the Government of the Northwest Territories. Based in Yellowknife, Dr. Jutha leads the Wildlife Health Program within the Department of Environment and Climate Change, monitoring and responding to emerging health threats among northern wildlife populations.
