Valli Fraser-Celin is the Companion Animal Manager at Veterinarians Without Borders North America/Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Amérique du Nord.
Valli joined the VWB team in July 2024. She brings a decade of experience in human-animal relationships, with a focus on companion animals and wildlife. She holds a PhD from the University of Guelph in Geography where she conducted research on human-African wild dog conflict and conservation. Following her PhD, she conducted postdoctoral studies in Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary where she focused on dogs in Indigenous communities, One Health, Reconciliation, and equitable access to veterinary care.
Prior to joining VWB, Valli worked for the Ontario Veterinary College on an access to veterinary care project focused on alternative economies and previously for the Winnipeg Humane Society where she planned veterinary clinics in remote communities across Manitoba. Valli currently lives in Winnipeg (Treaty 1 Territory and the homeland of the Métis Nation), runs a pet food pantry in her spare time, and is passionate about humane dog training.
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.
