Speakers & Contributors
Dr. Victoria Bowes – Dr. Victoria Bowes has worked at the Provincial Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Abbotsford, BC since 1989 as a specialist pathologist with expertise in Avian Pathology. Her diagnostic caseload involved disease investigations in all species of birds (wild, pet, zoological and poultry). Dr. Bowes also co-developed the BC Ministry of Agriculture’s Small Flock Poultry Health Extension Program and has delivered over 150 poultry health workshops to both small flock owners and non-poultry veterinary colleagues. Dr. Bowes is a diplomat of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians (ACPV) and was also the inaugural chair of the Small Flock Committee of the American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP). Dr. Bowes has been a key player in 5 outbreaks of Notifiable Avian Influenza in BC’s Fraser Valley and is an internationally recognized expert in AI in poultry. She recently established a mobile veterinary practice specializing in small flock poultry medicine.
Dr. Neil Ambrose – Director of Veterinary Services for Sunrise Farms, a major poultry processor in Canada with operations in four provinces across Canada. The scope of my responsibilities are from farm to fork. I have been involved in all AI outbreaks in BC since 2004 and, in the last three years, Alberta and Manitoba as well.
Dr. Maulik Baxi – Medical Health Officer, Fraser Health
Kelsey Nicholson – Kelsey Nicholson has her master’s in public health, Health Policy and Management and is currently pursuing her PhD with a focus on Multi-disasters and their effect on health, well-being, and resilience in rural communities of Alaska. She has been the Program Administrator with the Center for One Health Research since 2018 when it was just an initiative. Since then, it has transitioned from an initiative to a center and then Kelsey and Arleigh built the One Health Master’s program together.
Dr. Alisa Alexander – Dr. Alisa Alexander is from the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation in Canada and has over ten years of experience as a Family Physician and in Physician Leadership. She has a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Victoria and received her medical degree from McMaster University. Dr. Alexander completed her family medicine residency through the University of British Columbia in the Indigenous Family Medicine program. Since that time, she has worked for two tribal health organizations in Interior Alaska. Initially working with the Council of Athabaskan Tribal Governments in a fly-in only village, providing health care to 5 additional villages and then as the lead for the Urgent Care clinic with Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) in Fairbanks. Most recently Dr. Alexander worked for TCC as the Senior Medical Officer at the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Dr. Alexander was responsible for leading the pandemic response for TCC who serve 49 tribes in interior Alaska, many that live in remote villages with no road access in a region that is larger than the state of Texas. Dr. Alexander has recently joined the Center for One Health Research team as Deputy Director and is interested in exploring the intersections of public health with environmental and animal health through research, teaching, mentoring and community-based projects. She has a keen interest in food security and sovereignty, climate change and human health, and working with Indigenous communities both rurally and internationally.
Dr. Arleigh Reynolds – Arleigh Reynolds received his Bachelors of Science in Biology (1983), Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (1986), and PhD (1992) Degrees from Cornell University. He became board certified in clinical nutrition in 1996. He has worked in private practice, (1986-1989), in the private sector as a research scientist for Nestle Purina (1998- 2014) and as a faculty member at Cornell University (1994-1998) and UAF (2014-present). He oversaw the construction and operation of the veterinary medicine program at UAF where he served as the Associate Dean for 4 years. He is a PI on the $39 million NIH Biomedical Learning and Student Training (BLaST) program at UAF which engages and supports Alaska Native and rural Alaskan students into biomedical pathways through a One Health approach that makes such work relevant to their life experiences. Dr. Reynolds is currently the Director of the Center for One Health Research at UAF. His research has focused on studying sled dogs as sentinel models for people in rural Alaska, and developing resilience in young people through cultural activities.
Dr. Andrea Osborn – Dr. Andrea Osborn is a senior veterinary science specialist with the Animal Health Risk Assessment and Intelligence Unit in CFIA’s Science Branch. Andrea has a B.Sc. in biology from the University of Victoria (1989), and a DVM from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon (1998). Andrea spent most of her career working in aquatic animal health and regulatory programs, including time with the province of British Columbia, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the CFIA. Since 2016, Andrea’s work with the CFIA has centred on collaborative cross-sectoral disease surveillance. She has worked closely with multi-sectoral leaders to support the development of the Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System. Andrea’s primary role is as the coordinator of the Community for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases.
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