Kris Barrette is the Northern Canada Program Officer for Veterinarians Without Borders.
Kris is a Fear Free certified Registered Veterinary Technician who has worked in the animal and veterinary industries for over 18 years. During this time, she developed a passion for shelter medicine, which furthered her interest in One Health, population management via accessible spay/neuter services, compassionate client education, and the importance of the human-animal bond.
Before joining VWB/VSF Canada in February 2023, Kris worked in a non-profit model veterinary clinic providing accessible veterinary care to low-income clients and participated in several temporary veterinary clinics in Indigenous communities across Ontario. She is eager to use these experiences to continue the development of sustainable, community-led animal health care programs in her role as Northern Canada Program Officer.
Kris' love for animals extends to her home life, where she and her partner have two dogs, Karen and Isis, and two cats, Kevin and Dolores. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, backcountry camping, geocaching, crossword puzzles, and fostering feral kittens.
In an effort to continue building animal welfare capacity in Ukraine, VWB/VSF is hosting monthly webinars for Ukrainian veterinarians, veterinary technicians, animal shelter workers, students, and more. They will be simultaneously hosted in both English and Ukrainian.
Through our VETS program, our volunteer gender specialists are supporting women in Kenya by increasing their farms' dairy production and animal health knowledge.
Together with our on-the-ground partners, we recently celebrated our 1,000th telehealth appointment in Ukraine. This service connects veterinarians and pet owners in Ukraine, providing virtual veterinary evaluations and recommended treatments.
