Speaker Bios

Michelle is a veterinarian from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, committed to improving access to animal health services in remote Indigenous communities across Canada’s North. Born and raised in Yellowknife, she returned home after earning her veterinary degree from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2014. Since then, she has balanced private practice with her passion for community-based care, partnering with northern animal welfare organizations to bring veterinary services to some of the country’s most isolated regions. Dr. Tuma began working with VWB North America in 2018, where she helped launch the Northern Animal Health Initiative —a program rooted in the One Health approach and grounded in respectful, community-led partnerships.