Community Healthcare Partnership Program Welcomes New Clinical Veterinarian

The Kim and Stu Lang Community Healthcare Partnership Program (CHPP) at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) is pleased to welcome Dr. Jamie Freeman-Braganca as clinical veterinarian. 

Freeman-Braganca brings a wealth of knowledge in community and shelter medicine, as well as experience mentoring new graduates and student veterinarians. As clinical veterinarian with CHPP, she will lead experiential learning opportunities for Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) students, while providing clinical services for companion animals receiving care through CHPP’s community programs. 

CHPP: Removing Barriers to Veterinary Care 

Founded in 2019 through a generous $11-million donation from OVC benefactors Kim and Stu Lang, CHPP works to remove barriers to companion animal care in under-resourced and made-vulnerable communities. In November 2024, Kim and Stu Lang renewed their commitment to CHPP, adding a generous $7 million grant through the Angel Gabriel Foundation to secure operations for the next five years. 

Using a collaborative care model that brings together veterinarians, registered veterinary technicians, students and community partners, CHPP helps Indigenous communities, people experiencing homelessness and sheltered animals by providing primary and acute veterinary care at a subsidized cost. The program also offers vital opportunities for OVC student veterinarians to reflect critically on cultural humility, social inequities impacting the human-animal bond and access to care, as well as to gain hands-on clinical training during Community Health rotations. 

Dr. Lynn Henderson, veterinary director of CHPP, highlights the value that Freeman-Braganca brings to the program: 

“The CHPP team has been eagerly awaiting the addition of a clinical veterinarian for some time. We are excited to welcome Dr. Freeman-Braganca, whose expertise in both shelter and community medicine will enrich our teaching in these areas and facilitate further relationships with community partners,” Henderson explains. “She will lead the operational and teaching portion of the CHPP curriculum associated with student Experiential Learning activities across Phases I-III, and will provide support for Phase IV CHPP Clinical Rotations, and partnered community service events.” 

A Commitment to Animal Welfare 

Freeman-Braganca graduated from OVC’s DVM program in 2018. She served as a general practitioner in Northern Ontario, providing routine and emergency care in a busy small animal practice, before pursuing her passion for accessible veterinary care and accepting a role as Public Service Veterinarian at the Toronto Humane Society. In this position, she trained in High-Volume, High-Quality Spay-Neuter techniques and used a Spectrum of Care approach to support clients and pets from diverse, made-vulnerable communities. 

Motivated by her dedication to animal welfare, Freeman-Braganca later shifted her focus, providing relief services for shelters and general practices across Ontario. 

During her time in practice, Freeman-Braganca has enjoyed mentoring veterinary students and new graduates, and she is keen to use her skill set for the benefit of DVM students at OVC. 

“I feel very fortunate to be a part of the CHPP team,” says Freeman-Braganca. “I look forward to supporting experiential learning for future veterinarians, and I aim to provide them with the tools they need to make a positive community impact, wherever their careers may take them.” 

To learn more about CHPP, visit https://chpp.uoguelph.ca/.