Kelly DeBaene

Kelly DeBaene is the Researcher to the CEO, supporting outreach and engagement activities for the Foundation’s Executive Office and Kelly can be contacted regarding speaking opportunities or to arrange a meeting with Jayasree. A veterinarian by training, she holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology & Biostatistics from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and board certification from the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.  

Over the course of her career, she has held various roles in clinical veterinary medicine and public health. During her California Epidemiologic Investigative Service fellowship with a local public health department, she led several projects focused on parental vaccine hesitancy, rabies control and prevention, and community preparedness planning for infectious disease emergencies such as pandemics. Later as the department’s Communicable Disease Unit manager, she managed a multidisciplinary team conducting infectious disease control, surveillance and reporting activities, and served as the unit’s communications lead. She is the founder of a community program increasing access to essential care for pets of people experiencing homelessness or financial hardship.