Dr. Willens received his BS in Animal Science from Rutgers University in 1992, DVM from the University of Minnesota in 1996 with externships at the Minnesota Zoo and Gabbert Raptor Center, a veterinary internship in Aquatic Animal Medicine and Research from Mystic Aquarium in 1999, and Ph.D. in Comparative Biomedical Sciences (Pharmacology) from North Carolina State University in 2005. Immediately after the events of September 11, 2001, Dr. Willens joined the Army Veterinary Corps and retired with 20 years of active-duty service in 2022 as a Lieutenant Colonel. He voluntarily deployed to Iraq in 2007 on an embedded provincial reconstruction team to assist agricultural communities in Babil Province and veterinarians at the Baghdad Zoo. In 2013, Dr. Willens became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (ACVPM), and he is also a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV), and the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM). His expertise includes avian/exotic/aquatic animal medicine and surgery, pharmacology, toxicology, preventive medicine, and public health, and he is National Veterinary Accreditation Program (NVAP) Category II and Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostician (FADD) certified. Dr. Willens holds a third-degree black belt in taekwondo and sings lead vocals for the rock cover band Weird Science. His three rescue beagles, Daisy, Leonidas, and Peanut, usually accompany him to work and enjoy greeting clients and pets.
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