Veterinarian Overview
Dr. Willens received his BS in Animal Science from Rutgers University in 1992, DVM from University of Minnesota in 1996 with externships at the Minnesota Zoo and Gabbert Raptor Center, veterinary internship in Aquatic Animal Medicine and Research from Mystic Aquarium in 1999, and PhD 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 he currently serves on active duty in the rank of Major. 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 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, and preventive medicine and public health. In his down time, Dr. Willens is lead singer for the rock cover band, Til September, and instructs and practices taekwondo with his son, Matthew, as second degree black belts. His dancer and violinist daughter, Emily, also works at NVA.
