Northern New England Veterinary Alpine Symposium

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Dr. Jeanne Budgin trained at Iowa State University and was awarded a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1999. After two years in private practice, she went on to complete her internship in small animal medicine and surgery, post doctorate fellowship in immunodermatology, and residency training in dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania. She achieved diplomate status with the American College of Veterinary Dermatology in 2005.

After establishing and directing the dermatology and allergy service at the Animal Specialty Center in Yonkers, NY for nine years, she joined Riverdale Veterinary Dermatology in Riverdale, NJ for a five year period.

As a self-proclaimed “cat lady,” Dr. Budgin has a keen interest in feline dermatology, however she is also a true dog lover at heart. Her additional areas of interest include diet and nutrition in the management of allergic skin disease, treatment of drug resistant infections, and immune-mediated skin diseases. Dr. Budgin has published articles pertaining to veterinary dermatology in various journals and has presented at conferences throughout the world.

Dr. Budgin is the former treasurer, vice president, and president of the American Academy of Veterinary Dermatology (AAVD). She is also one of the very first members and has served on the organizing committee of the North American Veterinary Dermatology Forum for ten years. Dr. Budgin serves as the AAVD representative to the World Association of Veterinary Dermatology (WAVD) and contributes to the education committee of both the WAVD and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA).

Additional appointments include member-at-large of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology (ACVD) and avid reviewer of the ACVD’s official journal, Veterinary Dermatology.

Finally, and very passionately, Dr. Budgin is co-coordinator of the Global Veterinary Dermatology Education Group, an independent international organization that supports, educates, and empowers veterinarians in underserved areas of the world with an interest in dermatology to lead local ongoing efforts in training and advancement.

Dr. Budgin lives in northern Manhattan with her orange tabby, Pema. Her hobbies include cooking, yoga, photography, and spending time outdoors.

After graduating from the Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island in her native Canada,  Dr. Willis completed a small animal internship at Michigan State University,  residency training in Comparative Veterinary Ophthalmology at the University of Georgia,  and was board certified by the ACVO in 1998.   She then spent almost 4 years as an instructor in Comparative Veterinary Ophthalmology at The Ohio State University.   She has been in private practice for almost 3 decades, and for the past 12 years, has practiced ophthalmology exclusively with cats in the Metro West area of Boston.

The cat has been a personal and professional passion for Dr. Willis, from their unique set of ocular conditions, unique behaviors, and special relationship with their owners.  She currently oversees an ophthalmology service within a feline-only practice, providing the cat owner with the option to pursue specialty eye care for their pet in as calm and stress-free an environment as possible.  She also provides multiple local feline rescue groups with ophthalmology care.  While she enjoys all aspects of feline ophthalmology, ocular surface disease, uveitis and corneal and eyelid surgery are of special interest.   Dr. Willis is a long-term member of the Feline Veterinary Medical Association (formerly the American Association of Feline Practitioners), is a certified Cat-Friendly Veterinarian, and promotes the Fear-free philosophy in her daily practice.   She welcomes veterinary students to shadow her in clinics and is frequently invited to speak on topics in Feline Ophthalmology and Cat Friendly Practice.

Dr Willis lives in Arlington, MA with her veterinary pathologist husband, an energetic Border Collie and two one-eyed cats, and enjoys random visits from their son who attends the University of New Hampshire in Manchester.