Dr. Heyne
Galen is originally from Fairbanks, Alaska, but has his roots in southeastern Minnesota where his grandparents owned a dairy farm. He moved to the Madison area to do his undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin and obtained his Doctorate in 2019. In between degrees, he worked in kitchens as a line cook and in several research labs, where he studied glaucoma, molecular bacteriology, and cleft lip and palate. He remains curious and enjoys keeping up to date on the latest clinical studies. In veterinary school his focus was on dairy and equine medicine, planning to wind up in mixed practice. However, before starting at Badger in Cambridge, he worked exclusively in high volume small animal surgery and shelter medicine – the two areas he never dreamed he would find himself in!
Galen lives in McFarland with his wife Becky and two small girls, Rory (2) and Izzy (0). They also have two old rescue pups named Copper and Chena.
Galen’s professional interests include small animal surgery, production medicine, and dentistry. He is also passionate about teaching and really enjoys hosting pre-veterinary students and 4th-year veterinary externs. His professional memberships include the American Veterinary Medicine Association, the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association, the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, and the Dane County Veterinary Medical Association.
Interesting Facts
- He met his wife at UW-Madison where they both played Club Volleyball
- His dogs are both named for rivers in Alaska that Galen spent time fishing and canoeing on in his youth
- He is an avid Badger sports fan and an adopted supporter of the Packers, Bucks, and Brewers
- “Heyne like China” became his nickname in high school after the school receptionist asked for pronunciation over the entire school’s PA system
- He loves puzzles of all kinds!