Dr. Villard graduated from U.C. Davis in 2003 after completing a Master of Science in Biology at Stanford University and a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature at U.C. Berkeley. Prior to attending veterinary school, Dr. Villard worked as a veterinary technician for several years where he gained a love of the profession.

Upon graduation, Dr. Villard spent a year at Castro Valley Companion Animal Hospital, and beginning in 2004, worked eight years of overnight shifts at Pets Unlimited where he specialized in emergency and urgent care. He then transitioned to day shifts, dividing his time between general practice, emergency medicine and surgery. In 2014, Pets Unlimited merged with the San Francisco SPCA where Dr. Villard remained employed until August of 2021, at which point he transitioned to San Francisco Pet Hospital.

Dr. Villard and his wife live in San Francisco, and share their home with several cats and two dogs, all of whom were adopted as strays.