FROM TEAM MASCOT TO TEAM PHYSICIAN Fun fact: While at NC State, Dr. Willoughby served as the popular team mascot Mr. Wuf for two years – performing on the sidelines at games and at community service events. “Every week I had two or three appearances at schools or hospitals or the YMCA, and just getting that chance to interact with kids and brighten their day was huge,” he said. He now uses his sports medicine training with athletes in a different role – as team physician for Northeast Guilford High School. He previously has worked with a number of organizations, including Northwestern University, the Joffrey Ballet, Blue Man Group, the Charlotte Symphony and Mallard Creek High School. FAMILY AND INTERESTS Dr. Willoughby and his wife have two young sons. His spare time, he said, is “100% about being a dad.” He enjoys spending family time outdoors, playing disc golf and learning about new technology. SPECIALTIES o Interventional Spine Care o Sports Medicine o Musculoskeletal Ultrasound: Diagnosis & Injections o Physiatry & Rehabilitation o Injections & Fluoroscopy

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS o Fellow, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation o Member, Association of Academic Physiatrists o Member, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine o Member, Spine Intervention Society COMMUNITY OUTREACH o Team Physician, Northeast Guilford High School EDUCATION o Undergraduate: North Carolina State University o Postgraduate: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine (MD); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health (MPH) o Internship: Wake Forest University School of Medicine o Residency: Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Carolinas Rehabilitation, Carolinas HealthCare System (now Atrium Health), Charlotte, NC o Fellowship: Sports & Spine Medicine, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Northwestern Medicine, Chicago, IL o Board Certification: American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

He was drawn to the specialty of physiatry, also known as physical medicine and rehabilitation. Physiatrists use a variety of methods to help patients reduce pain and restore function. “If you could sum it up in one sentence, physiatry’s goal is basically to help people with chronic issues live a better life,” Dr. Willoughby said. In addition to receiving a medical degree from UNC Chapel Hill, he also earned a master’s in public health, which he says is helpful both in educating patients and in understanding the physician’s role in the context of the greater good.