Dr. Benjamin V. Koren grew up in Durham, North Carolina where he attended Jordan High School. He went on and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dr. Koren was accepted to the University of North Carolinas prestigious dental program and completed his Doctoral of Dental Surgery degree in 1999. He then was chosen to be part of the Health Professions Scholarship Program sponsored by the United States Air Force. He completed a post doctoral study in Advanced Education in General Dentistry at Barksdale Air Force, Louisiana and went on to practice two years at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. While serving his country for three years in the United States Air Force, Dr. Koren earned the National Defense Service Medal.
Dr Koren, along with help from fellow staff Jill, Kim and dentist Dr. Dave Galatas, performed a root canal and cleaning procedure on a tiger at the Carnivore Preservation Trust. Eliza was a 12 year old tiger weighing in around 350-400lbs. Overseeing the entire procedure was Dr Laurie Weisel of Pittsboro Animal Hospital. Also there to help were additional staff from the Animal Hospital and CPT. Before it was all over, almost everyone had stroked, touched and petted the big tiger; a rare privilege. Eliza survived her treatment well. Though tigers in the wild usually only live 10 years, tigers cared for by CPT often live 17-20 years.
