Dr. Westlund graduated from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry in 1985. He then completed a General Practice residency in 1986 and his Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery residency training in 1990 at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. During his residency, he also completed his Masters of Science degree in 1989. Following his training at the University, he joined Cedar Rapids Oral Surgery P.C. in 1990.

Dr. Westlund achieved Board Certification by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in 1992 and is a Fellow member in the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. He has recertified his Board Certification in 2001 and 2010.  He served on the examination committee for the American Board Of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from 2004 – 2015.  He is a past president of the Linn County Dental Society, the University District Dental Society and the Iowa Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. He continues active membership in these organizations along with the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology, the Academy of Osseointegration and the Pierre Fauchard Academy. He co-founded the Cedar Rapids Cleft Palate team in 1993 and serves as the chairman of the AAOMS Office Anesthesia Evaluation Program for Iowa since 1990. He has published several articles in professional journals and given multiple presentations related to oral surgery to professional groups.