Willard R. Faulkner received his M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Denver in 1950 and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Vanderbilt University in 1956. He worked for the U.S. Army Medical Department from 1943 to 1951.

After directing the Cleveland Clinic laboratory for eleven years, Faulkner returned to Vanderbilt to accept appointment as Director of Clinical Chemistry Laboratories and later as Director of Research and Development in Clinical Chemistry and Professor of Biochemistry. Faulkner also received a prestigious American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) award in 1980, an award given annually to recognize outstanding contributions to the profession.