Our Team
The team at Independence Veterinary Hospital is comprised of highly trained and experienced animal health professionals who have a genuine love for working with pets. Our staff treats every patient with the highest quality of medical care as well as a gentle touch.
Derrick Kier, DVM
Veterinarian
As a young boy, Dr. Kier enjoyed interacting with any animal he could get his hands on, both domesticated and wild. He enjoyed reading books written by James Herriot, a British veterinary surgeon and obtained the Veterinary Science merit badge on his journey to become an Eagle Scout. By the age of 12, Dr. Kier knew he wanted to be a veterinarian when he “grew up”.
Dr. Kier attended Virginia Tech where he earned a Bachelor of Science with a major in Wildlife Science and minors in Animal Science and Biology. During his undergraduate studies, Dr. Kier volunteered at the New River Valley Wildlife Center and had a summer internship with the veterinary service at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aviary. He also worked at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine where he met Dr. Smithwick.
After graduation, Dr. Kier worked in a research lab studying parasites of companion animals and livestock. A few years later he taught a veterinary assistant program at a trade school before attending Ross University School of Veterinary, located on the island of St. Kitts, in the West Indies. His senior year studies were completed at the University of Georgia.
When not working at the hospital, Dr. Kier enjoys fishing, boating, camping, hiking, rugby, soccer, skeet shooting, and darts. Although he is a veterinarian now, Dr. Smithwick feels he still hasn’t “grown-up”.
Karen Smithwick, DVM
Veterinarian
“I have lived with animals my entire life; I owned my horse for 21 years, my childhood dog for 15 years, and my beloved cat for 20 years. I hang on tight. The pleasure of rehoming a foster pet, or rehabilitating injured animals warms my heart. My dad had a soft spot for cats, so there was always one in the house. My grandparents would feed strays at thier farmette in Matthews County. My husband, Dr. Kier, and our children have fostered many cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, and turtles".
Karen Smithwick, DVM is a native of Virginia. After attending Old Dominion University for her undergraduate studies, she went on to the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. She has been practicing small animal medicine focusing primarily on emergency and critical care, with interests in preventative care, surgery and geriatric patients. Dr. Smithwick loves building strong client and patient relationships and helping the human-animal bond thrive through health and wellness.
Dr. Smithwick and Dr. Kier met and married at Virginia Tech, and have raised three children in Virginia Beach. They have two rescue dogs, an Australian Shepard (Bindi) and an Australian Cattle Dog (Opal), plus a Maine coon cat, and three additional cats of dubious lineage. In her spare time, she enjoys walking with her dogs on the beach, traveling, gardening, boating, and reading. She looks forward to growing the practice and serving the community.
Richard B. Johnston, DVM
Veterinarian
Dr. Johnston started with us in 2013. After an overwhelming amount of client praise, he decided to come and be our new full-time doctor in May of 2015. Dr. Johnston got his undergrad and his degree for Veterinary Medicine from the University of Florida (Go Gators!).
Dr. Johnston has been caring for animals for 30+ years. If you haven't met Dr. Johnston be sure to come say hi!
Morgan Huffman, LVT
Practice Manager, Licensed Veterinary Technician
Morgan is originally from North Carolina but has called Virginia Beach her home since 2005. She is a Licensed Veterinary Technician with more than 17 years of experience working in veterinary medicine. She received her AAS degree in Business Management from Tidewater Community College in 2010 and her AAS in Veterinary Technology from Penn Foster in 2016. She believes in compassionate animal care and strives to make each patient feel safe, loved, and comforted during their vet visits. She is currently working toward a Fear Free certification. Her favorite things to do in our hospital are diagnostics, dental hygiene procedures, and client education. In her free time, she enjoys scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, and riding motorcycles with her husband. She has 2 spoiled cats named Atreyu and Magi.
Client Services Team
Mia
Receptionist
Mia joined our client services team in November 2021. She has over 23 years of customer service experience and is excited to utilize her skills in the veterinary field. She is eager to learn more about veterinary medicine in order to provide the best experience for our clients and patients. As a wife and mother of 5, her home life keeps her active with sports and school activities. Her time outside of the office is spent enjoying bowling, roller skating and yoga. Mia dreams to one day live on a small farm with a variety of animals. She currently has a pitbull princess named “Nelly” who accompanies the family to baseball games when she’s not planted under Mia’s feet at home.
Janice
Receptionist
Bio & Photo Coming Soon!
Patient Care Team
Patty Trainum, LVT
Licensed Veterinary Technician
Most of our long time clients have come to know our Licensed Veterinary Technician, Patty, very well. She joined the practice in 1992 and is an extremely valuable member of our team. She holds an AAS degree in Animal Science Technology from Blue Ridge Community College and she earned her Veterinary Technician license in 1981. Patty has had the unique pleasure to work with a wide range of animals in the course of her career. Her first job was at the SPCA, where she hand-cared for wild birds, squirrels, raccoons, and deer. She has also had the opportunity to work with tigers, bears and birds at the Hawaii zoo. In her free time she enjoys crafting and quilting. Patty and her husband of 40 years love the outdoors and hiking. They vacation in the mountains every fall to experience the beautiful, color changing leaves. They have 4 children, 3 grandchildren, a cat named Skittles and a dog named Layla.
Shelby
Veterinary Assistant
Shelby became a part of our team in July 2021 after moving from Florida. She has worked as a veterinary assistant for the last four years, starting out in shelter animal care and then working her way into general veterinary practice. She loves animals and enjoys helping them to get the best care possible. In her free time she enjoys photography, painting and exploring nature trails. She has four cats and two dogs: George, Lucky, Stone, Nomi, Yogi and Kora.
Tamara
Veterinary Assistant
Tamara is a veterinary assistant who joined our practice in January 2022. She is originally from North Carolina and has been working in veterinary medicine for 3 years. She is currently a student of the Veterinary Technology program at Penn Foster College. As a child, Tamara grew up with a variety of pets and she always knew she wanted a career working with animals. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, gardening and “thrifting”. She has 2 dogs named Penny & Duke and 3 cats named Cali, Shy and Griffin.
Bayli
Veterinary Assistant
Photo & Bio Coming Soon!
Hannah
Veterinary Assistant/Receptionist
Hannah joined our IVH family in October 2022. She is a veterinary assistant from California and has been working with animals for the last 5 years. She is a force of positive energy in our hospital, always smiling and helpful to the clients and staff. Hannah’s commitment to learning is made obvious through her many accomplishments; she was Valedictorian of her high school, studied classical ballet for 10 years and was also a member of 4-H club for 10 years. She is interested in attending Penn Foster College for her Vet Tech degree in the future. Hannah owns and has worked with many types of pets. She has experience with reptile husbandry and has also fostered many orphaned puppies & kittens. She also enjoys working with kids and educating them about animals. In her free time, Hannah enjoys gardening, reading and painting. She has 2 dogs, 2 cats, a bird, 2 dragons and a Bal python.
Andie
Veterinary Assistant
Photo & Bio Coming Soon!
Christine
Veterinary Assistant/Receptionist
Photo & Bio Coming Soon!
Noah
Veterinary Assistant
Noah has worked with us as a veterinary assistant since fall of 2019. He is currently attending Tidewater Community College with plans to go to vet school to become a Veterinarian. In his free time he enjoys skateboarding, playing video games, soccer and football. He has 2 Pugs named Sadie and Huckleberry and a German Shepherd named Blossom.
Groomer
Kelly
Groomer
Photo & Bio Coming Soon!
