Our Team!

Our mission is to provide genuine care, comfort, and high quality veterinary medicine for our clients and patients. We pledge to provide the finest client services, a kind word, and a "can-do" attitude in all of our communication. 
The professional, courteous staff at Westwood Hills Animal Hospital seeks to offer every pet the complete care they need, with the highest level of service possible. 
We're committed to promoting responsible pet ownership, preventative health care, and health-related educational opportunities for our clients

Dr. Henn, DVM & Practice owner - 17 years in practice
Dr. Henn lived on a hobby farm growing up, and was very attached to the cats.  If you were looking for her, you could find her reading a book and cuddling with some kittens.  Unfortunately, her parents never took their animals to the vet, and she would feel so helpless when they were sick.  Dr. Henn didn't like that helpless feeling, and when she was trying to find her path in life, she decided to become a veterinarian so she would never be unable to take care of her animals again.  This is a perfect fit for her, since she also have a love of science, math, and record keeping. She still likes solving problems, helping people take the best care of their pets, and she has a soft spot for cats.
Dr. Henn majored in Biology and minored in Chemistry at Central Michigan University and graduated summa cum laude in 1997. She graduated first in her class at Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001.  She has been practicing small animal medicine and surgery exclusively since graduation. She started working at Westwood Hills Animal Hospital part time in 2007 and purchased the practice in 2018.  
She has three wonderful children, a houseful of rescued pets, including 5 cats and a dog. She runs an online sewing business in her spare time specializing in making diapers and belly bands for dogs that suffer from urine incontinence or marking in the house.  She loves to paint, play volleyball, go to boot-camp, and relax with Yin yoga.    

Dr. Kinser , DVM - 13 years in practice 
Dr. Kinser received her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University in 1999, and her veterinary degree from Michigan State University in 2005. In between undergraduate and veterinary school, she worked as a research assistant in a pharmacology and toxicology lab at Michigan State, where she met her husband. What drew her to veterinary medicine was her love of science combined with her love of animals. The most rewarding part of being a veterinarian is helping people on a daily basis by keeping their pets healthy. Dr. Kinser and her husband have 2 kids, 2 cats, a horse, a goat, and several barn cats. A Labrador puppy will be joining the family in July! In her spare time she enjoys kayaking, camping, and spending time with family.

Dr. Hoekema, DVM - 45 years in practice
Dr. Dan Hoekema is a graduate of Calvin College (B.S. 1969); attended Michigan State University as a graduate student in animal behavior (1969-1970); and graduated from M.S.U. College of Veterinary Medicine with a D.V.M. Degree. From 1973 to 1980 he worked in a busy small animal practice in Dearborn, Michigan, his home town. He purchased a small animal veterinary practice in northwest Grand Rapids in 1980, and renamed it Westwood Hills Animal Hospital.  Dr. Hoekema has been involved in all aspects of small animal veterinary medicine including surgery, dentistry, internal medicine, orthopedics, dermatology, radiology, pharmacology, diagnostics, infectious diseases, and preventative care. His special interests include internal medicine, dentistry, and ophthalmology. A thorough history and physical exam of your pet is very important to Dr. Hoekema since they are an integral part of the diagnosis treatment of your pet. Dr. Hoekema's 40 plus years of clinical experience has exposed him to a wide variety of conditions and diseases in dogs and cats, so he is willing and welcomes second opinions on chronic or difficult cases. He strives to stay current with medications and therapies through seminars and readings. Dr. Hoekema lives with his wife Barb, of 41 years, a retired high school English teacher, and they share their home with 2 cats, Moses and Maxwell. His interests include gardening (especially perennial flowers and wildflowers), politics, current events, and traveling.
Oh yes, his blood runs green for the M.S.U Spartans.
GO GREEN!

Tanya, LVT & Office Manager - 16 years in practice
Tanya grew up an animal-loving farm girl in a small town about 40 minutes north of GR.  As a young adult she knew that she was going to have a career in the veterinary field and was further educated at Michigan State University through 2002.  She has worked at Westwood Hills ever since!  Tanya wears many hats in the day to day operations at WHAH, the main one being the office manager.  She loves spending time building relationships with our clients and their pets. Her favorite part of that is relaxing on a rug in the reception area and playing with the pets while chatting with our clients.  She is currently taking college courses in preparation to become a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager.  On a personal note,  she is happily married to her husband of 14 years. Together, they have 2 sons which are 5 and 10 years old.  (Wow, time is flying by!) Tanya has a 3 year old Greyhound, Carl, and a black long-haired, 8 year old cat named Paslode.  
Tanya and her family are very active with their church and local cubscout pack.  In her spare time, she enjoys camping, gardening, and kayaking, and reading.  

Theresa, LVT - 10 years in practice
​Theresa is a Licensed Veterinary Technician and earned her degree from Baker College in 2008. She has been working here for 10 years and has a passion for dentistry. She looks forward to coming to work every day because each day is never the same, there are so many great parts of being a licensed vet tech, and the clients and pets are amazing.
Theresa’s free time involves being a mom and a wife, she has two daughters, a three year old and a one and a half year old. Her goals are to raise a happy, healthy family and enjoy life to its fullest. She also enjoys getting outside to play sports, hanging out with family and friends and spending time at the cottage. Bandit is her only pet, he is a 4 year old shorkie (shih tzu/yorkie mix). He is quite spoiled and is lucky enough to come to work every day!

Amber, LVT - 8 years in practice
Amber has been a Licensed Veterinary Technician since 2009 and a team member at Westwood Hills since 2010. Her favorite activities include foraging, hiking and camping with her husband Ben, and snuggling their pets. They currently have two dogs and three cats in their home in Allendale.
Amber is a self proclaimed science geek who enjoys learning and loves animals, which makes this job perfect for her. Her special areas of interest at work are helping fearful patients get proper care with minimal stress, veterinary dentistry and client education. You may recognize her as the technician with colorful hair and a frequent, loud laugh.

Erica, LVT - 15 years in practice
Erica is a Licensed Veterinary Technician and earned her degree at Colorado Mountain College in 2004. She has been working here for 6 years. She has a special interest in animal behavior, analgesia and anesthesia. She has been an advocate for animals all her life and her passion is to be the voice of all animals in need. She enjoys the in-house laboratory equipment at Westwood Hills as it gives our clients real time results and allows for our hospital to better care for pets immediately. For Erica, her lifetime goals  include travel to exotic destinations, getting married, turning her home into an island paradise, and raising giraffes!
In her time away from the clinic, she enjoys dancing, spending time at the beach, relaxing at home with her Pitbull Blake, selling real estate, and embarking on culinary adventures with her better half, Miles!

Sue, LVT - 5 years in practice
Sue is a Licensed Veterinary Technician and earned her degree from Sanford Brown in 2013.  She has been working here for five years.  She enjoys working here because she has the chance to form relationships with our senior clients and their pets.  Some of her passions include responsible breeding and educating clients on making sure their pet is protected with their monthly heartworm and flea/tick preventatives.  In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband and their two German Shepherds - Hundsi and Ivy Rose.  She also likes walks, bike rides, kayaking and reading.  

Sam, B.S. -  3 years in practice
Sam is a veterinary assistant and earned her Bachelors of Science with a veterinary emphasis in 2017. She has been working at the Humane Society of West Michigan in animal care for 3 years, and has been working here for a year. She is very passionate about working with shelter animals and helping them find their forever home. Some of her main interests include animal behavior, safe, fear free animal handling/interaction, and working with our in-house diagnostic equipment. She loves coming to work and getting to form a relationship with the many different types of clients and pets we see everyday.  For Sam, her goals are to continue pursuing an education in veterinary medicine and animal behavior, and going on more traveling adventures!
In her free time she enjoys relaxing at home with her two shepherds - Happie & Java, reading whatever she can get her hands on, going to the movies, and of course - going out dancing! 

Jen, Receptionist - 17 years in practice
​Jen's passion for animals started when she was a little girl. Jen was always bringing strays home and helping any animal in need. She has currently been working with animals for 17 years now, from grooming to working at veterinary clinics. She finds the greatest joy being able to help pets and their owners, and she enjoys creating relationships with the pets and their owners. Jen is newly married with 2 wonderful step daughters. They have 2 dogs, a Boxer and Rottweiler mix - who are both seniors, and 1 cat who is also a senior. She strives to continue her education in veterinary care, and would one day love to go back to school to become a Veterinary Technician. She enjoys educating clients at on the importance of spaying and neutering. In her spare time she enjoys camping, going to her cottage, softball, and most importantly spending time with her family.
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