Meet the Team

Dr. Kimberly Sanford, DVM and Practice Owner  

Dr. Kimberly Sanford is the owner of Heritage Veterinary Hospital. Her special interests include dentistry, orthopedics, soft tissue surgery, oral surgery, and internal medicine. She is a 1982 graduate of Pattonville High School, and she earned her associate degree in animal science from Jefferson College in 1987, and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from University of Missouri – College of Veterinary Medicine in 1993. She has been a team member at Heritage Veterinary Hospital for 19 years.

Dr. Sanford’s family consists of her two children—Michael and Matthew—and her pets, Charlie, Baxter, and Jax. Her hobbies include scuba diving, boating, golf, travel, and spending time with family and friends.

Dr. Kelvin Urday, DVM and Medical Director 

Dr. Urday spent his childhood in north Texas next door to a mixed animal veterinarian. He volunteered at the practice cleaning kennels and doing odds and ends. Eventually the doctor allowed him to assist and become more hands on within the practice as he entered high school. This experience allowed him to fall in love with the fast pace of life within a mixed veterinary practice. He also grew to appreciate the variety of animals and clients. What really drew him to the profession was the ability of the veterinarian to not only help animals with medical diseases but help people emotionally.

Dr. Urday attended the University of Missouri – Columbia College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources where he studied Animal Sciences. He was then granted early admittance to the University of Missouri – Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine. During his time in veterinary school, Dr. Urday received the Virginia Busch Student Leadership Award, Gerald L. Johnson Student Leadership Award, Western Veterinary Conference Scholarship, Anna E. Worth AAHA Student Leadership Award, and the Kenneth Niemeyer Student Leadership Award. He was active in the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association, served as Vice President of the Student Chapter of the AVMA, and the President of the Student Chapter of AAHA. In 2011, he graduated with a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Urday's areas of professional interest include dermatology and internal medicine. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Missouri Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Animal Hospital Association. He continues to be active with the Missouri VMA by serving on various committees and as a class representative.

His personal interests include cycling, traveling, and participating in local theatre. He is a recent transplant to the St. Louis area and very excited to be a part of the Heritage team.

Dr. Grace Long, DVM and Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Grace Long is a graduate of the University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine. She also earned an MBA from Webster and an MS in clinical pathology from Illinois. Dr. Long is retired from Nestle Purina where she was the Director of Veterinary Technical Marketing. She has been a part-time associate at Heritage Veterinary Hospital for over 40 years. 

Dr. Long is married to Jim, an electrical engineer, and they have three grown married children – Michael, a neuroscientist in New York; Steven, a computer scientist in Madison; and Carey, a computer scientist turned culinary professional in Pittsburgh. They have four grandchildren and two very spoiled little dogs named Ruby and Annie. In her free time, Dr. Long enjoys swimming, playing the piano at Incarnate Word, and watercolor painting.

Dr. Claire King, DVM and Associate Veterinarian

Dr. King has been working at Heritage Veterinary Hospital since June of 2020. Ever since she was young she has had a caretaker instinct; bandaging her father's cuts and listening to everyone's heart with her mother's stethoscope. Her love for animals began as early on in life as she can remember, and her passion for science was first ignited in grade school. Dr. King’s interest in veterinary medicine began when she was around 6 years old and her family visited the local vet hospital to adopt their first cat, Seraphina. Dr. King watched with awe as the doctor listened to Seraphina’s heart and examined her. Cliché as it may sound, she knew in that moment what she wanted to be when she grew up.

Dr. King attended the University of Prince Edward Island, Atlantic Veterinary College where she earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. She chose Heritage because of the strong sense of belonging she felt when visiting, in addition to the high standard of care given to each pet that comes through the door.

Dr. King has one precious dog named Rue. Her hobbies including hiking, traveling, swimming, reading books (she loves a good mystery!), and spending time with her family.

Andrea, Veterinary Nurse, RVT

Andrea has been a veterinary technician for the past 25 years, the last 5 as part of the Heritage team. Heritage is by far the best place she has ever worked, and she looks forward to spending her days there with her awesome coworkers, clients, and their pets! A lot has changed since she started in veterinary medicine, but her favorite part stays the same - helping owners and their pets have the best relationship together, and helping pets have the best quality of life they can.

Andrea has volunteered with World Vets in Nicaragua and impoverished areas of the US providing free veterinary care. She has learned that people everywhere, no matter their circumstances, cherish their pets, and want to do the best they can for them. Andrea is happiest contributing to that special bond between a family and their pet.

In her spare time Andrea loves to be outdoors hiking, playing trivia, or just hanging out at home with her cat Pinto.

Katy, Veterinary Nurse, RVT

Katy started at Heritage Veterinary Hospital as a receptionist in 2010. In August of 2012, she graduated from the Vet Tech Institute at Hickey College with an associate degree in veterinary technology and became a technician. After passing her national and state boards, Katy became a R.V.T in March of 2013. Her favorite part about working at Heritage Veterinary Hospital is getting to know the clients and their pets and building a friendship. The doctors and staff truly care about everyone like they are family. 

Katy has been married to her husband, Nick since 2014. Together they have welcomed two little girls; Cora and Amelia. Their dogs Goober and Mabel complete their family. Being a busy mom of two little ones, Katy doesn’t have much extra free time, but she does enjoy crafting after the kids go to bed.

Maggie, Veterinary Nurse, RVT

Maggie graduated with honor from the Vet Tech Institute at Hickey College in 2009. Immediately after, she started working at Veterinary Specialty Services and worked in the ER/ICU for 5 and a half years. There she learned emergency and critical care medicine. Her career then expanded into private practice that included employment with the Humane Society's medical center. Maggie has a passion for Fear Free veterinary medicine and she strives to apply it to every pet she sees. She started working at Heritage in July of 2017 ready to put down some roots in a clinic with a rich history, amazing co-workers, fantastic veterinarians, and wonderful clients and patients. 

At home, Maggie spends her time with her husband, Tom, her daughter, Lyra, her multiple pets and enjoys baking and reading.

Cailey is a Registered Veterinary Technician that graduated from Tech school in 2021. She started working at Heritage Veterinary Hospital in March of 2020 in the beginning of the pandemic. She loves the fast paced learning environment and making connections with people and their pets!

Cailey has 3 cats of her own at home to keep her on her toes. In her free time, she likes to hike, paint, and binge watch reality TV shows.

Hannah, Veterinary Nurse, RVT 

Client Service Team

Katie, Lead Client Service Representative and Social Media Director

Katie has been a member of the Heritage Veterinary Hospital Team since 2018. Prior to working at Heritage, Katie earned her Bachelor's Degree in Theatre from Truman State University, where she also studied Music, French, and Art. Her broad range of interests led her to the field of Veterinary Medicine, where she can always learn something new. Her favorite part of her job is interacting with clients through Social Media to share the moments that make all the hard work worth it!

She has a very naughty cat named Monty and a dog named Missy that both keep her busy. In her free time, Katie enjoys playing music, weightlifting, and creating art.

Lynn, Client Service Representative

Lynn has been a receptionist at Heritage Veterinary Hospital since 2006. She earned her education from Wright State University and Edison State College. She loves working at Heritage because of all of the interesting people she gets to meet, and all of the pets that pass daily through the doors. 

She has a husband named Bob, a daughter, Jamie, and granddaughter Lacey, who live on the East Coast. She currently looks after one cat named Bootsie, and she has past experience with dog ownership, including 25 years with Irish Wolfhounds, 15 years with Whippets, and 13 years with German Shepherds. She and her husband Bob enjoy hiking, bird watching, and reading. She is a big Navy and Ohio State football fan.

Coral, Client Service Representative, Grooming Liaison

Coral began her 15 year long career in veterinary medicine at Mizzou Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Coral’s roles in vet med have ranged from Receptionist, Reception Supervisor of a 24hr emergency specialty practice, Inventory Manager, all the way to Practice Management. Coral took a year off working in the field to work in human medicine and realized her heart belonged in vet med. She joined Heritage in September of 2019 as a Receptionist and has taken on additional responsibilities such as inventory management along with other administrative duties.

Coral shares her home with her partner Tara and their sweet four-legged baby Ollie. They are also proud parents of 4 adult children. In her spare time she loves to read, cycle, and craft.

Amy, Client Service Representative

Amy has been a front desk receptionist at Heritage for a little over two years now. She has worked in various different aspects of the animal industry since she was 14, from grooming dogs to exercising horses. She loves that she is always learning or doing something new at Heritage with the amazing team she works with.

Amy lives with her two year old Doberman, Luca, and five year old Siamese cat, Lux. Some of her hobbies include aerial arts, video games, and traveling.

Sierra, Client Service Representative

Sierra joined our team in October 2021. She is a St. Louis Native but lived in New Orleans for a while helping local rescues with transporting pets and fostering. She also had the opportunity to work closely with a dog trainer where she got to learn a lot about canine body language and positive re-enforcement. She’s wanted to work in the veterinary field as long as she can remember because she has always had a passion for helping people and animals alike. After moving back to St. Louis she found Heritage Veterinary Hospital and that was the beginning of everything she ever wanted. She loves that she's always learning something new. Sierra loves every pet that comes through our doors as her own. 

Sierra has one amazing dog who was a foster fail named Milo. In her free time she enjoys spending it with Milo and her boyfriend Brian. They love going on float trips, eating good food and seeing new places. She also thoroughly enjoys binge-watching a good show and staying in every once in a  while.

Katy, Grooming Receptionist

Specialists:

Dr. Jennifer Wardlaw, D.V.M., MS DIPLOMATE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SURGEONS

Dr. Jennifer Lynn Demko Wardlaw is a St. Louis native.  Her family has lived in St Louis for over 6 generations. After attending St. Joseph’s Academy for high school, she has traveled around the globe for her education. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona, during which she studied at Sidney University through an abroad program with Butler University.  Her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine was completed at the University of Missouri in 2004, where she fell in love with small animal surgery.  She completed a Rotating Small Animal Internship at Mississippi State University in 2005, and they’ve kept her in the south since then.  She stayed there for her Small Animal Surgical Residency, Master of Science and became an Assistant Professor.  During her tenure at Mississippi State she helped start and run their Physical Rehabilitation Service.  Jenn became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2009. She was most recently living in Charleston, South Carolina as the Head of surgery and Director of Sports Medicine and Physical Rehabilitation.

Jenn’s professional interests include developmental orthopedic disease, surgical oncology, sports medicine, physical rehabilitation, nutraceuticals, wounds and reconstruction.  She has also written numerous textbook chapters, papers and investigative research articles on these subjects.  Dr. Wardlaw is also very active in continuing education for veterinarian technicians and general practitioners.  She has lectured at NAVC, CVC, AAHA, VOS, ACVS, as well as numerous city and state meetings across the country.

Jenn feels blessed to have chosen such a wonderful field and have the loving support of her husband, Michael.  They have two children, Lillian and Trey, as well as two furry-babies, Roux (French Bulldog) and Delta (Bloodhound).   In her spare time, Dr. Wardlaw enjoys cycling, kayaking, soap making, baking and spending time with her always entertaining family and friends.

Dr. W. Wesley Kimberlin, DVM, DIPLOMATE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SURGEONS – SA

Dr. W. Wesley Kimberlin is born and raised in Saint Louis Missouri. Dr. Kimberlin received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Bachelor of Science in Biology from Missouri Baptist University where he graduated cum laude.

Dr. Kimberlin attended University of Missouri-Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine. During his time at University of Missouri-Columbia, Dr. Kimberlin not only received multiple awards for surgical aptitude and potential, diagnostic skills, and preoperative care of animals but was also actively involved with research.

As a veterinary student, Dr. Kimberlin participated in research projects focusing on osteoarthritis and meniscal injury. Upon graduation from University of Missouri-Columbia, Dr. Kimberlin completed a small animal rotating internship at Mississippi State University. Dr. Kimberlin than completed at one-year small animal surgery internship at Veterinary Specialty Services, here in Saint Louis, Missouri. That same year he was selected for a small animal surgery residency at Veterinary Specialty Services.

During his time as a surgical resident, Dr. Kimberlin was able to participate in other research projects focusing on the effects of gas sterilization of ameroid constrictors for the treatment of extrahepatic portosystemic shunts. Additionally, during his time as a resident he was able to present multiple surgical topics both locally and nationally.

Dr. Kimberlin enjoys all aspects of surgery, but has a strong passion for minimally invasive procedures. Besides minimally invasive techniques, Dr. Kimberlin, has special interest in oncologic and reconstructive surgery, abdominal procedures including but not limited to biopsies, mass removals, gallbladder removals, fracture and joint repair (total hip replacement) and angular limb deformities. Dr. Kimberlin is particularly interested in the human animal bond and desires to excel in compassionate care of his patients and their owners.

Outside of GVS, Dr. Kimberlin enjoys spending time with his wife, Rachel; their two kids, Josey and Elliott, leading a community group at his church, playing softball, and when time allows playing a round of golf. At home they have two dogs (Daisy and Dash) and two cats (Dani and Pip).