Dr. Scott Smith
(Co-Owner and Chief Veterinarian)

Dr. Scott Smith grew up in northern New York near the Canadian border. He completed his undergraduate degree at Saint Lawrence University and, afterward, graduated from Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. During this time, he worked as a student pharmacist and was the first student intern for a national veterinary pet food nutritional company. His work there helped create programs that veterinary colleges across the country still utilize.

Dr. Smith loves running a veterinary hospital with his wife, Dr. Hitchcock, and the freedom it allows them to help animals in the ways they truly need it. At Oak Tree, your pets are always treated like family. He is especially interested in soft tissue and orthopedic surgery, geriatric pet care, and internal medicine cases. Additionally, he enjoys mentoring veterinary students completing their externships here at the hospital.

When he’s not helping pets and their owners, Dr. Smith enjoys spending as much time outdoors as possible with his family. He and Dr. Hitchcock have two young children, and he likes creating family memories while hiking, fishing, camping, riding ATV’s, and landscaping with them.

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Dr. Tracey Hitchcock
(Co-Owner and Chief Veterinarian)

Dr. Hitchcock’s love of animals began as a child growing up on a dairy farm in Andover, Ohio. She felt a calling to care for all kinds of animals – big and small, from calves to kittens – and decided to make it her profession!

She earned her undergraduate degree in biology from Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio. During this time, Dr. Hitchcock enjoyed playing on the school’s volleyball and rugby teams. After graduation, she began working at a local pet clinic as a Veterinary Assistant before starting her graduate degree at Ohio State University. While at OSU, she was a research assistant in veterinary epidemiology and graduated as a veterinarian in 2006 from their College of Veterinary Medicine.

After this, Dr. Hitchcock worked as an Associate Veterinarian for seven years before she and her husband – co-owner Dr. Scott Smith – decided to launch their dream of practice ownership and opened Oak Tree Veterinary Hospital.

Dr. Hitchcock particularly likes helping pets with chronic illnesses and building lasting relationships with pet owners. One of her favorite things about running her own practice is that it allows them to focus on stress-free techniques, which makes every visitor feel more comfortable.

Although helping animals is her passion, Dr. Hitchcock also enjoys being outdoors, boating, fishing, reading, traveling, and spending quality time with her family. One of her favorite trips so far has been a visit to Rome during a Mediterranean cruise! She and Dr. Smith have two children and two sweet cats, Minnie and Blackie, who were adopted from Oak Tree Veterinary Hospital.

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Dr. Mitchell Oakes (Associate Veterinarian)

Dr. Oakes grew up just southwest of Cleveland in Brunswick, Ohio. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at The University of Toledo, and then enrolled in the Master’s Program in Biological Sciences at The University of Toledo. While initially preparing for a career in human health and medicine in his Master’s program, Dr. Oakes became passionate about scientific research. He decided to change from the Master’s program to the PhD program. During his PhD, he taught microbiology, immunology, and started his own project studying the effects of Cannabis on the nervous system. While working toward his PhD, Dr. Oakes volunteered at a small animal veterinary clinic for several years and fell in love with all aspects of veterinary medicine. After obtaining his PhD, Dr. Oakes decided to narrow his focus and love of medicine and research and pursue his new dream of becoming a veterinarian. He was accepted into the DVM program at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine where he received his degree.

During veterinary school, Dr. Oakes discovered his special interests in exotics, emergency and critical care, internal medicine and neurology. He believes that whether the patient walks, crawls, slithers, hops, flies or swims through the door, he wants to help. He loves all animals, but has a passion for small animals and exotics, including reptiles, small mammals, birds and fish. He has several cats, crested geckos, and a wide variety of tropical freshwater fish of his own. In his spare time, Dr. Oakes enjoys his passions of motocross racing, golf, reading and astronomy. He has been racing motocross since he was 12, golfing for the past 8 years, and can often be found outside with his telescopes during a clear night. Dr. Oakes takes great pride in applying his vastness of medical and research knowledge in order to treat and preserve the health of his patients. Dr. Oakes is proud to be part of the Oak Tree Veterinary Hospital team and excited to be giving back to the community that he grew up in.

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Dr. Jean Williams (Associate Veterinarian)

Dr. Jean Williams is a graduate of The Ohio State University and is thrilled to be practicing in her hometown of Cleveland. Dr. Williams got her start at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in pursuit of a degree in Zoology. Her dream was to pursue species conservation and jumped at the opportunity to work in sea turtle conservation as soon as she graduated. She spent two years working in Guatemala and while she loved the conservation work, it exposed her to the world of rehabilitation and veterinary medicine, so that became her passion. Dr. Williams worked in the Texas hill country in wildlife rehabilitation prior to enrolling in the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine. In her free time, she loves to cook, barbecue, and nap with her three cats! When time allows, she still loves to rehabilitate and raise injured and orphaned wildlife for later release.

During her years at OSU, Dr. Williams found a love for surgery, nutrition, and urgent care. She received specialized training in these areas, as well as other facets of veterinary medicine and surgery. She is passionate and thorough and utilizes these skills at Oak Tree.

One of her most inspirational patients was an improbable case of a puppy who ate 12 socks and was weak, dehydrated, and in dire need of gastrointestinal surgery. The odds were against her. Dr. Williams was assigned to the surgical case and post-surgical care. This sweet puppy bounced back, beating the odds and exceeding all expectations. This was a very special case and Dr. Williams will never cease to be amazed by how resilient our patients can be when afforded the highest standards of veterinary care. And that level of intellectual care and heart-felt effort is what she brings to her patients at Oak Tree Vet every day.

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Dr. Immy Underwood (Associate Veterinarian)

Dr. Underwood grew up in Kent Ohio where she stayed to get her bachelor’s of science in zoology from Kent State University. She moved to Columbus to attend Ohio State’s College of Veterinary medicine, where she received her degree. She adopted her first cat 2 weeks into vet school. After graduating, she moved out to Saint Louis with her partner to work at a small animal practice. There they adopted their second cat who has a rare disease called acromegaly. Dr. Underwood enjoyed living in St. Louis but missed Ohio too much so decided it was time to move back home. She has a special interested in urgent care, surgery, and internal medicine. She’s passionate about helping sick and injured animals but also likes being able to prevent disease at routine wellness appointments.

In her free time, she likes traveling, hiking, kayaking, playing tennis, reading, and playing music. A fun fact about Dr. Underwood is that she has dual citizenship- she’s a U.S. and U.K. citizen. Because of this she spent many summers in England when she was growing up and travels back every year to see her family.

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Wow, over 17,300 veterinary professionals from around the world in attendance, and Dr. Smith and Dr. Hitchcock are two of the attendees.

Here we are at the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, Florida. Our doctors at Oak Tree Vet attend over 120 hours of continuing education every year! We learn new techniques, new medical therapies, and we get to explore cutting-edge technology and treatment options. All to make sure that our patients receive the best veterinary care possible. Rest assured, we are looking out for our patients.