Our Veterinarians
Carol Gamez, D.V.M.
Dr. Gamez joined Georgetown Veterinary Hospital in 2004 and became a partner in 2005. She received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University in 1982 and received her veterinary degree from Cornell University in 1991 where she was awarded the Malcolm E. Miller Dean’s Award for her senior year achievements. After graduating from Cornell, she went on to complete an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at The Animal Medical Center in New York City. She is an active member of the President’s Council of Cornell Women aka PCCW and is the current sub chair person for the First Generation Student Mentoring Sub Committee. She believes in mentoring the next generation as they are the future. Dr. Gamez has a strong interest in exotic and avian medicine and surgery and brings that expertise to Georgetown Veterinary Hospital. Dr. Gamez is also a member of World Vets and went on a veterinary mission in 2020 to the Dominican Republic to spay and neuter over a hundred animals. She lives in Westchester County with her husband Howard and their menagerie: Noodles, Dover, Frankie, Avocado, Shellby, Spotty the catfish, and pet Koi fish. She enjoys hiking with her dogs, snowshoeing and Zumba and is a two time New York City Marathon finisher. Her son Dylan is studying for his Masters in Guidance Counseling at NYU. Dr. Gamez taught Intro to Exotic Animal Medicine to fourth year veterinary technology students at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY from 1997- 2017. She coauthored the Exotic Animal Medicine chapter of the manual Assessing Essential Skills of Veterinary Technology Students that is used by many Veterinary Technology programs.
Stephen Furst, D.V.M.
Dr. Furst graduated from Marist College in 2007 with a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences and from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2012. After graduation, he worked at progressive, state of the art animal hospitals in the Lehigh Valley, PA and Hudson Valley areas. Throughout his early career, he has developed a strong reputation for his gentle nature, exceptional bedside manner, thoroughness, and thoughtful care. Being a veterinarian uniquely provides him with the opportunity to help and serve people and animals. He enjoys teaching and educating clients on how to best care for their beloved pets. Dr. Furst has a passion for general practice with special interests in surgery, dentistry, preventative medicine, and exotic animal medicine.
After living in the area for several years and falling in love with the town of Redding, Dr. Furst and his wife decided to make the move to Redding, Ct in 2019. They have two Crested Geckos named Blaze and George. Blaze is an absolute sweetheart, but watch out for George, he bites! In his free time, Dr. Furst enjoys spending time with his family and engaging in many outdoor activities. He is a fishing fanatic and particularly likes hiking, rock climbing, camping, and snowboarding. Georgetown Veterinary Hospital is thrilled to have him on our team.
Carly Hohorst, D.V.M.
Dr. Hohorst graduated from Sacred Heart University in 2016 with a B.S in Biology and from Midwestern University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2021. After graduation, Dr. Hohorst worked at a local animal clinic in Northern Phoenix. Dr. Hohorst has a passion for holistic medicine and received certification for veterinary acupuncture from Chi University in 2021. She is currently getting certified in Chiropractic as well as Veterinary Hospice and Palliative Care. She is looking forward to being able to provide these services to the patients at Georgetown Veterinary Hospital.
Dr. Hohorst is passionate about preventative medicine and her patients’ well-being. She takes pride in being able to provide a holistic approach to veterinary medicine and enjoys being able to use both Eastern and Western medicine to help her patients. She values being able to spend time with clients and establish the best possible individualized health care plan for their pet.
Dr. Hohorst grew up in Easton CT and is thrilled to be back in the area. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, hiking with her dogs, Lilly Ann and Finnegan; and riding her horses named Solea and Cheddie. She also has a very talkative cat named Hailey. Dr. Hohorst loves the outdoors and tries to get outside as much as possible.
Our Practice Manager
Ida Russo
Ida joined our practice in July 2016 as one of our talented multi-tasking receptionists. She devoted herself to her work and has very high standards. Her future goal was to run a business and take on more leadership roles. In June 2021, Ida was promoted to Practice Manager. We are thrilled to have her as part of our team. She lives in New Fairfield, CT with her husband Jon and their two children, Emma and R.J. She also lives with 4 rescue pets and is passionate about animals and their well being. Luna, her cat rules the house and her dogs Prince, Nena and Brownie simply follow her lead. Ida has extensive veterinary receptionist and veterinary assistant experience and has worked in the veterinary field for the last 16 years. She brings that expertise to our hospital. Her pets are considered integral family members and she will treat your pets with that same love and respect. She also manages her own Pet Sitting business called Cozy Creatures Pet Sitters and has an online Pizza business called The Pizza Geek.
Our Veterinary Technicians
Lindsay Iacobellis, L.V.T.
Lindsay is a Mercy College Alumni, where she got her four year bachelors degree in Veterinary Technology in 2015. She is a Licensed Veterinary Technician in New York State and a Certified Veterinary Technician in Connecticut. She has been working in the veterinary field since 2006. Lindsay has 8 years of experience as a veterinary assistant, before becoming a Veterinary technician at GVH in 2014. Lindsay also has experience with zoo medicine at the Central Park Zoo, where she completed her Mercy College externship. She lives in Danbury, CT with her high school sweetheart and husband Vito. They share their home with two adorable rescue dogs, Roxy and Winston and their cute little kitty Abby. Lindsay currently uses her exceptional talents part time at our hospital. She brings her love and compassion for animals to our practice every week. Lindsay and her husband Vito welcomed baby Arianna in June 2022. She is enjoying being a mom and loves spending time with her new baby!
Karen Cujar, L.V.T
Karen joined our practice in the Spring of 2020. She completed her Mercy College Veterinary Technology internship at our hospital in the Fall of 2020. Her year was challenging due to Covid but she excelled and persevered. Her work ethic and professionalism impressed us and we offered her a full time position. She is currently studying for her Veterinary Technician National Board Exam to become a Licensed Veterinary Technician. She is extremely knowledgeable and has blossomed into an incredible Veterinary technician. We are so happy to have her at our hospital. In her free time, she enjoys arts and crafts, especially puzzles. She loves to travel. Her future goal would be to work in wildlife conservation. She lives part time in Danbury, Ct with her boyfriend and cats, Tazz and Julius.
Patricia Murcia, L.V.T.
Patricia is originally from Colombia, South America. Her deep love for the welfare of all animals along with the encouragement from her father gave her the motivation to pursue her dream to serve these living creatures. She received her doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from La Salle University in Bogota, Colombia. After graduating from Veterinary School, she moved to the countryside and worked with small farmers where she promoted production programs on chickens, pigs, rabbits and fish. While working, she earned a scholarship in Animal Production in Egypt. Later, she traveled to the UK to complete her Master’s degree in Veterinary Epidemiology. Patricia finally settled down in United states and found her passion to work with small animals in General Practice as a Licensed Veterinary Technician which she has being doing for almost 20 years. She lives with her husband Nelson, two amazing teenage daughters, Camila and Catalina and three adorable rescue cats in Bethel. Ct. She brings her compassionate skills and worldly experience to our practice.
Erin Niles, C.V.T
In 2019, Erin moved to Connecticut from North Carolina. She obtained her Veterinary Technology degree in 2016 and has never looked back. But before becoming a student, Erin dedicated 13 rewarding years of her life to being a stay at home mom. As her children grew older, Erin discovered her huge love for volunteering and working with rescue animals while working at the county SPCA, which also became her first veterinary job. She started her veterinary nursing career working at the spay and neuter clinic that was across the street from the shelter. She also gained experience at a veterinary specialty hospital and over time found that her main interest is working at small animal general practices because she enjoys the relationships she establishes with the clients and their pets. Erin’s passion is volunteering with an organization called World Vets ( https://worldvets.org) and has been on 10 trips to 5 different countries to assist in providing free veterinary services to the local people and their pets. Erin has two beautiful children, Jake and Leah with her husband Scott of 23 yrs, and 4 adorable dogs (Trey, Lana, Chloe and Abby) and a silly black capped Conure bird named Kiwi. When Erin is not at work, she enjoys volunteering at Animals in Distress, walking, hiking, reading about veterinary medicine and working on her 3 foot tall dollhouse that she had always wanted to build from scratch since she was a child.
Rebecca Kaufman, C.V.T
Rebecca joined Georgetown Veterinary Hospital in the Fall of 2020 with an Associate’s degree from Norwalk Community College in Veterinary Technology. She completed her internship at our hospital and is a Certified Veterinary Technician. Rebecca also has a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Virginia in 1987 and her Master’s degree in education from Pace University in 1994. Rebecca taught BOTH 2nd and 6th grades before deciding to stay home while her children were young. During that time, she volunteered at ROAR, the local animal shelter. Rebecca’s love of animals and compassionate nature inspired her return to school with the goal of beginning a second career. She lives in Ridgefield with her husband, three kids, four cats, one dog, a gecko and a fish.
Our Assistants
Lori Mazzola, C.V.A.
Lori is a Certified Veterinary Assistant who has been working at Georgetown since 2008. Lori has her Bachelor’s Degree from Iona College and achieved her Veterinary Assistant Certification through Norwalk Community College in 2008. She resides in Ridgefield, CT with her husband Steven. Her sons Bryan and Matthew both graduated from Norwich University Military Academy in Vermont. Her son Bryan is stationed oversees. She is a ROAR (Ridgefield Operation Animal Rescue) volunteer and currently involved in the Pets for Vets program helping place shelter pets with local veterans. Lori’s compassion and dedication to helping animals is a constant in her daily work with patients.
Tamar Rackear-Sturm a.k.a.Becky
Becky joined Georgetown Veterinary Hospital in the Fall of 2018. She graduated from John Jay High School in Cross River, NY in June 2016. She attended the University of Vermont where she studied zoology. She followed up her college studies at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, N.Y. where she focused on a veterinary technician curriculum. Before joining us, she worked locally in New York as a Veterinary Assistant in an small animal emergency practice and also at a small animal general practice. She lives with her family in New York and is mom to Haze, a rescue cat, and many exotic fish. Becky is our current Fish expert and assistant and has a special interest in their care and husbandry. Becky would like to go back to school to pursue a career in Veterinary Medicine.
Sarah Szymczyk, C.V.A
Sarah is one of our youngest employees. We are very proud of her accomplishments. She graduated from Southington High School in June 2017 and then attended Norwalk Community College where she received a Veterinary Assistant degree. She completed her internship at our hospital in the summer of 2020. She is a Certified Veterinary Assistant. During her internship, she excelled and had a natural knack for healing and nurturing. It was evident in her handling of the animals. Her gentle and calm demeanor with the patients impressed us and we offered her a job. Her future goal is to become a Certified Veterinary Technician. In her free time, she enjoys nature walks, DIY art projects, and spending time with her family. She lives in Stamford, Ct. with her beloved German Shepherd, Zula.
Isabelle Redpath, Weston High School Student
Isabelle aka Izzy is our current high school student. She is our newest Veterinary Assistant-In-Training and will be with us until she begins her studies overseas. Her goal is to become a veterinarian. She will be going to the University of Nottingham in England. She will be studying Animal Science and then a post graduate program in Veterinary Medicine. She lives in Weston, Ct with her family and their menagerie.
Our Receptionists
Donna Daulerio
Donna (center) has been a receptionist at Georgetown for the past 20 years. She lives in Weston, Ct with her husband, Paul. Donna enjoys her interaction with our clients and their pets! Donna is the 2010 recipient of the Team Member of the Year Award from the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA). This is a prestigious award given to veterinary team members for their contributions in carrying out the hospital’s mission. Through Donna’s empathy, knowledge and joyfulness, she helps to achieve this on a daily basis.
Lisa Raymond
Lisa joined our practice in 2002 and is our homegrown Redding, CT. native. She resides in the area with her husband Cliff, their daughter Grace, and their two beautiful cats. In her spare time, she designs jewelry and does crafting projects using recycled objects. Her creations are magnificent. Lisa and Cliff own Raymond Tree Company, a local tree service. Lisa is a busy working mom and is very involved in her daughter’s school and extracurricular activities.
Stacey Waldemer
Stacey joined our practice in June 2016. Her love of animals began at a young age. Her passion for their well being brought her to her first job in the animal care field as an assistant at the Meriden Humane Society. Stacey became a Certified Veterinary Assistant in 2015 and has been a proud veterinary receptionist for the past 10 years.
Stacey lives in Danbury with her husband Steve and their four adorable cats, Brody, Stella, Addie and Hank.
In Memoriam
Molly
Molly had a long history with GVH. She first came to us when her original owner passed away and the family could not keep her due to a medical issue. We took Molly in and after surgery to remove a bladder stone, we kept her as our own…until…a client who just lost her elderly cat asked if we knew of an older cat in need a loving home. So, Molly was happily off to her second home where she thrived until sadly, her owner passed away. The family tried desperately to find a new home for Molly but were unsuccessful. Molly lived out her life as our beloved hospital cat and passed away peacefully in July of 2020.
Our Founders
Dr. Stanley Truffini and his wife Carol founded Georgetown Veterinary Hospital in 1981. We wish them well as they enjoy their retirement knowing we will carry on the GVH legacy.
