Meet Our Team

Veterinarians

Rod Stewart, BVSc, MBA

Rod Stewart, BVSc, MBA

Principal Veterinarian

Rod is a veterinary graduate of the University of Sydney in Australia. Following his degree, he completed an internship in equine surgery and reproduction at Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital, under Drs. James Vasey and Angus McKinnon. He then trained as a surgical fellow at Washington State University, before moving to New York.

Since his university training in veterinary medicine, Rod has garnered well over 20 years of clinical experience in high-volume practice, in which he has encountered every aspect of equine veterinary care, treating a variety of patients, from elite racehorses and high-performing sport horses, to pleasure horses and pets. His main professional focus is in lameness and poor-performance evaluation and treatment, as well as field surgery. Rod is interested in advancing veterinary medicine through innovation and lateral thinking. He has developed new surgical techniques and was on the forefront of adopting stem cell treatments for soft-tissue injuries.

Rod received his MBA from the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2012. He collaborates with private industry at home and abroad to develop new veterinary and human medical technologies and interventional therapies in the tissue banking and tissue graft fields, as well as pain management.

When away from work, Rod enjoys camping, hiking and being on the water in a boat or a kayak with his two boys, wife Erica, and their dogs.

Jerry Bilinski, DVM

Jerry Bilinski, DVM

Veterinarian

Dr. Jerry Bilinski is a 1969 Graduate of Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and is a member of the College Advisory Board and a member of the Cornell Board of Trustees.  He has written various articles on veterinary medicine and has a strong interest in surgery and reproduction. In his spare time, Dr. Bilinski enjoys raising horses, volunteering for the Humane Society and assisting with the rescue of animals.

Chantel Davenport, DVM

Chantel Davenport, DVM

Veterinarian

Chantel is a graduate of Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation, she completed an internship in equine performance medicine at Jenson Equine Hospital in New Mexico. Training and competing nationally with Quarter Horses in multiple disciplines for over a decade led to her strong professional interest in equine preventative care, sports medicine, and podiatry. Chantel spends her free time sharing her passion with her daughter Blair and husband Christopher at their family farm in Altamont, NY.

Brian Velenchenko, DVM

Brian Velenchenko, DVM

Veterinarian

Dr. Brian Velenchenko (aka Dr. Brian or Dr.V) is originally from Washington state and is a veterinary graduate of Cornell University. After finishing vet school he completed a one-year internship at Littleton Equine in Colorado before moving back to New York State. His main interests are chiropractic care and acupuncture along with equine medicine and preventative care.
Prior to becoming an equine veterinarian, he spent many years in New York City working as a photographer for magazines and book publishers. You can ask about this career during your appointment!
He calls Gansevoort NY home, where he lives with a Labradoodle, Bodhi and two cats, Audrey and Martin.

Staff

Sarah Murphy

Sarah Murphy

Senior Veterinary Assistant and Inventory Manager

Sarah was born in Dublin, Ireland, and moved to the United States at a young age with her family. She always loved horses as a child and started working with them in high school.

Sarah is well-versed in the horse industry. She has a breadth of experience working in show, pleasure, breeding and racing operations, including a few years at Belmont Park Racetrack, where she was a Foreman for Tom Morley Racing. Sarah transitioned to the veterinary field at New England Equine in Pawling, New York, as a Veterinary Assistant working with hospital and surgery cases. She moved to Saratoga, New York in 2017 for a position working with the mares, foals, and yearlings at a local Thoroughbred breeding farm, and since made this area her home with her son. She joined the SmartEQ team in 2019.

Sarah is currently working towards becoming a Licensed Veterinary Technician. She loves to assist in surgeries as well as routine cases. In her free time, she likes to travel and spend time with her friends and family.

Michelle Reid-Rossi

Michelle Reid-Rossi

Veterinary Assistant

Michelle is originally from San Diego. She has loved horses her whole life and got her first pony when she was eight years old. Her career in the veterinary field began in upstate New York in 1990 at Johnstown Animal Hospital, a mixed small animal and equine practice where she worked as a veterinary technician for 21 years before returning to the West Coast. In San Diego at San Luis Rey Equine Hospital, she found her passion in equine medicine and surgery.

In 2021, Michelle received the happy news that she was becoming a grandmother, so she made her way back to New York, and in 2022 joined the SmartEQ team. Here she is thoroughly enjoying a new look at equine sports medicine in ambulatory practice.

In her free time, Michelle enjoys spending time with her children and her granddaughter. She also loves to spend time with her horse Beau.

Hanna Frederick

Hanna Frederick

Veterinary Assistant

Hanna grew up just outside of Saratoga, New York. She worked on farms in various equine disciplines, and spent a few summers working at the Saratoga Racetrack, before obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Equine Science and Management with a concentration in Thoroughbred Racing Management from Morrisville State College. Hanna also trained in Morrisville’s equine rehabilitation program as well as in their Thoroughbred breeding program. After college, she managed a breeding farm, hunter jumper show barn, and a private facility where she worked with retired racehorses and Gypsy Vanners before joining SmartEQ. She feels as though she has finally found her permanent place in the medical side of the industry. She is headed back to school to become a Licensed Veterinary Technician.

Outside of work she loves to spend time with her personal horses, her fiancé Hannah, best friend/ roommate Nick and 5 cats at home along with adventuring outside on and around the lake!

Erica Altman, PhD

Erica Altman, PhD

Practice Administrator

Erica has been an integral part of SmartEQ behind the scenes from day one. She is married to the practice owner, Rod Stewart. Erica takes the lead in the planning, development, implementation and review of our management systems. She manages the practice finances and administrative compliance.

Erica’s educational background is in science, having graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and her PhD in veterinary immunology from The University of Sydney. She moved to the United States in 2001 for her post-doctoral fellowship in cellular and molecular immunology with Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Erica’s connection to horses grew from riding during school vacations in the countryside of her native Australia; when she’s not working, Erica enjoys playing with her horse Gianni, and with her dogs, and traveling with her family.

Catrina Scott-Becker

Catrina Scott-Becker

Assistant Administrator

Catrina has been part of the SmartEQ team since 2021. She hails from Devon, England and is a graduate of The Duchy College, Cornwall and Bicton College in Devon, with a Bachelor of Science in Equine Science and Land Management.

Catrina considers herself very fortunate to have grown up on the edge of Dartmoor in a rural farming and hunting county, a life full of muddy ponies and handsome horses, riding with both the Lamerton and Spooners & West Dartmoor Hunts before venturing into the eventing world.

Since 2016, Catrina has been the Director & Administrator for a local Non-Profit Charity Amorak Youth which offers free programs in the arts and music to school aged children in the tri-county area.

Catrina is happy to call Upstate New York home now, with her retired horse and dog. She continues to enjoy learning about horses, wildlife, life-life, and she is currently aspiring to be a 46er.