Meet Our Team

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.

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.

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 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 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 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.