Ridgefield Veterinary Center Veterinary Team
Meet the Ridgefield Veterinary Center Veterinarians and Staff! We are delighted to provide excellent veterinary treatment for your pets!
Our Doctors
Dr. Mary Beran
DVM, Owner
Dr. Beran received a B.A. in 1989 from Williams College, where she worked in a veterinary kennel on weekends. She earned her veterinary degree from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1993. While at Tufts, she did an externship at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Illinois. In practice as a veterinarian for more than twenty-five years, Dr. Beran worked with Dr. Jordan Dann for six years at Ridgefield Veterinary Hospital. When Dr. Dann retired, she was happy to take over the practice, now called Ridgefield Veterinary Center. Her hobbies include running, sailing, and spending time with her family. She has three great Labrador Retrievers named Taxi, Audrey, and Sally.
Dr. Danielle Szajer
DVM
Dr. Szajer holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Albany, where she majored in biology, and a DVM degree from the Lewyt College of Veterinary Medicine of Long Island University, from which she graduated cum laude. Before coming to RVC, Dr. Szajer practiced veterinary medicine at the Aspetuck Animal Hospital in New Preston, Connecticut.
Dr. Szajer grew up on a family farm in Catskill, New York, with dogs, cats, alpacas, and koi fish. Deeply committed to the care of animals, she has devoted her spare time to trap-neuter-return efforts, helping to organize a spay-and-neuter program for cats in Honduras, and has been active in horse rescue and humane society relief work.
With four cats and 1 pup of her own, Dr. Szajer is thrilled to bring her passion for helping all creatures great and small to RVC.
Our Specialist
Dr. Philip Pacchiana
DVM, MS, DACVS
Originally from Connecticut, Dr. Pacchiana attended veterinary school at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in St. Paul, Minnesota. Upon graduation, he completed a one-year general internship in medicine and surgery at the Oradell Animal Hospital in Oradell, New Jersey, and a one-year surgical internship at the Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center in Dallas, Texas. He returned to the University of Minnesota for a three-year residency in small animal surgery, during which time he also completed a Master of Science degree in veterinary surgery, anesthesia, and radiology.
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Dr. Pacchiana passed the certifying examination of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2003 and has maintained board certification since that time. Upon completing his residency, he practiced at several twenty-four-hour specialty referral hospitals in and around New York City. He was Chief of Surgery for eight years at Manhattan Veterinary Group and Fifth Avenue Veterinary Specialists and held several other leadership positions, among them that of Medical Director. In addition, he enjoys public speaking and has spoken on many occasions at national and local meetings. He also enjoys research and has nearly twenty publications to his credit. Dr. Pacchiana has performed thousands of orthopedic, soft tissue, and neurosurgical procedures and has experience in treating almost all surgical conditions in dogs and cats.
Dr. Victor Rendano
VMD, DACVR
Dr. Rendano received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1972 from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, where he graduated summa cum laude. His postgraduate studies included an internship and residency in diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy at the University of Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College, and Washington State University School of Veterinary Medicine. He received a postgraduate degree from the University of Guelph and a Master of Science degree from Washington State University. After completing a rigorous training program, he was inducted as a Diplomate into the American College of Veterinary Radiology and received his board certification in 1975.
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Dr. Rendano was a faculty member in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine for twenty years. In 1996 he returned to academia, where he continued his studies in the field of radiation oncology. In 2001, he was awarded Diplomate status and board certification in radiation oncology. Dr. Rendano has published over one hundred papers and has lectured throughout the world. He has been honored by the New York State Veterinary Medical Society and the University of Pennsylvania Alumni Society. His professional philosophy is to include the pet owner as a member of the diagnostic and therapeutic team. He believes that this synergy and bond enhances the healing process. Dr. Rendano is currently president of Veterinary Multi-Imaging (VMI) and co-founder of Thyro-Cat. Six Thyro-Cat locations in New York and Connecticut offer Radioiodine therapy for cats with hyperthyroidism. Dr. Rendano and Dr. Kent Wallace from VMI provide imaging services, including Radiograph Interpretation, Ultrasonography, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
Our Staff
Debra Sargeant
OFFICE MANAGER
Debra joined Ridgefield Veterinary Center in 2019 after spending a year as a client care representative at an emergency and specialty hospital. Debra was born and raised in Minnesota and moved to Connecticut more than 30 years ago. She enjoys baking, gardening, and spending time with her daughter and two sons. Debra has always been an animal lover and is a mom to two dogs and two cats.
Selena Panucci
HEAD OF RECEPTION
Selena joined RVC in June 2024 after having experience in the veterinary field off & on throughout the past 15 years. She’s worked as a kennel tech, vet assistant, and client service roles. What she loves doing most is spending time with her black Lab, Tank. When he’s not getting all of her attention, you can find her reading, creating art, or spending time outdoors. With her #1 passion being everything-nature and helping, no matter where she goes, she brings her whole heart to the table for all.
Hailey Young
VETERINARY TECHNICIAN
Hailey has been an animal lover since she was a young child and has had several different types of pets over the years including ducks and chinchillas. She currently has two dogs- a Siberian Husky named Juneau and a mixed breed rescued from Hurricane Harvery named Buddy. Cows are her favorite kind of animal but dogs are a close second. She enjoys going on hikes, painting pottery, and planting flowers when she is not working at Ridgefield Veterinary Center.
Lori Mazzola
VETERINARY TECHNICIAN
Lori Mazzola has worked in veterinary medicine since 2009. While a technician most of those years Lori has also found her passion helping animals by volunteering with Perros Sin Nombre (Dogs Without Names), a not-for-profit animal shelter in Honduras. There she serves under-served communities with their pets to help reduce overpopulation. Lori has flown 3 times to Honduras to participate in spay and neuter clinics that have served over 1000 dogs and cats to date. Lori also has been a volunteer at ROAR since 2008 where she served as Vice President for their Pets for Vets CT Chapter as well as their inaugural Pet Therapy Program.
Lori, her husband Steven, and her 2 sons have called Ridgefield their forever home since 2006.
Ellen Bonheim
VETERINARY TECHNICIAN
Ellen Bonheim has been an animal lover and advocate all her life. Ellen began her career in 1993 as a veterinary technician while still in college. She graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science and a minor in Equine Nutrition. Ellen tried working in the research world after college, but she missed nursing animals back to health, so returned to veterinary medicine as a technician and eventually office manager. Ellen became close with the oncology department at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital while helping her cat fight cancer and they encouraged her to join their team. In 2005, she became an oncology technician at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, where she provided chemotherapy treatments for small animals—including ferrets, dogs, cats, and even a rabbit!
In 2009, Ellen took a break from veterinary medicine to raise her two daughters and she and her husband moved the family to Ridgefield. In 2011, Ellen became a certified yoga and TRX instructor. She opened Firefly Family Yoga in Ridgefield in 2013.
Today, Ellen continues to teach yoga at the Ridgefield Rec Center, local nursery schools, and to private clients, all while caring for her own busy household of pets—two dogs, three cats, three ferrets, two miniature horses, and a coop full of chickens. Ellen currently serves on the board of Rising Starr Horse Rescue in WIlton, CT and as president of the Upper Saranac Lake Association in upstate NY. Missing her work in animal care, she joined Ridgefield Veterinary Center in April 2025 and looks forward to providing your pets with the best, most compassionate care possible.
Cheryl Davie
KENNEL ATTENDANT
Cheryl has been with Ridgefield Veterinary Center for more than fifteen years. She works on weekends making sure our hospital cat Ellie Mae is loved and taken care of and our hospital is clean and sanitized.