Meet the Team - Caring Hands Animal Hospital

Meet Our Talented Team and Probably Their Pets

CURT THURMAN, DVM

Curt graduated from the University of Illinois in 1986 with a degree in agricultural economics and again in 1995 with the DVM degree. Curt and his wife Elizabeth have a daughter and three sons. The family has two beloved pets, Simon and Cleo. Curt loves the outdoors, fishing, gardening and breaking his back on days off.

Rebecca Buraglio, DVM

Dr. Buraglio’s love for animals began during her childhood on a farm in central Illinois, where her father instilled in her a deep respect and commitment to animal care. She pursued this passion at the University of Illinois, majoring in Animal Science as an undergraduate. During this time, she developed a keen interest in animal behavior and began caring for wildlife at the Wildlife Medical Clinic. Continuing to the University of Illinois for veterinary school, from which she graduated in 2004, Dr. Buraglio remained active in the Wildlife Medical Clinic, joined the Behavior Club, and became the student director of the grief helpline. Her goal is to help clients and their pets coexist in harmony offering quality medical and behavioral advice. She currently resides in Savoy with her husband and their two sons. Their family includes a golden retriever, a Pomeranian, and three cats. When she is not watching her boys at a running event or a wrestling meet, she treasures spending time with her family and friends

Hannah Pulcastro, DVM

Hannah grew up in Washington State and earned her B.S. in Neuroscience at Washington State University. She earned an M.P.S. in Psychology at the University of Maryland before earning her D.V.M. at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2026. She has special interests in urgent care medicine, working dog medicine, and pediatric and neonate medicine.

Hannah shares her life with her Pitbull mix, Mookie; her Belgian Malinois, Fidget; her guinea pig, Darwin; her pet poison dart frogs, and a rotating cast of foster animals. When she isn’t working, she trains and competes in dog sports (obedience, tracking, nosework, agility, and disc dog), or is backpacking with her dogs

Gigi Paquin

Gigi has worked at Caring Hands Animal Hospital since June of 1995 and is currently our office manger. She grew up in the small town of Homer and currently lives in Urbana. Gigi is busy playing with her two dogs and cuddling with her two cats. Her home life includes a wonderful daughter and granddaughter. Gigi is always busy with work, her home life, and her pet sitting business. She has been pet sitting since she was twelve years old. We all enjoy hearing her pet sitting stories and how much she still enjoys it herself. In her free time she loves to read and travel to warmer climates.

Nancy Anderson

Nancy is the head veterinary technician at Caring Hands Animal Hospital and has worked here since 1999. She loves working as a veterinary technician and enjoys it today as much as she did when she started. Nancy lives in Mahomet with her husband Matt and her two children. Her family also includes three cats and the most incredible German Shepherd on earth. On the weekends she’s busy attending her son’s sport of the season and enjoying an occasional musical with her daughter. With any other spare time she likes to read and walk her dog.

Krista Pittman

Krista has been a vet assistant at Caring Hands since October 2018. She has had a passion for animals ever since she was a child. She loves helping the patients. In her free time Krista enjoys reading, photography, spending time in nature & spending time with her family. she has 3 cats KiKi, Cinnamon & Buddy.

Sarah Young

My name is Sarah, I have been in vet medicine for 13 years this September (‘26) and am absolutely passionate about what I do. I am a lover of cats and dogs both but I do tend to advocate for feline patients more because they have always been a little left behind when it comes to research and such. My wife and I moved here in November of 2021, almost exactly a month to the day from our wedding, from Atlanta and we love the Midwest and the general vibe of Chambana. She is an ordained Presbyterian Reverend and we joke that she should be the clinic spiritual support. I brought my love of the Michigan Wolverines and the UGA Bulldogs with me as well 😉

Huyanna Siegler

My name is Huyanna Siegler, I joined Caring Hands in April of 2025 as a vet assistant and my family has been clients with Caring Hands for around 18 years. I have over 7 years of experience with small animal care and grooming. In 2018 I was gifted my shepherd mix name Jude and since then I’ve became interested in dog nutrition or anything necessary to help Jude live a healthy life. Afterwards I grew passion to help educate people with care for their pets. In my free time Im surrounded with people I love, bible study and go adventures with Jude.

Mac Dudley

Mac is an assistant here at Caring Hands. They have a bachelors in Animal Sciences from the University of Illinois and studied veterinary science post-graduate. They currently live with three cats and a pet cockroach and regularly visit with their parents’ dog. Outside of work, Mac enjoys hiking, completing puzzles, and organizing.

Taylor Garwood

Taylor is a customer service representative who started at Caring Hands in 2025. She is currently studying psychology and plans to pursue a doctorate through the University of Illinois so she can become a psychologist. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her pets, hiking, swimming, horseback riding, shopping and singing karaoke.

Alice Johnson

Hello, I’m Alice! I am an Animal Sciences student at the University of Illinois, pursuing a pre-veterinary concentration along with a minor in Art and Design. I was born here in Urbana-Champaign but moved to China with my family and lived in Beijing for 14 years. While I was there, I attended the Central Academy of Fine Arts and I also worked as a vet assistant and translator for a swine practitioner on the side. In 2024, I returned to the U.S. and transferred to the U of I to further my academic career in veterinary medicine. I’m passionate about both animal care and creative expression, and I hope to become a mixed-practice vet in the future while continuing to grow as an artist. Outside of school and work, I like to travel and learn, I enjoy staying active by roller skating and bouldering and I love exploring new creative outlets. I’m biracial and natively bilingual in both English and Mandarin, so if you feel more comfortable speaking Chinese or would like to learn more about China, feel free to strike up a conversation with me if you see me around!