Gator love stories
College of Medicine alumni reflect on finding love during their studies in Gainesville
Feb. 14, 2022 — There’s a lot to love at the University of Florida College of Medicine, but that is especially the case for alumni who found their significant others during their studies in Gainesville.
Take a peek at some of the Gator love stories shared by alumni in recent months:
The Wolf family
Geoff and Laura Wolf, both M.D. ‘93, pictured together and with their five children. The family is known as the "Wolfpack."
Courtesy of the Wolf family
Geoff and Laura Wolf, both M.D. ‘93, met as undergraduate students at the University of Florida, where they were microbiology lab partners. They both were accepted into the UF Junior Honors Medical Program (now called the UF Medical Honors Program) and attended medical school at UF. Upon graduating, they both chose to specialize in anesthesiology and completed their residencies at UF. They married in their final year of residency and recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.
The Drs. Wolf are currently private practice anesthesiologists at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital in Vero Beach, and they have five children. Rachel and Adam are UF grads, Kyle and Sarah are current UF students and Emma hopes to become a Gator after finishing high school. The family of seven is known as the “Wolfpack.”
Drs. Vlasak and Rhotan-Vlasak
Drs. Richard Vlasak and Alice Rhotan-Vlasak, who graduated from the UF College of Medicine in 1988 and 1989 respectively
Courtesy of Drs. Richard Vlasak and Alice Rhotan-Vlasak
Drs. Richard Vlasak and Alice Rhotan-Vlasak, who graduated from the UF College of Medicine in 1988 and 1989 respectively, met in Gainesville when Vlasak was an orthopaedic resident and Rhotan-Vlasak was a fourth-year medical student. On their first date, they joined another couple to go bass fishing on Orange Lake, and they married one year later. Today, they continue to enjoy outdoor activities like biking, diving, hiking and camping together.
The Woody family
John Woody, M.D. '85, pictured over the years with his wife Karen and their family.
Courtesy of the Woody family
John Woody, M.D. ’85, met his wife-to-be Karen Woody in 1983 at Shands Teaching Hospital, now UF Health Shands, where she was a respiratory therapist technician, and he was a third-year medical student on his surgery rotation. John said their relationship was “meant to be” immediately after meeting Karen. After their first date, which took place during Karen’s dinner break at work, the two were never apart.
Following John’s graduation, the couple moved to Columbia, South Carolina, for John’s residency and started their family. Their three daughters Casey Joan, Kelli Jean and Lindsey are all physicians who attended UF or had residencies or fellowships with UF Medicine. John said that UF provided him with his livelihood, his wife and his family’s education and that he couldn’t ask for more.
The Drs. Janelle
Drs. Gregory and Jennifer Janelle, pictured on their wedding day and with their family.
Courtesy of the Janelle family
UF College of Medicine faculty members and resident alumni Drs. Gregory and Jennifer Janelle met during a resident lunch at UF in 1994, while he was an anesthesiology intern and she was an internal medicine intern. They married in 1998 during their fellowships at UF and have spent their entire medical careers in Gainesville. Their two sons, Michael and Alex, are in their senior years of high school and college, respectively.
The Sommerfeld family
Drs. Casey and Alex Sommerfeld, pictured during medical school, as physicians and their two young children
Courtesy of the Sommerfield family
Drs. Casey and Alex Sommerfeld met on their first day of orientation in 2010 and began dating soon after. The pair moved to Pittsburgh for residency training after graduating in 2014, and now the Gator lovebirds have planted roots in Bulldog territory.
“We are grateful to the UF College of Medicine for bringing the two of us together,” Casey says. “We enjoyed showing our children some of our favorite Gainesville spots this past winter. Go Gators!”
The Guido family
Chris Guido, M.D. '18, and Cortney Guido, with their Gator-spirited daughters Harper Grace and Layla Jane
Courtesy of the Guido family
Congratulations to Chris Guido, M.D. ’18, and his wife, Cortney, Gator lovebirds who are expecting their third baby Gator this year.
The Central Florida natives met as undergraduates at UF in 2011. Chris followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the Florida Gators Football team and later attended medical school. Cortney earned a doctorate in physical therapy, and the two moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where Chris works as a pediatrician and Cortney works as a pediatric physical therapist.
Big sisters Harper Grace and Layla Jane will welcome a baby brother later this year. “We look forward to sharing our strong love for The Gator Nation with our children,” Cortney says.
