BluePearl Pet Hospital
Raleigh, NC
Our Vets

Dr. Emily Ansel is excited by all aspects of emergency medicine. She especially enjoys cases involving internal medicine, toxins, wound care and reproduction.

• Internship, Small Animal & Surgery, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC

Outside of work, Dr. Ansel enjoys reading, exploring the outdoors and spending time with her family. She has a special interest in purebred dogs and has participated in various dog sports with her Vizsla and Brittany dogs.

Dr. Cristina Aponte’s clinical interests include gastrointestinal and renal conditions.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Small Animal Internal Medicine)
• Residency, Small Animal Internal Medicine, BluePearl Pet Hospital, Tampa, FL
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, Middletown, NJ
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan

In her free time, Dr. Aponte enjoys yoga, going wine tasting and relaxing at home with her perfect Yorkies, Lana and Mateo.

Dr. Melissa Ballantyne’s clinical interests include diagnostic imaging, toxicities, CPR, wound management and medical oncology.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Pet Hospital, Cary, NC
• Clinical Rotation, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies

Dr. Ballantyne enjoys going on new adventures, attending concerts, watching football, hiking, being outdoors, nature photography and baking. She loves spending time with friends and making people smile whenever possible.

Dr. Katherine Blincoe brings a positive and bright attitude to work. She is particularly interested in emergency procedures including laceration repairs, thoracic limb amputations, foreign body removal, enucleations, and gastrointestinal (GI) surgery. She is also passionate about feline urethral obstruction and congestive heart failure cases.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, VCA California Veterinary Specialists, Carlsbad
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Christopher Newport University, Newport News, VA

Dr. Blincoe and her husband have a Labrador retriever, Wendy, and two cats, a black-and-white polydactyl, Rorschach, and an orange tabby, Shakespeare. She enjoys cooking, visiting with family, playing games, and spending time outside walking her dogs or drinking tea on her porch.

Dr. Lauren Block’s favorite cases are urgent emergencies. She loves stabilizing patients and seeing her efforts take effect. Her professional interests include urethral obstruction, pericardiocentesis and hemoabdomen.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, VCA South Shore Animal Hospital, Weymouth, MA
• Clinical Rotation, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Dr. Block lives with her husband, young daughter and black Lab, Lacey. She enjoys exercising, staying active and traveling.

Dr. Nick de Silvia’s professional interests include emergent endocrine diseases, autoimmune disorders and acute toxicities.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas, Cary, NC
• Clinical Rotation, Auburn University, AL
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Queen’s College, St. John, Barbados, West Indies

Dr. de Silvia lives with his wife, who is also a veterinarian, their two children, rescue mutt and two cats. Outside of work, he likes making homemade pasta and bread, exploring new places and playing pickleball.

As an experienced emergency clinician, Dr. Isel Del Valle is particularly interested in Eastern medicine, acupuncture, stabilization of septic patients, sports medicine, and rehabilitation.

• Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Chi University, Reddick, FL
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Regional Veterinary Referral Center, Springfield, VA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Bachelor of Science, Biological Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC

Dr. Del Valle is passionate about travel, gourmet cooking, dressage, gardening, family time, and Duke University sports. She has a horse, a dog and a cat.

Dr. Tara Enzweiler appreciates the wide variety of cases, challenges, and fast pace of emergency medicine.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas, Cary NC
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Bachelor of Science, Science-Business, University of Notre Dame, IN

Dr. Enzweiler is an avid fan of Notre Dame Athletics. She enjoys spending time visiting North Carolina’s beautiful beaches, staying active, playing sports, and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies
• Bachelor of Arts, Environmental Studies, St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN

Dr. David Lee is most interested in orthopedic surgery, particularly surgical stabilization of the knee following cranial cruciate ligament rupture and joint replacement.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Residency, Anesthesiology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of the South, Sewanee, TN

Dr. Lee enjoys woodworking, working about the house and watching his two sons play ultimate frisbee.

A highly experienced clinician, Dr. Sarah Leigh is passionate about integrated, collaborative medicine. She thrives in the fast-paced ER environment and enjoys treating and managing complex cases.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Florida Veterinary Specialists, Tampa
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

A fan of outdoor sports, running and sports training, Dr. Leigh enjoys spending time with her husband, three children, dogs Stan and Shy and cat Joseph.

An experienced clinician, Dr. Maureen Levesque is especially interested in imaging the musculoskeletal system. She also finds participating in emergency cases to be extremely gratifying.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Radiology
• Residency, Radiology, Tufts University, Grafton MA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center, Los Olivos CA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champagne

When not working, Dr. Levesque enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with her young son. She shares her home with two scruffy dogs and two kitties.

As an experienced emergency clinician, Dr. Ashley Miller-Quarles prides herself on great communication skills and her ability to put clients’ minds at ease during emergencies. She particularly enjoys unblocking urinary obstructions in cats, stabilizing trauma patients and managing patient care in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Dr. Ashley Miller-Quarles is the ER medical director of our Cary, Durham and Raleigh hospitals.

• Internship, Small Animal Internal Medicine & Critical Care , Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists, Houston, TX
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Auburn University, AL
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

Dr. Miller-Quarles is married with two young children. She has three dogs, including a three-legged dog or “tripod.” In her spare time, she enjoys reading, knitting and anything related to true crime (documentaries, podcasts, books, etc.).

Dr. Erin Perry is a small animal medicine & surgery intern.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Bachelor of Science, Computer Science, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

A highly experienced clinician, Dr. Kimberly Piner particularly enjoys treating cases of toxicity, urethral obstruction and parvovirus.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital, Portland, OR
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, Ohio State University, Columbus

When not at work, Dr. Piner enjoys running obstacle races and spending time with her husband and two children. She has three cats, one three-legged calico, one bobtail and one polydactyl.

As an emergency clinician, Dr. Kelsey Routh communicates effectively with clients and uses essential problem-solving skills to diagnose and treat her patients. She finds cases involving shock stabilization, blood transfusions and internal medicine particularly gratifying.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas, Cary NC
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg

Outside of work, Dr. Routh enjoys hiking, discovering new restaurants and spending time with her husband and German shorthaired pointer, Laney.

Dr. Rebecca “Becks” Schuber is most interested in diseases and disorders of the hepatobiliary system and endocrinopathies.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Pet Hospital, Cary, NC
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
• Bachelor of Science, Animal, Dairy and Poultry Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

Dr. Schuber enjoys playing the piano, trivia and exploring the great outdoors. She has a fiancé, who is also a veterinarian, three dogs and a kitten.

Dr. KP Spivey’s clinical interests include soft tissue surgery, surgical oncology and wound management.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons (Small Animal)
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, BluePearl Pet Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA
• Internship, Small Animal Surgery, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Pet Hospital, Franklin, TN
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
• Bachelor of Arts, Biology, Hendrix College, Conway, AR

Outside the operating room, Dr. Spivey enjoys baking, CrossFit and craft projects such as painting and embroidery. She shares her home with a German shepherd named Wrex, two cats, Aslan and Raja, and a ball python named Dexter.

Dr. Samantha Stansbury’s clinical interests include shock stabilization, traumatic brain injuries, urethral obstruction, and emergent autoimmune and endocrine disorders.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater

Dr. Stansbury Dr. Stansbury lives with her husband, and together, they have a black lab mix named Nara and a tortoiseshell cat named Rue. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, camping, golfing, cooking and live music.

Dr. Carly Stevens has worked in both a cell biology and genetics lab. Her clinical interests include treating histiocytic sarcoma, lymphoma, hemangiosarcoma and tumors.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology)
• Residency, Medical Oncology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Internship, Medical Oncology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis
• Bachelor of Science, Cell Biology, University of California, Davis

When not working, Dr. Stevens enjoys bicycling, hiking, listening to podcasts, trying new recipes and watching movies. She has a mixed-breed dog adopted in California and named after a local beach.

Dr. Summer Wheeler’s special interests include wound care, treating cardiomyopathy and blocked cats, and performing ultrasounds.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Bachelor of Science, Agriculture, Murray State University, Murray, KY

Dr. Wheeler enjoys lifting, spending time with her fiancé, reading and watching movies. She also loves spending time with her cats, dogs and foster kittens.

Dr. Sirima Yaemsiri is particularly interested in renal disease and extracorporeal therapies such as hemodialysis and therapeutic plasma exchange. The most gratifying part of her job is building long-term relationships with clients and pets.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Small Animal Internal Medicine)
• Residency, Small Animal Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

When not at work, Dr. Yaemsiri enjoys being active, cooking/baking new recipes, and traveling with her husband and daughter. She is also a big fan of Chihuahuas and has two adopted geriatric Chihuahuas.