BluePearl Pet Hospital
Durham, 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

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. 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, Granada
• 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. Kelly Catanzaro is interested in treating feline upper respiratory diseases as there are a myriad of potential treatments and she finds it gratifying to identify which ones work best for each patient. Her interests also include Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases as well as infectious diseases, which were the subject of her PhD research.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, MedVet Akron, OH
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
• Doctor of Philosophy, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Animal Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park

Dr. Catanzaro and her husband have many pets, but her oldest (and most special) is her tortoiseshell cat named Hampster who she’s had since college. In her free time, Dr. Catanzaro enjoys hiking, being outdoors and renovating every room in her house.

Publications & Articles

Dr. Christine Culler has published research covering a variety of topics including extracorporeal therapy, septic shock, abdominal bleeding from anaphylaxis and plasma products. She loves teaching and giving lectures at local and national veterinary conferences.

Her special interests include sepsis, trauma, intoxications, hypoalbuminemia and acute kidney injury. She is passionate about supporting clients in making decisions about critical illness and improving patient comfort through palliative care.

• Master of Science, Palliative Care, University of Maryland, College Park
• Fellowship, Extracorporeal Therapy, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care
• Residency, Small Animal Emergency & Critical Care, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Master of Science, Comparative Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital, CO
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Health and Behavior, The Ohio State University, Columbus

Dr. Culler appreciates North Carolina’s beautiful weather and spends her free time kayaking, riding horses and gardening. She also likes painting, photography and road trips.

Publications & Articles

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
• Bachelor of Science, Queen’s College, Barbados

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 Institute, 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. Rhiannon Doka provides compassionate and informative care for clients to make the best decisions for their pets’ cancer treatment options. Her goal is to give patients as much quality time as possible doing the things they love.
Dr. Doka’s special interests include comparative oncology, hematopoietic malignancy treatment, clinical trials, targeted cancer therapy and immunotherapy.

• Residency, Medical Oncology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Internship, Medical Oncology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Hospital of the Carolinas, Cary NC
• Clinical Rotation, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts
• Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, Barry University, Miami Shores FL

Dr. Doka enjoys spending her free time with family and friends. She has two dogs, Duffy and Taygan, and one cat, Rizzo, that always keep her on her toes.

Dr. Ryan Dulaney is a dedicated clinician, and his medical interests include non-invasive endoscopy to facilitate diagnosis of diseases within the urinary, gastrointestinal, and respiratory tract.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Small Animal Internal Medicine)
• Residency, Small Animal Internal Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
• Bachelor of Science, Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg

Dr. Dulaney enjoys outdoor water and hiking activities, college football (Go Hokies!), traveling to new places and CrossFit. He is an avid fan of Rottweilers, having grown up with them.

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.

A dedicated clinician, Dr. Frances Hinkle’s professional interests include musculoskeletal imaging, ultrasound and computed tomography (CT).

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Radiology-Equine Diagnostic Imaging
• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Radiology
• Residency, Radiology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Services, Rochester, NY
• Internship, Equine Medicine & Surgery, Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington KY
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station
• Bachelor of Science, Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M, College Station

When not at work, Dr. Hinkle enjoys hiking, exploring, cooking and spending time with her husband and dogs.

Publications & Articles

Dr. Randi Johnson finds treating toxin ingestion, endocrine emergencies and sepsis the most gratifying.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas, Cary, NC
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Bachelor of Science, Chemistry, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH

Outside of work, Dr. Johnson enjoys running, reading and spending time with her husband, two dogs and bird.

Dr. Zachary Kasson is an intern in our surgery service. He finds wound therapy and surgery the most gratifying to perform.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Cary, NC
• Clinical Rotation, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Integrative Biology, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi

Dr. Kasson enjoys exploring new places and spending time with his wife and dog.

Dr. Stephanie Knapp is passionate about making a positive impact in the lives of her patients and clients. She enjoys collaborating with her colleagues to find new and improved methods of figuring out the “puzzles” associated with each case. She promotes a low-stress experience for her patients by using hands-free radiology techniques to obtain diagnostic images when possible.

Prior to becoming a veterinary radiologist, Dr. Knapp worked as an emergency clinician and she still as an “ER spirit.” She likes using imaging to diagnose emergency conditions like foreign bodies and abscess. She finds cancer imaging particularly gratifying.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Radiology
• Residency, Radiology, University of Missouri, Columbia
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center, CA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Truman State University, Kirksville MO
• Bachelor of Arts, Biology, Truman State University, Kirksville MO

Dr. Knapp and her husband enjoy outdoor activities and travel to beautiful places. She and her dog as interested in “canicross,” a sport involving cross-country running with dogs, on the local trails.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas, Raleigh-Durham, NC
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman
• Bachelor of Science, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Mathematics, University of Colorado, Boulder

Dr. Meghan Kruse’s special interests include minimally invasive, urinary and soft tissue surgeries, as well as wound management.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons-Small Animal
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Bachelor of Science, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven CT

In her free time, Dr. Kruse enjoys spending time with family, repairing small engines, swimming with her local swim team and traveling to new places.

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 Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, 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.

Dr. Kristen Malinak has a background in public health and spent two years working in Asia. She loves emergency medicine and enjoys stabilizing a sick patient and watching how their case unfolds over time, ideally with them going home to a happy family at the end.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Friendship Hospital for Animals, Washington DC
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Stanford University, Palo Alto CA

Away from the hospital, Dr. Malinak loves to travel and explore new cultures through food. She also rides horses in the English sport of Eventing and enjoys hiking and spending time with her boyfriend.

Dr. Sarita Miles was selected as the nation’s first clinical fellow in veterinary neurology & neurosurgery at Colorado State University, where she stayed on as faculty. She is passionate about case management, building connections with clients and patients, and taking a hands-on approach to veterinary neurology & neurosurgery. She is certified in disc arthroplasty and neurosurgery.

Dr. Miles’ special interests include acute intervertebral disc disease, inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system, and traumatic brain injuries.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology)
• Fellowship, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
• Residency, Neurology & Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Master of Science, Veterinary Science, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Hampton University, VA

As part of a military family, Dr. Miles has lived in many places around the world and she considers Virginia her home. Outside of work, she loves to be “out and about,” exploring nature, trying new restaurants, traveling, playing team sports, and participating in other health and wellness activities.

Dr. Karri Miller obtained a master’s degree in veterinary science with a focus on oncology and currently collaborates on veterinary oncology projects with NCSU and Sentinel Biomedical. Her clinical interests include lymphoid cancers, cytology and surgical oncology principles.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology)
• Residency, Medical Oncology, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Master of Science, Veterinary Science, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Internship, Oncology, Regional Veterinary Referral Center, Springfield VA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Texas A&M University, College Station
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, University of Florida, Gainesville

Dr. Miller loves watching sports, especially college football, and supporting her Gators. She also enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, as well as her three dogs, two Cavaliers and a Dachshund.

Dr. Rachel Moyle is a dedicated clinician with interests in Interest in management of toxicities, snake envenomation, cardiac emergencies and hemodialysis.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care
• Residency, Small Animal Emergency & Critical Care, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Internship, Small Animal Emergency & Internal Medicine, Greenbrier Veterinary Referral Center, Chesapeake, VA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg

Dr. Moyle’s hobbies include biking, cooking and sprint triathlons. Her husband is an internist at BluePearl, and she has two dogs, Mabel and Gladys.

Dr. Patrick Moyle enjoys the diversity and complexity involved with internal medicine. He finds immune-mediated diseases, urology, nephrology and endoscopic procedures particularly interesting. His favorite part of the job is building relationships with clients and their pets.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Small Animal Internal Medicine)
• Residency, Small Animal Internal Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital, CO
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, AL
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA

Dr. Moyle enjoys spending time with his wife, who is also a veterinarian, and their dogs Mabel and Gladys. In his spare time, he likes cycling, kayaking and paddle boarding. He is an avid fan of San Francisco and Auburn University sports teams.

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

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Dove Lewis Emergency Animal Hospital, Portland OR
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, The 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. David Ruslander is interested in multimodality management for veterinary oncology patients, meaning treatment that involves surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy to achieve the best outcome and quality of life.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Radiology-Radiation Oncology
• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology)
• Residency, Oncology, Tufts University, North Grafton MA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
• Bachelor of Science, Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Dr. Ruslander enjoys spending time with his wife, three children, two cats, dog and parrot.

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

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency 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. Susan Shapiro is passionate about delivering personalized medicine and comforting end-of-life care; her favorite part of being a vet is getting to know pets and their families and helping them through difficult times.

Dr. Shapiro’s special interests include urothelial carcinoma in dogs, cancer genetics, cytology and molecular aspects of cancer, particularly how environmental exposures may relate to disease.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology)
• Residency, Medical Oncology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Doctor of Philosophy, Comparative Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville

Dr. Shapiro lives with her husband, son and their dog, a sheltie named Gibita, who happens to be a cancer patient herself. In her free time, Dr. Shapiro enjoys singing, biking, running, international travel, good food and drinks.

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

• 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. Scott Wells is particularly interested in cases involving trauma, sepsis, postoperative ICU care and endoscopic foreign body removal.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care
• Residency, Emergency & Critical Care, New England Animal Medical Center, West Bridgewater MA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg

Dr. Wells is married with two daughters. He enjoys mountain biking and running.

Publications & Articles

Dr. Ashlan Westbrook is most interested in emergency and critical care cases, and she has previously worked in Ethiopia, researching epizootic lymphangitis in working equids.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Raleigh-Durham, NC
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

Dr. Westbrook enjoys being outdoors with her golden retriever, Palmer, finding new music and bands, traveling, snowboarding and surfing.

Dr. Allie Wetzel is part of our emergency medicine training program for clinicians. She is particularly interested in toxicologic emergencies and developing effective pain management protocols.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Master of Science, Forensic Toxicology, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Associate of Science, Biology, Santa Fe College, Gainesville, FL

Dr. Wetzel enjoys living on her mini farm with her wife, two miniature horses, chickens, dogs and cats. In her free time, she does CrossFit competitions and gardening.

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 extracorporeal therapies such as hemodialysis and therapeutic plasma exchange. She recently completed a yearlong advanced certification program in extracorporeal therapies.

• 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 spending time outdoors, cycling around the Raleigh greenway and visiting new breweries. She is a big fan of Chihuahuas and currently has a geriatric Chihuahua named Grover.