BluePearl Pet Hospital
Grand Rapids, MI
Our Vets

Dr. Elizabeth Brand’s clinical interests include toxicities, trauma and working collaboratively with medical and surgery departments. She enjoys the variety of emergency medicine and exploring new areas of veterinary medicine.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo

Dr. Brand enjoys mountain biking, hiking and traveling with her husband. Together they have three dogs – an Australian shepherd mix (Kirsi), a border collie mix (Russel) and a Brittany spaniel (River).

Dr. Aly Conflitti has a special interest in emergency medicine, critical care, internal medicine, radiology and feline medicine. She is trained in special procedures such as endoscopy and ultrasound. She is passionate about rescue and involved in fostering.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan
• Bachelor of Science, Biochemistry, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant

Dr. Conflitti and her husband have seven beloved rescue pets. The loves of her life are a blue point Siamese named Goose and a coconut retriever named Reggie. Her other passions outside of work include hiking, traveling, riding the Peloton, taking Reggie to the beach and spending time with her family.

Dr. Amanda Conkling is especially interested in soft tissue surgery, oncologic surgery and reconstructive procedures.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Residency, Surgery, Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital, Copley, OH
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital, Copley, OH
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames
• Bachelor of Arts, Rutgers State University, East Brunswick, NJ

Dr. Conkling enjoys staying active with her husband and five children, being a soccer mom and helping with the family’s race event company. The family has a Maltese mix named Peter Parker, two cats named Phineas and Ferb, and chickens.

Dr. Michael Diehl’s professional interests include seizure management and neurologic emergencies, neuro-oncology, luxations/fractures of the spine and inflammatory CNS disorders.

• Residency, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Dogwood Veterinary Referral Center, Farmington, MI
• Internship, Neurology, Animal Specialty Center, Yonkers, NY
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Services, Rochester, NY
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville
• Master of Science, Natural Science, Immunology, State University of New York, Buffalo
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY

Dr. Diehl enjoys weight training, Syracuse University lacrosse, wildlife management and conservation, art, photography, hiking, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding.

• Residency, Diagnostic Imaging, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
• Internship, Diagnostic Imaging, VCA Advanced Veterinary Care Center, Fishers, IN
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, VCA Advanced Veterinary Care Center, Fishers, IN
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Bachelor of Science, Zoology, Michigan State University, East Lansing

Before going back to vet school, Dr. Yoojin Kim was a writer and editor for one of the largest publishers in South Korea.

Dr. Kim enjoys all aspects of internal medicine and its complexity. Her special interests include nephrology, hepatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology and immune-mediated disease. She is skilled in ultrasonography and endoscopic procedures including bronchoscopy, rhinoscopy, cystoscopy and GI endoscopy.

Dr. Kim enjoys providing clients and their pets with evidence-based, tailored diagnostic and treatment plans while maintaining the highest quality of life possible for patients.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
• Residency, Small Animal Internal Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
• Internship, Small Animal Internal Medicine, Coral Springs Animal Hospital, FL
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Dogs and Cats Veterinary Referral & Emergency, Bowie, MD
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea
• Bachelor of Arts, Journalism & Mass Communication, Ewha Women’s University, Seoul, South Korea

Dr. Kim and her husband can often be found near the water, in the woods or traveling around new places with their daughter. She enjoys swimming, canoeing, camping, performing arts, reading and jogging in the morning.

On rainy days, Dr. Kim and her family like to bake bread, cookies and cakes together. The family shares their house with two boy cats, Hobo and Marsh(mellow), and they are looking forward to getting dogs when their daughter is big enough to (partially) accomplish walking duties for them.

Dr. Danielle Pettifor is a well-rounded clinician with a special interest in exotic animal medicine. Her favorite cases are those involving cardiology, internal medicine and trauma.

• Clinical year, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts, West Indies
• Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN

When not in the ER, Dr. Pettifor is enjoying the great outdoors. She likes to go for hikes and go swimming with her husband, daughter and dog.

Within his specialty of internal medicine, Dr. Sharpe is particularly interested in immune-mediated diseases, liver disease and endocrinology.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
• Residency, Internal Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center, Norwalk, CT
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Bachelor of Science, Oakland University, Rochester, MI

Dr. Sharpe enjoys running, fly fishing, hiking and camping with his wife, three sons and dog Agnes, a Shih Tzu. He also has a bearded dragon named Lepard Gekgo and some hermit crabs.

Publications & Articles

Dr. Maika Sharpe is especially interested in animal behavior, dermatology, and dentistry.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Norwalk, CT
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Bachelor of Science, Pre-veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing

Dr. Sharpe and her husband, also a veterinarian, live in Grand Rapids with their three sons, two dogs, and one cat. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, running, gardening, and nature hikes.

Dr. Gwen Sila is particularly interested in corneal disease, glaucoma, and cataract surgery.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists
• Residency, Ophthalmology, Michigan Veterinary Specialists, Southfield
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Michigan Veterinary Specialists, Southfield
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Bachelor of Arts, Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI

Dr. Sila loves being outside and traveling and hiking through remote areas. She’s a longtime casual runner and also enjoys cooking and baking. She and her husband have a very active border collie and Australian shepherd and an even more active young son.

Dr. Nick Sterner’s clinical interests include internal medicine, laceration repairs, feline urethral obstructions and canine dystocias.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames

Dr. Sterner and his husband live in western Michigan with their two golden retrievers, Piper and Phoebe. He enjoys horseback riding, reading, gardening, yoga, lounging by the pool and exploring the beautiful state that he now calls home.

Dr. Christine Swanson is the medical director of our Grand Rapids hospital. She is especially interested in combination chemotherapy as extracted from human medicine and how that can be combined with complementary medicine.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology)
• Residency, Oncology, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Michigan Veterinary Specialists, Southfield
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Bachelor of Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing

Dr. Swanson enjoys baking and spending time outdoors with her two children and husband. Cedar, a Cane Corso, and Willow, a Labrador retriever, are always eager to fill the rest of the daylight hours with an uplifting game of fetch.