BluePearl Pet Hospital
Grand Rapids, MI
Our Vets

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 time with her husband and five children, and participating in triathlons and running races. The family has a pit bull mix named Belle, three cats, Smudge, Phineas and Ferb, and chickens and fish.

Before vet school, Dr. Yoojin Kim worked in Seoul, South Korea as a writer and editor for a large publisher of fashion and home living magazines. She has completed focused research projects on kidney diseases but enjoys a variety of procedures, to include bronchoscopy, cystoscopy, GI endoscopy, and arthrocentesis. Her particular clinical interests include nephrology, gastroenterology, immune-mediated disease and endocrinology.

• 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, Mass Communication, Ewha Women’s University, Seoul, South Korea

Dr. Kim’s favorite pastimes include photography, travel and anything with water, like canoeing, standup paddle boarding and swimming. She and her husband, a registered nurse, have a daughter. The family shares their house with cats Foret and Hobo.

Dr. Jeniece Madison is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She is most interested in radiology, ultrasounds, collecting biopsies, removing foreign materials and investigating the gastrointestinal system.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, Animal Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing

Dr. Madison enjoys being active and living a healthy lifestyle. She loves hiking, kayaking, nature walks with her two dogs, playing sports and fitness training, specifically weightlifting, boxing and yoga.

Publications & Articles

Dr. Jill Niederhuth particularly enjoys managing epilepsy, inflammatory brain/spinal cord diseases and neuromuscular conditions. She also finds it gratifying to help families and pets with care for conditions that can ultimately be fatal, such as brain tumors. Intervertebral disc disease surgery is one of her favorites because the outcome tends to be excellent.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology)
• Residency, Neurology, University of Georgia, Athens
• Internship, Neurology, Animal Specialty Group, Los Angeles, CA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
• Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ
• Bachelor of Arts, English Literature, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA

Dr. Niederhuth loves puzzles, reading, outdoor activities and traveling with her husband. They have two dogs: Lucy who they think is a Boerboel and Athena, a lab/hound mix.

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
• Bachelor of Science, Oakland University, Rochester, MI

Dr. Sharpe enjoys running, fly fishing, and hiking and camping with his wife, three sons, and dog Owen, a black lab. His two cats, Gracie and Calvin, are happy to stay home and watch over the house.

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. Swanson is the medical director of our Grand Rapids hospital. She is especially interested in combination chemotherapy as extracted from human 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’s of Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing

Dr. Swanson enjoys baking and spending time outdoors with her two children and husband. Sienna, her cane corso, is always eager to fill the rest of the daylight hours with an uplifting game of fetch.

Dr. Lauren Ugol’s interests include laceration repairs, wound management and dermatology. Dr. Ugol finds cases of skin disease, ear infections and allergies particularly gratifying.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana
• Bachelor of Arts, Zoology, Journalism, Miami University, Oxford, OH

Dr. Ugol likes trying new recipes, listening to podcasts and exploring Michigan’s beaches. Her Australian Shepherd, Haven, is named after one of her favorite places to spend time in the summer, even though she is not a fan of the heat.