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

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. 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. 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. Michael Karchner is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. His clinical interests include emergency and critical care cases, particularly endocrine, hematologic and infectious diseases.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Gettysburg College, PA

In his free time, Dr. Karchner enjoys baking, being a musician, playing video games, rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles and being outside in the fall weather with his beagle, Hazel.

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. 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. Marina Manashirova’s interests include surgical oncology, wound management, and any condition involving the thorax.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons-Small Animal
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Internship, Small Animal Surgery, Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists, Houston, TX
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Misericordia University, Dallas, PA

Dr. Manashirova’s family consists of her husband, daughter, and a 24-year-old ball python. She enjoys hiking, kayaking, and spending time with family and friends.

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.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Bachelor of Arts, Education, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

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. 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. 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.