Our Veterinarian Team

Medical Director

Dr. Claudia Sims received her DVM degree from The Ohio State University in 1988, graduating a member of the veterinary honor society Phi Zeta. Originally from Ohio, she came to North Carolina for her undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She moved to Greensboro in 1988 to begin her veterinary career.

Dr. Sims and Dr. Mitchell began working together in 1989 and together opened North Elm Animal Hospital in 2000. She loves the diversity of veterinary medicine and following her patients through their entire lives. She is married to John Vine, and has a rescue dog named Schkippy and an entertaining Jack Russel named Rosie . In her free time she loves cycling, yoga, running and travel.

Dr. Matthew Borgmann’s relationship with North Elm Animal Hospital began in 2005 when he was in high school and started working as an assistant after school and on weekends. He feels very fortunate to have started in such a great practice.

Dr. Borgmann attended North Carolina State University earning a bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Animal Science. He graduated from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015 as a member of the Veterinary Honor Society Phi Zeta. After graduation, Dr. Borgmann returned to North Elm Animal Hospital as a veterinarian and has been thrilled to realize that he remembers many of the patients and families from his time working as an assistant.

Dr. Borgmann is married and has three dogs, a senior citizen black lab, Buck, and two puppies, a beagle named Poppy and a Boykin spaniel named Bo. In his spare time, he also enjoys bicycling, fishing, and reading.

Bastian Parsons hails from Salt Lake City, Utah, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Modern Dance. She came to Greensboro via New York City and Chicago, and attended veterinary school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She graduated in 2014 as a member of Phi Zeta.

Dr. Parsons comes with companion animal general practice and emergency experience. Some of her medical interests include soft tissue surgery, ultrasound, and pain management, and while no owner wants to have an extremely ill pet, she enjoys the opportunity to help stabilize critical emergencies. Dr. Parsons is excited to join the North Elm team.

The Parsons family consists of Bastian, her wife (another Dr. Parsons), who is a professor of history at UNCG, a raucous preschooler, an equally raucous toddler, and two very patient, affectionate cats. Her hobbies these days largely include uproarious laughter at 4-year-old logic, mindfulness meditation, hiking, and wrangling little kid bodies in one direction or another. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

Associate

Dr. Mariana Reyes grew up in the small suburb of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania with her parents, sister and two brothers and family beagles, Chester and Rusty. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Spanish in 2013 from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY. Afterwards, she moved to Chicago to begin her journey towards veterinary school, where she obtained a post-baccalaureate degree in Medical Sciences from Dominican University in 2015 while working as a veterinary technician. She then had a brief but amazing experience as a vet tech in Bozeman, Montana before starting veterinary school.

Dr. Reyes had the pleasure to attend St. George’s University School of Veterinary Medicine on the island of Grenada, West Indies. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in June 2021 and was a member of the Veterinary Honor Society Phi Zeta. While in veterinary school, Dr. Reyes had a passion for the One Health One Medicine initiative and organized free health clinics for the island communities of Grenada and their pets.

Dr. Reyes was excited to move to Raleigh in 2020 and complete her clinical year of veterinary school at North Carolina State University. She grew fond of North Carolina and is happy to be able to set some roots here. She looks forward to starting her career at North Elm Animal Hospital and becoming a part of the community in Greensboro!

In her spare time, Dr. Reyes enjoys trying new restaurants and breweries, reading autobiographies, binging true crime documentaries, rooting for the Indianapolis Colts and Notre Dame football teams and hiking with her goofy and loyal dog, Mr. Feeny.

Dr. Blake Klein grew up in Palm Harbor, Florida, where her passion for canine health started through her volunteering with Southeastern Guide Dog School as a Puppy Raiser in high school.

Dr. Klein earned her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Florida (Go Gators) in 2015. After completing her degree, she packed her bags and moved across the pond to attend veterinary school at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. She graduated in June 2020. While in school, Dr. Klein was able to incorporate her love of travel with her veterinary studies. This included travelling to a free small animal clinic in the Galapagos Islands where she was able to develop an appreciation for the large amount of medical resources we have available in the USA. She also had the opportunity to travel to South Africa where she learned about wild and game animal medicine.

After graduation, Dr. Klein wanted to move to North Carolina to be closer to her older brother in Winston-Salem. She ended up at a mixed animal walk-in clinic in Sparta, North Carolina where she saw both general practice cases and emergencies. She saw a wide range of animals, from the usual dogs, cats, goats, and cows to hedgehogs, pigs, and alpacas. In Sparta, Dr. Klein further developed her passion for small animal medicine, especially small animal surgery and preventive care. After a year she decided to give up the midnight puppy C-sections and calving calls and is happy to join the North Elm team!

In her spare time, Dr. Klein enjoys cooking and baking, watching Florida football, and hiking with her own pandemic puppy, Edward.