Lisa Conti, DVM
In Remembrance
Dr. Lisa Conti lost her battle with cancer on November 6, 2020. Dr. Lisa Conti served on the National Institutes of Health National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council, was an adjunct professor at Florida State University, courtesy associate professor at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, and has taught at Tallahassee Community College. She was also an affiliate with Yale University School of Medicine on human-animal medicine projects. Dr. Conti attended the University of Miami for chemistry and math before applying to the University of Florida to study veterinary medicine. In 1988, she started at the Florida Department of Health (FDOH), first with the AIDs surveillance section. She then worked as a state veterinarian, where she fielded questions about pet ownership and the immunocompromised and developed guidance for patients to keep their pets. During this time, she was invited to attend the International AIDS Conference, where she heard one speaker from Africa state, "If the cure for AIDS right now is just clean water—I could not give that to my people." This prompted Dr. Conti to earn a master's in public health from the University of South Florida and focus on environmental health.
At FDOH, she was promoted to division director of environmental health. She founded the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers' State Environmental Health Directors group to work on a myriad of public health issues. After 23 years at FDOH, Dr. Conti went to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. She was the first chief science officer (CSO) as well as deputy commissioner under Adam Putnam. Under Commissioner Nikki Fried, Dr. Conti served as CSO and director of strategic initiatives, with interests in agricultural innovation. She was also prominent in the One Health movement. As a One Health representative, she traveled widely, working with an international community devoted to the area of human-animal medicine. Dr. Conti wrote and co-authored numerous articles on One Health, public health, HIV/AIDS surveillance, and vector-borne and zoonotic disease topics. Recognized nationally and internationally for her work, she received the American Veterinary Epidemiology Society Gold Head Cane Award, Florida Public Health Woman of the Year Award and the American Veterinary Medical Association's Public Service Award. Dr. Conti loved clinical medicine and worked Saturdays at the Capital Circle Veterinary Hospital for almost 30 years. She was also board certified in preventive medicine through the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. Dr. Conti is survived by her husband of 31 years, Thomas Seal; their son, Dane Conti Seal; brother, Dan Conti; and numerous loving family members.
Fred Hall, VMD Dr. Fred Hall, 81, passed away from COVID-19 on October 12, 2020. In 1968, he moved to Orlando, Florida, with his wife Sandy Hall and established Powers Drive Animal Hospital. In his practice, he worked tirelessly. He showed up early to clean sidewalks outside the building and often did not charge clients who could not afford to pay their vet bill. Dr. Hall attended Rutgers University for his undergraduate degree before applying to the University of Pennsylvania to study veterinary medicine. Out of about 300 applicants, Dr. Hall was one of about 60 who were accepted. A heartwarming community man, Dr. Hall was well known for sitting in his open garage, working on heirloom tackleboxes and homemade wooden fishing lures, and chatting (sometimes for hours) with friends and acquaintances who stopped by to say hello. He was well-known for his many kind acts, whether picking up the 4 | FVMA ADVOCATE
bill for a friend he recognized when out to dinner, helping to run the youth ministry at church or donating a car when a local women’s shelter needed a way to transport women to appointments. Dr. Hall also recognized how important pets are to older adults, particularly those whose spouses recently died. He would always make a point to call the grieving spouse, check in and offer help. Dr. Hall is survived by his wife of 57 years, Sandy Hall, his daughter, grandchildren and their close friends.
