5 minute read
Meet The President
by FVMA
A Conversation with FVMA President Dr. Marta Lista
FVMA QUESTIONS
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FVMA: Tell us about your experience so far with the
FVMA.
Dr. Lista: I became involved in the FVMA when the FVMA helped to stop tax-funded veterinary facilities being built in Miami. We lobbied against large crowds chanting “pets have no voice.” If it had not been for the FVMA and my local VMA, the veterinarians would have had no voice. Instead, we implemented a plan that still exists 10 years later where existing privately owned veterinary hospitals are funded to provide veterinary care. After this experience, I began to lobby in Tallahassee on behalf of the FVMA and became the District 6 representative, where I served for six years until becoming president elect.
FVMA: What are some of the best experiences that stick
out to you when talking about your involvement with the FVMA?
Dr. Lista: Meeting with passionate colleagues in different stages of their careers from across the state and working toward the goal of advancing veterinary medicine in Florida has been an immensely rewarding experience.
Dr. Marta Lista being sworn in as FVMA President at the the FVMA Annual Conference 2022. Images courtesy of FVMA.
Dr. Marta Lista addresses FVMA Annual Conference 2022 attendees for the first time as FVMA president. Images courtesy of FVMA.
Dr. Lista: I am passionate about veterinarians making decisions for veterinarians in practice and in politics. My priorities with the FVMA are to support veterinarians and their teams and provide resources to support and promote practice success. My goal is to succeed with telemedicine legislation that benefits veterinarians and our patients. I want to continue our support of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine (UFCVM) and increase the FVMA’s engagement with veterinary students.
FVMA: What are some issues right now for Florida
veterinarians and what do you recommend is done about it?
Dr. Lista: We are educating our lawmakers about the complexity of veterinary medicine and guidelines for telemedicine once a patient relationship is established. We are taking the lead in Tallahassee to advocate for patient care with appropriate use of telemedicine.
Through the Power of 10, we are engaging the next generation of veterinarians with leadership tools to help them succeed in veterinary medicine.
I am concerned about the declining trend in practice ownership. The FVMA promotes and supports practice success. Maintaining a healthy number of privately owned practices is in everyone’s interest.
FVMA: In what ways do you hope to engage more
veterinary professionals to become members?
Dr. Lista: I hope the value of membership is appreciated by all veterinarians in Florida. With the FVMA team, I am working on enhancing the FVMA member presence at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine (UFCVM). Also, if you have not seen the FVMA anthem video, check it out and share it. I hope through social media we will reach every veterinarian in Florida.
FVMA: What would you say to FVMA members who
haven’t taken the time to be more involved?
Dr. Lista:Thank you for your membership. Every veterinarian in Florida benefits from the FVMA. Please encourage other veterinarians to become members.
FVMA: How has the board changed since your tenure
with the FVMA?
Dr. Lista: The FVMA presidency is really a three-year term; president-elect, president and past president. This is the first time these roles are filled by women and our FVMA Executive Board is evenly split amongst gender. We represent a diverse board in line with our membership.
Dr. Marta Lista works with a patient in her veterinary practice. Images courtesy of Dr. Marta Lista.
VETERINARY PRACTICE QUESTIONS
FVMA: What made you want to become a veterinarian?
Dr. Lista: I wanted to be a veterinarian my entire life – like many of our members. It is not one incidence but the feeling of love and comfort my family pets provided me. I also was a total math nerd.
FVMA: Tell us about your history in the veterinary field.
Dr. Lista: I graduated from the UFCVM. I started as an associate veterinarian for the largest private veterinary practice in Miami. In 2008, I purchased a veterinary hospital from a retiring veterinarian and former FVMA president, Dr. Perry
Dr. Lista (right) holds her son, Charlie, and stands in front of the UFCVM sign alongside her step daughter Isabelle (left). Images courtesy of Dr. Marta Lista.
Smith. He believed in me and lent me money for a down payment. I am forever grateful to him and his family. We are now a three-doctor practice and growing.
FVMA: How long did it take you after graduating to be
truly comfortable as a practicing veterinarian?
Dr. Lista: I'm still working on it.
FVMA: What advice do you have for veterinary school
graduates in 2022?
Dr. Lista:Be yourself, work hard, find what makes you tick in this field, and go for it.
RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS
Tell us about your family:
My husband and I are hard working professionals. We are raising a fourteen-year-old girl and a two-year-old son. Despite the age difference, they both love animals.
Any pets currently at home?
A golden retriever, bearded dragon and chinchilla.
Favorite place to go on vacation:
Bahamas.
A good book or podcast you’ve been into lately:
A movie you could watch over and over again:
"Avatar".
A quote you try to live by:
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” - Dr Seuss
A fact about yourself that may surprise people:
My family has a cabin in the middle of the Big Cypress National Preserve. You have to ride a swamp buggy for two hours to find it.
A celebrity or public figure you admire:
Pitbull. His music makes me feel good. He stands for so many of the values of Cuban Americans in Miami. “There’s nothing owed to you in life,” Pitbull said. “Those who make it, work hard for it.”
Favorite veterinary professional you’ve ever heard at a conference:
Rob Swinger.
If I weren’t a veterinarian, I would probably be a:
A starving professional tennis player. I have no idea. I cannot imagine doing anything else. I would do it all over again.
(L-R) Dr. Lista, her son, Charlie, her step daughter Isabelle, and her husband, Charles Hanemann. Images courtesy of Dr. Marta Lista.
Dr. Lista poses with her family near the beach. Images courtesy of Dr. Marta Lista.
Dr. Lista and her family after a successful fishing day. Images courtesy of Dr. Marta Lista.
