Dr. Halstead received a Master’s degree from Loyola University in Maywood, IL followed by a PhD from The Medical College of Pennsylvania/Drexel University in Philadelphia. She has held several academic appointments, most recently at the University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville. She is licensed as a Clinical Laboratory Director in Florida and is a Diplomate with the American Board of Medical Microbiology and Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Her hospital appointments have included Director, Infectious Disease Diagnostic Laboratory Services with the Jacksonville Pathology Consultants and most recently with Southeastern Pathology Associates at the Baptist Health – MD Anderson System in Jacksonville, FL. To her credit, she has over 100 publications, abstracts, book chapters, over 400 national and international presentations and TV appearances, and was instrumental in developing a full-service virology laboratory at Lehigh Valley Hospital Health System, Allentown, PA and a molecular diagnostic laboratory at Baptist Health. As President and Co-chair, she was instrumental in developing the nationally recognized annual First Coast Infectious Disease/Clinical Microbiology Symposium. Currently she is President of Global Infectious Disease Consultants.