Althea Tyndall-Smith, MD

"Dr. Tyndall-Smith moved to Gainesville in 2013 from York, Pennsylvania. She started her career in medicine in 2005, at York Hospital, one of the oldest community family medicine residency programs in the country, after graduating from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. She also worked for a federally qualified health clinic in York, Pennsylvania. As a result of Dr. Tyndall-Smith’s commitment to medical volunteer work for several programs in the City of York, she was awarded the Community Ambassador APEX Award by the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers. She relocated to Gainesville to be closer to family and joined the University of Florida as a clinical assistant professor in the Community Health and Family Medicine Department where she taught medical students, saw patients at one of the outpatient clinics and was a part of the College of Medicine Interview Committee. Dr. Tyndall-Smith’s desire to practice medicine started in early childhood, being profoundly influenced by her family doctor who modeled success in long-lasting and trusting physician-patient relationships. She has always been interested in empowering patients to take control of their own health, and understands the importance of teaching the patient to understand their medical condition to make the most informed medical decisions, something that takes time. During her years of practice in the traditional model of medicine, it became increasingly more about quantity and not quality of patient care so she decided to transition her practice. As a result, Dr. Tyndall-Smith left and co-founded Gainesville DPC Physicians in order to spend quality time with her patients and their families. It will be a practice that will meet the medical needs of the patient in a way that is satisfying and fulfilling for both of us, without the restrictions of the large institutions and insurance mandates. It will allow me to get to know my patients and to develop strong and lasting relationships, which is the foundation of exceptional health care."

"Gainesville Direct Primary Care Physicians is the first physician owned and operated Direct Primary Care Practice in North central Florida. It was founded by two family physicians, Dr. Cotter and Dr. Tyndall-Smith, who were disillusioned by the prevailing climate of primary care practices where numbers, driven by the insurance industry, seem more important than patients. Their passion led them to start a medical practice with the core mission of returning the patient experience to one where the doctor-patient relationship is the focus. The founders’ vision is for a practice where the physicians are accessible at a reasonable transparent price and are able to spend meaningful time with their patients to listen to their needs and concerns and to enable the doctor to deliver high-quality personalized medical care to each patient. All of the physicians at Gainesville Direct Primary Care Physicians are board-certified in family medicine. Combined they have over 50 years of clinical practice experience, including teaching and mentoring young doctors. Each doctor’s personal life experiences as parents to young children, caregivers to aging parents, volunteers in the community and involvement in health ministry have further enhanced their ability to connect with patients of all ages and backgrounds."