R. Michele Emery, MD, MPHTM

"Dr. Emery graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans in 1988 with her Doctor of Medicine degree and a Masters of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She completed her residency in Family Practice at Florida Hospital in Orlando in 1991. Dr. Emery has a certification in Lifestyle Medicine as well as her certification in Functional Medicine which emphasizes a more holistic, integrative approach to healing. One of 25 physicians in Florida with this certification, Dr. Emery has expertise in identifying the root causes of diseases and encouraging patients to make the necessary dietary and lifestyle changes to help their bodies heal from within. Dr. Emery brings experience teaching Family Medicine resident physicians-in-training, as well as having practiced in the Emergency Room and Urgent Care settings for several years. At the Student Health Care Center at the University of Florida she cared for students for over 10 years. Most recently she has been caring for patients from the "cradle to the grave" in Ocala at a Functional Medicine practice. Dr. Emery has always been passionate about approaching patients’ medical problems holistically, understanding that true health is a sum of healthy habits involving the body, mind and spirit. Going through her own health crisis with breast cancer, Dr. Emery has an appreciation of the strategies needed to overcome difficult health challenges. She credits her faith in God as the most important healing force in her life. Dr. Emery is excited about her change to the Direct Primary Care model of medicine, because she will finally be able to spend the time with her patients that they need. She is committed to providing excellent medical care with compassion using a holistic approach."

"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."