Meet our Team

PHYSICIANS & MIDWIVES

Karen Harris, MD, MPH

Attending Physician & Residency Program Director

Meet Dr. Harris

Dr. Harris is a native Floridian, born and raised in Jacksonville, FL. She completed her undergraduate degree at Vassar College, and went on to attend the University of Florida College of Medicine, and completed her residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. In 2010, Dr. Harris obtained a masters in Public Health Administration from The University of Florida. Prior to becoming the Program Director for the residency practice at the Women’s Group of North Florida, Dr. Harris was with Comprehensive Women’s Health for 29 years, 13 of which she was managing partner.

She is an active member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), and is currently the chair of District XII, which covers the state of Florida. She is also a member of the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative, March of Dimes, Florida Obstetric and Gynecologic Society and Florida Medical Association and has held various leadership roles in each of these organizations. Dr. Harris is especially passionate about reproductive and social justice matters, and is actively working to improve and enhance women’s healthcare.

When she is not caring for patients or mentoring residents, Dr. Harris enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, and has also been actively involved in the Girl Scouts of America. She also enjoys reading and traveling, and loves gardening.

Mohamed Foda, MD

Attending Physician

Meet Dr. Foda

Dr. Foda attended Medical school in Cairo and graduated in 2006 then finished his internship. After completing his internship he joined University of Nebraska Medical Center department of surgery performing clinical and basic science research on wound healing and skin regeneration. In 2009, he started his obstetrics and gynecology residency training at Marshall University School of Medicine and graduated in 2013. Dr. Foda then relocated to Florida and opened a private practice.

As a husband and a father of a young daughter, he believes that providing health care for women is a privilege and is the best way bring happiness and well being to the whole community, and understands the physical and emotional challenges of women today. He particularly wants to ensure that women have access to the most advanced treatments and health maintenance options.

On his days off he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children. They enjoy trying new restaurants, hiking, fishing, and biking trails- they love any outdoor activity! His favorite childhood memory was when his father took him on our first deep sea fishing trip.

Mike Cotter, MD

Attending Physician

Meet Dr. Cotter

Born and raised in Gainesville, Florida, Dr. Cotter is a diehard University of Florida Gator fan. Before him, his father, Dr. Julian Cotter, served as an ObGyn for over 20 years in Gainesville. Medicine is somewhat of a family tradition. Dr. Cotter’s wife, Shenary, also practices medicine as a Family Medicine Physician.

Dr. Cotter didn’t stray too far from his hometown for his college education. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Following his undergraduate education, he attended the University of Miami School of Medicine and the University of Florida College of Medicine to earned an MD. After graduation, Dr. Cotter completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Shands in Jacksonville, Florida.

When asked what his favorite thing about being a doctor is, Dr. Cotter answered, “I enjoy delivering babies and being part of the pregnancy and birth process with expectant couples.”

Dr. Cotter is guided by the Patient Care Philosophy: Explore and address the patient’s concerns in an effort to fulfill their desired outcome through the use of evidence-based medicine.

The Cotters have four children, and they attend Greenhouse Church. Giving back is very important to the Cotter family. They support several local and international charities, including Arbor House, Compassion International, Heifer.org, and Water.org. Additionally, Dr. Cotter volunteers his time outside the United States. During his most recent trip, he visited Guatemala where he served as an ObGyn in a small, local hospital for a week. He also supports Michael Rudolph’s mission organization, Aid for Haiti. (Link to charities’ websites)

In his free time, Dr. Cotter spends time snowboarding, working out at the gym, playing with his children, and spending time with family. When he is afforded time to read recreationally, his enjoys the authors, Lee Child and David Balducci.

David Stewart, MD

Attending Physician

Meet Dr. Stewart

In 1992, Dr. Stewart relocated to the Gainesville area to marry his wife, Lori. Since then, Dr. Stewart has practiced medicine in Gainesville, Florida, and served as an Associate Professor in the University of Florida’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology from 2002 to 2012.

When asked what his favorite thing about being a doctor, Dr. Stewart answered, “The long-term relationships that I develop with my patients. OBGYN is a happy field – patients are happy to come see a doctor they have seen over many years and possibly through one or more pregnancies.”

Dr. Stewart is guided by the medical philosophy, “I’m not here to make decisions for my patients; I believe I’m here to help patients make the best decisions for themselves.”

Dr. and Mrs. Stewart have three children, a son and two daughters. Chad, the oldest, also practices medicine and is an internal medicine physician. The Stewart family with their two daughters, Chloe and Carly, lives on their farm in Alachua.

In his freetime, Dr. Stewart and Lori enjoy long through the country roads on their Harley Davidson motorcycle. Dr. Stewart also likes visiting the beach with his family, going out to dinner with his wife, gardening, and riding his tractor. The farm is a real farm and is home to Anatolian dogs, chickens, a horse, and chinchillas.

Donna Boucher, MD

Attending Physician

Meet Dr. Boucher

Coming Soon!

George Thomas, MD

Attending Physician

Meet Dr. Thomas

Coming Soon!

Liann Ammar, MD

Attending Physician

Jane Houston, DNP, CNM

Nurse Midwife

Meet Jane

Jane F. Houston DNP, CNM, FACNM began her nursing and midwifery education in Scotland where she became a registered general nurse RGN with a Bachelor’s degree and completed her diploma in midwifery in 1992 to become a Registered Midwife.

Jane has always felt called to the profession of midwifery since childhood. She has caught many babies on 4 different continents over the past 30 years, in countries including the USA, Scotland, Zimbabwe, and New Zealand.

She entered graduate school at the University of Florida in 2001 and completed her MSN studies so she would be able to provide midwifery care in Gainesville, Florida. She became the first midwife on staff at a local hospital there.

Jane was in the first DNP class at the University of Florida, graduating in 2009, and continued her career in education becoming Director of Midwifery there from 2011 to 2015.

Jane joined the faculty at Frontier Nursing University in 2015 as Clinical Director for Midwifery and Women’s Health until 2019. She then became the Director of the DNP program there until the Fall of 2021. During these years as faculty, she always maintained her role as a CNM at UF Shands Jacksonville, the UF Nest Birth Center, and the Comprehensive Women’s Health Clinic and birth center.

Jane currently provides full-scope midwifery care as a teaching faculty with the University of Central Florida residency at North Florida Regional Medical Center.

Jane is an Associate Professor interested in waterbirth, normalization of pregnancy, delayed cord clamping, Diversity, and Inclusion related to SGM communities and international maternal care. She is currently involved in research-related postpartum hemorrhage initiatives in rural Peru. Jane is also examining the impacts of the recent Pandemic on healthcare students’ ability to learn effectively.

Jane identifies as gay and gender non-conforming.

Some videos and Podcasts about Jane’s philosophy on normalizing birth:

https://youtu.be/QYlzdSWanTY

https://youtu.be/jN5_OXe1s38

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/virtual-midwife-podcast/episodes/10-The-Virtual-International-Day-of-the-Midwife—Jane-Houston-etvirg/a-a543dlo