Joseph Gauta ’90, M.D. was born in New Jersey from Croatian (Yugosalvia) immigrants and grew up in Punta Gorda, Florida. He was part of the inaugural Siena College/Albany Medical College program in Science, Medicine and Humanities receiving a B.A. in Biology and his M.D. degree four years later. Afterwards, he completed his Ob/Gyn and Urogynecology training at Tulane University in New Orleans, achieving Administrative Chief Resident status and receiving the prestigious Lewis I Post award for surgical excellence. From there, he moved back to Florida and began his career in Naples, FL with his wife Susan K. (Jensen) ’91. He has been in private practice ever since.
Since the culmination of his training, Dr. Gauta has been involved in the community, in politics and in the betterment of the medical profession. He was a Board member of the Florida Medical Association for 6 years. His peers nominated him to the Presidency of the Collier County Medical Society 2 years in a row. He has taught dozens of American and international surgeons on the latest pelvic reconstructive techniques and technologies.
As a business owner of the Florida Bladder Institute, Dr. Gauta has also reserved much of his time for other volunteer organizations. For 6 years, he was a Board member of Leadership Collier, a Chamber of Commerce group dedicated to fostering civil engagement in young entrepreneurs and developing business leaders of the future. He delivered thousands of babies through a charity organization he and other MDs established for the care of pregnant, indigent migrant workers in Immokalee, Florida called the Foundation for Women’s Health. This is where he learned to speak Spanish. He has authored and been involved in numerous published international medical articles concerning women’s health. Most recently as an Adjunct Professor at Tulane University, he has been involved in the teaching of Ob/Gyn residents, preparing them for the consequential work ahead of them in the operating room.
Dr. Gauta has been happily married for 30 years, and has three children: Spencer (graduated Notre Dame), Stephen (Siena ’24), and Samantha (at Univ. of Tampa). His son Stephen was the first legacy matriculant of the same combined Siena/Albany Medical program. His passions include travel, hunting and fishing.