About Cheryl A. White, MD
Raised in a farming community in Northern California, Cheryl White set out for the East Coast to pursue higher education. With a Ph.D. under her belt, she delved into neuroscience research in the laboratory. But in the back of her mind, she knew she wanted to work directly with people, using science to improve their lives. And so she went back to school to earn a medical degree at Harvard. While assisting in a pediatric burn unit as a medical student, she found her calling. “The first surgery I participated in was releasing burn scars from a teenager’s underarm so that she could raise her arm for the first time since her injury. On that day, I knew I wanted to be a plastic and reconstructive surgeon.” Now as a board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. White carries out a wide variety of reconstructive and aesthetic procedures, including breast reconstruction, skin cancer surgery, weight-loss reconstruction and aesthetic surgeries of the face, breasts and body. “The mix of reconstructive and aesthetic surgery keeps me on my toes.” Dr. White has run a solo practice for 11 years, serving the DFW community from centrally-located Irving. She moved to a larger office in Las Colinas two years ago. She deliberately keeps her practice small. “I enjoy time with my patients and their families,” she said. “My practice philosophy is to keep the volume of patients low so that the quality of interactions and outcomes will be high.” Dr. White is also selective about where she operates. “The Baylor Scott & White system is dedicated to quality and safety. I do all of my major surgeries either at Baylor Surgical Hospital at Las Colinas on IH-635, where my office is now located, or at Baylor Medical Center at Irving.” When she’s not on the job, Dr. White stays busy recruiting students for her alma mater, Smith College. She just completed a term as Chair of Surgery at Baylor Medical Center at Irving and has served as a physician member on the board of the Irving Healthcare Foundation. She enjoys traveling with her husband, also a physician, and has trekked to Machu Picchu several times and in the mountains of Argentina, Ireland, France and Switzerland. “One of the coolest things we did was hike in Iceland one year just before New Year’s. It was dark, windy, rainy, snowy and absolutely stunning.” Having spent time as a high school exchange student in Peru and as a preschool teacher in Mexico for one year after college, Dr. White speaks Spanish. “But my office manager, Alex Sanchez, and my medical assistant, Belinda Hernandez, are truly bilingual and are outstanding at their jobs.” Dr. White is most proud that both are enrolled part-time in college. “The fact that they want to pursue nursing degrees says something important about their values and dedication to patients.” Dr. White obtained her undergraduate degree from Smith College and her M.D. at Harvard Medical School. She completed a science fellowship in neurobiology at M.I.T. and her general surgery and plastic surgery training at the University of Washington Medical Center. She is currently accepting new patients.
