Dr. John L. Whitehead, DO

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Get to know Dr. John L. Whitehead, who serves patients in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida.

Dr. Whitehead is a board-certified general surgeon and specialist in gender reassignment surgery at his practice Restore Medical Center. He prides himself on his approachability and availability. He wants all his patients to not only be pleased with their results, but to understand their procedures fully. 

His warm and compassionate nature, technical expertise, attention to detail, and experience gives patients confidence, and affirmation that their care is in excellent hands. He strives to give them an exceptional experience with meticulous attention to every detail.

“I would be proud to be your surgeon because I realize this is a pivotal point in your life and I want to make the journey as comfortable and rewarding as possible. I want you to be where you feel safe and genuinely cared about” expressed the doctor.

After graduating with his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Whitehead completed a five-year residency in general surgery at the same institution. He then completed a fellowship in critical care at Northwestern University.

Passionate about his profession, he is double board-certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Surgery (AOBS) in both surgery and critical care, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery.  The AOBS is an organization that provides board certification to qualified Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine who specialize in the use of surgery to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

Among his professional affiliations, Dr. Whitehead is an active member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, a professional organization devoted to the understanding and treatment of gender dysphoria.

For many years, he trained as a trauma surgeon at Cook County Hospital, one of the busiest centers in the country for penetrating trauma, focusing on treating some of the sickest patients in the hospital. Throughout this time, he also practiced as a general surgeon, performing thousands of life-saving procedures. Over time his interests shifted toward cosmetic surgery and helping his trauma patients get rid of some of the disfiguring scars left over from their traumas. 

After years of working in hospitals, Dr. Whitehead found there was a great void in providers who would truly deliver non-judgmental care to patients who might have different ideals or values than themselves, which sparked his interest in transgender surgery. 

Subsequently, he and his husband Dr. Ramirez opened Restore Medical Center to fundamentally change the way care is delivered to their transgender brothers and sisters – not from a technical aspect, but from a human aspect. 

Training with pioneers and world experts of transgender surgery, he furthered his skills in this aspect of medicine. All of this has led him to dedicating a practice solely focused on transgender surgery, which has positioned him as one of the top gender surgeons in the United States.

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