Thomas Rhyne White was born in Gastonia NC and grew up in Cherryville NC. After graduation from Cherryville High School, he attended Duke University for his undergraduate and medical education and was elected to AOA in his 3rd year of medical school. He completed a Family Medicine residency in Charlotte NC. After serving on the teaching faculty at Charlotte Memorial Hospital (now Atrium Health), he returned to his hometown of Cherryville in 1988, where he has practiced since.
In 2015, he opened Hometown Direct Care, which now has 2 offices and 3 physicians. In May of this year, he opened an additional practice named Hometown Healthy, with a focus on weight management and preventive medicine. In 2015 he served as the President of the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians.
In 2020 he was selected the North Carolina Family Physician of the Year. He currently serves on the AAFP Commission on Quality and Practice and as the AAFP representative on the Pre-Diabetes Task Force. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Lipidology, a fellow of the National Lipid Association, former President of the Southeast Lipid Association, and currently serves on the National Board of Directors of the NLA.
Dr. White hosts a monthly podcast “Lessons Learned, Wisdom Shared” in partnership with the NCAFP, featuring family physicians and their reflections on their careers. He has lectured and written extensively on a variety of topics, including cardiovascular disease prevention and Direct Primary Care. He has completed 35 marathons, including 6 Bostons, and still aspires to hike the Appalachian Trail. He is married to Diana and they have 2 children, Whitney, an RN, and Daniel, a 5th year surgery resident, and 2 grandchildren, Lawson 7 and Addy 4. In 2022 he was selected by his hometown of Cherryville as “Citizen of the Year.”
Talk about a dynamic duo! You both have done so much to help the cause of Family Medicine and DPC. And now other specialists are starting to see how the practice of medicine can be returned to its roots of a patient/physician relationship based on trust, mutual respect, a good history, and professional expertise.
Thank you and agreed!