Meet Dr. Jonathan Cheng

Professor of Plastic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering

Director of the Plastic Surgery Department’s Basic and Translational Research Nerve Lab at UT Southwestern Medical Center

Although his practice includes the entire spectrum of plastic surgery, Dr. Cheng’s unique expertise in complex hand reconstruction and microsurgical procedures makes him one of the most sought-after plastic surgeons in greater Dallas. With his extensive background and training, he helps to restore hand functionality and reconstruct bodily deformities so that adult and pediatric patients can achieve a high quality of life and increased freedom of movement.

Dr. Cheng is among a small number of surgeons in North Texas performing SGAP and PAP flap procedures after breast cancer treatment. He is also one of the few doctors in the country trained to perform migraine surgery. His research includes a tissue engineering and nerve regeneration project that is developing new strategies for reconstructing injured nerves.  He performs experimental neural interfacing procedures to give upper limb amputees the ability to use a robotic hand to feel sensations and perform precision finger movements.

Dr. Cheng has authored several book chapters and numerous research articles that have been published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the Journal of Hand Surgery, among others. He has been a guest lecturer and made presentations at numerous medical and scientific conferences throughout the United States and around the world.

Credentials:

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical physics with a minor in art history from Rice University
• M.D. from Baylor College of Medicine
• Post-graduate training in plastic surgery at Medical College of Wisconsin
• Peripheral nerve surgery training at Washington University in St. Louis
• Fellowship at Barnes Jewish Hospital in Plastic Surgery/Hand and Microsurgery
• Recipient of the Kroll Memorial Scholarship to obtain specialized training in perforator flap and breast reconstructive microsurgery at University Hospital Gent in Belgium
• Board Certified in Plastic Surgery
• Board Certified in Hand Surgery

Professional Associations & Affiliations

• American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery
• Fellow, American College of Surgeons
• American Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Plastic Surgery Research Council
• American Society of Plastic Surgeons
• Texas Medical Association
• American Association of Plastic Surgeons

Honors and Awards

• President, Faculty Senate, UT Southwestern Medical Center
• Chair, UT System Faculty Advisory Council
• Chief of Hand, Peripheral Nerve, and Microvascular Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, Children’s Medical Center, Dallas
• Co-Director of Microsurgery Fellowship
• Diplomate, American Board of Plastic Surgery

Clinical Interests/Specialties

• Breast Reconstruction after Cancer
• Reconstructive Surgery
• Complex Hand Surgery
• Brachial Plexus/Peripheral Nerve Injuries
• Nerve Reconstruction
• Abdominal Wall Reconstruction
• Facial Reanimation
• Aesthetic Plastic Surgery