Cheri Dersam, MD
Concierge Doctor
Integrative Medicine Doctor
Functional Medicine Doctor
Cheri Dersam, M.D. has been nominated as one of the Top Doctors in Integrative Medicine by Phoenix Magazine in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022. She is board certified in both Integrative and Emergency Medicine and fellowship trained in Functional Medicine. Using her specialized training, Dr. Dersam has set herself apart as a physician who will get to the root cause of symptoms and design an individualized plan of treatment for her patients. She focuses on a personalized approach that empowers each patient to achieve optimal health in mind, body and spirit. The team at Integrative Medicine of Arizona utilizes cutting edge testing to find root causes and assess nutritional, hormonal, biochemical and genetic predisposition to disease.
Dr. Dersam began her training by earning her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and her medical degree at the University of Arizona. She then completed an Emergency Medicine residency at what is now Baylor Scott & White Hospital in Texas. She practiced Emergency Medicine in Arizona, then owned and operated an urgent care for many years until her pursuit of Integrative and Functional Medicine drew her away.
Using her already solid foundation in traditional medicine, she committed herself to become a highly trained expert in this new approach to patient care. She completed a 2 year fellowship and became one of few physicians who is board certified in Integrative Medicine. To provide an even more detailed systems approach to getting to the root cause of her patient’s symptoms, she completed the challenging fellowship with the Institute for Functional Medicine. Since then, Dr. Dersam opted for additional training and became a certified provider for the Dale Bredesen RECODE – Reversing Cognitive Decline program.
Dr. Dersam had the privilege of working as a staff physician at the University of Arizona Integrative Health Center established by Dr. Andrew Weil in Phoenix. When the center closed, she established her own clinic to continue that team-oriented model and address all aspects of patient care. Her team includes a registered dietitian, a health coach and an acupuncturist. She has also works closely with other practitioners such as physical and massage therapists, counselors, naturopaths, biologic dentists, ayurvedic and homeopathic providers to help her patients achieve their best health. In this way she can truly offer her patients informed, evidence-based medical care that is personalized to their own unique needs.
If you are searching for a physician that takes the time to know you, your concerns, health challenges and unique body system, then call today for an appointment at 480-621-8638.
Dr. Dersam’s journey to practice a different kind of medicine has personal roots. Here is her story:
“As a busy mother of 3 running an urgent care, I found myself exhausted by 4:00pm everyday. I was told by traditional physicians that because I was a working mom, fatigue just came with the territory. As I became more tired, experienced joint pains, mood changes and then started losing my hair, I knew this was not normal. It took more than 2 years of insistence to my doctor that further exploration was needed. It was finally determined that I had Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune condition in which the body attacks the thyroid gland. I felt brushed aside by the medical system. The worst part was that I was a physician myself. Yet, getting to the root cause of my symptoms became almost insurmountable. I realized that if it was that hard for me to get the right answers to my symptoms, then it must be even more difficult for someone who is not medically trained.”
“Meanwhile, I had begun the Integrative Medicine Fellowship at the University of Arizona and started applying some of the lifestyle techniques and supplements to myself. I changed my diet to eliminate inflammatory foods, incorporated relaxation and meditation practices, replenished missing nutrients and healed my imbalanced GI function. I also worked with an integrative physician to find the right combination of thyroid medicines to optimize my system. I started feeling better than I had in years. I experienced first hand how an individualized approach to balancing my own lifestyle choices changed my health trajectory. I knew that this new journey to integrative medicine had not only improved my life, but had changed how I would practice medicine forever.”
Dr. Dersam's Qualifications
Board Certified and Fellowship trained at the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine – University of Arizona College of Medicine
- IFM Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner
- Current fellow in Metabolic and Nutritional Medicine at the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine
Board Certified and Residency trained in Emergency Medicine at Texas A & M/Scott & White Hospital
Medical Degree from the University of Arizona College of Medicine
Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Arizona
- Certified practitioner of the Dale Bredesen ReCODE Protocol
Get the Personalized Healthcare You Deserve!
If you would like a physician that takes the time to know you, your concerns, goals and health challenges, then call today for an appointment at (480)621-8638.