Medicine with a Dose of Humanity, Humor & Kindness
Dr. Tim McCormick
Gynecologic Oncology | Baylor Scott & White
By JANNA ZEPP | Photo by RUSTY SCHRAMM of Baylor Scott & White Healthcare System
Timothy McCormick, DO, of Baylor Scott & White Temple Memorial Hospital’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, lost his grandmother to ovarian cancer. Her loss impacted the family well beyond her death so much that it moved him to become a gynecologic oncologist.
“I heard the stories from my family of her struggles with the disease and treatments,” McCormick says. “I chose the specialty of gynecologic oncology so that I would have the opportunity to care for patients of all ages and walks of life.”
That McCormick is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine is no surprise at all. His compassionate bedside manner and lively personality instantly put patients at ease. He also takes the time to explain a patient’s condition without technical medical jargon. Humanity, humor and kindness are McCormick’s treatment signature.
Gynecologic oncologists are trained in extensive surgical practices as well as delivering chemotherapy. In many circumstances, they see patients, perform surgery, and continue their needed care with chemotherapy and follow up for years. Patients are seen for gynecologic malignancies including cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, vulvar cancer, primary peritoneal cancer, fallopian tube cancer, uterine cancer, as well as difficult gynecologic surgeries.
“The most exciting developments over the last couple of years have been the utilization of immunotherapies for treatment of specific cancers that have led to longer lives with improved quality of life,” McCormick says.
He adds that postmenopausal bleeding is important to have evaluated due to the potential of endometrial cancer.
“Symptoms of persistent bloating, feeling full all the time, pelvic and abdominal pain can be indicators for ovarian cancers as well as a host of other abnormalities that should always be evaluated. Any abnormal lesions of the vulva should be evaluated as soon as they are discovered.
All women should have the recommended pap smears of the cervix to help to prevent cervical cancer and/or to diagnose it early for a potential cure,” McCormick explains.
Prevention goes a long way according to McCormick. He says that patients should stay as active as possible and should eat a healthy well-balanced diet.
McCormick credits his early mentor, Tim McGuinness, DO, for teaching him the secret to good medicine.
“He taught us how to care for the person and to not only focus on the disease. This is something that I continue to do today,” McCormick says. “I was blessed to have Dr. Charles Capen here when I first came out of fellowship. He has taught me a multitude of lessons that I am able to carry on in my career.”
And there’s more to the doctor than medicine.
“My wife is Sarah McCormick, DO. She is my best friend, a pediatric hospitalist at McLane’s Children’s Hospital, and probably the smartest person I know,” McCormick says with a grin. “My son Timothy is a Senior at Belton New Tech High School and a drum major for the
Marching 100 at Belton High School. I enjoy native gardening and watching birds with my wife. I also enjoy doing just about anything with my son just so we can hang out.”
McCormick says that the most enjoyable thing about living in Central Texas is the people that are here, proving it every day with the way he makes his patients feel when they come to see him.
