Biography:

Dr. Lesa Dawson, MD, FRCSC, trained in Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology at Memorial University in St. John’s followed by a fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Calgary, Dr. Dawson has worked as a Gynecologic Oncologist for 15 years. She completed a diploma in Clinical Epidemiology and is a Tenured Associate Professor Memorial University. She has served on the Newfoundland Research Ethics Board as well as the clerkship committee both as discipline chair and university chair. She was an active surgical teacher and was granted the APOG Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award 2005. Her contributions to cancer awareness and advocacy have included volunteer positions on the boards of the National Ovarian Cancer Association, Canadian Cancer Society and work for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

In 2002 she established an Inherited Gynecologic Cancer Screening & Prevention Clinic and has worked tirelessly to advance education and research about the importance of genetics in cancer. Her research interests focus on gynecologic cancer prevention for Lynch Syndrome and BRCA families in Newfoundland. She is currently working on a large population based study of the genetics of gynecologic cancers in Newfoundland. This project “Novel Gene discovery in high risk BRCA-negative Hereditary Breast Ovarian Cancer Families” has recently received funding from the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation 2015.