Dr. Patricia Dawson, M.D., PhD, is, by all possible measures, an extremely accomplished and impressive person. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Dr. Dawson is now a surgeon at the Swedish Cancer Institute here in Seattle. She is the medical director of the Breast Center at Swedish/Cherry Hill, medical director of breast surgery for Swedish, the lead for Swedish’s Breast Cancer Program, a clinical faculty member at the University of Washington School of Medicine and at Bastyr University and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Additionally, she is the author of Forged by the Knife: The Experience of Surgical Residency from the Perspective of a Woman of Color. Among many honors she’s received, Dr. Dawson was chosen by the Puget Sound Business Journal as one of their 2010 “Women of Influence.”

The following is an interview with Dr. Dawson, who graciously and generously carved some time from her very busy schedule to talk with us at Salal.

Q: How did you decide on a career in medicine?

A: My maternal grandfather, who died before I was born, was the first physician in the Cayman Islands. My father was a family medicine physician who had his office in our house. I frequently went with him when he made house calls and hospital rounds. So my interest in medicine started at an early age. I always intended to be a physician, until my first year in college when I changed my major from chemistry to sociology after doing poorly in my first college chemistry class. I graduated with a degree in sociology and worked first as a substitute elementary school teacher, a secretary, and the membership director of the NJ chapter of the ACLU. I was planning on going to law school when a physician friend of my father’s encouraged me to reconsider going into medicine.

I assumed that I would go into internal medicine but found myself very drawn to surgery. Since there were not a lot of women going into surgery in 1977, it was a hard decision to make. I love practicing surgery and have never regretted becoming a surgeon.

Q: Who are your inspirations/heroes?

A: My father was a major inspiration. He wanted to be a surgeon but, as an African American physician in the early 40s, had limited opportunities, so he became a GP (general practitioner). He took care of everyone that needed care, did more deliveries than some of the local obstetricians, and sometimes his patients paid by cooking meals that they sent to our family. He was a person of the highest integrity and was a major influence in my life.

I was also inspired by my mother and maternal grandmother—both strong women who always encouraged me to accept no external limits on what I could achieve.

 Q: Why did you choose to specialize in breast cancer?

My subspecialty in breast cancer chose me. When I was at GHC, initially I was the only female general surgeon in the Cooperative. There were a number of women who wanted to see a female surgeon—particularly when they had a diagnosis of breast cancer. Gradually my practice had larger and larger numbers of women with breast cancer and I had to make a conscious decision to either limit my practice to breast diseases or to restrict the breast disease patients so that I could do more general surgery. I found that I really liked specializing in breast cancer—both the technical aspects of the surgery and the relationships that develop with the women. So, eventually I was able to limit my practice to breast disease and breast cancer.

Q: What exciting or hopeful changes do you see in the field of breast cancer research?

We have seen breast surgery become less invasive with the wide spread utilization of breast conservation and sentinel lymph node biopsies. We also have increased the options for many women who have total mastectomies to allow for improved cosmetic outcomes with breast reconstruction. Chemotherapy for breast cancer is becoming more individualized and future research should allow for more targeted treatments, with hopefully fewer side effects. 

Q: You’ve talked about the importance of relationships in healing. Can you tell us more about that?

My surgical training was largely how to become the best possible technical surgeon. I had excellent technical training, but no one ever talked about relationships with patients, except in pretty superficial ways. I really had no female surgeons as role models and learned to be a surgeon by observing my male teachers. They were generally pretty formal in their interactions and usually had pretty stereotypical surgeon characteristics and manners. They revealed little of their selves.

In the early 1990s, one of my roles at GHC was as the Director of Medical Staff Diversity. In that role I was providing leadership and program development in learning first, how to improve clinical outcomes for our diverse patient population by understanding who they were and how needs and programs might vary according to race, ethnicity, language spoken, educational levels, religion, sexual orientation, etc; and second, how to increase the diversity of our providers. In taking on that role, I had a lot to learn so eventually enrolled in a PhD program in Human and Organizational Systems. In the course of my studies I started thinking about two concepts: one, the “banking” model of education where students are “empty vessels” who are being filled by their education; and two, the role of one’s “self” as an agent of change. Those concepts changed my practice and my life. I had been thinking of my patients as “empty vessels” needing to be filled up with knowledge. Filling vessels up on a daily basis was exhausting and I was finding my clinical practice very draining. When I was able to shift my perspective to understanding patients as individuals who brought a variety of personal resources and needs to the interaction, and as individuals with whom I was building a relationship, then I was able to learn what it means for me to be a surgeon. One of the things it means is appreciating the importance of developing a healing relationship with patients.

Q: How long have you been a member of Salal CU, and would you recommend us to others?

I have been a Salal member since 1983 when I joined Group Health, and I have maintained an account there with my son even after leaving GHC in 1998. There are many things that I’ve appreciated about Salal—the great financial services—checking and savings accounts, lines of credit, car loans, direct deposit, etc.; the friendly and extremely helpful staff who, even now still recognize me and greet me by name; and the pleasure of doing business with a smaller, local institution that values excellence and customer service. I would definitely recommend Salal to others.

In her free time, Dr. Dawson says she enjoys walking, choosing to walk to many of the places she needs to go. She’s also a fan of fiction. Because she travels a lot, she appreciates the convenience and compactness of her Kindle. “I can load 10, 15, 20 books up on there and never worry about running out!” she says. Yoga helps her stay fit and centered and gives some balance to an often work-dominated life.

About breast cancer and breast health, Dr. Dawson had some very important advice to give.

Be familiar with your breast exam:

• Get regular mammograms starting at age 40. Discuss the appropriate interval for you with your Primary Care Physician (PCP).
• Have an annual clinical breast exam with your PCP.
• Know your family history since you may need to begin screening earlier if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer at young ages.

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