Medical Director,
Rehabilitation Institute of the Caribbean
Consultant Physiatrist and Lecturer,
Interventional Spine and Sports Medicine Physician
University of the West Indies, University Hospital of the West Indies
Managing Director, Allmighty Studios,
Jack’s Hill, Kingston
Dr. Dawson a pioneer for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Physiatry) in Jamaica. She
returned to Jamaica in 2008 to be a Lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of the
West Indies (UWI) and a Consultant at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI). She
is the Head of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at UWI/UHWI. Dr. Dawson is the founder of
Rehabilitation Institute of the Caribbean, the first multidisciplinary Rehabilitation facility in
Jamaica, and at the time, the only one of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean. Dr. Dawson
holds the distinction of being the only Physician in Jamaica with US board certification in
Physiatry/Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She received her medical degree in 2000 from
the Faculty of Medicine at UWI; after obtaining an Honors Bachelor’s Degree in the double
major Biochemistry and Zoology, also from UWI. She subsequently went to Long Island Jewish
Medical Center/Northshore (now Northwell Health System), Albert Einstein College of
Medicine in New York, USA, where she completed one [1] year in General Surgery and then
three [3] years Residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation/Physiatry. She then completed
a Fellowship in Interventional Spine, Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine Rehabilitation from
the prestigious Northwestern University/Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago in 2008 just before
her return to Jamaica.
Her clinical expertise includes medical care for adults and children with Spine, Musculoskeletal
and Neurological recovery, enabling them to regain skills after injury or illness. Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation, also known as Physiatry, involves the management of disorders to
improve function, performance and quality of life for patients. Emphasis is placed on the
optimization of function through the combined use of medications, physical modalities, physical
training with therapeutic exercise, movement and activities modification, indoor therapeutic
pool, adaptive equipment, orthotics (braces), prosthesis (artificial limbs), as well as speech &
language training, psychological training, nutrition consultation, and patient and caregiver
education. A multi-disciplinary medical team approach is utilized, which ensures that all aspects
of the patient’s needs are identified, and care is adapted where the patient is the central focus.
Dr. Dawson technical skills include pioneering work in (i) fluoroscopic Interventional Spine
treatment and (ii) Spasticity Management with Botulinum Toxin and Phenol injection in adults
and in adults and children with neurological disease such as cerebral palsy, stroke and spinal
cord injury. She is a co-founder of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Sports Medicine
Clinic and one of the first group of UWI examiners for the MSc. in Sports Medicine for doctors
and physiotherapists. She currently treats many professional athletes and was the team doctors
for the Jamaica team to the IAAF World Championships in Berlin, 2009, World Indoor
Championship in Poland in 2014, and IAAF World Championships in Qatar 2019. She is one of
the team doctors the Jamaica Football Teams and treats many athletes that compete for
Universities, High, and Prep/Primary schools.
She has published in peer-reviewed medical journals and has spoken at several international and
local medical conferences, including the National Medical Association (NMA) Annual Meeting
in Hawaii, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) Annual
Assembly, Medical Association of Jamaica and Caribbean Neurosciences Symposium since
2006, Caribbean Orthopaedic Association, Jamaica Orthopaedic Association and University of
the West Indies Center for Disability Studies. She is a peer reviewer for the West Indies Medical
Journal and the PM&R Journal which is published by the American Academy of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Dr. Dawson has received numerous awards including being selected as an awardee in 2018 for
UWI 70+ Outstanding Women, UWI 70 th anniversary; 2012- Nominee for National Disability
Award, awardee for Jamaica Celebrating 50; 2012- 50 Most Outstanding Jamaican Women in
2012; 2012- Caribbean ICONS in Science Award/NIHERST Caribbean Women in Science and
Technology and Racer’s Track Club Outstanding Award for Sports Medicine. She was
nominated for the prestigious Anthony Sabga award in 2023.