By Remekca Owens

Dr. Ashli Lawson

Dr. Ashli Lawson was seemingly destined for a career in women’s health. Her passion for helping women began as a young girl growing up around her grandparents’ nursing and maternity store in Austin. From there, her journey toward caring for women through every chapter of life began. 

“It wasn’t unusual for my grandfather to discuss the mechanics of breast pumps over Thanksgiving dinner, and then, at age 9, I was privileged to be present for my sister’s birth,” said Dr. Lawson, who graduated with honors from University of Mary Hardin-Baylor with a double major in mathematics and chemistry. “Because of these experiences I recognized at a young age the impact that a caring obstetrics and gynecology physician can make on a family’s life, and was moved to someday do the same. I feel privileged to be a part of these patients’ lives at such vulnerable and pivotal times like the birth of a child or the recurrence of cancer.”

This deep-rooted passion for women’s care combined with her skills and knowledge are integral reasons she was selected as this year’s recipient of the Annelle M. Ahmed, M.D., Women’s Health Care Award.

“Ashli is that wonderful student who works hard, really cares about her patients, and makes everyone around her want to perform to the highest level. She has an enthusiasm that is truly infectious – you can just tell that she really enjoys interacting with and caring for patients,” said Dr. Mary Jane Pearson, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and one of Dr. Lawson’s faculty mentors.

“She is also fully invested in teaching her juniors,” Dr. Pearson said. “For instance, she participated in the Saturday morning pelvic exam training for second year medical students multiple times, and went as far as recruiting her own peers to help out when the number of trainers was too low.”

The annual award is given to a student who demonstrates exemplary women’s health care in honor of Dr. Annelle M. Ahmed, a UT Southwestern faculty member in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology who died of breast cancer at age 39.

In addition to her family, Dr. Lawson counts the relationships she’s built with the faculty and students of UT Southwestern as her main sources of support and encouragement. “I cannot imagine doing medical school any other way,” she said. “I feel indebted to the whole UT Southwestern Ob/Gyn Department for their mentoring over the past four years, specifically Dr. Pearson and Dr. Claudia Werner. They have guided me through choosing my specialty, and challenged me to learn about the process and applications of clinical research with tremendous compassion and encouragement.”

Dr. Lawson will complete her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at UT Southwestern and Children’s Medical Center Dallas.