Dr Dawson was attracted to oncology as a career while she was a medical student and initially considered training in palliative medicine.
However, oncology experience as a junior doctor at the Beatson Oncology Centre in Glasgow and the Royal Marsden Hospital confirmed that medical oncology was the right choice for her.
She came back to Edinburgh for her specialty training in medical oncology and became a consultant at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre in August 2003.
She specialises in the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre and also has a weekly out-patient clinic at St John's Hospital in Livingston.
Dr Dawson also has a significant interest in medical education and training and having had a variety of teaching and training roles, currently spends part of her week as the Associate Director for Medical Education at the Western General Hospital. She also organises the weekly online NHS Lothian Grand Rounds which became a very useful resource during Covid and now covers a range of topics with speakers from primary to tertiary care and relevant non-NHS organisations.