Dr. Camelia Lawrence, a board-certified breast surgeon born in Jamaica, was honored with the 2025 Distinguished Doctor Group Service Award by the Larger Bridgeport Medical Affiliation. The award acknowledged her service, management, and long-standing dedication to advancing healthcare and well being fairness in Connecticut.
Dr. Lawrence serves as Director of Breast Surgical procedure at Hartford HealthCare for The Hospital of Central Connecticut and MidState Medical Middle. She additionally holds a instructing position on the College of Connecticut Faculty of Drugs. With over a decade of expertise, she has constructed her profession across the remedy of each benign and malignant breast illness.
“I’m deeply humbled to obtain the Dominick V. Sorge, MD Distinguished Doctor Group Service Award from the Larger Bridgeport Medical Affiliation (GBMA), a revered doctor advocacy group with a legacy spanning over 150 years. My ardour for group service is resolute, and this award reinforces my dedication to serving our group. I’m grateful for the chance to make a optimistic influence and stay up for persevering with to serve with dedication and goal.” Dr. Lawrence informed the Jamaicans.com.
Raised in Jamaica, Dr. Lawrence’s early ardour for medication started after witnessing her grandfather’s battle with sickness. Her household later relocated to america, the place she accomplished highschool and pursued larger schooling at Fordham College. She went on to earn her medical diploma from the College of Rochester, full her surgical residency at New York Medical Faculty, and finalize her coaching with a breast surgical oncology fellowship on the John Wayne Most cancers Institute.
Earlier than becoming a member of Hartford HealthCare, Dr. Lawrence practiced at St. Vincent’s Medical Middle in Bridgeport. She has carried out a whole lot of surgical procedures and focuses on superior procedures together with nipple-sparing mastectomy, sentinel node biopsy, and oncoplastic surgical procedure methods.
Along with her medical experience, Dr. Lawrence is a powerful advocate for ladies’s well being. She has authored tutorial articles, co-authored books, and introduced at conferences throughout america and internationally. Her work has usually centered on enhancing entry to breast most cancers care and addressing healthcare disparities affecting underserved populations.
Dr. Lawrence’s influence extends past the working room. In 2023, she made historical past by changing into the primary Black girl to be elected president of the Fairfield County Medical Affiliation in its 231-year historical past. In 2024, she served because the Barnum Festival Ringmaster, changing into the primary doctor to guide the competition since its founding.
Her achievements have earned her quite a few honors, together with recognition from the American Most cancers Society, the Fairfield County Enterprise Journal, the Lynn Sage Basis, and Susan G. Komen. She has additionally been celebrated for her work in enhancing healthcare entry for under-resourced communities.
All through her profession, Dr. Lawrence has remained dedicated to inspiring the following technology. “After I started my journey, I didn’t see individuals who appeared like me on this subject,” she as soon as shared with the Sheldon Herald. “However with assist, focus, and persistence, I’ve been in a position to construct a path and assist others do the identical.”
The Distinguished Doctor Group Service Award was introduced to Dr. Lawrence on Might 15, 2025, throughout a particular occasion hosted by the Greater Bridgeport Medical Association at Fairchild Wheeler Golf Course.
