Dr Emilia Dauway is the former Chief of Breast Surgery and the Director of the Breast Cancer Program at Baylor, Scott and White Healthcare in Texas, USA. She is an American trained surgeon who has taken the opportunity to practice general, breast and oncologic surgery in Australia. As a member of the Breast Surgeons of Australia New Zealand and the American Society of Breast Surgeons, she is an expert in the treatment of breast disease.
Dr Dauway is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University (1987) and the University of Illinois, College of Medicine (1992). After completing her internship and residency in general surgery at the Ochsner Clinic (1997), she completed a fellowship in surgical oncology at Moffitt Cancer Institute at the University of South Florida (1999) including specialised training in breast surgery. She gained recognition as a Fellow of the Society of Surgical Oncology in 2000, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons in 2002 and Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2016. Dr Dauway was awarded, “Inspirational Woman of the Year 2019”, for a holistic approach to surgery and her work with regional women through Restore More.
Dr Dauway was the co-inventor of the patented radioactive seed breast procedure which localises non-palpable breast lesions. She is the first in Australia to offer Magseed localization, instead of hook wires to improve patient safety and quality outcomes in breast surgery. She has contributed research to peer reviewed scientific journals.
Dr Dauway identified a need to educate regional women regarding breast cancer treatment options, especially breast reconstruction after mastectomy. She founded Restore More, a non-profit, to educate regional women regarding breast cancer treatment options to improve breast preservation and increase reconstruction rates reducing disparities in health care. Restore More's latest international project is providing breast prostheses to women in Nepal.
During her 20 years of surgical practice, one of the most important lessons she has learned is the importance of continual learning and innovation. She believes it is a responsibility to offer her patients the best modern practices despite geographical location.