Camelia Lawrence

Camelia Lawrence, M.D., FCRH ’00

Camelia Lawrence, M.D., FCRH ’00, is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. A board-certified surgeon specializing in benign and malignant breast disease, she has fellowship training in advanced breast cancer surgery, including skin and nipple-sparing mastectomy, sentinel node biopsy, and oncoplastic techniques. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Fordham University and her medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine. She completed her residency at New York Medical College. She then entered her fellowship training at the John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, in breast surgical oncology. She currently serves as the director of breast surgery for the Hospital of Central Connecticut (HOCC) and Midstate Medical Center, tasked with the responsibility of further developing their breast programs. She is also the Connecticut Department of Public Health medical director for the HOCC Early Detection and Prevention Program.

Camelia serves as assistant professor of surgery at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, where she works with medical students and surgical residents. She co-authored “Benign Breast Diseases,” published as a chapter in Berek and Novak’s Gynecology (LWW, 2012), and has served as a peer reviewer for journals. Camelia has also received numerous awards, including the Dr. Kenneth Woodard Memorial Award, Rush-Henrietta Rotary Club’s Dr. Edwin Robinson Humanitarian Award, and the Carrie-Ann Smith Award. In 2015 she was chosen by the Urban League of Southern Connecticut to receive the Woman of Power Award during the Women’s Empowerment Summit. She was awarded the 2017 Doctor of Distinction Award for Fairfield County, the American Cancer Society Award for Women Leading the Way to Wellness, and the Susan G. Komen Inaugural More Than Pink Honor for her commitment to breast cancer care. Most recently she received the 100 Women of Color Award in Hartford, Connecticut, and the Southern Connecticut Black Chamber of Commerce Business Woman of the Year Award.

Prompted by her belief in the power of service, Camelia volunteers for several local organizations. She serves on the Women Physicians of Fairfield County Department of Public Health Breast Medical Advisory Board as well as on the boards of the Discovery Museum, the Fairfield County Medical Association, the City Lights Gallery of Bridgeport, and the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain.

Camelia is married and has two beautiful children, Ashley Jane and Nathan Phillips.