Dr. Laws completed her General Surgery Residency Training at the University of Calgary and Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. She works as a Breast Surgical Oncologist and General Surgeon at the Foothills Medical Centre. She is an active clinical researcher with interests in improving cancer outcomes for breast cancer patients and optimizing models of care delivery.
Laws, Alison
Surgical Oncology
Assistant Professor
Web Presence:
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=aST_yuYAAAAJ&hl=en
Research Program Website: https://spherecalgary.ca/
Biography
Area of Focus
- Breast cancer
- Clinical & Health Services research
Summary of Research
Dr. Laws’ research program investigates treatment strategies for breast cancer that optimize oncologic outcomes while minimizing morbidity. She is the PI of the CIHR-funded ARMOR Study (“Arm Morbidity following Axillary Surgery for Breast Cancer”), a national prospective cohort evaluating whether novel axillary surgery techniques reduce the risk of arm issues like pain, stiffness and swelling.
https://armor-study.ca/
She is also interested in developing care delivery models that facilitate evidence-based treatment and improve patient experience. With support of the Canadian Association of General Surgeons Operating Grant, she led the design and implementation of a multi-disciplinary clinical care pathway for breast cancer patients requiring neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This pathway reduced time to treatment for these high-risk patients and was integrated into routine clinical care at the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre in 2024.
Area Of Focus
- Breast cancer
- Clinical & Health Services research
Summary Of Research
Dr. Laws’ research program investigates treatment strategies for breast cancer that optimize oncologic outcomes while minimizing morbidity. She is the PI of the CIHR-funded ARMOR Study (“Arm Morbidity following Axillary Surgery for Breast Cancer”), a national prospective cohort evaluating whether novel axillary surgery techniques reduce the risk of arm issues like pain, stiffness and swelling.
https://armor-study.ca/
She is also interested in developing care delivery models that facilitate evidence-based treatment and improve patient experience. With support of the Canadian Association of General Surgeons Operating Grant, she led the design and implementation of a multi-disciplinary clinical care pathway for breast cancer patients requiring neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This pathway reduced time to treatment for these high-risk patients and was integrated into routine clinical care at the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre in 2024.