Allison Lawler, MD, MEd

Allison Lawler spent most of her life in the state of Hawaii before starting her medical career. She began her Master’s of Education in Teaching in 2007 and transitioned from being a high school math teacher to a learning center director before leaving for Chicago Medical School. Her devotion for youth and passion for teaching/leadership continue as she has an interest in school-based mental health and in academic/administrative medicine. She takes a special interest in continuing teaching and mentoring students and residents, including organizing and teaching a Step 1 board preparation class for struggling medical students. She also continues to take on leadership roles as she was a clinic manager and EMR panel leader during medical school. She stayed at Chicago Medical School for residency, where, as chief resident, she advocated for residents and organized/participated in multiple activities involving members of the community. She was inducted into both the Gold Humanism and AOA honor societies for her efforts and collegiality. Her past and current research endeavors include CBPAR with youth for substance treatment in the Native Hawaiian community, exploring the impact of war on affected youth, and the creation of a psychiatry residency intern orientation with OSCE in response to COVID-19 impacting medical student exposure to patient care. In her spare time, she enjoys teaching/attending fitness classes (and dragging her co-fellows with her), being outdoors, and spending time with her husband and toddler!