Tribute to Herschel Woron Lawson
Dr. HERSCHEL WORON LAWSON
1940-2025
1940-2025
| Dr. Herschel Woron Lawson passed away unexpectedly on March 3, 2025, at the age of 84, on International HPV Awareness Day. He attended medical school at the University of Washington from 1963 to 1967 and completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon University in 1973. Dr. Lawson practiced in his specialty for over 50 years across both private and public health settings. He began his career in private clinics, but then joined the Indian Health Service as part of the U.S. Public Health Service, where he dedicated his efforts to serving Native American populations. Notably, he completed the Epidemiology Intelligence Service (EIS) later in life in 1988, focusing his work at the CDC's Division of Reproductive Health. Dr. Lawson concentrated on critical issues such as ectopic pregnancy, maternal mortality, and abortion mortality surveillance. Dr. Lawson later transitioned to the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control during the formative years of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) at CDC, where he served as the medical director. The NBCCEDP was the first nationwide initiative that enabled states to develop a public health infrastructure for cancer control. Through this program, state health departments were provided federal funds to deliver breast and cervical cancer screening tests, diagnostic evaluations, and referrals for low-income, uninsured women. The NBCCEDP ensured that women with abnormal screening results received appropriate and timely follow-up care, representing the earliest organized cancer screening program in the United States. By 1996, participation in the NBCCEDP included all 50 states, the District of Columbia, various U.S. territories, tribes, and tribal organizations. Dr. Lawson provided invaluable and impactful medical and scientific oversight to the program for ten years, guiding funded states and their medical advisory groups, provided many trainings about breast and cervical cancer screening, and represented CDC well. For breast cancer, he was CDC liaison to the national mammography quality standards act advisory committee. In 2003, using data from the program, he coauthored a sentinel publication from New England Journal of Medicine where CDC program data of underserved women were used to show that extending the screening interval to Pap every 3 years instead of every year did not result in clinically significant additional risk and the extended intervals prevented many unneeded tests and procedures, valuable evidence that the clinical and policy community needed to change practices. His contributions extended to leadership roles on several committees, including the American Cancer Society and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Additionally, he was one of the authors of the inaugural guidelines issued by the American Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP). He was actively engaged in promoting HPV testing as part of cervical cancer screening. Dr. Lawson served as a member of the ACIP HPV working group and was a coauthor on the first CDC publication recommending HPV vaccination. In 2008, Herschel was named EUROGIN Honorary President along with Margaret Stanley. After retiring from the CDC as a CAPTAIN, Dr. Lawson became the Chief Medical Officer of the ASCCP and served as Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease, and taught many colposcopy courses. He also held the position of Adjunct Associate Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine and was still actively seeing patients at the outpatient ob-gyne clinic. Dr. Lawson authored over 70 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals and many book chapters for major gynecology text books, and he was a mentor to numerous researchers and practitioners in the field of public health. He was highly respected and admired by his colleagues, all of whom remember him for his warmth, sense of humor, and his insatiable thirst for knowledge and spirituality. A generous teacher, he provided guidance to EIS officers, CDC staff, and Emory University residents and staff. He was an integral member of the Atlanta Jewish community. He sang as a seasoned tenor in the Atlanta Jewish Male choir, reviewed and critiqued films at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, and even played a key role in bringing Dr. Anthony Fauci to speak about his book in Atlanta. Dr. Lawson leaves behind a lasting legacy that will always be remembered with gratitude for his invaluable contributions to public health and his community. He is survived by his partner, three sons, grandchildren, and extended family. One of his beloved colleagues had this to say: "The world has lost a truly fine person -Herschel was a mensch in the finest sense of the word". May our dear colleague and friend rest in peace. Download pdf Written by Dr. Mona Saraiya, MD, MPH Senior Principal Scientist, Global and Medical Scientific Affairs, Merck Retired CAPTAIN, U.S. Public Health Service |
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