Hedda G. Dyer, MBChB (Ed), MRCS (Ed), MBA

Hedda Dyer, MBChB (Ed), MRCS (Ed), MBA, graduated from the University of Edinburgh Medical School with a Bachelor of Medical Sciences (Honours) and a Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB), and is a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (MRCS Ed), the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI), the American Society of Breast Surgeons, the Dominica Medical Association, and the Dominica Cancer Society Advisory Board. She is also registered with the Barbados Medical Board and the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom. In addition to her other degrees, she holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Health Services from Keller Graduate School of Management.  

Dr. Dyer completed her medical education at the University of Edinburgh in 2000. During her medical school elective periods, she undertook electives at hospitals in Barbados, France, and Dominica. She obtained her Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2005.

Dr. Dyer’s current academic and clinical positions give her a broad set of expertise in both the practice and teaching of surgical disciplines. She works in the fields of general surgery and breast surgical oncology. Her role in medical education spans curriculum development, to teaching medical students clinical skills. Over the course of her career, Dr. Dyer has gained a wide range of experience including working in breast surgery outpatient clinics, head and neck surgery, breast reconstructive surgery, hand surgery, and trauma through positions in hospital centers in the United States, United Kingdom, France, and the Caribbean.

Dr. Dyer’s experience with high rates of late-stage presentation of breast cancer in Dominican women has enabled her to witness first-hand the experiences of patients in Limited-Resource Countries (LRCs), such as the Commonwealth of Dominica. In addition, her work with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), such as the Dominican Cancer Society, has made her passionate to continue the education of health professionals to improve patient outcomes by collaborating with medical colleagues in the area of research and clinical training as they relate to breast cancer care in LRCs. As part of her efforts, Dr. Dyer has presented and published her research project entitled “Improving Early Detection and Diagnosis of Breast Cancer in the Commonwealth of Dominica,” at local, regional, and international conferences including: training Dominican primary healthcare workers on the early detection of breast cancer in 2010 and 2012, the Caribbean Health Research Council’s 56^th Annual Research Meeting in Guyana in 2011, the World Cancer Congress of the International Union Against Cancer in Geneva, Switzerland in 2008, and the Association of Medical Education in Europe in Vienna, Austria.

Dr. Dyer is also the (Dominica) PI of the multinational and multicenter research project funded by the Susan G. Komen foundation entitled “Evaluation of Genetic risk in Caribbean women of breast or ovarian cancer,” and is the co-founder of the nonprofit organization North-South Breast and Ovary Health Initiative (NSBOHI).