Alumna Dedicated to Improving Health Care Delivery Named Knight-Hennessy Scholar

Leila Dawson ’20, who earned a double degree in economics and international relations, is among 83 scholars from 25 countries who will receive up to three years of financial support to pursue graduate studies at Stanford. Recipients were selected based on their demonstration of independence of thought, purposeful leadership and a civic mindset.

A native of Prince George’s County, Dawson will pursue a master’s degree in business administration at the Stanford Graduate School of Business as well as a master's in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Soon after graduation, she began a job at Deloitte Consulting’s life sciences and health care practice. At Deloitte, she advised leading biopharmaceutical companies, government health agencies, and global public health nonprofits.

Dawson also co-founded Deloitte’s service offering that integrates life sciences research and development, health access and human-centered design to enhance health care delivery and elevate the patient experience.

“I’ve worked across the public, private and nonprofit sectors, which has shown me the importance of cross-sector collaboration and the unique strengths each space brings to solving complex healthcare challenges. Knight-Hennessy reflects that exact spirit,” Dawson said. “This award is not only a tremendous honor, but also an opportunity to advance new models for how we think about and deliver smarter, more responsive systems that shape what is arguably our most valuable resource: health.”

During her time at Maryland, Dawson was a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed community service fraternity, and co-founded the UMD chapter of IGNITE, a national organization that empowers young women to pursue political leadership. Dawson was selected for the Global Fellows program and completed the U.S. Diplomacy and Policy Making Concentration.

While at UMD, Dawson was also involved in politics, interning in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives and in the Maryland General Assembly, and serving on two national political campaign committees.

Dawson received the Mary Elizabeth Roby Scholarship, awarded to top female students in the Department of Government and Politics with strong academics and a demonstrated interest in public leadership.

While at Deloitte, she led targeted recruiting efforts to expand access for students in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, working with UMD faculty, staff and student leaders to strengthen the pipeline to the firm’s Commercial Strategy practice.

Today, in her community, Dawson provides local hospice care and supports her county health department. She said that throughout her career, she’s come to understand that health isn’t just a product of the health care system or clinical setting. “It’s shaped by the institutions and forces around us: education, policy, housing, city planning, and more,” she said.

She said she saw this most clearly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when her community of Prince George’s County experienced some of the highest infection rates and death tolls in the greater Washington, D.C. area, due to a range of social and structural factors that influenced exposure, vulnerability and access to care.

The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program, Dawson said, “is a rare opportunity to collaborate with and learn from changemakers tackling some of society’s most dynamic challenges. I’m excited to grow within this community at Stanford and expand my systems-level approach to innovative health care solutions.”