Dr. Sawsan Rashdan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where she serves as the Quality and Health Equity Officer in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. Dr. Rashdan also leads global oncology efforts within the division, playing a crucial role in extending cancer care beyond borders. She goes annually on medical missions to care for cancer patients in northwest Syria, reflecting her deep commitment to global health and underserved populations.
Recently, Dr. Rashdan was appointed as a foundation board member for the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), where she is responsible for making critical decisions that impact the healthcare of millions of patients living in Syria and other conflict zones. This role aligns with her commitment to global health equity and provides an opportunity to apply her expertise on a broader scale.
In her role at UT Southwestern, Dr. Rashdan has been instrumental in leading initiatives aimed at improving healthcare access and outcomes for underserved populations. She has spearheaded several Quality Improvement (QI) projects, including efforts to enhance care for Muslim patients at UT Southwestern and the development of a curriculum course to introduce UTSW medical students to refugee health.
Dr. Rashdan earned her medical degree at the Faculty of Medicine of Damascus University in Syria, followed by residency training in internal medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine. She completed advanced fellowship training in hematology and oncology at Indiana University, where she developed a strong focus on thoracic malignancies.
Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in hematology and medical oncology, Dr. Rashdan has a robust research portfolio that includes studies on lung cancer. Her work has been published in numerous academic journals, and she has received funding to pilot clinical trials investigating the role of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) plus osimertinib as first-line treatment in epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated non-small cell lung cancer.
Dr. Rashdan is deeply committed to education and mentorship, leading the lung cancer curriculum for hematology and oncology fellows at Parkland and mentoring numerous fellows, residents, and medical students. She is an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, the Dallas County Medical Society, and the American Muslim Women Physicians Association.
In addition to her professional roles, Dr. Rashdan serves on multiple committees at UT Southwestern, including Supporting Women in Achieving Greatness, Health Equity Committee in the Department of Internal Medicine as well as the Quality, Process Improvement and Outcomes Committee for Internal Medicine. Through these roles, she continues to advocate for an inclusive environment and strives to address disparities in healthcare.