Education
Dr. Lawson was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  He graduated from University of Michigan medical school in 1983 and went on to complete his orthopedic residency training at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, which included a prestigious trauma rotation with the AO Foundation in Graz, Austria.  Dr Lawson then completed a one year spinal surgery fellowship under the instruction of Arthur Steffee, MD, a pioneer in spinal instrumentation at Lutheran Medical Center.  During this fellowship he had the opportunity to study in Miami, Florida and Paris, France.

Military
Dr. Lawson served 4 years of active duty as an orthopedic surgeon in the USAF assigned to Travis Air Force Base.  While completing his tour he was deployed to the United Kingdom during the first Gulf War.  He also was later chosen to serve as Chief of Orthopedics at David Grant Medical Center.  Dr. Lawson retired from the Air Force Reserves in 2008.

Orthopedic Practice
In 2003, following ten years of private practice in Redding, CA, Dr. Lawson chose to return to his hometown of Sault Ste Marie.  His private practice includes a Nurse Practitioner and admitting privileges at War Memorial Hospital in Sault Ste Marie, Marquette General Hospital in Marquette, and Otsego Memorial Hospital in Gaylord. His specialties include treatment of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine traumatic and degenerative conditions as well as spinal deformities.  Dr. Lawson is experienced in disc replacement and non-invasive surgical techniques.   He holds several patents on surgical technologies.

Credentials