Barb brings over four decades of leadership experience in healthcare and public service, with a career rooted in compassion, advocacy, and innovation. As a former ICU and family practice nurse, she served both urban and remote communities across northern Ontario, including several First Nation communities, where she provided critical care and built lasting relationships.
For the past 25 years, Barb has championed programs that support the most vulnerable—particularly victims of crime, including women, children, and survivors of human trafficking. Her recent work has focused on overseeing community-delivered services for adults and children with developmental disabilities, as well as specialized programs for medically fragile children.
Barb’s connection to Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) is deeply personal. Her late husband, Dr. Stephen Dawson, and his sister were both diagnosed with FTD caused by the MAPT (microtubule-associated protein tau) mutation—an aggressive form of neurological decline that led to complex and challenging behaviors over more than 15 years. They passed away within two months of each other, leaving a profound impact on Barb and their family. Today, three of Barb’s four children live with the knowledge that they have a 50% chance of carrying the same genetic mutation. This reality fuels Barb’s unwavering commitment to advancing research, raising awareness, and advocating for a cure for MAPT-related FTD.
Outside of her professional and advocacy work, Barb finds joy spending time on her houseboat in the Toronto Islands and cherishes time with her grandchildren—Hugo, Violette, Leo, and River—in Oregon and France.
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