Emily Dawson's Story: From Brain Tumor Diagnosis to Building Avinity Health
In 2014, Emily Dawson was a registered nurse caring for others when a rare brain tumor diagnosis suddenly put her on the other side of healthcare. The experience changed how she viewed her own health, her career, and what she wanted from life.
Today, Emily is the co-founder of Avinity Health, a physician-guided longevity and medical aesthetics clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her journey from patient to healthcare entrepreneur is a story of resilience, reinvention, and a different perspective on what healthcare can be.
She Survived a Brain Tumor, Then She Rebuilt Her Life
ReLaunch to a Rich Life with Hilary DeCesare
Watch the full interview on YouTube →
In this personal conversation, Emily joins Hilary DeCesare to discuss her diagnosis, recovery, the decisions that reshaped her career, and the experiences that ultimately led her to co-found Avinity Health.
When the Nurse Became the Patient
Emily had built her career around helping others navigate their health. But in 2014, her perspective changed when she was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor.
Suddenly, the person accustomed to caring for patients was the one facing uncertainty, difficult decisions, surgery, and recovery.
The experience gave Emily a personal understanding of what it means to navigate healthcare from the patient's side. It also prompted her to reconsider her priorities, her career, and the future she wanted to create.
In the interview, she shares what that period of her life was like and how it influenced the direction she took afterward.
Rebuilding Her Life and Career
Emily's diagnosis was a major turning point, but it was only one chapter of her story.
She continued her education, earning a Doctorate in Healthcare Administration, an MBA, and a Master of Science in Nursing. She built on her clinical background to take on leadership roles focused on improving healthcare quality, operations, and the patient experience.
Over a career spanning more than 15 years, including serving as Corporate Director of Quality Assurance at Sun Health, Emily saw firsthand how healthcare systems support patients, where they succeed, and where opportunities for improvement remain.
Her experiences as both a patient and healthcare leader helped shape her belief that people should have a more active role in understanding and managing their health.
Why Emily Co-Founded Avinity Health
After years working in healthcare, particularly with patients managing the effects of aging and chronic conditions, Emily began thinking more seriously about the value of addressing health concerns proactively.
Rather than focusing exclusively on treating problems after they arise, she wanted to help people take a more informed and individualized approach to their health, wellness, and aging.
That vision helped lead to the founding of Avinity Health in Scottsdale in 2026.
Avinity brings together physician-guided health optimization, longevity-focused services, and medical aesthetics in a setting designed around personalized care.
For Emily, founding Avinity was an opportunity to bring together what she had learned throughout her career, what she had experienced as a patient, and her belief that people deserve to be informed participants in their healthcare decisions.
The Person Behind Avinity Health
It's easy to describe Emily by her credentials, experience, and role as a clinic founder. But those details tell only part of her story.
Her conversation with Hilary DeCesare offers a more personal introduction to the woman behind Avinity Health: someone who faced an unexpected medical diagnosis, reconsidered her future, continued building her career, and eventually took the leap into entrepreneurship.
It's a story about how life's most difficult experiences can change our perspective and influence what we choose to do next.