The complexity and fragmentation of our current medical environment can make finding the right resources and support difficult, even under the best of circumstances. Now imagine having to make your way while also being faced with a medical crisis or chronic health condition…it's natural to feel scared, vulnerable, and overwhelmed.
Z. Colette Edwards, MD MBA, co-author of Navigating Your Healthcare Journey: Getting the Care You Need and Deserve, will share guidance, insights, and practical tips to empower you when meeting challenges within the healthcare system.
Dr. Edwards has been active in most segments of the healthcare arena, including, first and foremost, as a practicing gastroenterologist. She has leveraged additional training in health and wellness coaching at the Maryland University of Integrative Health and in health equity as a member of the NIH Scholars Program in translational health disparities.
With a BA from Harvard University, an MD from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the Wharton School. Dr. Edwards also completed her GI fellowship training at the University of California, San Francisco. She has held a variety of roles over the course of her career including serving as the associate medical director of a multispecialty group practice, a healthcare consultant, and in health plan medical director roles.
Dr. Edwards’ work has encompassed positions at two Fortune 50 companies, including as the national medical lead for health disparities, with an initiative that won a national innovation award and as a corporate medical executive for employee health and well-being, with a multi-year record of national awards won by the team: NBGH Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles, top 10 ranking in the “Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America,” Gold status in the AHA’s Work-place Health Achievement Index, and a citation for Excellence in Mental Health.
Dr. Edwards is the Managing Editor of the Wharton Healthcare Quarterly, the author of Be Less Stressed, and a McGraw-Hill GI text, was a contributing writer to Thrive Global, and provides COVID-19 updates and resources as part of the Harvard Alumni/ae Community Helps initiative. She is a member of the board of two nonprofits, Bread for the City and TD1 Exchange.
Currently, Dr. Edwards is working on the development of an inclusive, holistic digital health offering for women+ who are on the menopause journey.