During her career at UTHealth Houston, Dr. Allison Edwards has taught 8 of the 10 core courses in the RN-BSN program and has been the lead faculty in three Pacesetter BSN courses for senior nursing students, taught first semester nursing students lab for health assessment and served as faculty mentor/preceptor for DNP student practicums. Dr. Edwards has developed over 15 clinical affiliation agreements focused on the care of people with developmental, acquired and progressive disabilities. Her last six years at Cizik School of Nursing have been focused on conducting the ASK (attitudes, skills and knowledge) and MOSAIC (mentoring our students to achieve interprofessional collaboration) fellowship funded by an endowment and a grant with the overarching goal of providing nursing students with improved attitudes, skills and knowledge in the care of people with disabilities through experiential, clinically immersive experiences. 

Edwards has worked in a variety of leadership, education and management roles, including profit, not-for-profit and managed care facilities. Her clinical experience encompasses case management, pediatrics, medical surgical and the Operating Room. Her education and preceptor experience has spanned her entire career including as an instructor in the central education department of a tertiary care facility, as adjunct faculty at a community college and the past 15 years at Cizik School of Nursing.  She received her BSN degree from University of Texas Medical Branch: Galveston, Texas (honors), MS in Nursing/Hospital Administration from Texas Woman’s University: Houston, Texas and DrPH from University of Texas School of Public Health: Houston, Texas.

Dr. Edwards is the author and coordinator of the endowment for the Joan and Stanford Alexander Fellowship in Disabilities. To date, 10 cohorts of first semester senior students have participated in this cocurricular experience. She has published extensively on the impact of disability focused clinical nursing education on students’ attitudes, knowledge and skills.  Dr. Edwards fellowship received the American Association of Colleges of Nursing- Award for Innovations in Professional Nursing Education for Academic Health Centers-Disability Fellowship in 2022.  She is also a recipient of the Hall of Fame Award in 2020 from the University of Texas Medical Branch: Galveston, Texas.

In July 2015, Governor Greg Abbott appointed Edwards to the Texas Board of Nursing to serve a term that expired in January 2021 and re-appointed her to serve for a second term ending January 31, 2027. Edwards achieved Certification for Nurse Educators (CNE) in 2015 and Developmental Disability Nursing (CDDN) designation in 2023. Fall of 2023, Dr. Edwards was inducted into the Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She is a member of the Developmental Disability Nursing Association and Sigma Theta Tau-Zeta Pi Chapter.  Edwards also serves on boards of The Center for Pursuit, UTMB Alumni, UTMB Development, and PARTNERS (Providing Advancement Resources to Nursing, Education and Research). 

Honors:

American Association of Colleges of Nursing- Award for Innovations in Professional Nursing Education for Academic Health Centers-Disability Fellowship.