Dr. Michelle L. Edwards, DNP, APRN, FACHE, FAANP

Dr. Michelle L. Edwards, DNP, APRN, FACHE, FAANPMichelle L Edwards is the System Vice President for Advanced Practice at Catholic Health Initiatives, now CommonSpirit Health, where she provides strategic and operational leadership for care model redesign.

Dr. Edwards, a dual board-certified family and acute care nurse practitioner, leads and develops the health system’s strategy for implementation of system-wide, team-based, integrated clinical care models to achieve designated quality and financial outcomes through optimal utilization of APPs and effective deployment of each care team member. Prior to joining CHI, she was the Founder and Managing Director of PICC Health Institute LLC, a novel, NP-led primary care center for which she received numerous awards.

As a former clinical operations leader with Walgreens, she directed a new market launch for one of the leading convenient care clinic operators in the country, resulting in the opening and growth of 12 retail health centers. Dr. Edwards leverages a unique background as an experienced clinician and business leader to enhance service delivery in ways consumers want to receive it, allow better precision with predicting patient outcomes and ensure efficient use of limited human capital and financial resources.

Her extensive health care experience and progressive track record spans more than two decades in clinical practice, business and program development, public speaking, professional writing and consulting. Her commitment to clinical excellence, enthusiasm for innovation, inclination to challenge the status quo, and unique ability to build strong, collaborative, interdisciplinary partnerships has earned her a reputation as a leader in the industry. In October 2018, she was featured as the Leader to Watch by the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE), becoming the first Advanced Practice leader to grace the cover of the organization’s journal.

Dr. Edwards is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP). She earned her Bachelors degree in nursing from The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, her Masters degree from The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and her Doctorate from The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.