Stephanie Edwards, M.D., is a fictional character from the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States.

[1] Key storylines involving Stephanie include the love rectangle between Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams), April Kepner (Sarah Drew) and Matthew Taylor (Justin Bruening), and herself.

Additionally, her mentorship under neurosurgeon Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone), her friendship with Jo, her childhood illness, and her battles with professional burnout have been significant focal points of her character's development throughout the series.

[2] As a result of this challenging and traumatic experience, Stephanie felt she had missed out on a normal childhood, which led her to immerse herself in books as a form of escape.

[4][5] Stephanie begins her surgical internship at Seattle Grace Mercy West after the plane crash along with Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington), Leah Murphy (Tessa Ferrer), Shane Ross (Gaius Charles) and Heather Brooks (Tina Majorino).

In Season 12, Stephanie helps a patient recover from brain surgery, bringing up painful memories of her childhood as a sickle-cell disease trial participant.

She also clashes with religious parents who refuse treatment for their child, leading her to lose her temper and throw a tablet at the wall, which results in Eliza Minnick (Marika Dominczyk) revoking her OR privileges and sending her to therapy.

After recovering, Stephanie decides to leave the hospital to travel and explore the world outside of medicine, thanking Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) for changing her life.

On January 31, 2017, it was announced that Hinton would depart from Grey's Anatomy at the end of the thirteenth season,[9] having been cast in Alan Ball's new HBO series Here and Now.

[10] After Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) professes his love for April Kepner (Sarah Drew) at her wedding to Matthew Taylor (Justin Bruening) while sitting next to Stephanie, Hinton described the moment as the "worst kind of betrayal".

"[11] Hinton expressed her excitement about being part of the storyline involving Dr. Nicole Herman's (Geena Davis) tumor with her character’s neurosurgeon mentor, Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) in Season 11.

And it’s not an easy decision.”[12] After the airing of the ninth season of Grey's Anatomy, Natalie Abrams of TV Guide assessed the five new interns and whether they should remain on the show.

Abrams also noted that while Stephanie could become "the other woman" in the Jackson-April storyline, this plot could provide a refreshing break from the season's focus on the hospital's sale.

[14] Siede praised the breakup between Stephanie and Kyle Diaz (Wilmer Valderrama) in the episode “You’re Gonna Need Someone On Your Side”, especially Hinton's performance.

Siede wrote, "In her final conversation with Jo, she explains that after spending so much time as a helpless patient when she was a kid, she took control of her life by forging a new identity as a doctor."

"[18] Maggie Fremont of Vulture agreed, saying she shed "tears out of fear for Stephanie’s safety as Keith dragged her around a mystifyingly empty hospital.

Justin Kirkland for Entertainment Weekly stated, "Stephanie Edwards is possibly in the top three most tragic Grey’s Anatomy characters of all time", citing her heartbreak at Jackson’s wedding, her professional struggles, and her relationship with Kyle.

"[21] On a more critical note, Lauren Hoffman for Cosmopolitan felt that while she enjoyed Hinton’s performance, Stephanie was underutilized compared to earlier interns like Izzie and George.

She referenced Stephanie’s childhood spent in hospitals due to sickle cell treatments as a compelling reason for her character to ultimately leave her job.