[1] When Edwards was a teenager, she lost her 15-month-old sister due to sickle cell disease.
[3] She earned her bachelor's degree in biology in 1972 from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).
[5] Edwards worked as the NAACP national health advocacy director until July 2004 and worked on the "Call to Action on Health" which focused on disparities among minority groups with healthcare in the United States.
[2] Edwards was also the president of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America in 2004.
[6] Edwards currently serves on the American Medical Association (AMA) board where she has addressed racism as a threat to public health.