Bridgeport Hospital’s Kristin Edwards, MD, named an emerging leader in hospice and palliative medicine

BRIDGEPORT, CT (Nov. 6, 2019) – Kristin Edwards, MD, of New Canaan, medical director of Palliative Care and Physician Wellness at Bridgeport Hospital, has been named an Emerging Leader in Hospice and Palliative Medicine by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM).

Dr. Edwards was one of more than 120 nominees and 40 medical professionals selected for the honor this year, for career accomplishments, mentoring of residents and students, and participation in charitable work. She will be formally recognized at the AAHPM’s annual assembly in March 2020.

“Dr. Edwards epitomizes the criteria of the award and the field of Hospice and Palliative Medicine is fortunate to have her as a champion,” said Vivian Argento, MD, executive director, Geriatrics and Palliative Care service line. “Bridgeport Hospital, Yale New Haven Health and our community are better served by virtue of her leadership and clinical care.”

Dr. Edwards joined Bridgeport Hospital in 2014 as medical director of Palliative Care. She took on the additional role of medical director of Physician Wellness earlier this year.

During her career at Bridgeport Hospital, Dr. Edwards has implemented several innovative programs supporting patients with advance illness. She leads and mentors a team of professionals who apply principles of palliative care to unique populations such as patients with sickle cell disease or burn injuries in addition to patients facing illnesses more traditionally considered advanced life-limiting medical conditions. She mentors hospital staff to holistically address the suffering patients have from their illness and the suffering staff sometimes feel as frontline care providers in difficult medical situations.

Most recently, Dr. Edwards implemented an outpatient clinic for patients with cancer at the Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Center at Park Avenue Medical Center. She has published her work, presented at academic symposia and served as faculty at Academy leadership training courses.

A native of Palos Verdes Estates, California, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Williams College in Massachusetts. She received her medical degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and completed a residency in internal medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. She also served as the medical director of an independent physician group in California before completing a fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in New York. Dr. Edwards is board certified in internal medicine and hospice/palliative medicine.

Bridgeport Hospital, part of Yale New Haven Health, is a non-profit 501-bed acute care hospital with two campuses (plus 42 beds licensed to Yale New Haven Children's Hospital). Its Bridgeport and Milford Campuses serve patients from across the region. The hospital admits more than 23,000 patients and provides nearly 350,000 outpatient treatments annually. The Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital is the only burn center in the state and one of only 64 verified burn centers in the United States. Bridgeport Hospital is committed to providing safe, compassionate and cost efficient care to its patients and the community. www.bridgeporthospital.org