CPS Welcomes New Health Equity & Systems Thinking Fellow

Shelby Leigh Edwards, PharmD, joins CPS as second Health Equity and Systems Thinking Pharmacy Fellow

May 2024

We are pleased to welcome Shelby Leigh Edwards, PharmD, to CPS as the second Health Equity and Systems Thinking (HEST) pharmacy fellow.

Conceptualized in 2020 and launched last year, the Pharmacy Fellowship in HEST is the industry’s first post-doctoral fellowship focused on promoting health equity across the continuum of care. It aims to position graduates to improve health equity through advocacy, recognition of systems thinking, and adoption of community resources and partnerships to improve chronic conditions. 

During the fellowship, Dr. Edwards will work alongside CPS pharmacy experts and teams to engage with clinicians and patients, advancing pharmacy’s role in addressing health disparities.

For Dr. Edwards, the fellowship is a milestone, personally and professionally. Growing up in Meridian, Mississippi, inspired her to pursue a career in medicine. There, she saw firsthand the impact of care gaps in her community, which has helped to drive her passion for improving the overall well-being of all patients with different demographics.

“I am eager to discover ways to improve patients’ healthcare experiences to bridge poverty gaps, improve access to healthcare, enhance patient education, diminish healthcare stigmas, and deliver quality care,” said Dr. Edwards.

Dr. Edwards’ experience in quality assurance, safety, and production analysis will help enrich and advance systems thinking across CPS and within the healthcare organizations and communities we serve.

Now living in New Orleans, Dr. Edwards is a three-time graduate from historically Black colleges and universities in Louisiana. She earned her:

• Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Dillard University.
• Master of Science in Biological Science from Southern University and A&M College.
• Doctor of Pharmacy from Xavier University of Louisiana's College of Pharmacy.

Driving Meaningful Change to Ensure Health Equity for All

Dr. Edwards is the second fellow through CPS’ first-in-kind HEST pharmacy fellowship. She will play an integral role in further shaping the program, studying pharmacy’s role in improving health equity and working on the following types of initiatives:

1. Refining an assessment tool that aids pharmacy teams in improving health equity, especially in the areas of health literacy and trauma-informed care.
2. Longitudinal research studies evaluating intervention-based efforts in addressing health equity.
3. Advancing CPS’ health equity certificate program for preceptors and pharmacist leaders.

Dr. Edwards’ work will build upon research conducted by the inaugural fellow, Shanece Green, PharmD, RPh, MSPH, MBA. Throughout the 2023-2024 year, Dr. Green’s research to study and advance health equity has been featured through Pharmacy Practice News, Specialty Pharmacy Continuum, NASP, AMCP, ISPOR, and Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA).

Dr. Edwards will begin the fellowship this summer. Post-fellowship, she aspires to work in a functional area advancing health equity and systems thinking.

For more information about CPS’ Pharmacy Fellowship in Health Equity and Systems Thinking, visit https://cps.com/careers/fellowships.