Simone Edwards, DrPH, MPH

Dr. Simone E. Edwards is a devout health care executive, health equity champion, strategist, professor, mentor, and advocate.  She is currently the vice president of health equity and community investments at Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield.  She leads the development and implementation of innovative strategies to eliminate health disparities and promote health equity within the community.  She works to establish partnerships to drive impactful initiatives with key stakeholders, such as community organizations and health care providers, and collaborates with internal teams to integrate health equity principles into the health plan’s products, services, and operations.  In her prior role, she led efforts in advancing health equity in maternal-child health and addressed social determinants of health among the Medicaid and commercial membership through partnerships and collaboration with New Jersey state legislators, providers, health systems, and community-based organizations.

She is a public health professor who previously sat on the board of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, the Empire State Medical Association, and the American Heart Association Go Red for Women Executive Leadership Team.  She was an expert speaker at the 2023 National Governor’s Association Convening on Maternal Infant Health (MIH) and a member of the advisory board for the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute (NJHCQI) MIH Hub.

Dr. Edwards acquired her bachelor’s degree in biology from Stony Brook University and continued to New York Medical College, where she received both her Master and Doctor of Public Health degrees.  She received a certificate in Leadership Development to Advance Equity in Health Care from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.  Additionally, during her academic career, she has had publications, awards, and active memberships in health care executive organizations.  Among those involvements, she played an active role in organizations that conduct medical missions in foreign countries where there is evidence of unsustainable healthcare for vulnerable populations.

Dr. Edwards has dedicated her more than 15-year career in the health care field to advancing the health and well-being of underserved populations.  She continues to feed her insatiable interest in community and population health by being an instrumental contributor to community-based initiatives, mentorship programs, and academia.