Kathryn Edwards, MD, spent four decades at Vanderbilt University Medical Center focusing on patient care, mentoring, and conducting vaccine and surveillance studies. Her many contributions have resulted in new standards in treating and preventing infectious diseases worldwide.
In addition to pediatric vaccine evaluation and implementation, the clinical care of patients, and public health advocacy, Edwards has been dedicated to teaching and mentoring many trainees. Her passion for guiding the next generation of child health investigators is an important part of her lasting impact.
In honor of her enduring legacy, and made possible through philanthropic support, VUMC’s Department of Pediatrics has established the Dr. Kathryn Edwards Society. The society, which relies on the generosity of individuals, is dedicated to cultivating and mentoring early-career investigators in pediatric research. Contributions will be crucial to continuing Edwards’ impactful work.
Edwards, who retired in 2022, held the Sarah H. Sell and Cornelius Vanderbilt Endowed Chair in Pediatrics and was a professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases. She led a team at Vanderbilt funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study vaccines across all ages and received contracts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study pneumonia in over 2,000 adults and children, to evaluate the impact of vaccines on pediatric diseases, and to evaluate the safety of vaccines in individuals of all ages. Her work has resulted in over 600 scientific publications.
She received continuous NIH and CDC funding for her clinical research focused on vaccines for diseases including pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae disease, influenza, pneumococcal disease, smallpox, anthrax and others. In honor of her lifetime achievements, Edwards received the American Pediatric Society’s John Howland Award, the most prestigious pediatric investigator award in North America.
“I’m really honored to have this society named in my honor,” Edwards said. “Nurturing the next generation is very important to me. It’s vital to support a culture of asking questions, to train young residents, fellows and junior faculty to ask questions, and make new discoveries and build on what has already been started.
“In the 50 years since I’ve been a doctor, the most common causes of death in children were infections. Now, many of those infections are gone because we vaccinate. For other diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, when I first started in pediatrics, it was a death sentence. Now we have medications that can reverse and prevent the lung problems and the issues these patients have. Discovery is fundamental. We need to provide good care, but we also need to answer questions and make discoveries so tomorrow is better than today.”
Edwards said it’s also important that young investigators have moral support from role models around them. “As you start out, research can be very humbling and often very discouraging. It’s important to have encouragement from mentors around you.”
Funds awarded through the Edwards Society will support a variety of activities to promote the development of early-career child health investigators, including medical students, residents, fellows and junior faculty. Current plans include ongoing support for mentored summer research experiences for medical students interested in pediatric research, support for travel for early-career investigators to share their research findings, and bringing distinguished scientists, including Edwards, to Vanderbilt to expose early-career child health scientists to the world’s leaders in their field.
Edwards embodies mentoring, according to those who have worked with her for many years.
“Dr. Edwards was one of my very first mentors when I was a fellow here at Vanderbilt, and I learned so many things about great mentoring from what she meant to me and my research career,” said William Cooper, MD, MPH, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Pediatrics and Health Policy, interim chair of the Department of Pediatrics and associate dean for Faculty Affairs for Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “That’s why I’m particularly excited that we are launching the Dr. Kathryn Edwards Society to create a community for early-career child health investigators to support their growth. Through the generosity of donors, we have been able to endow the program so that resources can continue to provide ongoing support for the Edwards Society in the future. Our first projects will focus on supporting careers of young investigators. We plan to continue to grow that endowment to provide even more support for various endeavors,” he said.
Supporting this community of young researchers will ensure the continuation of research that will improve the care of children, said Michael DeBaun, MD, MS, MPH, professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, vice chair of Clinical Research and Translational Research and J.C. Peterson, M.D. Endowed Chair in Pediatrics.
“The new Edwards Society comes at a critical time in our department’s renewed focus on developing physician-leaders and physician-scientists, particularly women physician-leaders and scientists,” he said. “Dr. Edwards is celebrated globally for her contributions to pediatrics as a scientist, mentor and leader. We are grateful to the society named after her and for her ongoing contributions to the culture of leadership and discovery in our department and in the Edwards Society.”
Lori Jordan, MD, PhD, professor of Pediatrics, Neurology and Radiology, said the Edwards Society will foster community and connections that will strengthen and support pediatric researchers at all levels in the Department of Pediatrics.
“The Edwards Society mission is to create an inclusive research environment for mentorship, shared scholarship and collaboration to improve child health through discovery. Research is an important part of improving health care for children,” said Jordan, who holds the Endowed Directorship in Pediatric Stroke Research. “Dr. Edwards’ career truly demonstrates this. In addition to her scientific work, Dr. Edwards is an amazing mentor and role model. She has mentored and sponsored many young investigators in the field of infectious diseases and pediatric medicine with a particular focus on female physician-scientists. Dr. Edwards continues to be a mentor and still meets weekly with multiple mentees. We are thrilled to honor her and to have her guidance and expertise as we launch this pediatric research society at VUMC.”
Erin Plosa, MD, associate professor of Pediatrics, said the society is a fitting tribute to Edwards.
“Dr. Edwards’ mentorship has shaped the careers of numerous pediatric physician-scientists in a variety of scientific disciplines over the last four decades. Her steadfast commitment to discovery has resulted in significant advances in child health and continues to be a model for us all.”
