Ivan Edwards

Last updated
Ivan Edwards
FAAPMR, FRSA
Dr. Ivan Edwards.jpg
Born
Kampala, Uganda
NationalityAmerican, Ugandan
CitizenshipUnited States
Education Midwestern University (D.O.)
Eastern Virginia Medical School (Internal medicine)
UTHSCSA (PM&R)
United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (Flight surgeon)
Years activeSince 2004
Known forMedicine (specialist)
Community leadership/activism
Public speaking
Medical career
Profession Medical doctor
flight surgeon
business owner
Field PM&R
Comprehensive pain management
InstitutionsJovana Rehab Medicine & Pain
IEME LLC
Military career
AllegianceFlag of the United States.svg United States
Service / branch United States Air Force Reserves
Years of service2004–current
Rank US-O5 insignia.svg Lieutenant-Colonel

Ivan Edwards is an American doctor, [1] [2] of Ugandan-European heritage, a former pastor, and a US Air Force Reserve flight surgeon, currently serving at the rank of lieutenant colonel. [3] He was involved in a community activist role in a neighborhood of Nashua, New Hampshire, and later organized a movement that opposed the sale of a historic cemetery in Uganda. [4] [5] He participates in public speaking. He is CEO and founder of Jovana Rehabilitation Medicine & Pain and IEME LLC, both located in San Antonio, Texas. [6]

Contents

Background and education

Edwards is of mixed Ugandan/European descent and experienced racial bias because of his multiracial background. [3] He lived in Uganda throughout the dictatorship reign of Idi Amin – a time of tribulation in which he experienced human rights abuses he described as "a common practice in the bloody dictator’s regime." [3] In the late 1980s, he emigrated to the USA as part of the diaspora. His emigration was "in search for a better life, and an opportunity to develop [his] potential." [3]

Edwards completed his university and medical school education in the United States, including an internship in internal medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk and a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. [6] He is a board certified physiatrist with a specialty focus on neuro-rehabilitation and pain management, and promotes "a holistic approach to healthcare." [7]

He accepted a direct commission as a medical officer in the US Air Force Reserve and had other additional specialized training at the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine to become a flight surgeon. [8] [6]

Career

Medicine, advocacy, public speaking

Besides practicing medicine, both as a reserve flight surgeon and civilian physician, Edwards has appeared on local US and Uganda television to talk about topics on multiple sclerosis and self empowerment. He has also touched on issues of class privilege, social inequities and environmental degradation. [8] [1] [9]

While in ministry in the early 1990s, he helped start a child sponsorship program that provided educational and financial resources to orphaned and displaced children facing poverty in Uganda. [10] [11]

Edwards has spoken at the Uganda Diaspora's international events held annually in Kampala, Uganda. [12] On December 30, 2017, he was a special keynote speaker at the Ugandan diaspora event, after which he received the Ugandan Diaspora Award in recognition of his achievements and advocacy. Vice President of Uganda Edward Ssekandi (who presented him the award) and then-French ambassador to Uganda Stéphanie Rivoal were in attendance. [13] [14] [15]

On September 9, 2020, Edwards presented via webinar on the topic of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including the impact of COVID-19 on the local community, to an audience of nurses, social workers, case managers and other professionals—under the auspices of the Alamo chapter of the Case Management Society of America. [16] [17]

Military career

Edwards is an Alamo Wing flight surgeon at the 433rd Aerospace Medicine Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio at Lackland AFB. [18] He joined the U.S. Air Force Reserves in 2004 after completing medical school. In 2008, he was first assigned to the 934th Airlift Wing at Minneapolis-St Paul Joint Air Reserve Station in Minnesota. In 2010, he was then reassigned to the Alamo Wing. [18]

Some of his awards include the Air Force Commendation Medal, [19] and the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal. [18]

Social activism

Community advocacy/leadership – Nashua, New Hampshire

Edwards was involved in a community activist role in a Nashua, New Hampshire, neighborhood over the closure of a basketball court in a local park, a place purportedly attracting acts of vandalism, illegal activity and speeding. He came up with a petition, backed by some registered voters in the neighborhood community. Although the drive ultimately failed, it got the attention of top city officials, including Mayor Donald Davidson. [4] [20] [21] The mayor instituted increased police patrols, in response to the community outcry. [21]

Cemetery protest and vigil – Kampala European Cemetery, Uganda

Edwards organized a movement that opposed the sale of a historic cemetery in Kampala, [22] Uganda, in April 2009. The Kampala European Cemetery, [23] owned by the Kampala City Council, is a cemetery where prominent personalities in Uganda's colonial past, including some of Edwards' ancestral relatives, were laid to rest. The prospective buyers had planned to erect a shopping center to replace the cemetery—a move Edwards vowed to stop from materializing. [24] [5] [25]

Edwards' family was reported to be the first to galvanize opposition to the sale of the historic Kampala European Cemetery. [26] The Kampala City Council then denied the attempted sale and lease of the cemetery to foreign investors. In 2006, city council had received an offer to sell two historic cemeteries, including the Kampala European Cemetery. The offer was reportedly turned down because the council re-designated both cemeteries as tourist attractions. [27] [28]

The news of Edwards' protest and vigils reached the Goan community and beyond, [29] which, in 1972, had been part of the Ugandan diaspora, including Ugandan-Asians (Expulsion of Asians from Uganda). The Goan Voice, [30] announced the protest which helped propel the cause of preserving the cemetery.

By February 2013, due to press coverage and community outcry, the Kampala European Cemetery was finally slated for renovation and deemed a protected historical site. [31] [32] [33]

Memberships

Some of Edwards' memberships include: [6]

Awards

According to Vitals Patient reviews, Edwards has received multiple Patients Choice Awards (2008–2011, 2013–2020) and Compassionate Doctor Recognition Awards (2010–2011, 2013–2020), among others. [34]

In August 2021, Edwards was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. [18] [35]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midwestern University</span> Graduate university in Illinois and Arizona, US

Midwestern University (MWU) is a private medical and professional school with campuses in Downers Grove, Illinois and Glendale, Arizona. As of the 2022–23 academic year, a total of 2,758 students were enrolled at the Downers Grove campus and 3,782 were enrolled at the Glendale campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Entebbe International Airport</span> International airport in Uganda

Entebbe International Airport is the only international airport in Uganda. It is located about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) southwest of the town of Entebbe, on the northern shores of Lake Victoria. This is approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) by road south-west of the central business district of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Ruskin Cook</span> 19/20th-century British physician and missionary in colonial Uganda

Sir Albert Ruskin Cook, CMG, OBE was a British medical missionary in Uganda, and the founder of Mulago Hospital and Mengo Hospital. Together with his wife, Katharine Cook (1863–1938), he established a maternity training school in Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kampala Capital City Authority FC</span> Ugandan football club

Kampala Capital City Authority Football Club and also known as Kampala City, is a Ugandan professional football club based in Kampala, the largest city and capital of Uganda. Kampala City Council was rebranded to Kampala Capital City Authority and the club title has been changed accordingly. Many sources and news reports still refer to the club's traditional title, Kampala City Council Football Club, abbreviated as KCC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uganda Christian University</span> Ugandan private university

Uganda Christian University (UCU) is a private church-founded university administered by the Church of Uganda. It was the first private University in Uganda to be awarded a charter by the Government of Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Mallinga</span> Ugandan politician

Stephen Oscar Mallinga was a Ugandan medical doctor and politician. At the time of his death, he was the Minister of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees. He was appointed to that position on 27 May 2011. He replaced Tarsis Kabwegyere, who was dropped from the Cabinet. From 2006 until 2011, he served as Uganda's Minister of Health. He was also the elected Member of Parliament (MP), representing the Butebo County Constituency, in Pallisa District. He was buried on 19 April 2013 in Pallisa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nsambya Hospital</span> Private faith-based community, teaching hospital in Uganda

St. Francis Hospital Nsambya, commonly known as Nsambya Hospital, is a hospital in Kampala, the capital of Uganda and the largest city in that country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilfred de Souza</span> Indian politician (1927–2015)

Wilfred de SouzaGCIH was a surgeon and politician who served as Goa's first Deputy Chief Minister of Goa and chief minister on three occasions when he was a member of the Indian National Congress and the Goa Rajiv Congress Party, during his third tenure.

Kiruddu General Hospital, also known as Kiruddu General Referral Hospital, is a hospital in Uganda. It is an urban, public, general hospital. It cost an estimated US$10.3 million plus about $350,000 in supervisory fees to build. The hospital was constructed by the government of Uganda, with funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). The hospital opened to the public on 16 May 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mulago Women's Referral Hospital</span> Hospital in Kampala, Uganda

Mulago Women's Referral Hospital, whose official name is Mulago Specialised Women and Neonatal Hospital, is a component of Mulago National Referral Hospital, the largest hospital in Uganda, which serves as the teaching hospital of Makerere University College of Health Sciences. The construction of the women's hospital started in April 2013, with commissioning originally expected in the second half of 2016. After delays, construction was completed in July 2018.

Uganda Heart Institute (UHI) is a specialized, public, tertiary care medical facility owned by the Uganda Ministry of Health. It is a component of Mulago National Referral Hospital, the largest hospital in Uganda, which serves as the teaching hospital of Makerere University College of Health Sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Omaswa</span> Ugandan cardiovascular surgeon, researcher and academic

Francis Gervase Omaswa is a Ugandan cardiovascular surgeon, academic and administrator. He was installed as the chancellor of Soroti University, one of the nine public universities in Uganda at that time, in August 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Mungherera</span> Ugandan physician

Margaret Mungherera was a senior consultant psychiatrist and medical administrator in Uganda. She served as the president of the Uganda Medical Association re-elected five times and ultimately the World Medical Association from October 2013 until October 2014. She advocated for psychiatric services throughout Uganda, beyond the capital, to improve conditions for Uganda's health-care providers and to get doctors organized in African countries in general.

Kampala Hospital is a private healthcare facility in Uganda. It is a specialists' hospital and diagnostic centre. Kampala Hospital was the first hospital in Uganda to install a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine and a CT Scanner. For almost five years it was the only hospital in the country, providing these services.

Sharad Moreshwar Hardikar is an Indian orthopedic surgeon and the founder of Hardikar Hospital, Pune. He also heads the hospital's charitable trust, the Sushrut Medical Care and Research Society. Hardikar, an honorary fellow of the British Orthopaedic Association, was awarded the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2014, by the Government of India.

Uganda Christian University School of Medicine, also UCU School of Medicine or UCU Medical School, is a medical school in Uganda. The school is based at Mengo Hospital and includes a faculty of dentistry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Aceng</span> Ugandan pediatrician, politician

Jane Ruth Aceng is a Ugandan pediatrician and politician. She is the Minister of Health in the Cabinet of Uganda. She was appointed to that position on 6 June 2016. Before that, from June 2011 until June 2016, she served as the Director General of Medical Services in the Ugandan Ministry of Health.

Robert Ssentongo, is a consultant plastic surgeon in the Uganda Ministry of Health, who serves as the deputy executive director of Kiruddu General Hospital, in Makindye Division, in southern Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda. He was appointed to that position on 9 August 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maura Lynch</span> Irish Doctor and Catholic Nun

Sr. Dr. Maura Lynch was an Irish doctor, a nun, and proponent of women's health.

Uganda Airlines, legally Uganda National Airlines Company, is the flag carrier of Uganda. The company is a revival of the older Uganda Airlines which operated from 1977 until 2001. The current carrier began flying in August 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 "Choosing the right rehab for MS treatment – San Antonio doctor pushes for proactive inpatient rehabilitation". KSAT.
  2. ↑ "Introducing Dr. Ivan Edwards, Nix Health Medical Director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation". NIX Health.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Lt. Col. Dr. Ivan Edwards | A Special Keynote Speaker at the Diaspora Gala 2017 Edition". Ugandan Diaspora News Online. 29 September 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Hoop". Nashua Telegraph. 18 August 1999.
  5. 1 2 Candia, Steven (13 April 2009). "US Soldier to Fight for KCC Cemetery". The New Vision. AllAfrica. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Doximity". Doximity.
  7. ↑ Lateef, Oyalola (June 2021). "True Health Begins With The Mind". TOP DOCTOR MAGAZINE. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Dr. Ivan Edwards on People and Power". YouTube. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  9. ↑ "Wunno Munayuganda Omumerika, translated: Here is the noted Ugandan American". bbs TV clip (in Luganda).
  10. ↑ "A Personal Torch leads to Uganda". The Nashua Telegraph. 1 July 1991.
  11. ↑ Bernstein, Hattie (24 Nov 1991). "Africa mission trip". Nashua Telegraph.
  12. ↑ ""Ba-summer" mix business and pleasure at reunion". The Observer. 4 January 2018.
  13. ↑ "Diaspora Gala Awards | Maj. Dr. Ivan Edwards Has Accepted to be One of Our Special Guest Speakers For 2017". Ugandan Diaspora News Online. 27 August 2017.
  14. ↑ "Lt. Col. Dr. Ivan Edwards. A Special keynote Speaker at the Diaspora Gala 2017 Edition". Uganda Diaspora News Online. 29 September 2017.
  15. ↑ "Diaspora Gala 2017 – Ugandan Diaspora Social Networking Gala Video Highlights & Keynote Speech". Ugandan Diaspora News Online. 20 Feb 2018. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  16. ↑ "PTSD/COVID-19 Workers' Compensation". ALAMO CHAPTER – Case Management Society of America.
  17. ↑ "CMSA – oldest and largest case management membership organization in the world". Case Management Society of America.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Wich, Brittany (29 September 2021). "Alamo Wing flight surgeon receives prestigious fellowship". Official United States Air Force Website. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  19. ↑ "Drs. Edwards, Fredericson, & Haig: In the News, August 25, 2021". AAPM&R. 25 August 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  20. ↑ "HOOPS GOING BACK UP AT NASHUA PLAYGROUND". Nashua Telegraph. 26 August 1999.
  21. 1 2 "Hoop fans shoot, score". Nashua Telegraph. 26 August 1999.
  22. ↑ "Kampala – national capital, Uganda". ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA.
  23. ↑ "Kampala European Cemetery". Kampala European Cemetery – eamemorials.co.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  24. ↑ "Uganda: KCC Denies Cemetery Investor". AllAfrica. 19 April 2009.
  25. ↑ Waiswa, Juliet (19 April 2009). "KCC Denies Cemetery Investor". The New Vision. AllAfrica. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  26. ↑ Candia, Steven (11 April 2009). "Family Opposes City Cemetery Giveaway". The New Vision. AllAfrica. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  27. ↑ "KCC Denies Selling off City Cemeteries". Uganda Radio Network. 23 August 2006.
  28. ↑ Mwanje, Robert (24 August 2006). "Sebaggala Stops Grave Relocation". The Monitor. AllAfrica. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  29. ↑ "Kampala: Norman Godinho's Grave Under Threat". The Goan Voice. 16 April 2009.
  30. ↑ "The Goan Voice". GOAN VOICE DAILY NEWSLETTER.
  31. ↑ "Jinja Road Cemetery To Become an Attraction After Facelift". Uganda Radio Network. 5 Feb 2013.
  32. ↑ Nantaba, Eriosi (22 April 2013). "KCCA Denies Cemetery Sale". East African Business Week (Kampala). AllAfrica. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  33. ↑ Kasoma, Aloysious (21 May 2013). "Jinja Road cemetery to become tourist site". The Observer. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  34. ↑ "Awards". Vitals – Patient Reviews.
  35. ↑ "Dr. Ivan Edwards Becomes an Inducted Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) in London". Ugandan Diaspora News. 15 August 2021. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.