Kristin Edwards

Kristin Edwards, MD, serves as the Medical Director of Palliative Care at Bridgeport Hospital since 2014 and was appointed as the hospital's inaugural Chief Wellness Officer in July 2020. Under her leadership, the palliative care program expanded from a small team to a multi-site interdisciplinary service including medical, nursing, social work, and chaplaincy staff. Her work focuses on alleviating suffering for both patients/families and clinicians through systemic improvements in workplace culture and individual wellbeing support.

Education: BA in Psychology from Williams College, MD from UCLA School of Medicine, and a Palliative Care Fellowship at Jamaica Hospital (NY). She has completed advanced leadership training programs including the Health Care Educational Leadership Fellowship (Keck-USC), Certified Physician Executive track (AAPL), and earned an ACC coaching credential (ICF).

Key contributions include pioneering initiatives to enhance clinician wellness, improve interdisciplinary collaboration, and optimize healthcare workflows. Her professional recognition includes the 2019 AAHPM Emerging Leader Award, granted every five years to top palliative care leaders nationally.

Current roles integrate clinical expertise with administrative leadership, emphasizing the intersection of patient care quality and provider resilience. She collaborates with senior hospital leadership to implement evidence-based strategies for organizational culture change and sustainable wellbeing programs.