Andrew Edwards, M.D., has been appointed chair of the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine effective April 1, 2026. He has twice served as interim chair—first from May 2020 to June 2021, and again from March 2025 to the present. Edwards also serves as professor, executive vice chair, and vice chair for education in the department.
A 2000 graduate of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, Edwards completed his emergency medicine residency at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Louisville, Kentucky. He joined the UAB faculty in 2003 to help establish the Emergency Medicine Residency Program, which he led as program director from 2007 to 2019. His academic and clinical interests include emergency orthopedics, resuscitation, medical education, simulation, and program development.
Edwards is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and a member of the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine and the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.
“I am honored to be chosen to lead our department and am grateful for the opportunity to work with this outstanding group of staff, residents, and faculty,” Edwards said. “The trust and collegiality of our senior leadership in the UAB Health System, UAB Hospital, and the Heersink School of Medicine have been amazing and are greatly appreciated. I am excited to continue our work to expand ED operations, improve patient care, enhance our research endeavors, and grow our educational programs.”
This is a moment of unique significance for the Emergency Medicine department. In March 2025, the department earned the first Level 1 Accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians in the U.S. The UAB Hospital Emergency Department is also undergoing a $73 million expansion in response to unprecedented demand for emergency medical services.
“Dr. Edwards is a trusted leader whose vision, integrity, and deep commitment to academic emergency medicine have been evident throughout his service to UAB Medicine,” said Anupam Agarwal, M.D., senior vice president for medicine and dean of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. “At a time of remarkable growth and national recognition for the department, he is exceptionally well positioned to advance excellence in education, research, and clinical care.”
“Dr. Edwards has consistently demonstrated the leadership required to meet growing community needs with innovation and compassion,” said Dawn Bulgarella, MSHA, CPA, CEO of UAB Health System. “As we expand our emergency department and build on its historic Level 1 Accreditation, his experience and steady leadership will be critical to our continued success.”
The ongoing UAB Hospital Emergency Department expansion includes renovations to the first floor of UAB Hospital’s North Pavilion that will result in more than 66,000 new square feet of construction, 59 new exam rooms, and additional imaging capacity for emergency clinical care. The first phase of the expansion, including a new Emergency Department entrance on Sixth Avenue South, is set to be completed in October 2026. Phase 2 is scheduled to be completed in March 2027 and the final phase is scheduled for completion in June 2027.
Learn more about the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine.