Andrew R. Edwards, M.D., FACEP, professor and chair of the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine, has been named the second holder of the Endowed Professorship in Emergency Medicine. The resolution was approved at the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama System meeting on Sept. 11, 2026.
Andrew Edwards, M.D.
“Receiving an endowed professorship in Emergency Medicine is an extraordinary honor and a meaningful recognition of commitment to our specialty, our patients, and the academic mission of our institution,” Edwards said. “I am profoundly grateful for the confidence and generosity represented by this appointment. An endowed professorship provides not only recognition of past contributions, but also an important platform to advance the future of Emergency Medicine through excellence in patient care, education, research, and faculty development.”
Edwards is a nationally recognized leader in emergency medicine whose career has been defined by excellence in clinical care, medical education, research and administrative leadership. He earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Auburn University in 1996 before receiving his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Alabama School of Medicine in 2000. He completed an internship in emergency medicine in 2001 and his residency in emergency medicine at the University of Louisville in 2003. Edwards is board-certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Since joining the UAB faculty in 2003 as an assistant professor, Edwards has held numerous leadership roles within the Department of Emergency Medicine. His appointments have included assistant residency director, associate residency director, residency director, vice chair of education, executive vice chair, interim chair, medical director of the Department of Resuscitation, and medical control physician for Critical Care Transport. Edwards was promoted to associate professor in 2009 and professor in 2015. He currently serves as chair of the department.
Throughout his tenure at UAB, Edwards has led transformational initiatives that have strengthened the department's clinical, operational, and financial performance. Under his leadership, the department improved fiscal stability, implemented a nationally benchmarked faculty compensation model focused on equity and transparency, expanded faculty recruitment efforts, enhanced patient access and throughput, reduced emergency department boarding, and increased interfacility transfers. During his leadership, the department also secured endowed funding and became the first emergency department in the United States to earn Level I Accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Edwards has also made significant contributions to medical education. As residency director, he expanded the Emergency Medicine Residency Program, guided the program to full accreditation, and improved resident board certification pass rates. As vice chair of education, he increased medical student participation in emergency medicine, developed multiple fellowship programs, and introduced innovative simulation-based curricula. His expertise has also supported the establishment of new emergency medicine residency programs at academic medical centers across the country.
In addition to his educational leadership, Edwards is an accomplished physician-scientist whose scholarly work has advanced emergency medicine education, disaster preparedness, simulation training, patient safety, and evidence-based clinical practice. His contributions include numerous peer-reviewed publications, scholarly presentations, educational resources, and participation in nationally recognized clinical research initiatives.
Edwards has remained deeply engaged in professional service throughout his career, contributing to institutional committees, graduate medical education councils, and physician leadership organizations. He is active in several national professional societies, including the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, the Association of Academic Chairs in Emergency Medicine, and the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine. His service has helped strengthen physician education, promote quality improvement, and elevate the national reputation of UAB Emergency Medicine.