2025–2026 NHLCC Scholar: Angel Edwards

Angel Edwards

PharmD/PhD
University of Michigan College of Pharmacy

Angel Edwards was born and raised in Oak Park, Michigan, a metro suburb of Detroit. As a first-generation college student, she saw how medication illiteracy affected her own family’s health, which inspired her to pursue a career advancing medication literacy and equitable health outcomes among underrepresented populations.

Angel earned her Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Michigan State University in 2022. While working as a pharmacy technician, she often served as a medical advocate and interpreter for her family members—an experience that solidified her passion for bridging the gap between patients and their medications.

She later matriculated into the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, where she is now a dual PharmD/PhD student in Clinical Pharmacy and Translational Science on the Health Services Research track. During pharmacy school, Angel has led initiatives to increase awareness of pharmacy careers among minority students and partnered with community organizations to provide diabetes education, A1C screenings, and digital health lifestyle tracking. These programs fostered community trust and demonstrated the vital role of pharmacists in preventive and chronic disease care.

Angel’s PhD dissertation examines multilevel socioecological factors influencing patient decision-making around statin use for cardiovascular disease prevention. Her long-term goal is to pursue a career dedicated to improving cardiovascular medication outcomes and designing patient-centered strategies that promote equitable medication use and taking behaviors across diverse populations. As an American Heart Association Scholar Graduate Pathways Scholar, Angel hopes to gain mentorship that deepens her expertise in population-based cardiovascular outcomes research and strengthens her ability to lead impactful, equity-driven research that advances health outcomes for all communities.