Doris S. Edwards (Class of 2020)

Doris Edwards photo

Doris S. Edwards was dean and professor at Capital University School of Nursing from 1987 to 2000. As dean, she guided the development and national accreditation of the multidisciplinary graduate program in nursing, developed affiliations and student/faculty exchanges with nursing programs in Jamaica, England and Sweden, and proposed the Partners for Excellence Program to the U.S. Army ROTC Command, establishing Capital as a charter school and center of excellence. In 2002, Edwards served as the founding director of the BSN completion program at Urbana University.

Throughout her career, Edwards has held a steadfast confidence in the potential of the nursing profession to improve the health of individuals, families and communities. With this spirit of confidence, she has taken the voice of nursing into the hospital board room, the community agency conference room, the university senate floor, the campus classroom and the sick room. Edwards has faith in the value of nursing and has articulated that value through board/committee positions and consultation with the Columbus Children’s Hospital, Columbus Health Department, Franklin County Health Department, Congresswoman Deborah Pryce, Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio, the Heinzerling Foundation and a number of educational settings including Franklin University and Urbana University.

A passionate advocate for the nursing profession, Edwards has provided leadership and key involvement in a variety of measures directly affecting the profession. She was a member and chair of the Ohio Council on Nursing, advisory body to the director of the Ohio Department of Health, from 1987 to 2000. She was appointed to the Ohio Board of Nursing from 1992 to 1996. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Ohio Nurses Association, as chair of its Caucus on Advancing Nursing, and co-chair of its Heritage Committee. Edwards facilitated many initiatives within that organization through which she consistently advocated for nurses and championed the importance of advancing nursing education to assure patient safety and quality patient outcomes.

Edwards’ work has had widespread impact for the national and international nursing community. She served on the governing council of Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society of Nursing and provided consultation to Sheffield and Leeds University in the United Kingdom, and St. Bartholomew School of Nursing and Midwifery, London, England. Among her honors is honorary lifetime membership in the European Honour Society for Nurses and Midwives.

Edwards earned her diploma in nursing from Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton, Ohio. She continued her education at the University of Cincinnati where she earned her BSN degree, followed by a Master of Science degree in Rehabilitation and Community Health from Wright State University. She achieved her doctorate in Educational Administration and Organizational Behavior at the University of Cincinnati. She has been recognized for excellence in teaching and administration by numerous awards from nursing and higher education organizations such as the University of Cincinnati Outstanding Alumni Award and induction into the Ohio Nurses Association Cornelius Congress.