profiles

DrPH, Public Health (Health Promotion/Disease Prevention), May 2004
Morgan State University School of Public Health and Policy

Dissertation: Women and HIV: Exploring the Relationship between HIV
Medication Adherence and Social Support among African American
Women (Co - Principal Investigator, Jean R. Anderson, M.D. Johns
Hopkins Medical Institutions)

M.H.S., Master of Human Services, May 1999
Lincoln University

Thesis: Teaching as Treatment: Interpersonal Skills for Spousal Abusers

B.A., Human and Social Resources, July 1990
Sojourner-Douglass College

Dr. Lorece V. Edwards is a native Baltimorean and Professor of Public Health at Morgan State University’s School of Community Health and Policy. Dr. Edwards is an authentic public health “Champion,” and community engaged scientist. She has presented her research at international, national, and local conferences and workshops. She is also well published in peer-reviewed journals.

She is a recipient of grant awards from various funding streams. Her research interests include adolescent health in redlined neighborhoods, community violence, structural, social and political determinants of health, historical trauma, risk research, and women’s health. Dr. Edwads was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women in 2013, 2016, and 2019. Dr. Edwards currently has a pending patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office ─ The Perceived Risk Hierarchy Theory. Additionally, Dr. Edwards has a book forth-coming with Johns Hopkins Press titled- Redlining Childhood: The Survivornomics of America’s Neglect Neighborhoods.

Publications

Edwards, L. Five Years After George Floyd, We Still Can Breathe. Baltimore Times Newspaper. May 30, 2025.

Edwards, L. & Lindong, I., Voting is Public Health. Baltimore Times Newspaper. October 16, 2024.

Edwards, L & Lindong, I. Post Election Blues. Baltimore Times Newspaper. November 12, 2024.

Scientific Articles

Klein, L. M., Habib, D. R. S., Edwards, L. V., Hager, E. R., Berry, A. A., Connor, K. A., Calderon, G., Liu, Y., & Johnson, S. B. (2024). Parents' Trust in COVID-19 Messengers and Implications for Vaccination. American journal of health promotion : AJHP, 38(3), 364–374. https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171231204480

Wang, J., Calderon, G., Hager, E., Edwards, L., et al (2023). Identifying and Preventing Fraudulent Responses in Public Health Surveys: Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic. PLOS Global Public Health, 3(8), e0001452

Summers, A., Calderon, G. V., Klein, L. M., Wang, J., Dinh, J., Suliman, T., Hager, E. R., Edwards, L., Collins, M. E., & Johnson, S. B. (2023). Development of a community-informed communication toolkit to prevent spread of viral illness in schools, including SARS-COV-2. Frontiers in public health, 11, 1285453. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1285453

Wang, J., Calderon, G., Hager, E. R., Edwards, L. V., Berry, A. A., Liu, Y., Dinh, J., Summers, A. C., Connor, K. A., Collins, M. E., Prichett, L., Marshall, B. R., & Johnson, S. B. (2023). Identifying and preventing fraudulent responses in online public health surveys: Lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLOS global public health, 3(8), e0001452.

Klein, L. M., Habib, D. R. S., Edwards, L. V., Hager, E. R., Berry, A. A., Connor, K. A., Calderon, G., Liu, Y., & Johnson, S. B. (2023). Parents' Trust in COVID-19 Messengers and Implications for Vaccination. American journal of health promotion : AJHP, 8901171231204480. Advance online publication. PMID: 37766398, DOI: 10.1177/08901171231204480

Summers, A., Calderon, G. V., Klein, L. M., Wang, J., Dinh, J., Suliman, T., Hager, E. R., Edwards, L., Collins, M. E., & Johnson, S. B. (2023). Development of a community-informed communication toolkit to prevent spread of viral illness in schools, including SARS-COV-2. Frontiers in public health, 11, 1285453. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1285453

Wang, J., Calderon, G., Hager, E., Edwards, L., et al (2023). Identifying and Preventing Fraudulent Responses in Public Health Surveys: Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic. PLOS Global Public Health, 3(8), e0001452.

Edwards, L., Rowel, R., & Barrett, S. (2020). A National Treasure, A Pandemic, and Resilience in Motion. Invited submission to the Journal of Ethnic College Health. Under review at the International Journal for Ethnic College Health.   

Edwards, L. (2020). Morgan State University’s Professor Talks about Inner City Youth and Survivornomics ^TM  The Baltimore Times, April 5, 2019.

Edwards, L., Lindong, I., Brown, L, Hawkins, A. et al. (2017). None of Us Will Get Out of Here Alive. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. (In press).

Briathwaite, R., and Edwards, L. (2017). The Power of Prevention: Reaching at Risk Emerging Adults to Reduce Substance Use and HIV. Journal for the Poor and Underserve. (In press).

Lindong, I., Edwards, L., Dennis, S., & Fajobi, O. (2017). Similarities and Differences Matter: Considering the Influence of Gender in HIV Prevention Programs for Young Adults in an HBCU. International Journal of Environmental Research, 14(2), 2 – 10.

Edwards, L., Dennis, S., Lindong, I., and Braithwaite, R. (2016). Alcohol and Marijuana Use and Risk Taking Behaviors among African American Students. International Journal of Ethnic College Health, 2(1), pp. 27 – 36. 

Braithwaite, R., Edwards, L., Dennis, S., et al. (2016). Condom Availability at HBCUs. International Journal of Ethnic and College Health, 2(1), pp. 3 – 10.

Edwards, L., Dennis, S., Lindong,. I, and Fajobi, O. (2016).  Are you S.M.A.R.T. Enough – The Get S.M.A.R.T. Project?  CES4Health.

Grants

National Institutes of Health, The PACE Study – Parents and Community as Experts (collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, The University of Maryland School of Medicine, and Morgan

State University Award $1.8 million 2021 – 2023 (MSU subaward: $255,000)

SAMHSA Drug Free Community Coalition, the Morgan State University Get SMART West Baltimore Drug Free Community Coalition 2016 – 2022 Award $625,000.00

SAMSHA MSI/CBO Grant 2015 – 2018, Get SMART with iCHAT Project – Award $900,000.00.

NIH -NLM HIV/AIDS Community Information Outreach Project 2015, The F.A.I.T.H. Project in collaboration with the Open Church MD – Award $50,000.00

Department of Health & Mental Hygiene - The S.T.E.P (Sexual Assault Prevention, Education, and Training) Initiative, Award $5000.00

SAMSHA MSI/CBO Grant 2013 – 2016, Get SMART Project – Award $900,000.00

NIH-NLM Impact 2 Project 2013 -2014, Award $40,000.00

NIH/NLM/ORWH Whisk Project 2013 -2014, Award $50,000.00

NIH- Office on Research and Women’s Health – Sex/Gender Differences Research and Health Outcomes among Women – Award $100,000.00