Z. Colette Edwards, MD MBA is the former National Medical Director, Associate Health and Well-Being at Humana. In that role she provided clinical and operational leadership to optimize the health, well-being, and benefits of Humana’s 53,000 associates. During her tenure, Humana was a Platinum Award winner in NBGH's "Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles" recognition program from 2014 - 2020, ranked in the top 10 of “Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America” in 2017 - 2019, achieved Gold status in the AHA's Workplace Health Achievement Index 2017 – 2021, and was a 2022 NBGH Best Employer for Excellence in Health & Well-Being, with an additional citation for Excellence in Mental Health.
With the arrival of COVID-19, Colette was the clinical lead for the associate population related to the development of policies, workflows, associate education, testing, return-to-work protocols, identification of benefits and support needs, and associate experiences, including special COVID-19 messaging, a 3-month mindfulness offering, and a 4-part gratitude and a 5-part guided imagery webinar series. She also led a long COVID Workgroup, a multidisciplinary, cross-functional team composed of volunteers from across the enterprise focused on designing resources to support and make life easier for those suffering from long COVID or who serve as caregivers to loved ones with the condition.
Colette is currently working on an inclusive, holistic offering for women+ moving through the menopause journey.
Dr. Edwards is a gastroenterologist and received a BA from Harvard University, an MD from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the Wharton School. She completed her GI fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco, has a graduate certificate in health and wellness coaching from the Maryland University of Integrative Health, and is a graduate of the NIH Scholar Program in Translational Health Disparities.
Colette is the Managing Editor for the Wharton Healthcare Quarterly, has written a McGraw-Hill GI text, is the author of Be Less Stressed, was a contributing writer to Thrive Global, and provides COVID-19 updates and resources as part of the Harvard Alumni/ae Community Helps initiative. She is a board member of Bread for the City and an advisory board member for T1D Exchange.
Lastly, Dr. Edwards is the co-author of Navigating Your Healthcare Journey: Lessons Learned To Get the Care You Need and Deserve, published by Bold Story Press and released on May 16, 2023.
Contact Colette at:
[email protected]