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

Lorece V. Edwards, DrPH, MHS is a native Baltimorean and Professor of Public Health.  Dr. Edwards is an authentic public health “Champion,” and community engaged scientist. She was the first student enrolled in the inaugural class of the Doctor of Public Health Program at Morgan State University in 1999. In 2004, she graduated from the program. Lorece earned her Master of Human Services degree in 1999 from Lincoln University. She was very active in student activities, and field her placement which focused on Interpersonal Violence. In 2007, she joined the Morgan State University's School of Public Health and Policy as the coordinator of practice upon leaving the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Department of Health, Behavior and Society.  In 2009, Lorece joined the Department of Behavioral Health Sciences as an Assistant Professor. In 2013, she received Tenure and Promotion and became an Associate Professor. Lorece has received several federal awards and created a well-built research portfolio. As a result of her hard work and scholarship, she was promoted to a Full Professor in 2019.

Lorece has presented her research at international, national, and local conferences and workshops. She is also well published in various peer-reviewed journals. The Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved (Meharry Medical College) tagged her article titled ― None of Us Will Get Out of Here Alive: The Intersection of Perceived Risk for HIV, Risk Behaviors and Survival Expectations among African American Emerging Adults as a “landmark” article.

Her research interests include adolescent health, community violence, structural and social drivers of health, historical trauma, risk research, and women’s health. She was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women in 2013, 2016, and 2019.  Lorece currently has a pending patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office ─ The Perceived Risk Hierarchy Theory, including the term she coined ― Survivornomics^TM Additionally, Dr. Edwards has a book forth-coming with Johns Hopkins Press titled- Redlining Childhood: The Survivornomics^TM of America’s Neglect Neighborhoods.

Publications

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