Ivan Edwards (physician)

Besides practicing medicine, both as a reserve flight surgeon and civilian physician, Edwards has appeared on local US and Uganda television to talk about topics on multiple sclerosis and self empowerment. He has also touched on issues of class privilege, social inequities and environmental degradation.[7][8][9]

While in ministry in the early 1990s, he helped start a child sponsorship program that provided educational and financial resources to orphaned and displaced children facing poverty in Uganda.[10][11]

Edwards has spoken at the Uganda Diaspora's international events held annually in Kampala, Uganda.[12] On December 30, 2017, he was a special keynote speaker at the Ugandan diaspora event, after which he received the Ugandan Diaspora Award in recognition of his achievements and advocacy. Vice President of Uganda Edward Ssekandi (who presented him the award) and then-French ambassador to Uganda Stéphanie Rivoal were in attendance.[13][14][15]

On September 9, 2020, Edwards presented via webinar on the topic of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including the impact of COVID-19 on the local community, to an audience of nurses, social workers, case managers and other professionals—under the auspices of the Alamo chapter of the Case Management Society of America.[16][17]

Edwards was involved in a community activist role in a Nashua, New Hampshire, neighborhood over the closure of a basketball court in a local park, a place purportedly attracting acts of vandalism, illegal activity and speeding. He came up with a petition, backed by some registered voters in the neighborhood community. Although the drive ultimately failed, it got the attention of top city officials, including Mayor Donald Davidson.[18][19][20] The mayor instituted increased police patrols, in response to the community outcry.[20]

Edwards organized a movement that opposed the sale of a historic cemetery in Kampala,[21] Uganda, in April 2009. The Kampala European Cemetery,[22] owned by the Kampala City Council, is a cemetery where prominent personalities in Uganda's colonial past, including some of Edwards' ancestral relatives, were laid to rest. The prospective buyers had planned to erect a shopping center to replace the cemetery—a move Edwards vowed to stop from materializing.[23][24][25]

Edwards' family was reported to be the first to galvanize opposition to the sale of the historic Kampala European Cemetery. The Kampala City Council then denied the attempted sale and lease of the cemetery to foreign investors. In 2006, city council had received an offer to sell two historic cemeteries, including the Kampala European Cemetery. The offer was reportedly turned down because the council re-designated both cemeteries as tourist attractions.[26]

The news of Edwards' protest and vigils reached the Goan community and beyond,[27] which, in 1972, had been part of the Ugandan diaspora, including Ugandan-Asians (Expulsion of Asians from Uganda). The Goan Voice,[28] announced the protest which helped propel the cause of preserving the cemetery.

By February 2013, due to press coverage and community outcry, the Kampala European Cemetery was finally slated for renovation and deemed a protected historical site.[29]

Some of Edwards' memberships include:[6]

• Member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Member of the Aerospace Medical Association
• Member of the Distinguished Society of USAF Flight Surgeons
• Fellow of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation