Kimberly Avila Edwards, MD, has been a member of the Texas Medical Association (TMA) and the Travis County Medical Society (TCMS) since beginning her career as a general pediatrician in Austin in 2002.
At the local level, Dr. Avila Edwards has served as a member of the Board of Ethics and as a member of the Executive Board for TCMS. At the state level, she has been actively engaged in TMA as well as the Texas Pediatric Society (TPS), the state chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). She is honored to have been part of the TMA Leadership College Class of 2012. In 2012, Dr. Avila Edwards served as the youngest and first Hispanic president of the Texas Pediatric Society. Since then, she has served in national roles in the AAP as the Texas Alternate chapter chair, the chapter chair for Texas, and as of March 2019 as the AAP District VII Chapter Forum Management Committee member, a role she holds to date. Dr. Avila Edwards understands amplifying the voice of Texas physicians and their patients within our professional national organizations.
Dr. Avila Edwards brings her considerable state and national leadership experience to the potential role of American Medical Association Alternate Delegate. Dr. Avila Edwards has served on the TMA Council on Science and Public Health and currently serves as Chair of the TMA Committee on Child and Adolescent Health. She has led efforts at both TMA and TPS around childhood obesity and, currently, around health equity. She has actively participated in multiple Texas legislative sessions, sharing her content expertise and testifying before various state legislative committees on behalf of TMA, TPS, and the Texas Academy of Family Physicians on various obesity and other child health-related bills.
Dr. Avila Edwards currently serves as director of Advocacy and External Affairs at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin. Since August 2020, Dr. Avila Edwards has had the honor of serving as the associate chair for Advocacy for the Department of Pediatrics at Dell Medical School. Dr. Avila Edwards practices primary general pediatrics onboard the Dell Children’s Medical Center mobile clinic, a clinic that serves as the primary medical home for uninsured children. She understands firsthand the disparities faced by underinsured and uninsured children in our community. Dr. Avila Edwards has volunteered at El Buen Samaritano as well as the Volunteer Healthcare Clinic in Austin. She also has served as a camp physician for Laity Lodge and as the medical director for El Ranchito.
Dr. Avila Edwards has been recognized for her work by four Special Achievement Awards from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the TPS Executive Board Award, and in 2020, the Sidney R. Kaliski, MD, Award of Merit by TPS.
Personal statement: “As the largest and only national association that convenes almost 200 state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the responsibility to serve the American Medical Association as part of the Texas Delegation is great. It is a tremendous honor to be considered and if elected, I will work hard to be the voice for all Texas physicians and their patients, including children.”
Profile
Specialty: Pediatrics
Medical School (with year graduated): Harvard Medical School, 1999
Residency Program:
- Pediatric Internship: Texas Children’s/Baylor College of Medicine: 2000
- Pediatric Residency: Texas Children’s/Baylor College of Medicine: 2002
- Chief Resident, Neonatal Chief, 2002
Board Certification(s): Pediatrics, 2002, Recertification 2012
Primary Residence (City, State): Austin, Texas
Practice Type/Employment Status:
- Direct Patient Care: nonprofit corporation (formerly 5.01(A) corporation), 10%
- Academic: Associate Chair for Advocacy, Department of Pediatrics, Dell Medical School, 30%
- Administrative: government, health plan, or health-related, but not direct patient care. Director of Advocacy and External Affairs at Dell Children’s Medical Center, 60%
Primary Practice/Employment Location (City, State): Dell Children’s Medical Center/Ascension Texas, Austin, Texas
Do you expect to maintain your current employment status and location through your term in office? Yes
Does your current employment situation(s) require you to work outside of Texas? If yes, what is the nature of that work and how many days each month do you work outside of Texas. No
Including the past five years, list all other organizations from which you have received payment, reimbursement, or financial consideration for consulting, advisory, or leadership responsibilities exceeding $1,000 per year in excess of actual expenses:
- Department of State Health Services: Texas Health and Human Services Texas Health Steps
- Texas Pediatric Society, state chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or is your medical license restricted? Please explain. No
TMA positions held:
- TMA Committee on Child and Adolescent Health, chair, 2020-present
- Council on Science and Public Health, 2009-15
- Alternate Delegate to the TMA Interspecialty Society, Texas Pediatric Society, 2008-09
- TMA Leadership College Class of 2012
- TMA Member, 2002-present
- Member, Executive Board, Travis County Medical Society, 2014-16
- Member, Board of Ethics, Travis County Medical Society, 2013-16
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