Cheryl Edwards

Regional Team Lead, CT, Senior Donation Coordinator
New England Donor Services

Brief Bio

Cheryl is in her 45th year of nursing career, all of which has been in critical care and worked as a staff nurse and transitioned to management over critical care and maternal child nursing. During that time Cheryl did some work in rehabilitation medicine, managing a TBI unit, and later worked with home hospice and infusion patients. Additionally, Cheryl worked as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Critical care, with a focus on Neurosurgery and Trauma. Cheryl was recruited by anesthesia to work with a group of CNS folks who took call for high-risk OB moms in labor. Cheryl loves caring for organ donors from the beginning of my career. As a CNS for Neurosurgery/Trauma, Cheryl was recruited by OPO colleagues to join their team. Cheryl started in November of 1996 and has never regretted that decision. Cheryl has held numerous roles with New England Donor services but enjoys education and mentoring the most.

Alliance Presentations

NRP Surgery

Collaborative Innovations in Organ Procurement: A Deep Dive into NRP Implementation – What Have We Learned?

Thursday, February 22, 2024, at 3:00pm

Normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) is an innovative approach to maintaining organ viability following the determination of circulatory death (DCD). The comprehensive and collaborative approach required to facilitate an NRP recovery has increased organ utilization while reducing waitlist deaths. In this session, we will be joined by leaders in the community who will share their respective journeys to NRP implementation in partnership with their local OPO or receiving Transplant Center(s). Methods on how to engage key stakeholders will be shared along with examples of how to overcome potential barriers, resulting in more lives saved through this increasingly prevalent method of procurement.

1.26.23 Staffing 511076621

Increasing Staff Retention by Valuing and Understanding the OPO Employee

Tuesday, February 07, 2023, at 2:00pm

With the ongoing increase in staffing shortages and challenges surrounding employee retention within the donation community, Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) must do a better job at addressing the staggering turnover rates. Over the course of this discussion, we will highlight strategies that organizations have explored to effectively engage staff by recognizing their value and providing the necessary support to help them build resiliency as they navigate the emotionally and physically taxing field of donation and transplantation.

Lifelong Networks

Our partners are the heart and soul of our organization. For more than 15 years, they have played a vital role providing quality education and programs to advance a shared mission.