Hello, I am O. Winslow Edwards, MPH.
Full Stack Developer and Public Health Professional.
I entered the field of software development after six years of public health research management, intrigued with the ability of technology to create novel solutions to complex health challenges. After completing a 6 month intensive at Ada Developer's Academy, I joined the CX-Business Enablement team at Home Chef for a 5 month full stack engineering internship, where I quickly gained expertise with Ruby and Ruby on Rails, React.js, PostgreSQL, agile methodologies, and the ticket lifecycle.
With my diverse experience in research project management, consulting, and full-stack software engineering, I am confident that my acumen, passion, and personability will drive my success and make me an asset to any team. I am eager to bring my skillset to a new opportunity that leverages technology to support health, wellness, and joy - let's connect and explore how we can grow together!
During my time in public health research, I managed various studies exploring wellness within historically marginalized communities including LGBTQIA2S+ people, people living with HIV (PLHIV), and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). Some of my projects explored the impacts apps could have in increasing access to sexual healthcare and providing medication reminders, while others leveraged existing software to deliver questionnaires exploring sexual health and well-being. In these roles, I coordinated cross-functional teams, organized all aspects of advertising and recruitment for 18,000+ participants, helped to design and program survey tools, and reported study findings.
Noticing the ways that technology could help rural LGBTQIA2S+ folks locate an affirming doctor or PLHIV to order their medications for home delivery inspired me to make a career shift. I was accepted to Ada Developer's Academy, where I studied full-time for six months and grew expertise with Python, Pytest, Flask, Javascript, React.js, Vue.js, PostgreSQL, and Postman. I acquired the technical knowledge necessary to build innovative, software-based approaches to address public health gaps and support well-being and demonstrated my knowlege with the completion of my capstone project, Provide.
Most recently, I have been fortunate to complete a five month internship at Home Chef. As a member of the the CX-Business Enablement team, I have increased my proficiency with Ruby, Ruby on Rails, RSpec, Javascript, React.js, Haml, Yarn, and PostgreSQL, gaining experience iteratively writing code and unit tests, refactoring legacy code, debugging, and engaging in the full ticket lifecycle from creation to PR review to closure. I have worked on Netsuite integrations, user ability modifications, payment intents, and data privacy features to align our website with federal and state privacy regulations. Throughout my internship, I've also gained familiarity with Agile methodologies and technical collaboration via pair programming, demonstrating a knack for creative problem solving and efficient time management.
Throughout my career, I have combined my passion for public health with my technical expertise to drive impactful projects that support well-being and joy. From managing large-scale research studies to developing software solutions that support privacy rights, I have demonstrated my ability to organize cross-functional teams, work efficiently with teammates, design innovative tools, and navigate complex technical challenges. Let's chat more about how our work can align!
Projects
Provide
A stylish healthcare provider review website created to reduce barriers to safe, stigma-free healthcare for the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Users can make an account, perform CRUD operations on reviews, as well as creating and reading new provider entries, leveraging an API that pulls information on all medical providers with an NPI number. Ada Developers Academy Capstone project completed in a two-person team.
- Vue.js
- JavaScript
- HTML
- CSS
- PostgreSQL
- Flask
Airbnb Clone
A full-stack clone of Airbnb using technologies learned in my software engineering internship. Leverages gems including Devise, OmniAuth, and Faker to structure a secure authentication process and mock out user data. Work in progress.
- Ruby
- Ruby on Rails
- Tailwind CSS
- HTML
- CSS
- PostgreSQL
- Turbo
Delete Account Feature
Created and deployed a new feature allowing Home Chef Customer Service personnel to delete a user's account, including addition and formatting of a new button on an internal-facing form, creation of a novel controller action with error handling, and validation methods for this type of deletion request. Additionally, wrote extensive specs for two related models to ensure feature performed as expected.
- Ruby
- Ruby on Rails
- RSpec
- Haml
- CSS
- PostgreSQL
Mobile Apple Pay Display Fix
When Home Chef users switched from another payment method to Apple Pay on the mobile app, their Apple Pay email was not displaying and the message to the user needed changes. Passed user's Apple Pay email through the API, which allowed it to display immediately to the user upon successful method switch, and updated user success message for ease of comprehension.
- Javascript
- Yarn
Ad Creative
Metaverse and Grindr ad creative for study creating a queer health app designed for queer men.
- Canva
- Research Recruitment
- Social Media Advertising
- Facebook Ads Manager
Metaverse and Grindr ad creative for study creating a queer health app designed for trans and gender-expansive populations.
- Canva
- Research Recruitment
- Social Media Advertising
- Facebook Ads Manager
Grindr image creative for an online survey recruiting men designed for a Halloween placement.
- Canva
- Research Recruitment
- Social Media Advertising
Grindr video creative for two separate research studies recruiting different sub-populations of the LGBTQIA2S+ community.
- Canva
- Research Recruitment
- Social Media Advertising
Public Health
Public Health Program Associate
Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health
Department of Epidemiology
I worked as a research project manager for two years, where I supported the development of quantitative and qualitative study measures, programmed online surveys, coordinated and chaired progress meetings, and oversaw the work of student research assistants. Spearheaded recruitment activities including graphic design of creative, organized campaigns for social media advertising, and successfully recruited 18,000+ participants across three LGBTQIA2S+ studies.
- Canva
- Dedoose
- Alchemer
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Facebook Ads Manager
- Social Media Advertising
- Qualitative & Quantitative Research Methods
- Social Determinants of Health
- Public Speaking
- Technical Writing
- Health Promotion
- Research Management
Graduate Research Assistant
University of California San Francisco, School of Nursing
Department of Community Health Systems
For my MPH capstone, I designed and completed a qualitative research study using responses to a national annual survey of health and wellbeing for LGBTQIA2S+ people called The PRIDE Study. Based on this work, I authored a journal article proposing a comprehensive model of community resilience resources for LGBTQIA2S+ communities, highlighting social, affective generative, and introspective strategies that foster well-being across diverse populations.
- Stata
- Dedoose
- Mendeley
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Quantitative & Qualitative Research Methods
- Strengths-Based Research
- Anti-Oppressive Framework
- Social Determinants of Health
- Public Speaking
- Technical Writing
LGBTQIA2S+ Inclusion Consultant
Worked with Ambit Gender Diversity Consulting to develop various LGBTQIA2S+ inclusion curricula. Developed curricula for workshops at a local university covering topics including power, privilege, intersectionality, and facilitation skill development for peer leaders working in LGBTQIA2S+ community. Co-created workshop content and activities to support identified learning goals for peer leader participants. Co-created an LGBTQIA2S+ gender diversity training module for general faculty and staff at Royal Roads University.
- Consulting
- Social Determinants of Health
- Anti-Oppressive Framework
- Technical Writing
Skills
- Ruby
- Ruby on Rails
- RSpec
- Python
- Pytest
- Flask
- Yarn
- HTML
- Haml
- CSS
- JavaScript
- React.js
- Vue.js
- PostgreSQL
- Postman
- Git
- Github
- Scrum
- Canva
- Alchemer
- Dedoose
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Stata
- Consulting
- Public Speaking
- Technical Writing
- Research Management
- Research Recruitment
- Social Media Advertising
- Health Promotion
- Quantitative & Qualitative Research Methods
- Social Determinants of Health
- Anti-Oppressive Framework
- Strengths-Based Research
References
Dan Kaplan
Softwaring Engineering Manager at Home Chef
Direct Manager
Winslow did a great job quickly picking up Ruby on Rails and understanding how their team works with the Customer Support team. This allowed Winslow to make an immediate impact as they were able to simplify key Customer Support workflows. This resulted in Customer Support agents being able to complete actions more quickly, helped us maintain Home Chef’s industry-leading customer support, and led to many emojis of thanks from their teammates.
Of note, before the internship, Winslow had little experience with our main testing frameworks - Rspec and React Testing Library. They did a fantastic job diving into tutorials, working closely with their teammates, and understanding the existing patterns within the codebase to quickly upskill. This resulted in Winslow’s tickets always having complete and well-scoped tests enhancing the health of our codebase. It was a joy to work with Winslow. We are devastated that we can not continue at Home Chef and are envious of whoever gets to work with them next.
Zlatan Sadibasic
Software Engineering Manager at Home Chef
Management Level
I had the pleasure of working with Winslow during their internship at Home Chef. They consistently demonstrated the ability to ramp up on new technologies and exhibited a great work ethic. Winslow quickly adapted to our development environment, contributed meaningful code to our projects, and was always eager to learn and take on new challenges. Their ability to collaborate effectively with the team and their proactive approach to problem-solving made them a valuable asset. Winslow has a bright future in software development and would be a great addition to any team.
Travis Sanchez
Research Professor at Emory University
Direct Manager
Mx. Edwards is exceptional at delivering results for the studies they manage. This is above expectations because the position they were hired into didn't require management of the studies, but rather implementation. They not only took on this role after departure of the prior study director, but has also excelled at the work. Mx. Edwards has rapidly developed a new set of skills for recruiting, enrolling, and managing study participants. They exceed expectations in using those newly acquired skills.
They are proactive for identifying potential problem areas and communicates in advance with partners that may be impacted by them. In the rare situations in which problems do arise such as with IRB approvals, engaging a newcommunity advisory board, or study enrollment, they have been quick to communicate the problem, seek solutions, and implement them. This approach is consistent with expectations from very senior project director-level staff.