Dr. Edmonds came to CSU in 1972, having practiced physical therapy since 1952 and for several years throughout Northeast Ohio, including Mt. Sinai Hospital, and at Muscatatuck State School in North Vernon, Indiana. As founding director, she played a significant role in establishing what would grow into one of the region’s premier Physical Therapy programs with a reputation for exceptional research and clinical practice opportunities. Always devoted to her students, Dr. Edmonds was particularly proud that many were among the first in their families to attend college.
She remained at CSU for nearly a decade, rising to Chairman of the Department of Health Sciences while earning a second Master’s Degree and a Ph.D. in Sociology from Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Edmonds helped pioneer the study of how behaviors, attitudes and policies affect the health outcomes of aged black women. She consulted, lectured, taught and mentored students worldwide throughout her career and presented more than 60 professional papers. Perhaps most notably, her career culminated at Stanford University, where she became the second highest-ranking African-American woman in Stanford’s administration.
While she left CSU in 1982 for the College of Health and Community Services at Bowling Green University, Dr. Edmonds’ contributions to CSU’s Physical Therapy Department and the College of Sciences and Health Professions continue to influence our work today and are reflected in the department’s mission, vision and values.
As part of this year’s 2022 Giving Day, we are humbly asking faculty and alumni at Cleveland State University to consider a kind donation towards the Dr. Mary Edmonds Fund. We have raised over $3,900 with the generous support of students, alumni and faculty, but our final goal is to raise at least $5,000 to have a memorial garden bench in Dr. Edmonds name at Cleveland State University. Thank you for your support!
