Dr. Edkins is an Adult Nurse Practitioner with a Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Duke University. She has been with the Department of Surgery for the last nine years specializing in Burn Reconstruction with a focus on the laser based remodeling of scar tissue. She is the Director of the Laser Surgery Program for the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. In this role she is an educational leader providing training on the use of lasers in burn care to staff, medical students, resident surgeons and attending physicians from UNC as well as those visiting form other sites across the country.
Drs. Scott Hultman and Edkins started the Burn Laser Program at UNC in 2010. The practice has grown a great deal since that time and is now one of the leading programs in the country. Dr. Edkins holds independent posting privileges for laser cases in the OR at the UNC Aesthetic Laser & Burn Center and at the UNC Ambulatory Surgery Center. While a referral is not necessary to be seen by Dr. Edkins for issues related to symptomatic scars, many insurance providers do require that a referral be placed by a PCP.
Burn patients can develop scar fibrosis related to their trauma, presenting months to years after their injury with symptoms of pruritus, neuropathic pain and significant hypertrophy with or without contracture. Selective photothermolysis utilizes lasers to remodel these damaged tissues. Fractionated ablative lasers are also used to facilitate drug delivery into damaged tissue aiding in this process. The science of selective photothermolysis is an evolving field and expansion into the area of laser based tissue remodulation for radiation induced dermatitis & telangiectasia in the breast cancer population is a goal for 2018.
Dr. Edkins is an active member of the American Burn Association and is a Course Director at this year’s annual meeting in Chicago. Her program focuses on the fundamentals of developing a laser practice at regional burn centers. She has served on the Advance Practice Council and the UNC Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee. As a dedicated supporter of Advance Practice Providers, she has conducted research on educational needs for PAs and NPs in burn care as well as publishing and presenting on new models for incorporating Advance Practice Providers in Burn Intensive Care Units.
Dr. Edkins has broken new ground as an Advance Practice Provider holding independent OR privileges at UNC. This is evidence of the forward thinking of the Department of Surgery and UNC’s support for Advance Practice Providers!