Marc T. Edwards photo

Professional Biography

Dr. Edwards has studied and practiced Ayurveda since 1984. He currently serves as adjunct faculty for the Integrative Medicine Program at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and the Master's in Ayurveda Program at Maharishi International University. In addition, he developed a tool to help main stream researchers integrate Ayurvedic concepts into their work. His study of patient-reported outcomes of Ayurveda is the first comprehensive evaluation of the results of Ayurvedic consultation. He also blogs and gives presentations to elevate awareness of this precious knowledge for health, vitality and longevity.

A native of Seattle, he graduated from the University of Washington. He earned his MD degree from the University of Colorado, trained in Family Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and later completed an MBA at the University of Connecticut. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and maintains board certification in Family Medicine.

While at the University of Colorado, he was editor of the student paper, became an avid photographer, completed a Public Health Service traineeship, and won the Florence Sabin Memorial Award. When one of his classmates tragically committed suicide, he responded by initiating a survey of problems and concerns that proved instrumental in promoting needed changes in the educational environment. Inspired by his experiences with meditation, he also developed and instructed an elective Concept of Health seminar which the School of Health Administration later adopted as core curriculum.

Early in his career, he worked for 6 years in the Middle East and traveled extensively worldwide. He subsequently accrued over 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience, including service as a chair of Family Medicine in a multispecialty group practice and as the senior physician executive in both university teaching and community hospitals. He operated a Patient Safety Organization from 2010 to 2019. He has also done significant healthcare management research to help physician leaders improve quality, safety and resource use.

In the early 1980s, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi revived knowledge of Ayurveda that had been suppressed and fragmented during the Mughal occupation and subsequent British colonial rule. Maharishi initiated programs to make this knowledge for better self-care and development of higher states of consciousness more widely available. As a result, Dr. Edwards began work with Ayurvedic physicians (Vaidyas) who were touring the US under the auspices of Maharishi International University (MIU) in the fall of 1984. He participated in the first formal training programs offered by MIU in 1985.

He extended that training with additional coursework in 2000 and 2013. Over the years, he has done countless consultations in conjunction with visiting Vaidyas. When the Ayurvedic clinic in Lancaster, MA originally staffed by Deepak Chopra closed in 2012, he took a more active role in Ayurveda education and expanded his practice. He relocated to North Carolina in March 2017 and now lives in a Vāstu home/office in Chapel Hill.

Ayurveda-Related Publications

  • Edwards MT. Patient-Reported Outcomes of Ayurveda Consultation in Relation to Clinical Practice Data. Explore (NY). 2023 Sep-Oct;19(5):721-729. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2023.02.006. Epub 2023 Feb 20.
  • Edwards MT, Streiner DL. Development of a Reliable Dosha Self-Assessment Questionnaire. Explore. 2022;18(5):573-578. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2021.09.003. Epub 2021 Sep 15.