Joan Edelstein, MSN, DrPH, RN

Joan Edelstein, MSN, DrPH, RN, has extensive experience as a clinician and educator in maternal/child health as well as community health. She was a Professor of Nursing for 22 years at San Jose State University, received her MSN in Pediatric Nursing and PNP certification from Yale University, and received both an MPH and DrPH in Maternal/Child Health at UC Berkeley School of Public Health.

After leaving academia, Joan worked for Oakland Unified School District as School Nurse, Asthma Specialist through a CDC Controlling Asthma in American Cities Project grant, where she helped develop and implement the Kickin’ Asthma program. She then worked for the Alameda County Public Health Department in a jointly funded position with the Oakland Unified School District as Health Services Coordinator, successfully implementing model policies to support student and staff health, including an Asthma Management Policy.

Most recently, Joan finished working on a grant through The California Endowment as a Senior Health Consultant with the California School Boards Association focusing on Asthma Management and IAQ Policy statewide. In that position, she lead efforts to create, and now chairs, the California State Environmental Health and Asthma Collaborative (SEHAC) to implement The Strategic Plan for Asthma in California, schools section. She also chairs California Asthma Partners, a statewide network of governmental and non-governmental organizations, agencies, institutions, coalitions, collaboratives, and other programs working to implement The Strategic Plan for Asthma.

Joan has co-authored publications on Kickin’ Asthma in schools and has presented on asthma and IAQ in schools at the local, national, and international levels. She currently works as School Nurse Coordinator for the Emery Unified School District in Emeryville, CA.