Edward was born in San Antonio, Texas, two years after his parents and sister immigrated to the United States from the former Soviet Union.  His interest in healthcare grew while attending Health Careers High School in San Antonio, Texas. In 1999, he was named a National Presidential Scholar with distinction in the areas of Health Care Science and Technology.  In 2003, he graduated summa cum laude and with Highest Honors from the University of Texas at Austin, where he received two Bachelor of Arts’ degrees in Government and Russian and a minor in Business Administration. 

At St. Louis University, Edward pursued a joint J.D./M.H.A. degree with a concentration in Health Law. While in law school, he wrote an honors thesis on the interface between medical licensure and malpractice in cybermedicine, and was a faculty fellow for Professors Stephen Thaman and David Sloss.  In 2004 and 2005, Edward received the Irvin and Maggie Dagen Public Interest Fellowship Award from St. Louis University.  In 2007, he received the award for highest grade in Trial Advocacy Competition.  Additionally, he received the 2007 Paul Donnelly Academic Achievement Award for completing the M.H.A. program with a 4.0 grade point average.

Edward is fluent in Russian and English and has conversational knowledge of Spanish.  He has won several international piano competitions and still enjoys playing recreationally.  He spends his remaining free time travelling overseas and playing chess, rugby, and basketball.