Bridget S Murphy

Biography

Dr. Murphy is an assistant research professor in the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health in the Department of Health Promotion Sciences at the University of Arizona (U of A). Dr. Murphy also works with the Comprehensive Center for Pain and Addiction. She has more than three decades of education and experience in public and behavioral health. Dr. Murphy has had positions in academic institutions, community-based, and private sector organizations. She has a doctorate in behavioral health and a master’s in education. Her principal expertise is in substance use and related issues (e.g., pain/trauma, infectious diseases) prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery for culturally and linguistically diverse populations in various settings.

As a teen, Dr. Murphy struggled with substance use and mental health issues and participated in treatment. This experience provided the foundation for my academic and professional direction. She uses her personal experience as an evidence-based strategy to reduce stigma, communicate science through storytelling, and increase access to education, services, and support for diverse populations. Science tells us the words we use and the ways we describe people, and their families, may influence access to care and services provided. Dr. Murphy prioritizes addressing stigma and including people with lived experience by using adult learning principles and strength-based approaches.

Dissemination & Implementation (D&I) Science. Dr. Murphy began her career by providing services to adolescents involved with the juvenile justice system. This led to various projects implementing evidence-based programs for adolescents and their families, transitional-aged youth, and pregnant, parenting, and childless women. She led the day-to-day implementation of a multi-site screening, brief intervention, referral to treatment (SBIRT) project for juvenile justice involved youth and their caregivers. She also coordinated a study assessing the efficacy of online training for parents who have children with or suspected of having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. She recently completed a career development award where she developed interventions and strategies to implement Opioid Stewardship Programs (OSPs) in rural healthcare organizations.  She was a fellow in the Mountain States-Community Engaged Dissemination and Implementation (MS-CEDI) sponsored by Arizona State University.

Supporting the Public Health Workforce. Dr. Murphy values the contributions of our public health workforce and works to provide training and technical assistance to enhance these systems and services. Dr. Murphy has directed professional development activities in a variety of settings for professionals across the U.S. She led a contract with the Arizona Department of Health Services - Overdose Data to Action State (OD2A-S) where training and technical assistance was provided in opioids, stimulants, and overdose prevention. She was also a chair for the U of A Interprofessional Education and Practice (IPE) on pain and substance misuse. 

Teaching and Service. Dr. Murphy is the instructor for undergraduate courses and the faculty lead for the undergraduate certificate and minor in addiction and substance use.  Dr. Murphy is an advisor to the U of A’s Arizona Cannabis Education program.

Research Synopsis  

Link to PubMed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1f5q0XJnippMnz/bibliography/public/  

Link to ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4536-0758  

 

Degrees

• Doctor of Behavioral Health (DBH) Behavioral Health - Management Track
• Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States
• Murphy, B.S. (2020). Improving staff effectiveness, efficiency, and knowledge of health information exchange [Unpublished doctoral culminating project]. Arizona State University.
• M.Ed. Education: Counseling-Human Relations, With Distinction
• Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
• Bachelors in Business Communications (BABC) Business Communications, Magna Cum Laude
• Jones International University, Centennial, Colorado, United States

Awards

• Outstanding Organization Advisor Award
• Associated Students of the University of Arizona, Spring 2024
• Five Star Faculty
• University of Arizona, Spring 2023 (Award Nominee)