Bridget Murphy, DBH

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 is also part Comprehensive Center for Pain and Addiction leadership team. 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 integrated behavioral healthcare models 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 her 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. 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 in 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. Dr. Murphy 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. Currently she is supporting the Arizona Cannabis Education Program to disseminate health information to students and health professionals around cannabis. 

 

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 across the U.S. Dr. Murphy co-led a project to engage health professionals in a mentoring opportunity to increase access to opioid use disorder treatments including medications. She led a contract with the Arizona Department of Health Services - Overdose Data to Action State (OD2A-S) where the team provided training and technical assistance in pain and addiction. Together, the OD2A-S team collaborated with community leaders, healthcare practitioners, and community health workers/representatives to address pain, opioids, stimulants, and polysubstance use in Arizona. She was also the co-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 the undergraduate courses Introduction to Addiction and Substance Use and Drugs and Society. She is also the instructor for the undergraduate/graduate course Nicotine Dependence, Treatment & Coaching. She is the faculty lead for the certificate and minor in addiction and substance use. She also served as a temporary instructor for Sociology of Healthy Aging.