Blazing New Trails
New Chair Cites Faculty's Depth and Breadth of Knowledge
Dr. Ana Alvarez Murphy, founding director of the Division of Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at Emory University School of Medicine, joined MCG June 1 as the new chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the first director of the MCG Women’s Health Center of Excellence.
“The recruitment of Dr. Murphy underscores our commitment to providing the Augusta community with the finest technology, techniques, family-focused care and facilities in the specialized area of women’s health,” said Don Snell, president and chief executive officer of MCG Health, Inc. “We are going to put together a women’s health program like no other in the Augusta area, from standard services to unique specialties. Dr. Murphy’s experience and leadership will make that possible.”
“Our vision meshed,” Dr. Murphy said of MCG and the MCG Health System’s goal of building a stronger department that will serve as a nucleus for women’s health. “The number-one thing that attracted me was the depth and breadth of the knowledge of the people here and their friendliness and willingness to work together.” Dr. Murphy will work closely with existing faculty and staff to facilitate strategic growth, including the addition of about 10 new faculty members.
“We need to make this a place where people are excited about coming to see us because, not only are we good at what we do, but we care and the culture is one in which the patients, nurses and doctors flourish,” said Dr. Murphy.
Strengthening clinical programs will strengthen educational and research activities, said Dr. Murphy, whose endometriosis research illustrates the type of translational studies encouraged nationally and on the MCG campus. Her laboratory studies linking oxidative stress to endometriosis and fibroids have led to a pilot study of women with endometriosis. Dr. Murphy and her colleagues are negotiating with the National Institutes of Health for a larger clinical trial that examines the potential of vitamins E and C. During her tenure at Emory, she helped develop a Division of Research within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology that focused on such translational studies.
Dr. Murphy, who served as Anne Bates Winship Leach Professor of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Reproductive Endocrinology at Emory before joining MCG, also founded Emory’s in vitro fertilization program and fellowship programs in reproductive endocrinology, infertility and pelvic surgery.
She is a grant reviewer for the NIH’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development for studies of the male and female reproductive systems and secured a Program Project Grant on endometriosis from the institute.
Dr. Murphy was a fellow in the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine program in 2001-02 and a member of the Executive Education Inaugural Class in Leadership Development at Emory in 2002-03. She serves on the International Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and previously served on its Executive Committee, Board of Directors and Finance Committee. She is a member and former president of the Women’s Council of The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, formerly known as The American Fertility Society.
Dr. Murphy is a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor and completed residency and fellowship training at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Toni Baker