Maureen Murphy, Ph.D., R.N., AACN Fellow, has been a professor in the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Curry College since 2003 and has served as the Nursing Division Chairperson from 2012 to 2015. Dr. Murphy began her nursing career in 1980 and has continued to advance her nursing practice. She holds earned advanced degrees in nursing, midwifery, and education, and she is also a Certified Level 1 Reiki Practitioner. Dr. Murphy is a United States Navy veteran and served as an air traffic controller.

Dr. Murphy’s scholarly research is focused on: Maternal and child health, determinants of nurse-midwifery screening and interventions related to postpartum onset depressive mood disorders, Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) imbedded curriculums, refining clinical approaches to ensure quality patient outcomes, best practices that promote academic integrity, and incorporating cutting-edge teaching and learning strategies in the classroom and online format. She is a published author in peer-reviewed journals and has presented podium and poster presentations at local, regional, and national conferences.

In 2012, Dr. Murphy was inducted as a Fellow in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Leadership for Academic Nursing Program (LANP). This year, she was the recipient of the Mary Ann Garrigan Award from the Theta at-Large Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International and the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty.

Dr. Murphy remains engaged and connected with experts who are shaping the future of Nursing. She maintains active memberships in several professional organizations: American Association of Nursing, American Association of Nurse-Midwives, American Association of University Professors, National League of Nursing, and Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society of Nursing – Theta at Large Chapter.

Nomination Quotes:

"She is a role model in the nursing world and the educational world. She is constantly driving to help us become the best nurses."

"She genuinely goes above and beyond for her students. She blows away almost every other professor I have had; just her emails alone show how much she cares. She goes out of her way to make sure we understand everything in her emails by making it clear and concise. She is very organized in the resources and information she provides us in emails, syllabus, announcements, PowerPoint presentations, and worksheets. When I went to an office hour after an exam, she sat with me and thoroughly explained the answers and made sure I understood the reasoning behind the answers instead of just knowing which answer was correct. She was never judgmental of my wrong answers and constantly praised and reassured me of my academic strengths. She is also extremely flexible with her office hours and will meet us on basically any day we want.

Another specific time was after the nursing school hall meeting, she praised all of us for our courage and highlighted our well-made points in the arguments against nursing administration. (Even though she herself helped to make those rules, she was still willing to hear our side and understood our arguments). Furthermore, she incorporates funny jokes while teaching to keep us engaged, specifically in Maternity. I enjoyed having her. I really enjoy how structured she is with everything, yet she is willing to adjust anything to better accommodate and fit her nursing students' needs. One time, she switched up a few parts of the exams to better fit our needs. She realized how some parts were unnecessarily difficult and confusing for us. Also, every time we answer a question in her class and we get it wrong, she has her catch phrase of "thank you for your academic courage," which has turned into a little bit of an inside joke for her and her students. Also, as we are responding to her or just saying something in general, you really feel like she is engaged and actually listening to you. You can tell how passionate she is for what she is teaching. I genuinely admire her passion, and I hope one day I will find a field of nursing that I can be half as passionate about. I love the stories she includes while teaching, mainly in Maternity, as it provides us with a better understanding of the material we are learning. Even though I don’t have the closest relationship with her, as I am on the quieter side, I do feel comfortable and trusting of her enough to go to her with issues I have if I ever needed to go to someone who I know would listen and actually help me. Besides being a great professor, I believe she is a genuinely great human being, and I would choose her to be my nurse any day of the week. She has knowledge and passion that is admirable, and I will always remember her even after nursing school."

"Dr. Murphy provides an excellent environment for learning. She is an amazing Maternity and Older Adults instructor, and I have learned the most in her classes. She provides students with the knowledge they need to be successful nurses, as well as providing evidence-based skills we also get to use in our clinical. She cares so much about her students and has made sure her schedule is cleared to meet each student in person for appointments and help meet their needs. She has provided her students with opportunities for experience in and outside of the classroom, including meeting with some older adults for our older adults class. She is the definition of an excellent nursing instructor and is a role model to me."