ABPM congratulates Director Carolyn Murray, MD, MPH, who was awarded this year’s Ronald Davis Award by the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM)! This award recognizes Dr. Murray’s outstanding contributions to Preventive Medicine. Among her many roles, Dr. Murray is Assistant Professor of Medicine and Assistant Professor of Community and Family Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College and an Assistant Professor at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. She is also the Vice-Chair of Public Health and General Preventive Medicine for the American Board of Preventive Medicine. You can read more about this year’s ACPM awards at https://www.acpm.org/news-publications/news/2020/acpm-announces-2020-award-winners/.

Learn more about Dr. Murray and her journey to Preventive Medicine below.

How did you get into the specialty of PHGPM?

Like many in our specialty, my path to the specialty of Public Health and General Preventive Medicine was not linear. I was a pre-med Biology major at UCLA when I happened upon a small undergraduate program within the UCLA School of Public Health’s Division of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education. I was accepted into the Public Health major my junior year, where I really found my “home.”  I was so energized and academically engaged in my coursework and was ultimately really torn between pursuing a doctoral degree in public health versus attending medical school. Medical school won out, but my whole frame of reference in medicine was always informed by my public health education. I was drawn initially to Obstetrics/Gynecology as a specialty due in part to the emphasis on Maternal Child Health, a core public health service, but when I learned about Preventive Medicine residencies, it was clear to me that this field is where I belonged. I was honored to be in one of the first cohorts at the University of Colorado’s PH/GPM program under founding program director Dr. Bill Marine, a program that I am proud to say continues to thrive.

Why did you choose to become board certified in PHGPM, and what do you think the value of board certification is?

Truthfully, it never occurred to me NOT to seek board certification, as I clearly saw this designation as critical to establishing my legitimacy as a preventive medicine specialist, in particular coming from a specialty that was less recognizable to other physician colleagues. My PH/GPM board certification qualified me to be a program director when my institution decided to develop a Preventive Medicine residency program, and also opened up teaching opportunities for me in both undergraduate and graduate medical education programs. As my professional work shifted from governmental public health to occupational [and environmental] medicine, board certification in PH/GPM provided a pathway to board certification in Occupational [and Environmental] Medicine once I had accumulated the requisite work experience. Board certification really established my professional trajectory.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I am an avid cyclist—road, gravel and mountain biking which I enjoy doing with my husband and friends, and in the long [New Hampshire] winters you will find me cross country skiing or reading novels in front of a warm fire.

Any other information you’d like to share about yourself with ABPM Diplomates?

This is such an incredible time to be a preventive medicine specialist. We are uniquely qualified to take on the challenges of our public health and health care systems. The value of our training has never been so clearly demonstrated as in our current public health crises.