Douglas L. Murphy, Ph.D., interim dean of the School of Health Professions, is president of the Texas Society of Allied Health Professionals.
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Douglas L. Murphy, Ph.D., has been named interim dean of the School of Health Professions effective April 1, following the retirement March 31 of Dean Marilyn Harrington, Ph.D. Dr. Murphy has been serving as assistant professor and associate dean of the school since 1999.

A teacher and educational psychologist by training, Dr. Murphy joined the Health Science Center in 1994 as an evaluation specialist in the Division of Educational Research and Development, where he consulted with faculty members and academic departments regarding instructional effectiveness, student evaluation, program evaluation, research design and instrument development for education and research.

Key administrator for 10 years
In June 1999, Dr. Murphy joined the School of Health Professions where he has served as the key administrative officer for academic and student affairs. He assisted the dean with strategic planning and benchmarking activities, administrative duties both inside and outside of the university, and has guided the school’s student recruitment office, the Welcome Center. During his tenure as associate dean, the school nearly tripled its enrollment and increased minority enrollment from 42 percent to 56 percent.

Before joining the Health Science Center, Dr. Murphy was research director at the University of Kansas’s Beach Center on Families and Disability, and worked at the Veterans Administration as evaluation director for a national program that provided marriage and family counseling services to veterans of the Persian Gulf War.

He has given more than 100 presentations to professional groups and published 18 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Leader of state professional organization
Dr. Murphy is president of the Texas Society of Allied Health Professionals and previously served as president-elect and twice as vice president of the organization. He is a member of the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professionals and the American Psychological Association. He also serves as a member of the University of Texas System’s Global Health Initiatives Task Force.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in art education at Montana State University, then attended the University of Kansas where he earned his master’s degree in educational psychology and research and his Ph.D. in educational psychology.