Murphy’s Marauders

Honorary Captain: Barbara Murphy

Dr. Barbara Murphy was a world-renowned nephrologist who died on June 30, 2021, after a yearlong fight with glioblastoma. 

Born in Ireland, Murphy attended medical school at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin. She did her internship in that country before moving to the United States in 1993 for a nephrology postdoc position at Harvard University.

In 1997, she began working at Mount Sinai Health Systems in New York City as the director of transplant nephrology at the Icahn School of Medicine.  At Mount Sinai, she worked alongside researchers to untangle the connection between HIV and kidney disease, and to find safe ways for HIV-positive individuals to donate kidneys to one another.  In 2003, she became chief of the nephrology division at Mount Sinai.  

A world-renowned and award-winning nephrologist and researcher, she became President of the American Society of Transplantation (AST) in 2008.  Dr. Murphy championed patients access to live saving Immunosuppressant Medication. At that time, patients only would be covered for three years.  Therefore, many lost their new organs.  Dr. Murphy lobbied Congress to change this practice. Now transplant patients are covered for life. 

Dr Murphy was also a trailblazer.  In 2012, she became the first female chair of a Department of Medicine at an academic medical center in New York City and, at the time, was only the second female chair of any department at a top 20 medical school in the United States.  In 2013, Dr. Murphy became System Chair of Medicine of the Mount Sinai Health System and Dean for Clinical Integration and Population Health.  

Murphy’s research also used genomics to predict which kidney transplant patients would develop fibrosis that would ultimately harm a transplanted organ and lead to failure. Her team found 13 genes responsible for fibrosis, which the researchers suggested could be used to help tailor post-transplant treatment to suppress its formation.  At her death, she was president-elect of the American Society of Nephrology.

Dr. Murphy lived in Pelham since 2003 with her husband Peter Fogarty and their son Gavin.  She loved spending time with her family and friends and was active in many civic and social organizations. Barbara was a friend to many in the Pelham hockey community and she will be missed by all!  Go Marauders!