HARRISBURG, Pa. – Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Karen Murphy is leaving the Wolf administration for a position in the private sector. Governor Wolf thanked Secretary Murphy for her work to battle the heroin and opioid epidemic, implement the medical marijuana program and transform rural healthcare while expertly overseeing a complex organization that led efforts to address all emergent public health issues facing Pennsylvania.
“Secretary Murphy is a leader in public health and health administration and has been a valuable member of my administration,” Governor Wolf said. “Secretary Murphy has contributed significantly to our efforts to address the most important health issues facing Pennsylvania and been a key figure in my administration’s fight against the heroin and opioid epidemic. She led the implementation of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, which has nearly 90,000 participants and more than 7 million queries since August of 2016.
“One of the most important pieces of legislation passed into law over the past two years was medical marijuana legislation. Since the passage of the legislation, Secretary Murphy oversaw the plan to develop the regulatory structure of the program to ensure that patients can get medication in under two years.
“Throughout all of these significant efforts, Secretary Murphy has addressed public health challenges like emerging disease including the Zika outbreak. She also took on some of the biggest challenges facing public health, including reforming the oversight of nursing homes and developing a transformation initiative for rural hospitals.”
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve in Governor Wolf’s administration,” said Secretary Murphy. “I am certain that the administration and dedicated men and women at the Department of Health will continue their efforts to improve the health of all Pennsylvanians.
“We will miss Secretary Murphy, and we wish her well as she pursues new opportunities to improve public health,” said Governor Wolf.
Secretary Murphy, previously served as a Clinical Faculty Member in the Medicine Department at The Commonwealth Medical College. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration from Temple University’s Fox School of Business, a Master of Business Administration from Marywood University, a Bachelor of Science from the University of Scranton, and a diploma as a registered nurse from the Scranton State Hospital School of Nursing. She is an author and national speaker on health policy and health care innovation.
