Murphy Honored as Distinguished Leader in Global Health

Robert Murphy, MD, executive director of the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health, has been honored with the 2026 Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) Distinguished Leadership in Global Health Award.

The award, which recognizes global health leaders whose accomplishments demonstrate exceptional commitment, innovation and impact in global health, was presented during the CUGH annual conference April 9-12, in Washington, D.C.

“This is a huge honor,” said Murphy, who is also the John Philip Phair Professor of Infectious Diseases. “I really love my job, and I love my career. I have been completely fulfilled working in global health.”

Murphy began his career in 1993 working for the U.S. Peace Corps as an assignee from the Department of State researching the high volume of volunteers in Africa returning to the U.S. with HIV. That experience introduced him to his interest in global health. Murphy’s current primary research and clinical focus is in viral infections, with research including drug development of new antiretroviral drugs and vaccines for HIV and viral hepatitis, as well as the scale-up of therapy and point-of-care diagnostics for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, cancers and emerging infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. At Feinberg, Murphy is a professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center.

During his acceptance remarks, Murphy expressed his gratitude toward working with organizations including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Point-of-Care Technology Research Network (POCTRN) and the John E. Fogarty International Center. He also noted that what he is most proud of is that two of his mentees named their children after him.

When he served as the Nigeria country director for PEPFAR, he was instrumental in their global HIV/AIDS response through the creation of 55 sites which care for more than 150,000 people living with HIV. Working with the POCTRN program, he helped to develop new diagnostics in Africa and the United States for HIV and emerging infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Under his leadership, the Havey Institute for Global Health grew from a research program to an institute with 10 specialized centers.

“It’s been a tremendous opportunity to work with so many wonderful people,” Murphy said.

Murphy accepted the award along with co-recipient Woutrina Smith, DVM, MPVM, PhD, associate dean for Global Programs, professor and executive director of One Health Institute in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis.

In addition to his recognition as a distinguished leader in global health, Murphy recorded six episodes of the Explore Global Health with Rob Murphy, MD podcast during the conference. The episodes discuss a variety of global health topics and feature international experts in the global health field, including Keith Martin, MD, executive director of CUGH; Joaquín Barnoya, MD, MPH, Guatemala’s Minister of Public Health and Social Assistance; Solange Baptiste, MS, executive director of International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) Global; Tracy Rabin, MD, and James Hudspeth, MD, from the CUGH Working Group on Equitable Opportunities in Clinical Education; Jarbas Barbosa, MD, MPH, PhD, director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO); and Stephen Volz, PhD, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The conference, “The Future of Global Health,” brought together international partners for a multi-day global health celebration with notable speakers, informative panels and collaborative poster sessions.

Joining Murphy at the conference with poster presentations were Havey Institute for Global Health’s Center for Global Health Education members Ashti Doobay-Persaud, MD; Grace Nelson, MPH; Zoey Hall, BA; and Nivedita Kumar, BS. Their posters included Northwestern University-University of Lagos Palliative Care (NULU Pall) Partnership Educational Symposium; Implementation Strategies to Advance Pediatric Palliative Care in Eastern, Central, Southern, and Western Africa (ESCWA): A Scoping Review; and Functions, Challenges, and Opportunities of Health Profession Education Units in Africa.

Doobay-Persaud was also a panelist for Building Africa’s Health Workforce: Driving Change through Partnerships and Innovations in Health Professions Education, which assembled leaders in health professions education (HPE) from diverse settings to discuss how HPE is not only a tool for workforce development, but also a driver of long-term improvements in health outcomes and access.

Kate Klein, MA, MPH, administrative director of the Havey Institute for Global Health, shared the oral presentation Assessing Pre-Intervention Community-Level Determinants of a Mobile Cervical Cancer Test, Treat, and Triage Intervention in Mali and Nigeria on the second day of the conference.

In his closing remarks, Murphy shared some career advice.

“Enjoy your passion, work hard, adapt when necessary and learn how to communicate,” Murphy said. “You must communicate not only with your peers, but also with the community you serve. It’s more important than anyone thinks.”

To learn more about the Havey Institute for Global Health, visit their website.

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