https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8298-7272
Overview
Dr. Murphy is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and serves as Chief of the Division of Reproductive Sciences. As a molecular biologist with training in human epigenetics, her research interests are largely centered around the role of epigenetic modifications in health and disease.
Dr. Murphy has ongoing projects on gynecologic malignancies, including approaches to eradicate ovarian cancer cells that survive chemotherapy and later give rise to recurrent disease. Dr. Murphy is actively involved in many collaborative projects relating to the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD).
Her lab is currently working on preconception environmental exposures in males, particularly on the impact of cannabis on the sperm epigenome and the potential heritability of these effects. They are also studying the epigenetic and health effects of in utero exposures, with primary focus on children from the Newborn Epigenetics STudy (NEST), a pregnancy cohort she co-founded who were recruited from central North Carolina between 2005 and 2011. Dr. Murphy and her colleagues continue to follow NEST children to determine relationships between prenatal exposures and later health outcomes.
Dr. Murphy has ongoing projects on gynecologic malignancies, including approaches to eradicate ovarian cancer cells that survive chemotherapy and later give rise to recurrent disease. Dr. Murphy is actively involved in many collaborative projects relating to the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD).
Her lab is currently working on preconception environmental exposures in males, particularly on the impact of cannabis on the sperm epigenome and the potential heritability of these effects. They are also studying the epigenetic and health effects of in utero exposures, with primary focus on children from the Newborn Epigenetics STudy (NEST), a pregnancy cohort she co-founded who were recruited from central North Carolina between 2005 and 2011. Dr. Murphy and her colleagues continue to follow NEST children to determine relationships between prenatal exposures and later health outcomes.
Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations
Associate Professor Emeritus in Obstetrics and Gynecology
·
2026 - Present
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Sciences,
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Chief, Division of Reproductive Sciences in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
·
2017 - Present
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Sciences,
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Associate Professor in Pathology
·
2012 - Present
Pathology,
Clinical Science Departments
Associate Professor in the Division of Environmental Natural Sciences
·
2025 - Present
Environmental Natural Science,
Nicholas School of the Environment
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute
·
1998 - Present
Duke Cancer Institute,
Institutes and Centers
Recent Scholarly Works
Differential methylation at novel putative imprinting control regions on chromosome 20 associated with childhood obesity.
Journal article Epigenetics · December 2026 DNA methylation may link early-life exposures to later obesity risk; however, most studies examine individual CpG sites using commercial arrays that cover < 5% of the genome and often overlook biologically relevant regulatory regions. Imprinting control re ... Full text Link to item CiteAssociations of Placental Oxidative Stress with Exposure to Gestational Air Pollution: Evidence from the UPSIDE Cohort.
Journal article Environ Res · September 15, 2026 BACKGROUND: Increased placental oxidative stress is frequently documented in pregnant women with adverse maternal outcomes such as preeclampsia. However, environmental determinants of placental oxidative stress remain poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: To dete ... Full text Link to item CiteDifferential Methylation at Novel Putative Imprinting Control Regions on Chromosome 20 Associated with Childhood Obesity.
Preprint · September 7, 2026 DNA methylation may link early-life exposures to later obesity risk; however, most studies examine individual CpG sites using commercial arrays that cover <5% of the genome and often overlook biologically-relevant regulatory regions. Imprinting control reg ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Duke Women's Reproductive Health Research Scholars
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development · 2020 - 2030Duke-NCCU Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Training Program in Child Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Conditions Program (DN-IPT)
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPreceptor · Awarded by National Institute of Mental Health · 2024 - 2029Genomic Imprinting in the Development of NAFLD
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases · 2024 - 2028View All Grants
Education
Wake Forest University ·
1998
Ph.D.
University of North Carolina, Charlotte ·
1992
B.A.