Padmini Murthy is a physician, Professor and Global Health Director at

New York Medical College New York Medical College (NYMC or New York Med) is a Private university, private medical school in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1860, it is a member of the Touro University System. NYMC offers advanced degrees through its three schools: the ...

. In 2016 she was awarded the

Elizabeth Blackwell Medal The Elizabeth Blackwell Medal is awarded annually by the American Medical Women's Association. The medal is named in honor of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States and a pioneer in promoting the educ ...

by the

American Medical Women's Association The American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) is a professional advocacy and educational organization of women physicians and medical students. History The '' Woman's Medical Journal'' began publication in the 1893. As World War I broke out ...

for her contribution to the field of women in medicine.

Education

Murthy is a qualified physician who has been practicing for over 30 years. She attended medical school at

Guntur Medical College Guntur Medical College is a medical college in Guntur, India. It offers graduate and undergraduate courses in medical sciences. The college is affiliated to Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences and is in the process of becoming autonomous as ...

in India, and she did her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She has a Master's in

Public Health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

and a Master's in Management from New York University's Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. During her time at New York University, she was on the Dean's list at the Steinhart School of Education and has been named as Public Service Scholar at the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

Career

Murthy is a Certified Health Education Specialist with the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing. She services on United Nations NGO committees as a representative of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) and has previously been a consultant to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. She was appointed Chair of the Committee on Women's Rights of the

American Public Health Association The American Public Health Association (APHA) is a Washington, D.C.–based professional membership and advocacy organization for public health professionals in the United States. APHA is the largest professional organization of public health pr ...

for three consecutive terms, starting in November 2012. She is currently an associate professor in Health Policy and Management and Family and Community Medicine and Global Health Director at

. Murthy is an advocate for promoting safe motherhood initiatives. She focuses her research on human rights and women's health and works with underserved communities in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...

, and

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

to educate others and focus on the social determinants of health and safe motherhood practices. She has supplied up to 5,000 safe motherhood kits to women in India, Malawi, Grenada, and Nepal. The Governor General of Grenada has acknowledged Murthy's public health efforts targeted towards the women of Grenada. Murthy has spoken on the radio show Millennium Development Goals on African Views Radio, where she was a host and a scriptwriter. She has given various talks as a keynote speaker at several universities and international conferences.

Personal life

Murthy's hobbies include reading, cooking, doing yoga, and traveling. She has visited six out of the seven continents and has expressed that she would like to visit all seven continents. She has a daughter

Works

Murthy has several works including blog posts written to the AWMA and 2 books. 2009: ''Women's Global Health and Human Rights'' 2020: ''Human Rights Including the Latest Technology and Global Public Health','' "U.S. Picks Worst Possible Moment to Cut Funding to WHO", "Inter-Faith Teamwork Promoting Relief Efforts Globally" ^{2022: "Climate Crisis, Women’s Health and Gender Equity}

Awards

Murthy became a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine in 2010. She was awarded the National Council of Women USA Distinguished Leadership Award in 2011. The National Association of Professional Women USA named Murthy as the Women of the Year for 2012-2013. In 2013, she became the first

U.S The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. physician to win the Jhirad Oration Award. She was awarded the Marie Catchatoor Memorial Award. She was also named the best physician at the workplace by the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia. In 2015 Murthy received the Millennium Milestone Maker Award. That same year she also was named Professional of the Year by the International Association of Who's Who, for her achievements in medicine, education, and public health. Murthy received the Dr. Lata Patil Inaugural Oration Award in 2016, and the Dr. Homi Colabawalla Oration Award. She was also awarded the Sojourner Truth Pin, awarded to women who excel in community service. In 2016 she was awarded the Elizabeth Blackwell Medal, the highest award given by the American Medical Women's Association, which recognizes annually a woman physician for her outstanding contribution to the cause of

women in medicine The presence of women in medicine, particularly in the practicing fields of surgery and as physicians, has been traced to the earliest of history. Women have historically had lower participation levels in medical fields compared to men with occu ...

. She was the first

Indian-American Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from India. The terms Asian Indian and East Indian are used to avoid confusion with Native Americans in the United States, who are also referred to as "Indians" or "Am ...

awardee. In 2022, Murthy was honored with the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award by 46th American President Joseph R. Biden for her 4,000 hours of community service. This award recognized her volunteer public health work with the AMWA and various other organizations. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, she worked to raise funds to support affected communities. She also supplied personal protective equipment (PPE) and oxygen concentrators to communities in India during this time. On International Women's Day 2023, the FIAA and Consulate General of India NY recognized Murthy as an honoree. The International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) selected Murthy as the Top Global Health Leader of the Decade for 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murthy, Padmini Living people 21st-century Indian medical doctors 21st-century Indian women medical doctors New York University alumni 20th-century Indian medical doctors Year of birth missing (living people)