The WFA community fondly remembers Dr. Murphy and our many meetings with him and his wife Bev. His leadership and guidance will live on through our common strong belief in Gracious Professionalism instilled in us by Woodie.
Dr. William P. Murphy Jr. founded the Woodie Flowers Award in 1996 to highlight the effective communication used by Dr. Woodie Flowers. Dr. Murphy's intention was to encourage and recognize excellent communication skills among FIRST mentors, and he chose Woodie Flowers as his exemplar.
Dr. Murphy was the son of the American physician William Parry Murphy, who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1934. During his childhood, Dr. Murphy excelled at creating machinery, and even developed his own snow blower, eventually selling the design to a company.
Education
Dr. Murphy attended Harvard University and graduated in 1946. He received his MD in 1947 from the University of Illinois, and also studied physiologic instrumentation at MIT. His interest in mechanical devices and medicine drove him to fix issues in the medical field, which led to many revolutionary inventions that changed the biomedical industry.
Medical Innovations
Murphy owns several patents, including significant improvements on the early cardiac pacemakers, artificial kidneys, cardiac catheters, and disposable medical trays and tools.
During the Korean War, Dr. Murphy worked with Dr. Carl Walter to develop and use the first flexible sealed blood bag used for blood transfusions. This invention replaced glass containers, and is now the standard method in storing and transfusing human blood in an air-free, rapid dispensing system. The Army hired Murphy as a consultant, and he performed myriad transfusions on wounded soldiers at the front lines.
Business Career
Murphy founded his first company, Medical Development Corporation, in 1957 out of his garage. He focused on creating medical instrumentation. Eventually, the company evolved into the Cordis Corporation, which is now a division of Johnson & Johnson. Dr. Murphy led Cordis as President, Chairman, and CEO during his career until his retirement in 1985.
After retirement, Dr. Murphy remained active and busy. He co-authored nearly 30 medical publications, advised multiple boards, and collaborated with Dean Kamen on the development of FIRST.
Honors
- Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award
- FIRST Founder's Award (2000)
- Founding Fellow, American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (1993)