Commonwealth Medicine COO Joyce Murphy receives UMass Boston alumni honor
December 02, 2010
by: Sandra Gray, UMass Medical School Communications 

Before its 1982 merger with UMass Boston, Boston State College (BSC) was itself a vital urban educational institution with a distinguished history of preparing graduates for careers in public service. UMass Boston recently honored three of these successful graduates, among them Joyce A. Murphy, MPA, vice chancellor and chief operating officer of Commonwealth Medicine (CWM), a division of UMass Medical School.

Murphy was honored to receive the Education for Service award, presented at the fourth annual Boston State College Celebration at UMass Boston on Dec. 2. Named for the former BSC Teacher’s College motto, “education for service,” the awards recognize Boston State College graduates, faculty and administrators who have demonstrated outstanding contributions in education, public service and private industry.

“I’m humbled and honored to receive the Education for Service Award from UMass Boston,” said Murphy. “My undergraduate degree provided me with an excellent foundation from which to launch my career in public service and health care.” Murphy graduated in 1974 with a degree in law enforcement and later went on to earn a master of public administration degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, where she was awarded the Bradford Fellowship for Excellence in Public Service. In 1999, she received an honorary doctorate of public administration from Curry College.

Murphy began her public service career as a case manager in the Massachusetts Department of Correction and within seven years rose through the ranks to become superintendent and chief executive officer of the state’s only women’s prison, Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Framingham. She also served as first deputy commissioner for the Department of Revenue. Immediately prior to joining UMMS, Murphy was chief executive officer of Boston’s Carney Hospital for nine years.

Reflecting on what has been a rewarding path, Murphy concluded, “I’m delighted to have come full circle from being an undergraduate at Boston State College, now UMass Boston, to working in the University system at UMass Medical School.”