CHICAGO, IL, June 20, 2018 — Beverly Murphy, AHIP, FMLA, began her term as President of the Medical Library Association (MLA), during MLA’18, the Association’s Annual Meeting held this year in Atlanta, Georgia. She succeeds Barbara A. Epstein, AHIP, FMLA, MLA’s 2017-2018 President. Elected in December of 2016, Murphy’s election is a welcomed milestone for the Association, being named the first African-American President of MLA.
Beverly has been at Duke for 35 years and is currently the Assistant Director, Communications and Web Content Management in the Library and the Hospital Nursing Liaison for the Duke Health System and Watts School of Nursing. She also serves as the outreach contact for the Department of Neurobiology and the Department Ophthalmology.
She joined MLA in 1985 and recalls, “One of my first involvements in MLA dates to the 90’s when I became a mentor for the Academy of Health Information Professionals and then a liaison to the MLANET Task Force. After my initial involvement, I just continued to volunteer as other opportunities arose for me to work alongside the best in our profession.”
Her dedication to continued leadership within the library profession has greatly benefited each of the library associations she has served. Beverly has provided unwavering commitment and support to the profession for many years and has focused her expertise and countless volunteer hours on state, regional and board levels for MLA.
She is a Distinguished Member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals, an MLA Fellow, and has served in a variety of capacities for the association, including as a member of the Board of Directors; MLA News Editor; member of the Nominating Committee, Continuing Education Committee, MLA Diversity Symposium Planning Group, National Program Committee, Credentialing Committee, a member of the Journal of the Medical Library Association Editorial Board; and chair of the Professional Recruitment and Retention Committee.
Beverly’s continued mentorship of many individuals, from high school and graduate students, to new librarians, exemplifies her dedication to the profession and new role as MLA President. Her focused work on diversity and recruitment issues will remain a cornerstone of her presidential initiatives.
About MLA
The Medical Library Association (MLA) is a global, nonprofit educational organization, with a membership of more than 400 institutions and 3,000 professionals in the health information field. Since 1898, MLA has fostered excellence in the professional practice and leadership of health sciences library and information professionals to enhance health care, education, and research throughout the world. MLA educates health information professionals, supports health information research, promotes access to the world's health sciences information, and works to ensure that the best health information is available to all. For more information about MLA, visit MLANET.org.