Colonel (Dr.) John S. Murray joined the United States Air Force Nurse Corps in September 1984 and has served in various clinical leadership positions in pediatrics including critical care, chronic care, primary care and clinical research. He has served as a deputy chief nurse executive and squadron commander, a fellow in the Office of the Surgeon General and the former Associate Dean in the Graduate School of Nursing at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. He is the first Department of Defense nurse in the university’s history to be appointed a Full Professor. Colonel Murray also served as the Director of Strategic Planning, Office of Integration, National Capital Area Military Health System from 2006 – 2007. Currently he serves as the Director of Education, Training & Research, Joint Task Force National Capital Region Medical.
Colonel Murray has also served twice as the Consultant to the Surgeon General for Pediatrics and most recently served as the Consultant for Research. He also held an appointment by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs as the Department of Defense representative to the National Advisory Council for Research at the National Institutes of Health from 2004 – 2008. Colonel Murray currently serves as the Research Consultant to the International Council of Nurses.
An active researcher in the care of siblings of children with cancer and children with chronic illnesses, Colonel Murray is the lead investigator on a Congressionally funded grant that totals more than $3.2 million and has been the recipient of over $15 million in grants.
Colonel Murray earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Northeastern University; a master’s degree in pediatric acute and chronic care nursing from Boston College; a post-master’s degree in pediatric primary care from the University of Texas Medical Branch; and a PhD in Nursing from the University of Texas at Austin.
Colonel Murray, who has held office and completed board service in many professional societies, is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, where he has the distinguished honor of being the youngest nurse ever selected. He authored the book Cancer Affects Me Too: A Workbook for Siblings of Children With Cancer, and has written over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. Most recently his published scholarly work has focused on creating ethical environments for nurses and upholding ethics in healthcare environments. Colonel Murray currently serves on the editorial boards of several nursing and research journals.