Charleston, WV – September 19, 2024 – The West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute (WVDII) is proud to announce that Dr. Susan Margaret Murphy has been named a 2024 West Virginia Wonder Woman by WV Living Magazine.
The honor recognizes women who are living boldly, bringing solutions, and championing their families and communities. This year’s honorees prove once again that, everywhere you look in the Mountain State, women are building a better West Virginia.
Dr. Murphy and other 2024 Wonder Women recipients will gather at a luncheon on Wednesday, Oct. 30, in Charleston for a celebration of their achievements.
Dr. Murphy is committed to reducing overdose deaths in West Virginia, Appalachia, and the Nation. She has over 25 years of leadership experience with non-profits and higher education. She is fiercely committed to public health and health education.
Most recently, Dr. Murphy helped develop and implement opioid prescription and medication safety programs aimed at educating all young people and the public about the dangerous misuse of prescription medications and illicit drugs. She is an advocate for evidence-based prevention programming, harm reduction services, and common-sense substance use disorder response. Susan has written over 100 articles to date, with her most recent publications focusing on opioid treatment programs, naloxone saturation, harm reduction programming, medication safety, overdose response, and increasing the pipeline of healthcare professionals in Appalachia.
“Susan is a driven, talented, and passionate woman who leads our WVDII initiatives to save lives,” says Dr. Tom Menighan, the Institute’s board chairman. “Thanks to her leadership and the teamwork of her staff and board, the Institute’s mission has expanded beyond WV’s borders to the entire US not just with educational programming but by placing naloxone equipped ONEboxTM units (https://www.wvdii.org/onebox) in every state, proximate to where overdoses occur.”
Dr. Murphy also serves on the boards of the West Virginia Rural Health Association and West Virginia Public Broadcasting Foundation and has received recognition for outstanding and innovative contributions in combatting our nation’s drug crisis including an award from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for her work in prevention education. She has also been recognized by Nexstar Media as a Remarkable Woman nominee in both 2022 and 2024, by Women We Admire as one of the top 50 Women Leaders in WV for 2024, and by The Corporate Magazine as one of the Top 20 Women Leaders in the United States for 2024.
Since 2014 WV Living magazine has been honoring West Virginia Wonder Women, amazing women who are raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their industries, and forcing change for the greater good. WV Living is proud to celebrate these Appalachian mothers, millennials, and mavens proving that in a time full of uncertainty, divisiveness, and hate, love for one another is all we really need. No need for bulletproof bracelets or a golden lasso of truth—these women are creating a better West Virginia with their can-do attitudes and Mountain State spirit.
About the West Virginia Drug Intervention InstituteWest Virginia Drug Intervention Institute, Inc. is an independent 501(C)(3) entity with a primary mission to reduce opioid and drug-related deaths throughout the United States by (a) preventing substance use through education, (b) reducing overdose deaths through naloxone distribution and training, and (c) supporting harm reduction and other drug-response efforts. Learn more at wvdii.org.
Contact:
Jason Hager
3PS
(304) 951-7156
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