Dr. Tanya Murphy

Dr. Murphy is a Professor and the Maurice A. and Thelma P. Rothman Endowed Chair in the Department of Pediatrics with a joint appointment in Psychiatry at the University of South Florida. After completing medical school at the University of Florida, she joined the faculty at the University of Florida from 1994-2008 where she was the Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from 2004-2008. She is currently the director of the Rothman Center for Pediatric Neuropsychiatry located at the Children’s Health Center within All Children’s Hospital. She is board certified in child and adolescent psychiatry as well as general psychiatry, and has a Master’s in Clinical Investigation.

Her areas of clinical interest include the specialized areas of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, various other anxiety disorders, Tourette syndrome, tic disorders, Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcus (PANDAS), and Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Her current research efforts are aimed at understanding the role of infections in the onset of childhood psychiatric disorders and pharmacological and psychological treatments for Tourette’s syndrome and OCD. Dr. Murphy has received several foundation and federal grants within the research focus of tic disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder. Dr. Murphy also has considerable experience in clinical trials in OCD, tic disorders and autism spectrum disorders. Via NIH K30 award, Dr. Murphy had the opportunity to take graduate level coursework in such areas as statistics, research ethics, immunology, microbiology, grant-writing, etc. and to perform research under the supervision of a mentor. In 2002, she completed a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation.

Dr. Murphy serves on the National Tourette Syndrome Association Medical Advisory Board and Regional Obsessive Compulsive Foundation Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Murphy holds memberships in various local and national organizations including American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Anxiety Disorders of America, the Movement Disorder Society, and Biological Psychiatry, and the Society of Professors of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers. She also served as Guest Editor for CNS Spectrums' issue on Neuroimmunology, and was co-editor on Handbook of Child and Adolescent Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Dr. Murphy regularly provides clinical teaching to residents and medical students. For formal didactics, she has lectured on the subject of Childhood Psychiatric Disorders to Third Year Medical Students, and on the subject of Pediatric Psychopharmacology to Psychology Graduate students; PGY2 Residents; and Child Psychiatry Fellows. She has also spent several hours teaching Child and Adolescent Development and Psychopathology to Child Psychiatry Fellows, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Emergencies to PGY 1 and 2 Residents. She has been faculty instructor for graduate level courses on Neuroimmunology and Autoimmunity. Dr. Murphy has served as a research mentor for the University Scholar’s Program, the NIH Research Training for Minority Students, the High School Advanced Scientific Program, NIH K30 fellows, and new faculty. She has also sat on various dissertation committees.