Vascular Disease Foundation Honors Rhode Island Hospital Physician Timothy P. Murphy, MD, for Research Excellence

Posted Monday, October 22, 2012

Rhode Island Hospital interventional radiologist Timothy P. Murphy, MD, has been recognized by the Vascular Disease Foundation’s Peripheral Artery Diseases (PAD) Coalition for excellence in research. Murphy is the founder and medical director of the Vascular Disease Research Center at Rhode Island Hospital and a professor of diagnostic imaging at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

The award recipient is selected by a group of experts, the PAD Coalition, which reviews all PAD-related research published during the previous year in peer-reviewed medical literature. The Coalition then selects the research paper, and researcher, it feels is the most relevant to the understanding and/or treatment of arterial diseases, identifying exceptional contributions to research.

Murphy received the PAD Coalition Research Award for his paper “Supervised Exercise Versus Primary Stenting for Claudication Resulting From Aortoiliac Peripheral Artery Disease: Six-Month Outcomes From the Claudication: Exercise Versus Endoluminal Revascularization (CLEVER) Study.” The study compared outcomes from invasive treatments, including stent placement in arteries, with outcomes from lifestyle changes, such as supervised exercise and medications for the treatment of PAD. They specifically examined incidents of leg pain while walking.

“Dr. Murphy is an outstanding physician and is a true leader in the field of vascular disease research,” said John Cronan, MD, chief of the department of diagnostic imaging. “This award recognizes his commitment to finding treatments for PAD, an often painful and debilitating disease, and to research excellence. We are proud to have him as a member of our diagnostic imaging and vascular disease research teams.”

PAD is a disease in which plaque builds up in the arteries that carry blood to the head, organs and limbs. Over time, plaque – which is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, fibrous tissue and other substances in the blood -- can harden and narrow the arteries, limiting the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your organs and other parts of your body. PAD usually affects the arteries in the legs, but it also can affect the arteries that carry blood from your heart to your head, arms, kidneys, and stomach.

“Through the diligent work of physicians like Dr. Murphy, significant advances in the understanding and treatment of peripheral artery disease are being made,” said Rob McLafferty, MD, president of VDF’s board of directors. “The Vascular Disease Foundation and its PAD Coalition will continue to work with our partner physicians to expand the reach of educational information enabling consumers to recognize the signs and symptoms of PAD in order to gain faster diagnosis and effective rehabilitation, hopefully giving people a better quality of life and increasing their longevity.”

Murphy earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from Boston University. He completed his residencies, also serving as chief resident, and fellowship in the department of diagnostic imaging at Rhode Island Hospital.

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