E. Michael Murphy, PharmD, MBA

Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy

Pharmacy Practice and Science

Email: murphy.981@osu.edu
Office: 129B Parks Hall

Professional Interests

Dr. Murphy’s teaching, research, and advocacy focus on improving patient access to medications and pharmacist-provided care. His interests include pharmacist scope of practice, payment for clinical services, drug pricing and pharmacy benefit managers, pharmacy deserts, and preparing students and practitioners to participate in health policy.

Research & Expertise:

Biography

E. Michael Murphy, PharmD, MBA, is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy in the Division of Pharmacy Practice and Science at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy and Senior Advisor for State Government Affairs at the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). He works with state pharmacy associations, policymakers, and other partners across the country to develop and implement policies that improve patient access to pharmacist-provided care. His research examines how legislation, regulation, and payment policies influence pharmacy practice and access to medications and services.

At Ohio State, Murphy teaches health policy and advocacy to undergraduate, professional, and graduate students and mentors pharmacy students, residents, and fellows. He also co-directs the college’s pharmacy advancement and advocacy fellowship and co-created PolicyRx, a series that examines current pharmacy policy issues for practitioners, policymakers, and the public.

He earned his Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Doctor of Pharmacy, and Master of Business Administration at Ohio State. He also completed a PGY1 pharmacy practice residency in an ambulatory care setting in 2019 and a pharmacy advancement fellowship in 2021 at the university.

Education

2022 - Master of Business Administration, The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business
2021 - Pharmacy Advancement Fellowship, The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy
2019 - PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency in an Ambulatory Care Setting, The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy
2018 - Doctor of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy
2014 - Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences, The Ohio State University

Honors

2026 - Albert B. Prescott Pharmacy Leadership Award
2025 - Josephine Sitterle Failer Alumni Award, The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy
2025 - Pharmacy Appreciation Award, Arizona Pharmacy Association
2024 - Service Award for Pharmacists, Rhode Island Pharmacists Association
2024 - UNDER 40 Recognition Award, Ohio Pharmacists Association
2023 - Good Government Award, Ohio Pharmacists Association

Publications

Pharmacists through a public lens: Understanding trust, role recognition, and support for prescribing, Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy. 2026 Jul | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2026.07.010.
Drug rebates: As if drug pricing isn’t confusing enough, The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy PolicyRx Newsletter. 2026 Jun | blog-post. .
State of the Union 2026: State‐Level Updates and National Trends in Pharmacist Payment Reform, JACCP: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CLINICAL PHARMACY. 2026 Jun | journal-article. doi: 10.1002/jac5.70214.
Pharmacist participation as providers in Ohio Medicaid: an analysis of claims, services, and billing patterns, 2021-2025, Health Affairs Scholar. 2026 May | journal-article. doi: 10.1093/haschl/qxag126.
As profits diminish, community pharmacies have to 'think outside the box' to keep their doors open, KBIA. 2026 May | public-speech. .
2026 Prescott Lecture: Patient centered advancement—Reframing why we advocate, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. 2026 May | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2026.103147.
US weight-loss drugmakers slash prices in fight to win customers, BBC. 2026 Mar | public-speech. .
TrumpRx Gets a Shoutout During SOTU Address, Pharmacy Practice News. 2026 Mar | public-speech. .
Direct-to-consumer prescription drug sales: Lower prices that may further fragment an already complex system, The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy PolicyRx Newsletter. 2026 Feb | other. .
Next generation of well-rounded pharmacists: The role of experiential advocacy in pharmacy education, Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning. 2026 Feb | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.cptl.2025.102528.
Recommendations for Policies Enabling Pharmacist-Prescribed Contraceptive Services, Contraception. 2025 Dec | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2025.111346.
Alarming number of pharmacies closing nationwide leaving more pharmacy deserts, Spotlight on America. 2025 Nov | public-speech. .
How alternative PBMs are shaking up the industry, HealthcareBrew. 2025 Nov | public-speech. .
Addressing Pharmacy Access in a Landscape of Pharmacy Closures, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. 2025 Nov | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2025.102934.
Prescription discount cards: Who do they benefit? Who do they hurt?, The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy PolicyRx Newsletter. 2025 Oct | other. .
Strategies Necessary to Correct the Trajectory of US Pharmacy Deserts, Drug Topics. 2025 Aug | public-speech. .
How the Rise in US Pharmacy Deserts Impacts Patients’ Health, Drug Topics. 2025 Aug | public-speech. .
Why Pharmacy Deserts Are Detrimental to US Communities, Drug Topics. 2025 Jul | public-speech. .
Pharmacy Closures Limiting Access to Preventative Patient Care, Drug Topics. 2025 Jul | public-speech. .
Q&A: PBM Reform, Other Policy Considerations to Combat Pharmacy Deserts, Drug Topics. 2025 Jul | public-speech. .
Q&A: Pharmacy Desert Improvement Reliant on Industry Advocacy, Reform, Drug Topics. 2025 Jul | public-speech. .
Debates on Pharmacy Desert Definition Impact Access to Care, Drug Topics. 2025 Jul | public-speech. .
Shedding light on NADAC: How pricing power influences pharmacy reimbursement, The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy PolicyRx Newsletter. 2025 Jun | other. .
Pa. pharmacists demand state action to regulate PBMs, curb pharmacy closures, Pennsylvania Capital-Star. 2025 Jun | public-speech. .
Return on investment of pharmacists’ services among non-hospitalized patients: A scoping review, Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy. 2025 May | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2025.01.012.
The growing crisis of pharmacy deserts, The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy PolicyRx Newsletter. 2025 Apr | other. .
Why community pharmacies are closing – and what to do if your neighborhood location shutters, The Conversation. 2025 Feb | newspaper-article. .
Practice transformation starts in the classroom: Mapping practice change learning in a PharmD program, Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning. 2025 Feb | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.cptl.2024.102230.
State of the union: A review of state‐based laws and regulations supporting pharmacist payment for clinical services, JACCP: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CLINICAL PHARMACY. 2024 Jul | journal-article. doi: 10.1002/jac5.2008.
Payment trends for pharmacist services gaining steam, Becker's Hospital Review. 2024 Jul | public-speech. .
Optimizing patient outcomes: Health plans and pharmacists summit: Meeting proceedings, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. 2023 Nov | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2023.06.019.
Fitting the bill: Pharmacy legislation tackles important issues, Drug Store News. 2023 Aug | public-speech. .
Pharmacists can prescribe contraceptives in half the US, but doing so often loses them money, HealthcareBrew. 2023 Apr | public-speech. .
Walgreens’ position “has always been” to “dispense Mifepristone in any jurisdiction where it is legally permissible to do so.”, PolitiFact. 2023 Mar | public-speech. .
Walgreens won’t distribute abortion pills in states where GOP AGs object, Politico. 2023 Mar | public-speech. .
Determining and regulating scope of practice for health care professionals: A participatory, multiple stakeholder approach, Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy. 2022 Dec | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2022.11.005.
Current issues and recommendations to manage prescription drug benefits for public health programs, Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy. 2022 Sep | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2022.01.006.
Skyrocketing sign on bonuses for pharmacists; so why are jobs going unfilled?, WSYX. 2022 Aug | public-speech. .
Post-Roe drug delays weigh on patients, providers, Axios. 2022 Jul | public-speech. .
Women with chronic conditions struggle to find medications after abortion laws limit access, CNN Health. 2022 Jul | public-speech. .
A team-led remote ambulatory care rotation: Creating efficiency without sacrificing quality, Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning. 2022 May | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.cptl.2022.04.018.
Pharmacist provider status: Geoprocessing analysis of pharmacy locations, medically underserved areas, populations, and health professional shortage areas, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. 2021 Nov | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2021.08.021.
The Integration, Perceptions, and Implementation of Legislative Advocacy Within U.S Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy, American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. 2021 Oct | journal-article. doi: 10.5688/ajpe8668.
Politics, patients, and the role of the pharmacist: Addressing social and political issues that affect health care, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. 2021 Sep | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2021.03.024.
Three ways to advocate for the economic value of the pharmacist in health care, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. 2020 Nov | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2020.08.006.
The pharmacist’s role in advocating for the health care of immigrants in detention centers, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. 2020 Jul | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2020.01.005.
Legacies begun, legacies continued, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. 2018 Mar | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2018.02.004.