A pediatrician, Dr. Murray-Garcia received an undergraduate degree from Stanford University, her medical degree from UCSF and completed pediatric residency training at Oakland Children’s Hospital, followed by a master’s degree in Public Health from UC Berkeley. Her publications on race, health care and child development have appeared in journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, Pediatrics, Medical Care, Academic Medicine, and Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.

With Dr. Melanie Tervalon, Dr. Murray-García coined and developed the concept of Cultural Humility in her most-oft cited publication, “Cultural Humility versus Cultural Competency: A Critical Distinction in Defining Physician Training Outcomes in Multicultural Education” (Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 1998). Along with the elimination of health disparities, Murray-García’s interests include the impact of racial stratification and racial-identity development on the health and health-related decisions of youth and adults.