Dr. Allison Ann Murphy, MD

About me

A neonatologist takes care of premature and sick newborn babies. I enjoy this specialty because I am able to give my patients the best possible start in life. This field of medicine has made huge strides since its inception in 1975. Thirty years ago, babies that were very small had limited chances for survival. But now, with Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to quality care and technology, premature and sick newborns can do more than just survive, they can thrive.

My personal interest lies in simulation-based training (like the type airplane pilots do) for delivery room response teams. I am a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, where I sit on the Steering Committee on Clinical Information Technology and the Section on Perinatal Pediatrics. I am also a member of the Society for Medical Simulation and the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

When not working in the intensive care nursery, I spend my time with my husband and two children. I love to read, play …soccer (I’m a goalkeeper), and sail - I’ve even sailed through the Bermuda Triangle!

My journey into medicine

Growing up in suburban Maryland, my favorite television show was "Emergency," a show about two paramedics in the Los Angeles area. All the fancy equipment and medical jargon had me hooked—I knew then I wanted to be a doctor. And since I’ve always liked working with children, Pediatrics was a natural career choice for me. As early as the sixth grade, I was supervising the kindergarten school play and teaching the local Brownie troop songs for their fall hay ride. In college, I headed the student volunteer program in the pediatric ward at Yale-New Haven hospital and spent my summers coaching soccer. Before entering medical school, I worked as a high school chemistry and physics teacher. With all of those positive experiences under my belt, it was clear that Pediatric care would become my specialty.