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Susan Murphy
Health Reporter - Contributor through July 2019
Susan Murphy is a former health reporter for KPBS, providing in-depth coverage of a variety of issues that impact San Diego County and the Imperial Valley — from infectious diseases and mental health to health care policy and medical breakthroughs. Susan started working in the KPBS Newsroom in 2003. She graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism.
Recent Stories by Susan Murphy
Access To Bathrooms Harder To Find For Downtown Homeless
- June 12, 2019
- By Susan Murphy
“You know, most of us don’t want to use outside, but sometimes we have to. We have to go to the bathroom somewhere,” said Ramona Garcia, who has lived on San Diego's streets on and off for four years.
$35 Million Project Led By San Diego Researcher Will Target Deadly Viruses
- May 29, 2019
- By Susan Murphy
La Jolla Institute for Immunology professor Erica Ollmann Saphire, Ph.D., is leading a $35 million global effort to find treatments for viral threats, including Ebola, Lassa and mosquito-borne diseases.
More Flu Cases Reported At San Diego Migrant Shelter
- May 28, 2019
- By City News Service, Susan Murphy
An outbreak of influenza among migrants flown into San Diego last week from a Texas federal detention center appears to be dwindling, albeit with six new cases in the past two days.
Flu Outbreak Hits San Diego Migrant Shelter
- May 23, 2019
- By Associated Press, Susan Murphy
At least 16 people at a downtown San Diego family migrant shelter are suffering flu-like symptoms.
Abortion Rights Supporters Rally In San Diego To Protest States' Restrictive Bans
- May 22, 2019
- By Susan Murphy
Around 300 people attended a rally Tuesday outside the federal courthouse in downtown San Diego as part of a nationwide #StoptheBans demonstration to oppose several conservative states’ recent restrictive abortion laws.
Calfresh Food Aid To Be Extended To Some Disabled Adults
- May 16, 2019
- By Susan Murphy
CalFresh food assistance will be expanded in June to 95,000 people in San Diego County who are on Supplemental Security Income, but thousands of others who already receive the monthly benefit could see cuts.
San Diego Researchers Help With Urgent Effort To Stop Ebola In Africa
- May 8, 2019
- By Susan Murphy
As health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo work to stop the spread of another highly contagious Ebola outbreak, researchers in San Diego are working on a cure.
Researcher: Kawasaki Disease Spike In San Diego Likely Tied To Aerosol Particles
- April 22, 2019
- By Susan Murphy
"The current paradigm is that if you were born with the genetic susceptibility, you will get Kawasaki disease. It’s just a question of when you’ll come across the trigger," said Jane Burns, M.D., professor of pediatrics at UC San Diego and director of the Kawasaki Disease Research Center.
Surge Of Kawasaki Disease Continues In San Diego County
- April 10, 2019
- By Susan Murphy
“So far this year we’ve had 45 cases, which is a very unusual uptick in the number that we would typically see at this time of year,” said Jane Burns, M.D., a professor of pediatrics at UC San Diego and director of the Kawasaki Disease Research Center.
Opioid Class Trains Workers To Protect Themselves From Deadly Fentanyl Exposure
- April 8, 2019
- By Susan Murphy
The training comes as opioid overdose death rates continue to soar. More than 250 people in San Diego County died in 2018 of opioid-related causes, and 90 of those were a direct result of fentanyl, according to preliminary numbers from the Medical Examiner’s office.