Sadly, the Department of Surgery must report that we have lost a beloved colleague, friend, and mentor with the passing of Douglas R. Murray, MD, professor emeritus of the Division of Surgical Oncology, due to complications from cancer.
Dr. Murray received his MD degree in 1959 at University of Michigan Medical School, completed his general surgery residency at Saint Luke's Hospital in 1964, and finished his surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in 1969, after which he joined the Department of Surgery.
By the time he retired in 2006, Dr. Murray's impassioned commitment to teaching, training, and patient care had left an indelible effect on hundreds of residents, fellows, and faculty. He visited the campus regularly, was a familiar face at Surgical Grand Rounds, and continued to co-author publications with his colleagues through 2014.
During his tenure at Emory, Dr. Murray became known as a compassionate physician to his patients, and was considered an expert in the continuum of surgical and medical strategies for treating melanoma, soft tissue sarcomas, head and neck carcinomas, breast carcinoma, and hepatic and gastrointestinal tumors. In the words of Charles Staley, MD, who joined Emory as Chief of Surgical Oncology in 1995 and often worked alongside Dr. Murray, "He was a gifted surgeon, highly skilled in treating soft tissue tumors, and cherished by his patients, staff, and collaborators. Doug Murray was the kindest person I ever knew."
Following Dr. Murray's retirement, the Department of Surgery established the Douglas Murray Academic Professionalism Award for surgical residents in recognition of his remarkable demeanor and gracious temperament towards colleagues, patients, and families alike.
We offer our deepest sympathies to Dr. Murray's family, and will deeply miss his ever-present smile, generosity, intelligence, and wit.
The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be considered to the Judith J. and Douglas R. Murray Surgical Oncology Melanoma Research Fellowship Endowment, Emory University, Office of Gift Records, 1762 Clifton Rd. NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30322. Donations can be made online by visiting the Winship Cancer Institute Honor or Memorial Giving web page, clicking "other" in the "Please designate my gift" field, and typing in Murray Fellowship Endowment.