Leah Murphy

Dr. Leah Murphy is currently the lab manager and CODE RED coordinator for the Suicide Prevention and Exposure Lab (SPEL). She received her Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Women’s Studies from The Pennsylvania State University and her Doctorate in Social Psychology with a concentration in Developmental Psychology from New York University. As a graduate student, Leah’s research interests focused on children’s social development and its relationship to mental health.

In her current role, Leah serves as the lead for evaluation planning, design and implementation of research and evaluation studies. She also coordinates IRB applications and review, study operations, grant reporting and writing, as well as manuscript development and preparation. Furthermore, Leah maintains an active role in SPEL’s community outreach and education efforts, especially CODE RED—a universal safety planning approach that helps individuals prepare for a worst day BEFORE it occurs. As the coordinator for CODE RED, Leah has worked with the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental, and Intellectual Disabilities to further its expansion throughout the state. In addition, she supports SPEL’s partnership with UK Innovate to promote access to and usage of CODE RED at the national level.

Outside of work, Leah enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and two extremely pampered canines.