Robert X. Murphy Jr. is Executive Vice President and Chief Physician Executive of Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN). Dr. Murphy has oversight of Lehigh Valley Physician Group (LVPG), which is the LVHN employed physician group comprised of more than 1,300 physicians and 900 advanced practice clinicians, while also leading existing and burgeoning relationships with independent physicians across the region.

Dr. Murphy also serves as President and CEO of Populytics, an advanced analytics firm specializing in population health management. In this role, he leads LVHN’s movement toward fee-for-value and value-based reimbursement by providing medical leadership and oversight to all LVHN health plan-related entities, as well as leads the strategy, construction and execution of value-based medical elements in all payer contracts. He serves as President and Board Chair of LVHN’s Accountable Care Organization (ACO) and Chairman of the Board of the Lehigh Valley Physician Hospital Organization (LVPHO). He also drives the development of the LVHN Clinically Integrated Network (CIN). Additionally, Dr. Murphy oversees Community Health and the Leonard Parker Pool Institute for Health, the Pool Center for Health for Analytics, telehealth and government relations. Dr. Murphy was recently selected into the inaugural class of American Hospital Association Chief Physician Network. 

Since joining the LVHN in 1989 as a plastic surgeon specializing in reconstruction, hand and microsurgery,  Dr. Murphy has served in a number of different capacities within the health network including Senior Vice President of Quality and Care Management (2005-2006), Chief Medical Officer for Lehigh Valley Hospital–Muhlenberg (2003-2015), Medical Director of LVHN Office of Research and Innovation (NORI) (2005-2008); Program Director of the Residency in Plastic Surgery, LVHN (2006-2023), Associate Chief Medical Officer, LVHN (2010-2015), and Chief Integration Officer (2015-2020) and assumed the duties of the Chief Transformation Officer (2016-2020).

Dr. Murphy is a Professor of Surgery at the Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida.  He is the Leonard Parker Pool Chair in Community Health and Health Studies, and holder of The Anne C. and Carl R. Anderson Endowed Chair in Transformation at LVHN. He has served as a visiting professor at many programs within the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Australia and South America. He has given more than 150 presentations on a variety of topics nationally and internationally, with a focus on the areas of quality, patient safety and data-driven analytics. He is the editor and primary author of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery:  An Atlas of Essential Procedures, (THIEME, New York, 2022). He also is an editor for International Plastic Surgery Journal, PRS GO and a reviewer for Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (PRS) and Annals of Plastic Surgery. He has authored more than 75 peer-reviewed publications and four book chapters. He is a special government employee for the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), serving on panels related to devices, pharmaceuticals and patient safety.

Dr. Murphy has served in leadership positions for LVHN as well as multiple regional, national and international professional organizations. He is a former member of the Board of Directors for LVHN and Past President of the medical staff. He is a Past President of the Robert H. Ivy (Pennsylvania) Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Northeastern Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), and of the International Confederation of Plastic Surgeons (ICOPLAST). Dr. Murphy is currently the Chair for the International Subcommittee and the Global Leadership Forum of ASPS and a Trustee of ICOPLAST.  He is a Senior Examiner for the American Board of Plastic Surgeons.

Dr. Murphy is active in the community. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council. He Is both a residency program director/mentor for the American Counsel for Academic Plastic Surgeons and a Varsity Athlete Mentor at his alma mater, Williams College. He is involved with the Comprehensive Aesthetic Recovery Effort for Returning Wounded Veterans. He is a member of the President's Parent Advisory Council of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Dr. Murphy received a Doctor of Medicine degree from New York University. He is board-certified in Plastic Surgery and holds a Certificate of Added Qualification in Surgery of the Hand. Dr. Murphy received his Master of Science degree in Health Evaluation Sciences from the Pennsylvania State University. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology and Psychology from Williams College. In addition, he has participated in Executive Education offered by Harvard Business School, the American College of Physician Executives and Duke University.  He is a Certified Physician Executive (CPE) recognized by the American Association of Physician Leadership (AAPL).