Pamela Nguyen Murphy developed her philosophy of public health  at Gustavus Adolphus College, an innovative liberal arts institution where she obtained her B.A. in Chemistry & French and Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies Concentration. Her senior dissertation on the public health infrastructure in Sénégal led to an invitation to continue evidence-based research in Dakar. In 2011, she obtained her Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) from A.T. Still University (ATSU)—Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ASDOH). As a dental student, she coordinated community outreach programs for underprivileged populations and was an extern at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in health professions shortage areas (HPSAs) in Maine, Texas, Missouri, Colorado, and Arizona.As a National Health Service Corps participant she has served in the three out of ten states in the U.S. with the most dental health professions shortage areas (HPSAs), which has solidified her ongoing commitment to public health dentistry. 

Pamela became impassioned to counteract systemic disadvantages, and was determined to make a shift from enabling dentistry as a profitable trade to a community-oriented profession that prioritizes health equity. Her adjunct faculty partnerships with ASDOH, University of Missouri–Kansas City, Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health, University of Iowa and their Community Health Externship programs have allowed her to cultivate supportive student externships to empower the next generation of public health reformers. In 2023, Pamela obtained a Master of Public Health from ATSU, graduated summa cum laude, received the ATSU Diversity Excellence award, and was inducted into the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health–Delta Gamma Chapter Executive Committee. Recognizing the power of community engagement to drive health policy, she is involved with the American Public Health Association, Wisconsin Children’s Oral Health Coalition, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, National Network for Oral Health Access-–Policy & Advocacy Committee, and is a multiple marathoner for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Heroes. Pamela Nguyen Murphy’s perspective that collaboration with leading comprehensive healthcare systems is crucial for transformative change has led her to pursue a postdoctoral pediatric dentistry residency with New York University Langone Health Dental Medicine beginning July 2024.