Caitlin McMurtry (she/they) uses interdisciplinary theories and methods to examine the structural determinants of health and well-being in America, especially among historically oppressed groups. Her current research focuses on the magnitude of political polarization during disease outbreaks, the structural origins of (dis)trust in government and its relationship to gun ownership and medical distrust, and the role of ballot initiatives in health policy and politics. Broadly, her research seeks to understand how public opinion, politics, and government affect health inequities (and vice versa) in the U.S.

McMurtry’s experience working with officials at all levels of government sharpened her focus on the need for timely, actionable research that is accessible to policymakers and the public. From 2009-2013, she conducted public health research and translated findings for Kansas legislators in Topeka and helped to establish, fund, and run a community health coalition for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. Later, she interned for a member of the U.S. Senate and joined a team of researchers conducting rapid-response survey research during the COVID-19 pandemic for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the Trump and Biden administrations.

McMurtry’s research has appeared in peer-reviewed academic journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, the American Journal of Public Health, Annals of Family Medicine, Milbank Quarterly, and Health Services Research, and has received coverage in news outlets such as the Washington Post and NPR. McMurtry teaches courses on social work, health policy, and gun violence, and in 2024, McMurtry received the Teaching Excellence Award for Full-Time Faculty at the Brown School. She also co-leads the Medical School’s Advocacy and Global Health EXPLORE Pathway and co-instructs a course on Infectious Diseases and Health Equity, where she focuses on teaching medical students about community-engaged research and promoting social change with and on behalf of patients. McMurtry is a faculty affiliate of the Center for Advancing Health Services, Policy & Economics Research (CAHSPER) and the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity (CRE2), where she was a Spring 2025 Faculty Fellow.