Maureen A. Murtaugh

Maureen A. Murtaugh, PhD

Languages spoken: English

Academic Information

Departments Adjunct - Population Health Sciences , Primary - Internal Medicine

Divisions: Epidemiology

Academic Office Information

maureen.murtaugh@hsc.utah.edu

Maureen Murtaugh, PhD, RD, is a Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Epidemiology in the School of Medicine at the University of Utah and an investigator of the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

As an Nutrition Epidemiologist, her research interests include diet and dietary patterns as they influence chronic diseases, such as cancer. Dr. Murtaugh received her doctoral degree in Nutritional Sciences from The University of Connecticut and received training in epidemiology in the Division of Epidemiology the University of Minnesota. In the past, Dr. Murtaugh served as Director of the Dietetic Internship and Associate Professor at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center · Rush University. This combination of clinical, and research experience is useful in her collaborations with clinicians regarding the relationship of diet to diseases including cancer, systemic sclerosis, kidney and heart disease, and obesity.

Education History

Undergraduate Syracuse University
 BS
Doctoral Training University of Connecticut
 PhD
Postdoctoral Fellowship University of Minnesota, Division of Epidemiology
 Postdoctoral Fellow

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Murtaugh MA, Sweeney C, Giuliano AR, Herrick JS, Hines L, Byers T, Baumgartner KB, Slattery M (2008). Diet patterns and breast cancer risk in Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women: the Four-Corners Breast Cancer Study. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 87(4), 978-84. (Read full article)
  2. Slattery ML, Murtaugh MA, Lanier AP, Ma KN, Ferucci ED, Etzel RA, Edwards (2009). Family health history and health behaviors in Alaska native and American Indian people. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved, 20(3), 678-94. (Read full article)
  3. Frech T, Ma KN, Ferrucci ED, Lanier AP, McFadden M, Tom-Orme L, Slattery ML, Murtaugh M (2012). Prevalence of fracture and osteoporosis risk factors in American Indian and Alaska Native people. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved, 23(3), 1157-73. (Read full article)
  4. Edwards SL, McFadden M, Lanier AP, Murtaugh MA, Ferucci ED, Redwood DG, Tom-Orme L, Slattery M (2012). Construct validity of the SF-12 among American Indian and Alaska Native people using two known scoring methods. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved, 23(3), 1123-36. (Read full article)
  5. Sweeney C, Baumgartner KB, Byers T, Giuliano AR, Herrick JS, Murtaugh MA, Slattery M (2008). Reproductive history in relation to breast cancer risk among Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women. Cancer causes & control, 19(4), 391-401. (Read full article)
  6. Redwood DG, Lanier AP, Johnston JM, Murphy N, Murtaugh M (2012). Reproductive cancer risk factors among Alaska Native women: the Alaska Education and Research Towards Health (EARTH) Study. Women's health issues, 22(4), e387-93. (Read full article)
  7. Murtaugh MA, Ma KN, Caan BJ, Sweeney C, Wolff R, Samowitz WS, Potter JD, Slattery M (2005). Interactions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor {gamma} and diet in etiology of colorectal cancer. Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention, 14(5), 1224-9. (Read full article)
  8. Frech TM, Khanna D, Maranian P, Frech EJ, Sawitzke AD, Murtaugh M (2011). Probiotics for the treatment of systemic sclerosis-associated gastrointestinal bloating/ distention. Clinical and experimental rheumatology, 29(2 Suppl 65), S22-5. (Read full article)
  9. Frech TM, Murtaugh M (2019). Non-invasive digital thermal monitoring and flow-mediated dilation in systemic sclerosis. Clinical and experimental rheumatology, 37 Suppl 119(4), 97-101. (Read full article)
  10. Murtaugh MA, Herrick JS, Sweeney C, Baumgartner KB, Guiliano AR, Byers T, Slattery M (2007). Diet composition and risk of overweight and obesity in women living in the southwestern United States. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 107(8), 1311-21. (Read full article)
  11. Slattery ML, Murtaugh MA, Schumacher MC, Johnson J, Edwards S, Edwards R, Benson J, Tom-Orme L, Lanier A (2008). Development, implementation, and evaluation of a computerized self-administered diet history questionnaire for use in studies of American Indian and Alaskan native people. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 108(1), 101-9. (Read full article)
  12. Krishnamurthy VM, Wei G, Baird BC, Murtaugh M, Chonchol MB, Raphael KL, Greene T, Beddhu (2012). High dietary fiber intake is associated with decreased inflammation and all-cause mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease. Kidney international, 81(3), 300-6. (Read full article)
  13. Murtaugh MA, Filipowicz R, Baird BC, Wei G, Greene T, Beddhu (2012). Dietary phosphorus intake and mortality in moderate chronic kidney disease: NHANES III. Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation, 27(3), 990-6. (Read full article)
  14. Murtaugh MA, Herrick J, Sweeney C, Guiliano A, Baumgartner K, Byers T, Slattery (2011). Macronutrient composition influence on breast cancer risk in Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women: the 4-Corners Breast Cancer Study. Nutrition and cancer, 63(2), 185-95. (Read full article)
  15. Nygaard IE, Bardsley T, Sheng X, Murtaugh MA, Shaw J (2021). Habitus and Pelvic Floor Symptoms and Support 1 Year Postpartum. Obstetrics and gynecology, 137(5), 821-830. (Read full article)
  16. Okorie O, Thiese MS, Murtaugh MA, Sheng X, Handy R, Hegmann (2019). Relationships Between Poor Health and Calories From Fat Among Commercial Truck Drivers. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 61(11), 944-948. (Read full article)
  17. Robbins RB, Thiese MS, Ott U, Wood EM, Effiong A, Murtaugh M, Kapellusch J, Cheng M, Hegmann (2020). Metabolic Syndrome in Commercial Truck Drivers: Prevalence, Associated Factors, and Comparison With the General Population. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 62(7), 453-459. (Read full article)
  18. Kagabo R, Okuyemi K, Eden E, Kapellusch J, Murtaugh MA, Hegmann KT, Thiese M (2020). Psychosocial Factors and Tobacco Use Among Commercial Truck Drivers. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 62(6), 439-444. (Read full article)
  19. Murtaugh MA, Frech T (2013). Nutritional status and gastrointestinal symptoms in systemic sclerosis patients. Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland), 32(1), 130-5. (Read full article)
  20. Hicks PM, Au E, Self W, Haaland B, Feehan M, Owen LA, Siedlecki A, Nuttall E, Harrison D, Reynolds AL, Lillvis JH, Sieminski S, Shulman JP, Barnoya M, Noguera Prera JJ, Gonzalez O, Murtaugh MA, Williams LB, Farkas MH, Crandall AS, DeAngelis M (2021). Pseudoexfoliation and Cataract Syndrome Associated with Genetic and Epidemiological Factors in a Mayan Cohort of Guatemala. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(14), (Read full article)
  21. Yang D, Baumgartner RN, Slattery ML, Wang C, Giuliano AR, Murtaugh MA, Risendal BC, Byers T, Baumgartner K (2013). Dietary intake of folate, B-vitamins and methionine and breast cancer risk among Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women. PloS one, 8(2), e54495. (Read full article)
  22. Frech T, Novak K, Revelo MP, Murtaugh M, Markewitz B, Hatton N, Scholand MB, Frech E, Markewitz D, Sawitzke A (2011). Low-dose naltrexone for pruritus in systemic sclerosis. International journal of rheumatology, 2011, 804296. (Read full article)
  23. Luo G, Stone BL, Koebnick C, He S, Au DH, Sheng X, Murtaugh MA, Sward KA, Schatz M, Zeiger RS, Davidson GH, Nkoy F (2019). Using Temporal Features to Provide Data-Driven Clinical Early Warnings for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Asthma Care Management: Protocol for a Secondary Analysis. JMIR research protocols, 8(6), e13783. (Read full article)
  24. Luo G, Stone BL, Sakaguchi F, Sheng X, Murtaugh M (2015). Using Computational Approaches to Improve Risk-Stratified Patient Management: Rationale and Methods. JMIR research protocols, 4(4), e128. (Read full article)
  25. Hicks PM, Haaland B, Feehan M, Crandall AS, Pettey JH, Nuttall E, Self W, Hartnett ME, Bernstein P, Vitale A, Shakoor A, Shulman JP, Sieminski SF, Kim I, Owen LA, Murtaugh MA, Noyes A, DeAngelis M (2020). Systemic Disease and Ocular Comorbidity Analysis of Geographically Isolated Federally Recognized American Indian Tribes of the Intermountain West. Journal of clinical medicine, 9(11), (Read full article)
  26. Viau KS, Jones JL, Murtaugh MA, Gren LH, Stanford JB, Bilder D (2016). Phone-based motivational interviewing to increase self-efficacy in individuals with phenylketonuria. Molecular genetics and metabolism reports, 6, 27-33. (Read full article)
  27. Hicks PM, Murtaugh MA, DeAngelis M (2021). The possible impact of increased physical intimate partner violence during the COVID-19 pandemic on ocular health. SAGE open medicine, 9, 20503121211035263. (Read full article)
  28. Frech TM, Murtaugh MA, Amuan M, Pugh M (2021). The frequency of Raynaud's phenomenon, very early diagnosis of systemic sclerosis, and systemic sclerosis in a large Veteran Health Administration database. BMC rheumatology, 5(1), 42. (Read full article)
  29. Sheng X, Wang J, Shaw JM, Murtaugh MA, Nygaard I (2022). Pelvic Floor Support and Symptoms 1 Year Postpartum in Relation to Excess Body Habitus Before, During and After First Vaginal Birth. Female pelvic medicine & reconstructive surgery, 28, 273-279. (Read full article)
  30. Overbury RS, Murtaugh MA, Frech TM, Steen V (2018). A normal diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide is rare in incidental pulmonary arterial hypertension in systemic sclerosis: Data from the Pulmonary Hypertension Assessment and Recognition of Outcomes in Scleroderma cohort. Journal of scleroderma and related disorders, 3(3), 237-241. (Read full article)
  31. Tuteja AK, Talley NJ, Murtaugh MA, Loc-Carrillo CM, Stoddard GJ, Anderson G (2022). Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial to Assess the Effect of Probiotics on Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Veterans With Gulf War Illness. Federal practitioner, 39(10), 410-417. (Read full article)
  32. Lueth AJ, Allshouse AA, Blue NM, Grobman WA, Levine LD, Catov J, Saade G, Yee LM, Wilson FA, Murtaugh M, Merz N, Chung J, Ray M, Scifres C, Silver RM, NIH NICHD nuMoM2b and NHLBI nuMoM2b Heart Health Study Network (2023). Can allostatic load in pregnancy explain the association between race and subsequent cardiovascular disease risk: A cohort study. BJOG, 130(10), 1197-1206. (Read full article)
  33. Lueth AJ, Allshouse AA, Blue NM, Grobman WA, Levine LD, Simhan HN, Kim JK, Johnson J, Wilson FA, Murtaugh M, Silver RM, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Be (nuMoM2b), and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) nuMoM2b Heart Health Study (nuMoM2b-HHS (2022). Allostatic Load and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes. Obstetrics and gynecology, 140(6), 974-982. (Read full article)
  34. Snyder AM, Stone CJ, Ufkes N, Greene T, Playdon MC, Murtaugh MA, Vanneman ME, Secrest A (2025). Lifestyle, medication use, and age considerations with acne vulgaris: A prospective study. JEADV clinical practice, 4(1), 82-94. (Read full article)

Review

  1. Frech T, Gordon L, Chung L, Bolster M, Segal B, Impens A, Goldberg A, Hsu V, Derk CT, Khanna D, Hinchcliff M, Murtaugh MA, Steen (2012). Vasodilatory therapeutics in the Pulmonary Hypertension Assessment and Recognition of Outcomes in Scleroderma (PHAROS) Cohort. Rheumatology (Oxford, England), S1, 007.
  2. Frech TM, Poole JL, Murtaugh M, Matucci-Cerinic (2023). Expanding the Treatment Team: What Is the Role for Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Wound Care, and Nutritional Support in Systemic Sclerosis?. Rheumatic diseases clinics of North America, 49(2), 377-387. (Read full article)

Editorial

  1. Jacobs DR Jr, Murtaugh M (2000). It's more than an apple a day: an appropriately processed, plant-centered dietary pattern may be good for your health. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 72(4), 899-900. (Read full article)

Letter

  1. Kagabo R, Okuyemi K, Eden E, Kapellusch J, Murtaugh MA, Hegmann KT, Thiese M (2020). Psychosocial Factors and Tobacco Use among Commercial Truck Drivers. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 62(12), e774. (Read full article)
  2. Stone CJ, Ufkes N, Secrest AM, Murtaugh MA, Vanneman ME, Snyder A (2025). Relationships Between Quality of Life and Emotional Resilience for Those With and Without Acne. Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 24(1), e16744. (Read full article)

Abstract

  1. Murtaugh MA, Herrick JS, Sweeney C, Baumgartner KB, Guiliano AR, Byers T, Slattery M (2007). Diet composition and breast cancer risk in Hispanic and WNH women from the Four Corners States.
  2. Murtaugh MA, Frech T (2011). Nutrition in Systemic Sclerosis. 63,