Health, Heart, and Hands: Meet Doug Murrell Jr., M.P.A.

"Health, Heart, and Hands" is an inspiring Q&A series that offers a behind-the-scenes look into the minds of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center's Community Outreach and Engagement team. This series shines a spotlight on the dedicated individuals who are at the forefront of advancing health equity, fostering community connections, and driving impactful outreach initiatives. Through their heartfelt narratives and professional insights, we explore the passion and commitment that fuel their efforts to make a tangible difference in the lives of those they serve.

Meet Doug Murrell Jr., M.P.A.

Alma mater(s):  BS Vanderbilt University, MPA Troy University
Field(s) of study: Human & Organizational Development (HOD) and Master in Public Administration
Years at Mayo Clinic: 2.5 years

What motivated you to pursue a career in community outreach and engagement (COE)?

Early in my professional life I learned that, despite the most technical and challenging work environments, I was captivated by the idea of using the soft skills of leadership to achieve outcomes that serve the common good. COE allows me to be a part of something much bigger and far-reaching while engaging individuals, groups, and organization collectively.

Communities do not exist as independent inhuman entities. Communities consist as expressions of humanity having a collective experience. A community can be defined geographically, socially, economically, politically, or culturally and be comprised of individuals, groups, and organizations that have a shared context impacted by environmental factors (my definition of "community" that I crafted last year). To engage communities in non-human ways is a recipe for wasted resources and energy.

Can you share an example of a successful COE collaboration with community leaders? 

Our COE team in Arizona led by Farhia Omar implemented a Wellness RX  evidence-based intervention (EBI) called Body & Soul with a faith partner in South Phoenix. At the completion of the program, the faith partner wanted to continue and expand the program to other faith partners in their network. When our efforts can be catalytic and exist even when we are not leading, that's success!

How do you see the role of technology evolving in community engagement? 

Community engagement hangs on relationships. Relationships are organic but relationship building is intentional. Technology serves as a tool that can significantly enhance partnership development/management and accelerate data analysis to identify community health priorities and needs. For example, the HOUSES index developed by Mayo Clinic's Young Juhn, M.D. to anticipate and identify gaps in social detriments of health (SDOH) services such as transportation, social support or financial help.

What advice would you give to someone looking to start a career in community engagement? 

For many of us, our calling to community engagement is born out of personal experience (good or bad) and conviction. It all starts with "The Why."  That understanding will sustain you when the human element of community engagement challenges you. And it will challenge you because people are people and people are messy. It is easy to misinterpret a positive volunteer experience in community as an indicator that community engagement as a vocation is viable.

What are your words to live by?

"Some challenges are not problems to be solved but are actually tensions to be managed. Know the difference."

To learn more about our community outreach and engagement efforts, visit www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/mayo-clinic-cancer-center/about-us/coe.