Rate My Professor Sarah Murray

Dr. Sarah E. Murray serves as Assistant Professor in the School of Health Sciences and Nutrition and Dietetics Program Director at Missouri State University. She holds a PhD in Adult Learning and Leadership from Kansas State University (2022), an MS in Family and Consumer Sciences from Illinois State University (2005), and a BS in Dietetics from Missouri State University (2003). A Registered Dietitian (RD/LD), Murray began her career at Missouri State University as a Senior Instructor in the Biomedical Sciences Department around 2006 and advanced to her current faculty position in Public Health and Sports Medicine within the School of Health Sciences. Her doctoral dissertation, titled "Exploring How Nutrition & Dietetic Students Make Meaning of Their Educational Experiences and the Impact it Has on Their Leadership Development: A Grounded Theory Approach," employed a qualitative constructivist grounded theory methodology to investigate leadership development among nutrition and dietetics graduates from a Midwestern public university. The study identified key building blocks for leadership—knowledge, observation, emulation, and self-efficacy—and highlighted gaps in fostering leadership identity within standardized curricula.

Murray teaches courses such as DTN 240 Introduction to Nutrition, DTN 330 Food Selection & Preparation for Health, DTN 445 Community Nutrition, DTN 539 Senior Seminar in Dietetics, DTN 752 Advanced Population Health I, and DTN 762 Advanced Population Health II. Her research and professional interests encompass student leadership development, food insecurity, and community nutrition. She facilitates student volunteer experiences at organizations including Crosslines Food Pantry, Ozarks Food Harvest, and Victory Mission. Murray has earned the 2026 Teaching Excellence Award, 2026 Curtis P. Lawrence Excellence in Advising Award, 2025 Award for Excellence in Education Abroad Programming in Community Engagement, and a Teaching and Learning Grant with Dr. Hillary Roberts. She serves on the First-Year Programs Advisory Council, leads education abroad initiatives, and presented at the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo 2023.