We are pleased to present Dr. Meredith Murphy with a Publishers’ LOVE Award for her tenacity, resiliency, and dedication to providing her clients with outstanding care throughout 2020 and beyond.

Meredith Murphy is a licensed and board-certified acupuncturist with a private practice in King of Prussia for 18 years. She received her Master’s degree in acupuncture from the New England School of Acupuncture and her doctoral degree in acupuncture from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. Patients come to her practice from all over the greater Philadelphia region and she takes insurance including worker’s compensation, auto accident claims, and is a contracted provider with the VA to serve our veterans and active military locally.

What pivots did you make in 2020? How did your organization evolve to meet the needs of your clients through the pandemic?

I was closed for almost three months, which is more than twice as long as I took off for my maternity leave in 2009. I spent the time we were closed to do ample research and educate myself on how to have a safe reopening and what tools I needed for the task. The preparation to get the office COVID-ready for reopening was a huge undertaking, especially with a shortage of so many of the necessary items needed. Returning to work in early June was definitely one of the hardest transitions in my career. My comfortable and friendly office felt like a decontamination unit with face masks, face shields, hospital-grade disinfectant, sneeze guards, disposable paper products for the treatment tables, and HEPA UV filters. Appointment times became more spread out to account for increased disinfecting between appointments, but luckily everyone quickly adjusted to the new normal of temperature checks, parking lot waiting rooms, and mask wearing.

What is one thing you know now, in running a business, that you wish you had known earlier in your career?

That ebbs and flows are natural and normal, and not to panic.

What is one thing you wish more people know about your organization in 2021?

What a wide range of conditions acupuncture can treat. People most commonly think of acupuncture for the treatment of pain but it can be used for so much more. Anxiety, depression, and other emotional issues respond very well to treatments. Our office also specializes in women’s health including fertility support, hormonal and menstrual issues, and prenatal and postnatal care. Acupuncture can be effective in treating digestive disorders, migraines and headaches, autoimmune issues and so much more. I always urge people to reach out if they have any questions or concerns about how acupuncture can help them or a loved one.

To what do you attribute your success?

A solid work ethic, my drive to always be learning, and my love for my job.

If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out as an entrepreneur, what would it be?

Find a support system. When I graduated from grad school, I had pretty much zero business training, a lot of what I did was trial and error. In the years since starting my practice, I have joined local and national groups of like-minded business owners, in my own field and outside my field, as well as taken classes on business and marketing, and worked with multiple business coaches. Running a business is so much more than hanging a sign on the door and hoping for the best, but with the right tools, guidance, and support, it can be successful.

What does resilience mean to you?

Resilience was not something I thought a lot about in my business life until COVID hit. To me, being resilient in today’s world is learning how to evolve and stay up to date on how to stay safe during a pandemic. Resilient for me meant doing the research and preparation on what the guidelines were for a safe reopening and how to shift our practice model to stay in step with the ever-changing guidelines from the board of medicine and health department. Not letting emotions and worry take over, but by having a strong plan on moving forward, using that to find control in a situation that feels out of control, especially in the early months. Being able to reopen so soon in June was a priority for me to be able to best serve my patients who went without care for almost 3 months.

What are your goals for the future?

After 20 years of practicing cosmetic acupuncture, I recently completed my training in microneedling, which is a newer treatment used by dermatologists, doctors, and acupuncturists to reduce lines and wrinkles, reduce acne scarring, and overall benefit the face, neck, and other areas of the body that show age. I am excited to add this to our services offered to patients looking for a nonsurgical and Botox alternative treatment. In addition to the microneedling, each session will utilize a serum of Chinese herbs to compliment the procedure.