Chelsea M. Murphy, DMD, Orthodontist

Growing up, I loved spending Saturday mornings “working” with my dad. He owned a motorcycle shop in my rural Connecticut hometown, so this mostly meant tagging along for the many errands needed to maintain a small business. I always got two lollipops at the bank and was included in all the conversations—I was delighted and proud to be (it was obvious to me) a valuable consultant and business partner.

I blame these mornings for the almost instant certainty I felt when introduced to orthodontics, that it would be the right field for me. Which, I know isn’t terribly intuitive, but “working” with my dad proved to be kind of inspiring. He obviously enjoyed getting to know the clients and vendors he frequently worked with and it was fun to see the pride he expressed in earning the community’s trust and coaching a team to provide services they were all proud to have their names on.

I later saw that this field could provide an opportunity to form those same relationships in a way that would have an incredibly positive impact on people’s lives. It pulled in creativity, artistry, and design—all things that I loved. To me, it was perfect. And motorcycles weren’t really my thing.

Although not a daredevil, I’ve always been an active type. Growing up, I played all kinds of sports until college brought me to Wake Forest in North Carolina, where I decided I would become a marathon runner. Despite a laughable first attempt at 26.2 miles, I stuck with it and have now completed nine full marathons. I also love downhill skiing, rooting for my favorite New York sports teams (mostly the Giants, which isn’t always easy), and exploring our city and others while visiting with friends and family.

My orthodontics residency is what brought me to DC. I remember arriving here from Connecticut with my best friend to apartment hunt, excitedly circling the Washington Monument twice before realizing she had punched “Washington, DC” into the navigation and not the name of our hotel. It was a silly mistake that made for a grandiose welcome to a city that would quickly become my home. My ability to get around has (thankfully!) greatly improved in the seven years I’ve spent here, and I can’t imagine living anywhere else.