Dr Liz Murray
Medical Doctor | Founder & CEO Charity Mortal And Strong | Founder & Creative Director Scars of Gold health campaign | UN WOMEN UK Participant '68 | Podcast Presenter | Public Speaker | Member National Voices | Ambassador Women's Health Impact Network
Using Experience From Both Sides of The Stethoscope For Change...
After leaving her clinical-facing role as a medical doctor with 18 years of medical experience (Emergency Medicine & Women’s Health, with an academic prize from RCPCH), and with a prize winning artist portfolio, Liz is working to be an integral component in addressing health inequalities. After her own experience with Stage 4 Endometriosis, complex autoimmune disease, recurrent miscarriages and organ damage profoundly impacted her life, Liz realised she had a unique perspective as both doctor and patient.
Liz is the founder and CEO of the charity Mortal And Strong, actively engaged in collaborating with many organisations (such as a participant for UN WOMEN UK, and ambassador for Women's Health Impact Network) - striving for change in health inequalities and reducing the gender gap as well as improving patient healthcare experiences across the UK.
"It is an honour to be CEO and founder for the charity Mortal and Strong; a charity with a grand vision to be the leading place of central support & education for anyone navigating the health care system with life changing or incurable health conditions. Being a central place for support and independent advice across all health conditions. The charity is leading a movement of innovative ways to address health inequalities; utilising the power of art to produce powerful health campaigns using art to bring forth health inequalities and important subjects to the fore. I developed the concept for the Scars of Gold as an innovative health awareness campaign - medical professional led, reinforced by lived experiences and using art to portray messages of strength and hope. This health awareness campaign is rapidly gaining recognition for its innovative approach using art to raise health awareness, with over 100 health topics included.
I actively work with other organisations; such as Sudden Cardiac Art, UN WOMEN UK, Time Norfolk, Guidance Suite - to offer my personal and professional experiences as well as creative abilities. I am passionate about collaboration being key to bringing communities together for greater impact and change.
Having been shortlisted three times with the international Visual Art Open exhibition, and a finalist in 2020 for my sculpture inspired by my time on the frontline during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023 I won the Curator's Prize for my oil painting 'Women Bleed' addressing the lesser discussed issues of infertility and pregnancy loss, inspired by my time as a doctor and personal experiences. In 2024 I won the People's Choice award for a piece depicting mental health in men."
MORTAL AND STRONG
Liz founded the UK charity Mortal And Strong (1209448) after recognising a need for a central place for guidance, support and education across all health conditions for people in the prime of their life affected by life changing health conditions. The charity is radpily growing, aiming to be a central place of support, signposting to specialist support services, and delivering innovative health campaigns using art to address health inequalities and change social stigma of disease.
SCARS OF GOLD
Scars of Gold is the inaugural health awareness campaign using art delivered by the charity Mortal And Strong. Liz founded the concept after her own experiences of needing recurrent operations. Inspired by the Japanese art of Kintsugi to capture the strength and beauty in their scars, the campaign has captured the Voices of 100 women across the UK facing their mortality at a young age.
PODCAST PRESENTER
Liz is the presenter for the Mortal And Strong podcast in which the interviews of people sharing the experiences of facing their mortality at a young age are shared. The focus of the podcast is to provide messages of hope and strength, whilst also raising awareness and education of the many health conditions affecting people in the prime of their life.
PUBLIC SPEAKER
Liz is a a keen advocate of addressing health inequalities and worked with many other charities and organisations to provide her unique experience as both patient and doctor.
HEALTH ADVOCATE
After her own experiences of having Stage 4 Endometriosis which caused bowel and bladder damage, 6 miscarriages, complex autoimmune diseases...Liz is a keen advocate in sharing her story to raise awareness and help change and address inequalities in health.
ARTIST
Liz has won awards for addressing health inequalities through her art for over 5 years. After being a finalist in the VAO in 2020 for her Covid-inspired piece, Liz has gone on to win several other awards. Liz continues to produce artworks with a blend of realism, conceptual and surrealism approaches, using the running them of an egg to represent fertility, feminism and mortality.
