Biography
Dr. Lunz received a B.A. degree in psychology (1995) from the University of Mississippi and a M.S. degree of Art Therapy (1998) from the Eastern Virginia Medical School. She earned her Doctor of Medicine degree (2014) from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans. Following her MD degree she completed a 3-year internal medicine residency and 1-year palliative and hospice fellowship at the University of New Mexico.
Personal Statement
I chose specialization in palliative and hospice medicine for a multitude of reasons.
First and foremost, I value the impact of palliative care in regards to clarifying goals of care and improving quality of life for seriously ill patients and their families. Improving quality of life often involves addressing physical, emotional, social, and spiritual domains of life, which is achieved through the collaborative efforts of the interdisciplinary palliative team. I appreciate the expertise and input of all the team members in providing well-rounded, holistic care for our patients. Additionally, I value the opportunity to have continuity of care across a variety of settings including inpatient consults, outpatient clinic, and inpatient hospice care. As a former teacher, I find gratification in teaching medical students and residents as well as training fellows. I strive to provide a quality experience based on their level of learning and interests and to challenge them in areas in which they can grow and excel.
Areas of Specialty
Specialization #1 Goals of Care Discussions in the Primary Care Setting
Specialization #2 VA Life Sustaining Treatment Advisory Committee Coordinator
Specialization #3 Medical Ethics
Certifications
Certification #1 American Board of Internal Medicine Certification #2 Integrative Medicine in Residency Training Certification #3 Residents as Educators
Achievements & Awards
Internal Medicine Residency, UNM, July 2015-June 2018
Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship, UNM, July 2018-July 2019
Gender
Female
Languages
- English
Research and Scholarship
I am currently starting a QI project aimed at increasing goals of care discussion and documentation of the Life Sustaining Treatment note in the primary care setting at the Albuquerque Veteran's Health Administration. The goal is to identify our veteran's with highest mortality, based on a rating system known as the CAN score, and to have those conversations when the veteran is not hospitalization or in some type of crisis. This project has been presented in a National Center for Ethics in Healthcare meeting. I plan to submit for publication once data collection is complete.