We are pleased you are considering training in Internal Medicine at The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. The Internal Medicine residency program has a long and proud history of attracting excellent physicians from around the country and the world. Our program offers a wonderful mix of clinical experience, research mentoring, and innovative educational practices. Our strengths include our people, our camaraderie, and our sense of teamwork. We value the diversity of our patients, students, residents, faculty and staff.
UNM has a national reputation for excellence in all the medicine sub-specialties and our research programs are especially strong. The New Mexico population is unique, and our residents routinely work with patients of diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. While most clinical rotations occur at the University Hospital and the VA, residents have the opportunity through electives to work in private practices, rural settings, and international locales.
We have structured our program around the philosophy that residency is a time to focus on your education and that each resident has unique needs. For that reason, we continuously improve and adapt the residency experience in response to housestaff feedback to ensure that each resident gets an excellent educational experience tailored to their individual interests. The attitude of continuous improvement is also demonstrated in our commitment to patient safety and high value care. We value the principles of evidence based medical practice, and the importance of scientific curiosity. Education is a priority for our faculty and the size of our program facilitates a collegial learning environment.
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| Mark Unruh, MD | Sara Combs, MD, MS |
| Department Chair | Residency Program Director |
Dr. Combs obtained her medical degree from the University of Washington (UW) and remained at the UW for internal medicine residency. She pursued nephrology fellowship at the University of Colorado (CU) followed by palliative medicine fellowship back at the UW, before returning to Denver to join CU faculty as a clinician-educator at the Denver VA. At the Denver VA, she served from 2015 to 2019 as medical director of VA hemodialysis unit, which included teaching responsibilities and creating and overseeing both the hemodialysis and palliative nephrology curricula for nephrology fellows.
From 2016-2019 she served as Director of the VA Nephrology and Hypertension Clinic, coordinating the VA ambulatory continuity experience for CU nephrology fellows, and as Director of the Palliative Medicine clinic from 2015-2019, where she de novo developed a robust outpatient palliative care program at the Denver VA. She was VA site director of the CU palliative care fellow continuity experience, created and supervised a home-based palliative care program for fellows, and developed a continuity experience for residents interested in palliative care fellowship during their primary care clinic blocks.
Dr. Combs joined as Internal Medicine (IM) faculty at the University of New Mexico in September 2019 and divides her clinical time between the Divisions of Nephrology and Palliative Medicine. She joined the IM residency program leadership team in January 2020 as Assistant Program Director and expanded that role to Associate Program Director in January 2021. She has been active in trainee education and mentorship, serves on the Program Evaluation Committee and Clinical Competency Committee for the palliative care fellowship, and is involved nationally and internationally in projects to expand trainee and clinician knowledge of palliative and end of life care needs for patients with kidney disease. Dr. Combs has a vision of enhancing our program diversity and improving communication skills across our residency.
Undergrad: University of Kansas
Medical School: University of Washington
Residency: University of Washington
Fellowships: Nephrology: University of Colorado
Palliative Medicine: University of Washington
Professional Interests: Medical education, communication skills training, anything in the intersections of palliative medicine and nephrology.
Personal Interests: Running, hiking, HIIT training, eating good food.
What do you love about New Mexico/UNM? I love the people, the sun, the outdoors and access easy access to foothills, the low cost of living, and my job.
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A. Doran Bostwick, MDAssistant Program DirectorAssistant ProfessorDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care |
Undergrad: Sewanee, University of the South
Medical School: University of Texas, Southwestern
Residency: Duke University
Fellowship: University of Utah (Pulmonary Critical Care)
Professional Interests: Critical care, pulmonary hypertension, social and environmental determinants of health.
Personal Interests: Hiking and biking with my family and pups, rivers, growing and cooking good food, back porch sitting |
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Undergrad: Texas Woman's University
Medical School: University of North Texas HSC Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: University of New Mexico
Professional Interests: Primary care, musculoskeletal medicine, osteopathic manipulative medicine.
Personal Interests: Hiking, antiquing and brunch |
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Mary Lacy, MDAssociate Program DirectorAssociate Clerkship DirectorAssociate ProfessorDivision of Hospital Medicine |
Medical School: University of Louisville (KY)
Residency: University of Washington
Professional Interests: Medical education, high value care and mentorship.
Personal Interests: Spending time with family and friends, hiking, watching/playing sports, trying out new restaurants.
What do you love about New Mexico/UNM? I love the accessibility of the outdoors, the weather, the chile, the laid back and supportive people, and the service-oriented mission of the hospital. |
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Trintje Johansson, DO, MSAssociate Program DirectorAssistant ProfessorDivision of Hospital MedicineVA Academic Hospitalist
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Undergrad: Western Washington University
Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Physicians of the Pacific Northwest
Residency: University of New Mexico, Internal Medicine
Professional Interests: Diversity and Inclusion Medicine, Health equity, Physician Wellness, Resident Education, and Veteran Health
Personal Interests: Hiking, cycling, skiing, all things outdoors, travel, food, and culture.
What do you love about New Mexico/UNM? I love the three Ps on NM – The people, the patients, and the pathology. I adore the people I work with colleagues and learners, I am honored to serve our patient population, and UNM provides an incredible education for residents as the pathology you’ll see here is extensive. I came back to UNM/NM because diversity is welcomed and honored here. I couldn’t be happier to be apart of such a place with its mission to serve the people of the southwest.
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 Cassie Shaw, MDAssociate Program DirectorMedical Director-WestAssistant ProfessorDivision of Hospital Medicine |
Undergrad: Pittsburg State University
Medical School: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Residency: Saint Louis University
Professional Interests: Board prep and efficient teaching on inpatient rounds.
Personal Interests: Traveling, food; any and all games.
What do you love about New Mexico/UNM? As a non-native New Mexican my absolute favorite thing that has drawn me to and kept me in the Land of Enchantment is the weather!! We get all the seasons but they are temperate and the surrounding mountains allow for year round outdoor activities under those perfect blue skies. In specific to UNM, I love how forward thinking and inclusive the hospital and the program are. Finally, everyone is so kind and interested in one another's lives outside of the hospital. Being from Kansas, I never thought I would be able to find that collegiality outside of the midwest and I've been so pleasantly surprised!
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Annashia Shera, MDAssistant Program DirectorMedical Director Southwest Mesa ClinicAssistant ProfessorDivision of General Internal Medicine |
Undergrad: Indiana University
Medical School: University of Arkansas
Residency: University of New Mexico
Professional Interests: Resident Continuity clinic design.
Personal Interests: Cycling, trail running, yoga.
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It was important to me to find a program that valued residents as people and supported them in all endeavors, and I found that at UNM.
Office of Education
Department of Internal Medicine
MSC 10-5550
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131
Phone: 505-272-6331
Email: DOIM-Residency-Staff@salud.unm.edu
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