Urska Lunder, MD

Attending Physician
University Clinic for Respiratory Diseases,
Golnik

Director, Palliative Care Development Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia

E-mail: urska.lunder@mail.ljudila.org

Dr. Urska Lunder has played a leading role in Slovenia in developing and delivering organized palliative care to patients and their families. After pioneering the bone marrow transplantation procedures implementation in the transplantation team at the University Clinical Center Ljubljana, she shifted her career towards development of palliative care. With her colleagues she founded the Palliative Care Development Institute Ljubljana in 2000. She is particularly interested in the education of communication in palliative care, where she’s developed innovative teaching models with experiential interactive learning and role playing. Through her work at the Palliative Care Development Institute Ljubljana, Dr. Lunder is committed to establishing palliative care teams and units in Slovenia’ major health care institutions.

Download and Read Urska’s Personal Story (343 KB)

Other Appointments

• President, Slovenian Palliative Medicine Society
  Invited Faculty, University Ljubljana, Medical University

Key Accomplishments

• Public Campaign Lead, raising awareness about palliative care through published patients’ stories, 2010
• Appointed as a professional lead in a Pilot project at the Ministry for Health of Implementing High-quality Palliative Care into three regions in Slovenia, 2009-2010
• National lead and a collaborator in the EU 7th Framework Support/Collaboration Project – OPCARE9 with aim of optimizing care for cancer patients in the last days of life, 2008-2011
• Member, International OPCARE9 Research Consortium
• Member, International Reference Group for the development and implementation of the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient
• Past President, Professional Advising Committee for Palliative Care at the Ministry of Health

Education / Honors

• Leader, International Palliative Care Leadership Development Initiative, The Institute for Palliative Medicine at San Diego Hospice, San Diego, CA, USA, 2010-2011
• Fellow, International Palliative Medicine Fellowship, Institute for Palliative Medicine at San Diego Hospice, 2007-2009
• Post-graduate training, International Policy Fellowship, Central European University Budapest, 2004-2005
• Specialist in Transfusiology with Hematology, University Ljubljana, Medical Faculty, 1989
• Medical Degree, University Ljubljana, Medical Faculty, 1984

Books

• Lunder U. Paliativna oskrba (2012). Univerzitetna klinika za respiratorne in pljučne bolezni Golnik. Ljubljana: Zavod za razvoj paliativne oskrbe. In press
• Peternelj A, Lunder U. (2010). Izvajanje celostne paliativne oskrbe v ljubljanski, gorensjki in pomurski regiji. Ljubljana, Ministrstvo za zdravje

Key Presentations

• Communication at the End-of-Life. Public Lecture. Speaker at TEDx Maribor, February 4, 2012
• Provision of Palliative Care Services to Patients in Slovenia. Italian National Congress of Palliative Care, Trieste, Italy, October 26-28, 2011
• Quality indicators in Palliative Care Provision at the University Clinic for Respiratory and Allergic Diseases Golnik. Golniški simpozij, Lunder U, Slak J, Benedik V, Jakhel T, Mikloša P, Simonic A, Adamic K, October 3, 2011
• Status of Palliative Care in Slovenia. Golniški simpozij, October 3, 2011

Resources

• University Clinic for Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, Golnik
• Interview October 6, 2010

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