Rate My Professor Lis Heath

Dr Lis Heath (née Latta) is a Senior Lecturer and Module Convener at the Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, within the Faculty of Medicine. A registered nurse (RN) with a Master of Nursing (MN) and a PhD awarded in 2024 from the University of Otago, her doctoral research examined New Zealand medical and nursing graduates' preparation, self-efficacy, and attitudes towards providing palliative and end-of-life care. Drawing on over 20 years of clinical experience in hospice palliative care, neurosurgery, neurology, internal medicine, coronary care, and aged care, Dr Heath now dedicates her career to advancing undergraduate medical education in palliative care.

She convenes the Early Professional Experience (EPE) vertical module for years 2-3 medical students, fostering resilient and reflective practitioners through experiential learning, and the Palliative Medicine and End of Life Care (PEOLC) vertical module integrated throughout the undergraduate degree. Her research interests encompass undergraduate palliative care education, curriculum development, and evaluation, including a current qualitative study on the effectiveness of a national palliative medicine curriculum. Key publications include "Palliative and end of life care in undergraduate medical education: a survey of New Zealand medical schools" (BMC Medical Education, 2022), "Preparing nurses for palliative and end of life care: A survey of New Zealand nursing schools" (Nurse Education Today, 2021), "Narratives of loss: the impact of Covid-19 lockdown on experiences of loss, grief, and bereavement" (Journal of Primary Health Care, 2022), and "Teaching palliative care skills" (Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand, 2020). Dr Heath contributes to the Otago Medical School Senior Leadership Team and serves on the ELM Assessment Subcommittee, ELM Curriculum Subcommittee, and Student Progress Committee. She is also the regional liaison for the Palliative Care Aotearoa Research Network and participates in national working groups on palliative care curricula.