Lompoc Health Welcomes Family Medicine Physician Dr. Laura Nunes

Lompoc Valley Medical Center and Lompoc Health are pleased to welcome board-certified Family Medicine physician Dr. Laura Nunes to the medical staff.

Dr. Nunes is now seeing patients at Lompoc Health – North Third Center. She is one of four new physicians recruited by LVMC to expand healthcare services in the community this year.

Dr. Nunes, a native of Portugal who moved to Southern California in young adulthood, was most recently associated with a family medicine practice in Laguna Niguel.

Fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese, Dr. Nunes earned her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine and completed her residency at the University of California San Francisco - Fresno. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of California, Long Beach.

Dr. Nunes’ interest in medicine began as a teenager, when her paternal grandmother was diagnosed with a heart condition and she saw how treatment information was relayed to the older woman. Dr. Nunes experienced illnesses herself as a youngster and again in college, giving her first-hand knowledge of how physicians interact with patients. For the latter, she was healed by her primary care physician, a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, or D.O., who focused on holistic, patient-centered care utilizing comprehensive training in the musculoskeletal system.

“I saw my primary care doctor as so versatile,” she recalls. “That led me to family medicine specialty.”

Her primary focus is on the care of adult patients, particularly those with chronic diseases. She also advocates for preventative medicine, and her background in psychology and psychiatry training during her residency enables her to treat patients with anxiety and depression.

“I like to listen to patients, because I think that’s such an important aspect of medicine,” Dr. Nunes said. “If the patient doesn’t feel listened to, they don’t connect with you. If they don’t connect with you, they’re not going to follow the (medical) recommendations as well.”

She said that “In the past, physicians were largely focused on determining a diagnosis and offering treatment. Now, we’ve become more aware of looking at the person as a whole; and see what factors influence this person’s current situation and what can we do to influence the outcome.” Dr. Nunes says,“If we don’t look at the person as a whole, then just diagnosing and giving a prescription is not going to do it for most. You can treat the patient as a whole in Family Medicine.”

More recently, Dr. Nunes said she was looking for a place to practice medicine that was “calmer,” with a slower pace of life. “When I came in for the interview here, I felt so welcomed,” she says. “I felt a connection. I felt a sense of community. I was like, ‘This is it.’”

In her free time, Dr. Nunes enjoys walking on the beach to collect shells and rocks, as well as hiking and bicycling.

To make an appointment with Dr. Nunes, please call 805-736-1253.