Alia Moore, MD, MPH
Residency: Internal Medicine, University of Colorado
Alia was born and raised in Nevada, trained in Colorado, and worked in California before moving to the Triangle. Prior to joining the UNC Palliative Care and Hospice Fellowship, she oversaw primary care operations at one of the world’s largest jails while also providing medical care to the incarcerated population there. Her interest in the justice system was piqued during residency when she took care of jail and prison patients for the first time. She was struck by how little they resembled the “scary” inmates she saw on television, but also by the unique health and socioeconomic challenges they faced. After digging further into the fraught and horrific history of incarceration in America, she chose to pursue a career in which she could help those patients to the best of her abilities.
Until now she has focused on primary care, but her favorite parts of medicine – communication, quality of life, goals of care, teamwork, ethics, self-reflection, and patient-provider relationships – always seemed to align well with the palliative care and hospice ethos. She has also seen, far too often, how painful and heartbreaking illness and end-of-life can be when palliative and hospice services are declined or simply not offered, usually because they are misunderstood. She hopes to help bridge those gaps in understanding so patients, their loved ones, and their caregivers can make truly informed decisions. This is particularly important in correctional settings, where palliative options are severely lacking despite the high incidence of chronic illness and an aging inmate population. Naturally, she is thrilled by the opportunity to work with and learn from the progressive, compassionate, and enthusiastic PCH teams at UNC and Transitions LifeCare, who have been incredibly supportive of her correctional interests.
Ultimately, she hopes to parlay her primary care and palliative/hospice skills into projects that expand access to those medical services for people who are incarcerated.
She lives with her partner and shih tzu. In her downtime she writes fiction, watches birds, and plays video games.
