Anne M. Walling

Anne M. Walling, MD, PhD

Professor, Department of Medicine, General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research
Director, UCLA Palliative Care Research Center

Specialty

Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Institutional Affiliation

Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System

Languages

English

Education

Fellowships

STAR Fellowship in General Medicine/Health Services Research, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, 2008 - 2010
National Service Research Award Fellowship in Health Services Research, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, 2006 - 2009
Kennamer Ethics Fellowship, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, 2006 - 2008

Internship

New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical College, 2003 - 2004

Degrees

PhD, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, 2010
MD, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, 2003

Residency

Internal Medicine, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, 2004 - 2006

Board Certifications

Hospice and Palliative Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine, 2011
Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine, 2006

Contact Information

Phone

Clinical Interests

Palliative and Supportive Care

Scientific Interests

Dr. Anne M. Walling, MD, PhD, is Director of Palliative Care Research for the Department of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research at UCLA, Assistant Medical Director of UCLA Health’s Advance Care Planning initiative and a palliative care physician and PhD-trained health services researcher. The focus of her research has been on palliative care quality measurement and stakeholder-partnered implementation research with the goal of improving care for patients with serious illness. Her work with quality measures has led in part to the National Quality Forum Endorsement for key palliative care quality indicators and national guidelines for integrating palliative care into end stage liver disease.  She is a fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), a Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program Grantee (Cambia Health Foundation), and Chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Palliative Care Guidelines Committee. She is PI and co-PI for grants and contracts from federal and nonfederal sources.

Highlighted Publications

Walling A, Lorenz KA, Dy SM, Naeim A, Sanati H, Asch SM, Wenger NS.  Evidence-based Recommendations for Information and Care Planning in Cancer Care. J Clin Oncol. 2008 Aug 10;26(23):3896-902. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2007.15.9509. Review.

Walling AM, Tisnado D, Asch SM, Malin JM, Pantoja P, Dy SM, Ettner SL, Zisser AP, Schreibeis-Baum H, Lee M, Lorenz KA.  The Quality of Supportive Cancer Care in the Veterans Affairs Health System and Targets for Improvement. JAMA Intern Med. 2013 Dec 9-23;173(22):2071-9. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.10797. Erratum in: JAMA Intern Med. 2014 Nov;174(11):1875. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.10797.

D’Ambruoso SF, Glaspy JA, Hurvitz SA, Wenger NS, Pietras C, Ahmed K, Drakaki A, Goldman JW, Anand S, Simon W, Kung J, Coscarelli A, Rosen LS, Peddi PF, Wong DJL, Santos K, Phung P, Karlin D, Walling AM.  Impact of a Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner in an Oncology Clinic: A Quality Improvement Effort.  JCO Oncol Pract.  2022 Apr;18(4):e484-e494. doi: 10.1200/OP.21.00046. Epub 2021 Nov 8.

Walling AM, Lorenz KA, Yuan A, O’Hanlon CE, McClean M, Ljungberg BF, Giannitrapani KF, Bozkurt S, Anand S, Glaspy J, Wenger NS, Lindvall C.  Creating a Learning Health System in a Cancer Center: Generalizability of an Electronic Health Record Phenotype for Advanced Solid Cancer.  JCO Oncol Pract. 2025 Mar;21(3):373-379. doi: 10.1200/OP.24.00389. Epub 2024 Oct 10.

Shah MP, Wenger NS, Glaspy J, Hays RD, Sudore RL, Rahimi M, Gibbs L, Anand S, Tseng CH, Walling AM.  Patient-Reported Discordance Between Care Goals and Treatment Intent in Advanced Cancer.  Cancer. 2025 Sep 1;131(17):e35976. doi: 10.1002/cncr.35976.