.jpg "Meet the 2026 Leadership College Graduate: Austin Lunney, MD")
Austin Lunney, MD, has been around educators his whole life.
He grew up with teacher parents in Abilene, a dynamic that shaped his role in the community.
“My dad was the band director at a school here for about 20 years,” Dr. Lunney said. “I have patients that said, ‘Oh, I remember you when you were in kindergarten running around the band hall.’ And now I’m their doctor.”
Practicing medicine and raising a family – 7-, 5- and 1-year-old boys with wife Brenna – in his hometown felt like a natural fit.
For his Texas Medical Association Leadership College capstone project, Dr. Lunney did what comes naturally – he taught medicine. His young learners seemed a tad skeptical, though.
“Unfortunately, especially with little kids, there's a negative connotation with going to the doctor, and you get shots and things like that,” Dr. Lunney said.
His sister-in-law, a kindergarten teacher in Abilene, hosted a career day event where a local doctor, firefighter, and police officer talked with kids about what they do.
“The whole point of what I speak to them about is just showing them my tools that I use,” he said. The kids got to see an otoscope, gloves, and hand sanitizer. He explained why physicians wear masks.
“It’s scary because you can’t see behind them, but it’s there to protect you and protect the doctor,” he said.
Getting a shot might hurt, Dr. Lunney tells them, but the tools that physicians use won’t.
Having a physician explain what actually happens in the doctor’s office may calm nervous children, and over time, shape a more positive lifelong view of medicine.
“There’s no reason to be scared by going to the doctor or getting their heart checked or their ears looked at,” Dr. Lunney said. “That really was my main point and what I really try to emphasize to them.”
For more information on the Leadership College including the application and selection process, visit its webpage