Meet the team

Liz Cruz, M.D. Gastroenterology

Dr. Cruz graduated from college in 1988 with a B.S. in Medical Technology. Prior to Medical School, she taught English for one year in Bangkok Thailand. In 1989, Dr. Cruz began her formal career in medicine by attending Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California. During medical school, Dr. Cruz was part of a student/staff physician team, which provided relief work to the natives along the Amazon River. She graduated from medical school in 1993 and then went on to do her Internal Medicine Internship under the auspices of the U.S. Navy at the Naval Hospital, Oakland, California.

Upon the closure of the Naval Hospital in Oakland, Dr. Cruz transferred and completed her internal medicine residency at the University of California, San Francisco. In 1996, she was deployed to Guam to fulfill her commitment to the U.S. Navy. While in Guam, she served as a Staff Internist at the U.S. Naval Hospital. During her active duty years in the Navy, she received the Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal as well as the Humanitarian Service Medal and the National Defense Medal for service during Operation Desert Storm. During her last two years in Guam, she was the Head of the Internal Medicine Division at the U.S. Naval Hospital.

In 2000, she went back to the University of California, San Francisco where she completed her training in Gastroenterology (GI). In 2004, Dr. Cruz moved to Arizona to join the Arizona Medical Clinic in Peoria. For two and a half years she served as a full-time gastroenterologist in both the outpatient and inpatient settings doing the full range of general gastroenterology including endoscopic procedures as well as hepatology. In January 2007, Dr. Cruz joined Estrella Gastroenterology in Goodyear, Arizona. In January 2008, she opened the doors to her own practice, Dr. Liz Cruz Partners in Digestive Health.

Dr. Cruz was born in Los Angeles, California, and was raised in Orlando, Florida. She speaks fluent Spanish and enjoys her family, traveling, jazz music, and photography.

Dr. Cruz is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Gastroenterology. She is a member of the American Gastroenterological Association and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Tina Nunziato, CHNC

Tina Nunziato graduated from the Arizona State University College of Business Honors Program in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing. After graduation, Ms. Nunziato took a job as a Marketing Analyst for a local telecommunications vendor, now Lucent Technologies. She quickly moved out of market research and into business development as a Marketing Specialist where she worked on various new product and joint venture initiatives.

In late 1999, during the dot-com boom, Ms. Nunziato moved to San Francisco to start a web-based software company. Focused on the park and recreation market, the company went through many strategy iterations before it found its niche. In her role as COO and eventually CEO, Ms. Nunziato experienced all facets of the business from raising capital and product design to selling, training, and supporting customers.

In May of 2003, subsequent to selling her company to one of the industry competitors, Ms. Nunziato came back to her roots here in the valley. She accepted a position as the Director of Marketing with Carefx Corporation a healthcare software company in Scottsdale.

In 2007 Ms. Nunziato decided to try her hand in medicine when she started Dr. Liz Cruz Partners in Digestive Health with her life and business partner Dr. Liz Cruz. Ms. Nunziato and Dr. Cruz decided to take medicine one step further by offering a wellness program through their office. In conjunction with and to support this business Ms. Nunziato went back to school to receive her Certificate in Holistic Nutrition in 2010. Since then both businesses have been growing as they continue to help patients year after year with their digestive diseases, sluggishness, and weight gain.

It is the passion of both Ms. Nunziato and Dr. Cruz to get the digestive wellness message to as many people as possible as fast as possible so to help heal a nation.

Zsazsa Zuniga, Certified Nutritionist & Health Coach

Zsazsa Zúñiga was born and raised in Reynosa (Mexico), she graduated from college in 2009 from UANL in Monterrey Nuevo León, with an B.S. in Nutrition. She worked for 5 years in the Diabetes area in a Vascular Medical Clinic. In 2013, Zsazsa got married and moved to West Texas. She started her wellness education there by becoming a Nutritionist Health Coach (IIN) and since then, she has gotten very passionate about gut health because everything starts in the gut. In 2016, she moved to Brownsville Texas and soon became a mother to two amazing children, a boy and a girl. As a Mom, she is now more than ever interested in the importance of wellness and nutrition. She went back to school and in 2021 she got her Functional Gut Health Certification. Zsazsa enjoys big family gatherings, and loves spending quality time with her family. It nurtures her to connect with her love ones, including friends. Zsazsa is very excited to be part of the Dr. Liz Cruz team, even from Texas she feels like she is part of it all.

Patricia Cano, Certified Nutritionist & Health Coach

Patricia Cano joined Dr. Cruz's team as a Holistic Nutritionist in 2022. She attended school to become a Holistic Nutrition and Wellness Practitioner in 2019 and then in 2020 was trained by the National Academy of Sports Medicine as a Fitness Educator and Behavior Change Specialist. Her passion for helping others get well has led her to work in many different settings where she has supported individuals with various health conditions. She believes that the best way to achieve happiness and health is to take a holistic approach. Patricia who is fluent in Spanish, was born in Guanajuato, Mexico and was raised in Phoenix, AZ since the age of 2. She enjoys spending quality time with her husband, daughter and son and loves the outdoors, reading, as well as expanding her knowledge in health and biblical studies.