Erika Shell Castro

This workshop will be an interactive and participatory experience for interpreters to recognize the signs and symptoms of secondary trauma and burnout and to develop a tool kit to navigate their work life with the realities of the professional interpreter.

Erika Shell Castro brings 18 years of experience managing and championing staff interpreters. She is a former Bridging the Gap trainer and a current The Community Interpreter trainer who has trained over 1,000 interpreters across the US.

Learning objectives:

• Recognize the signs and symptoms of secondary trauma and burnout
• Learn coping strategies and create a self-care plan
• Best practices in creating a positive work environment for interpreters

About the presenter:

Erika Shell Castro began her career in Language Services as an advocate. After immigrating to the US with her husband who did not speak English from Guatemala, she witnessed first hand the need for qualified interpreters. She helped to found LEON, an organization that advocates for the needs of new Latino immigrants and La Clinica Latina, a free health clinic at The OSU Medical Center where she currently serves as board president. She was recently elected to the NCIHC board. She built the language services program at Ohio Health starting in 2000 and was recruited 13 years ago to work at Language Access Network as the Director of Interpreter Services. She was promoted to Vice President of Language Services at Martti (formerly LAN) in 2018 where she is responsible for 7 Centers of Excellence as well as the Quality Assurance and Training and Compliance Departments.

Spencer Hardy

Learning objectives:

To recognize the differing identities and unique needs within the LGBTQ community.
To review and discuss ethical scenarios and decision making when working with LGBTQ and Transgender individuals
To identify ways to improve the quality of culturally sensitive care given to LGBTQ patients and families as a cultural mediator.

About the author:

Spencer Hardy, MT-BC completed his undergraduate degree at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and has been a music therapy clinician since 2009. He is currently attending Berklee College of Music in pursuit of his Masters of Music Therapy. Spencer currently works at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, UT where he serves all inpatient units of the hospital. Spencer has participated in work that has been published in peer reviewed journals Music Therapy Perspectives and Arts and Psychotherapy and published a chapter in the textbook Cultural Intersections in Music Therapy: Music, Health, and the Person. Spencer is an advocate for the transgender and LGBTQ+ communities.

Dawn Duran and Melody Fico

This workshop is not language specific, but is given from the perspective of American Sign Language Interpreters. Participants will be introduced to the thirteen competencies of medical interpreters and how they are applicable in real-life interpreting situations. All languages welcome.

Learning objectives:

• Describe the 13 competencies of medical interpreters
• Explain the general application of each competency
• Give examples of applicability of these competencies in their work as a medical interpreter

About Dawn Duran:
Dawn Duran is a RID NIC Advanced, SC:L and Utah State Professionally Certified Interpreter. She hails from Ga, but came to Utah and earned her B.S. in Human Development focusing on Language
Development from Brigham Young University. There she met Deaf friends and fell in love with the
community and language! She has been interpreting since Jan. 1990 and has interpreted in almost every setting, including legal, medical, and mental health. She currently works full-time as the Chief Marketing Officer for ASL Communications, and absolutely loves it! She is also a member of the RID Professional Development Committee (PDC).

About Melody Fico:
Melody Fico holds a CI and CT from RID, as well as the UT‐ Professional certification from the state of Utah. Melody graduated from Ohlone College in Fremont, CA in 2004 with Associates of Arts degrees in: Liberal Arts, ASL/Deaf Studies, and Interpreting; she also holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology which she earned in 2008. Melody primarily works in medical, university and VRS settings. When she is not working, Melody enjoys inventing new recipes, hiking, and camping.

Susam Cullom

Medical interpreters must be familiar with a wide range of medical terminology. They also need to be aware of false cognates and idiomatic expressions used commonly in Medical encounters.  This workshop takes a close look at common false cognates in the medical setting and explores how to recognize and avoid their use. It also covers common idiomatic phrases, typically used by providers, in a medical setting and provides an opportunity to explore and discuss alternatives for the medical interpreter. The purpose of this session is to increase awareness and includes related terminology medical interpreters may encounter.

• Increase awareness of how to avoid false cognates
• Discuss alternatives to common idioms and idiomatic phrases
• Become familiar with related terminology

Learning objectives:

• Recognizing and avoiding the use of false cognates
• Sources to improve your “false cognate IQ”
• Recognizing and interpreting idiomatic phrases in the medical setting

About the presenter:

Susan M Cullom is a Certified Medical Interpreter for English <>Spanish has an MA in linguistics, ASU legal, medical and business translation Certificate, has worked as a Medical Interpreter for Scottsdale Memorial Hospital and Intermountain Healthcare and as an Instructor at Arizona State University and in the Maricopa Community College District. She has been in the medical field for over 28 years.  Susan started interpreting in the late 80’s in the orange fields south of Chandler Az. where there was a great need for her bilingual skills assisting medical professionals in mobile clinics. She spent many years honing her skills in a variety of settings in the US and has been on numerous medical missions to Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. She the process of learning, teaching and sharing experiences as a Medical
Interpreter.

Kalani L. Raphael, MD, MS

Dr. Raphael received his undergraduate degree in Biology from Gonzaga University and his medical degree from the University of Hawaii. He completed Internal Medicine and Nephrology training at the University of Utah and has been on the Faculty since 2009. Dr. Raphael is a specialist in disorders of the kidney, electrolytes, and high blood pressure. Dr. Raphael has significant exposure to patients with LEP needs and understands the importance of interpreter support. His awareness and understanding of medical interpreters comes from personal experience; Dr. Raphael’s wife was a former interpreter.

Ira SenGupta

Advance Care Planning (ACP) is a necessary yet difficult task for physicians and patients in the event of chronic or terminal illness, especially for older adults nearing the end of life. ACP can help “alleviate unnecessary suffering, improve quality of life,” and provide a better idea to patients and caregivers of the challenges to come. The bewildering emotional, cultural and communication barriers that limited or non-English proficient patients and families face in end of life care planning, can be overcome with a well- prepared medical interpreter on the care team. Grounded in the strength of cultural humility, applicable case studies and terminology, attendees will leave this session well prepared to meet the interpreting needs of health systems in ACP for their chronically and terminally ill patients. The session is well paced, interactive and intent on skill building.

Learning objectives:

• The three main barriers to Advance Care Planning (ACP) will be identified and developed
• The current process of ACP decision making will be discussed with a terminology reference sheet
• Attendees will learn and practice the REFLECTION tool to advance interpreting skills in ACP

About the author:

Ira SenGupta is the Executive Director and Lead Trainer of the Cross Cultural Health Care Program (CCHCP) based in Seattle, Washington. Ira co-developed and trains much of CCHCP’s current training curricula for interpreters and health professionals. She is one of the authors and trainers of Bridging the Gap (BTG) the 40 and 64-hour training for medical interpreters. She developed CCHCP’s Patient Guide training program focused on patient centered care and patient safety. An inspirational speaker, she brings to her work a genuine passion, a wealth of stories, an energetic style and applicable tools.

Michael Pedersen
Drawing upon real life examples and experiences, we will explore the challenges that LEP patients face as they navigate the US healthcare system. We will discuss the medical interpreter’s role in aiding caregivers to provide competent care that will help these patients overcome these unique challenges.

Learning objectives:

• Attendees will be able to list three expectations that LEP patients have that determines their satisfaction of care and how these may differ from typical patient expectations.
• Attendees will be able to list what are some of the negative healthcare outcomes that are commonly occurring to LEP patients that are directly linked to a lack of culturally competent care.
• Attendees will be able to list two techniques they can utilize to aid medical providers in culturally adapting their care to meet the patient’s needs

About the author:
Mike Pedersen is a Utah native and has worked in Language Services for Intermountain Healthcare since 2010. He is currently South Service Area Language Services Manager and manages caregivers in multiple facilities. He received his Bachelors from Utah State University and is currently working on his Masters in Health Administration with Weber State. Mike loves working in healthcare and feels so privileged to be involved in Language Services and helping LEP patients living the fullest lives possible.

Maria Call
The day in the life of a Medical interpreter is usually fast paced, moving from helping a patient with a common cold, to an end-of- life Care Conference, to a wound care appointment, and everything in between. Interpreters can wear out and burn out over time, and lose track of why they do what they do. This presentation allows you to take a time-out to ponder about the individual lives of the patients we touch on a daily basis, and remind you that You make a difference.

Learning objectives:

• Rediscover your passion for interpreting, and develop your own plan for rekindling your commitment to medical interpreting and the code of ethics.
• Describe how unmet communication needs impact the patient-provider relationship.
• List safe ways of assuming the patient advocate role.

About the author:

Maria Call grew up in Montevideo, Uruguay until she was fifteen years old when she moved to Salt Lake City, Utah where she graduated high School and attended college. Maria became a Interpreter for Intermountain Health Care in 2004. She has three children a husband and a Saint Bernard puppy. Maria is passionate about her family, her Uruguayan/American culture, latin dancing, karaoke and food.

Carlos D. Marapodi

Interpreters practice and develop their skills as part of performing daily tasks. However, it is in their best interest to have a self-improvement program to improve their skills, expand their active and inactive vocabulary, mental response and speed, understanding of medical procedures, cultural differences, language regional preferences and differences, etc. This presentation will address several well researched methods to accomplish self-improvement, offering explanations and examples.

Learning objectives:

• Interpreters will be able to describe 3 proven professional self-improvement methods they can apply to their practice.
• Attendees will identify self-care techniques to avoid “interpreter burn-out”.
• Attendees will gain understanding of tested mental response and memory improvement techniques for interpreters.

About the author:

Carlos Marapodi studied Translation and Interpretation at Brigham Young University. He worked for WordPerfect Corporation, and Novell for the first 16 years of his professional life. He then moved to the Seattle area to work as a Translation and Interpretation Operations Manager for WorldLink Technologies, a subsidiary of n-Link Corp. During his 12 years of service for this company he managed contracts and services for the Federal, State and local government offices (The US Department of State, several city governments in the State of Washington, local hospitals and industries.) In 2011, Carlos returned to the State of Utah to work for Intermountain Healthcare as a Medical Interpreter. Carlos is a Utah Certified Medical Interpreter.

Jeff Mercer

Martti has been delivering video and audio interpretation in the healthcare industry for 15 years. Other companies have joined the mix and most hospitals have developed video interpretation networks. By combining technology with traditional services hospitals can improve patient care, reduce risk, reduce costs and better compete in the healthcare market. If you have a patient who doesn’t speak English, VRI can provide the solution. If you have a need for a remote specialist in neurology, telemedicine can provide the solution. If you have a need for a remote specialist and language services, those technologies can combine to provide the solution. If you need to add a family member or doctor in another country, this technology can provide multiple parties to the solution. Technology has allowed us to bring the best of medical care and interpretation together. However, technology does not replace on-site care, that is often essential to successful patient outcomes.

Learning objectives:

• Technology greatly reduces disparities in patient care; provides equal access for anyone anywhere.
• Technology complements, does NOT replace, traditional modes of interpretation.
• Telemedicine services are a great compliment to video remote interpretation technically and in practice.

About the presenter:

Jeff Mercer got a BA degree in international relations at Brigham Young University with minors in business and Portuguese, then received his international MBA from the University of Denver. He has worked in telecom and healthcare most of his career with 13 years in the medical interpretation industry. He has lived in Canada, Spain and Brazil and traveled extensively around the world (all 6 inhabited continents) and has a passion for international cultures and patient care. He currently resides in Denver, Colorado with his wife and 3 of their 5 children.

Ingrid Oseguera

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is considered the most significant healthcare legislation after the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It’s a law that protects the privacy and security of the personal health information (PHI) of the patient. It applies to anyone who has access to
PHI, which includes interpreters. If you are a legal, community, or court interpreter that has access to any of the 18 identifiers of PHI, you must comply with HIPAA. Knowing about HIPAA protects the patient and your profession as well.

Learning objectives:

• Provide a definition and overview of HIPAA.
• Explain why HIPAA is a law and not just an ethical issue.
• List 18 HIPPA identifiers interpreters need to know to ensure compliance and patient safety.

Ingrid is originally from the land of the Mayans, Guatemala.  When she was little she learned to speak Kaqchikel.  She always loved languages.  Ingrid is a mother of three wonderful kids. She has been an interpreter for the state of Utah during the last 17 years, serving her community as
a court, community and medical interpreter.  She has taught Bridging the Gap and Community Interpreting as well as Cultural Competence. She holds the Utah court and medical certification. She is part of the team of Spanish interpreters for the IHC-Utah. She is a member of NAJIT, IMIA, CHIA, NATI. President of UTIA and the Spanish Club at Weber State University.

Silvia Castro, MBA

Everyday people start a business but without knowing the right steps and elements they need to integrate and consider so they don’t become part of the statistic of businesses that fail which is that 50% of businesses fail within the first 5 years. Our session will cover the essential components that help make a business successful, you will learn how to set up a business the right way, find the right customer, how to project the right marketing image to your clients and different digital tools you can use.

Learning objectives:

• How to start your business.
• How to market your business.
• How to make money from your business.

About the presenter:

Silvia has more than 18 years of experience working with enterprises and organizations of all sizes. She has worked extensively with executives and entrepreneurs on a consulting basis, launched her own businesses, and worked with Fortune 500 companies and forward-looking non-profits such as the Utah Microenterprise Loan Fund and the Goldman Sachs 10K Program. Her love for entrepreneurs began in 1999 when she worked as the Assistant Director at the Women’s Business Center.

She holds an MBA with an emphasis in International Business from the University of Utah and a bachelor’s degree in International Business from Westminster College.

Teddi Covey von Pingel

Teddi von Pingel is currently enrolled in the Ed.D. Program in Leadership and Innovation at Arizona State University. As a doctoral student, she has engaged in preliminary cycles of research to collect data on the interactions between ASL/English interpreters and Deaf consumers prior to medical appointments. The data collected will shed some light on perceptions of both Deaf consumers and ASL/English interpreters related to the ‘first impressions’ prior to any appointment.

The presentation will highlight themes found in the research and provide participants an opportunity to share their own experiences as interpreters or consumers in a medical setting. Together, the participants will brainstorm solutions to common issues faced when meeting a client/interpreter prior to a medical appointment. The presenter will share narratives from past research participants on their ideas about improving ‘first impressions’.

Learning objectives:

• Understand what factors influence ‘first impressions’ between interpreters, clients, and consumers.
• Describe systemic problems that may contribute to a relationship disconnect between consumer and interpreter.
• Create solutions to improve the ‘first impressions’ between interpreter, consumer, and client

About the author:

Teddi Covey von Pingel is a faculty member at the VRS Interpreting Institute. Teddi has a MS degree in ASL/English Interpreting: Interpreting Pedagogy from the University of North Florida, an undergraduate degree from UVU in Deaf Studies with an Interpreting Emphasis, and currently enrolled in the Ed.D. program in Leadership and Innovation through Arizona State University. Teddi has been a working interpreter for over 25 years and teaching interpreters for the past 20 years. Her research and passion relate to the ‘soft skills’ of interpreting and encouraging new interpreters to make connections often and early.

Rogelio González, Intermountain Healthcare/Utah Valley Hospital

Understanding and knowing how to work as a medical interpreter in the mental health environment is essential to the effective and accurate communication of information for patients and medical providers. In order to promote and encourage a healthy and positive relationship of trust between medical providers and mental health patients an interpreter must know and understand some of the mental health challenges that they will encounter with patients. Interpreters need to develop the skills for managing these difficult situations and be sensitive to and effective with patients who suffer from the various mental health disorders. Diagnosis by physicians is critical and the communication between providers and patients must be accurate for correct diagnosis and treatment.

The focus will be on providing some education and understanding of how to improve our communication with both the provider and the patient through new medical interpreter concepts and skills that have been developed throughout the country for working with mental health patients. In addition, we hope to bring awareness of the skill-set and accuracy that patients and providers need from medical interpreters in order to provide a more accurate diagnosis and treatment plan that can assist patients and their families. It will also address the need for specialized training in the field of interpretation for mental health patients. This presentation is designed for community and medical interpreters, healthcare managers and providers, and professionals who work with mental health individuals.

About the author:

Rogelio González attended Brigham Young University and studied, “Language Translation for a Court of Law” and is currently employed by Intermountain Healthcare at Utah Valley Hospital. In the last 35 years he has presented many interpretation workshops to court and medical Interpreters, Judges and Attorney Conferences, medical and business professionals, and local universities throughout the State. Roger continues to promote the interpretation and translation career fields and maintains a love and passion for this work. He has often been referred to as, “the Father of Translation” since he was one of the early pioneers in this field within the State of Utah. Currently he serves as one of the teachers and trainers for the nationally known Bridging the Gap program and is licensed by the State of Utah as a professional Interpreter and translator.