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In this episode, we have the opportunity to meet and learn from Dr. Alexandra López-Vera. Dr. López-Vera is an Assistant Professor of Medical Education and Director of the Medical Spanish Program at California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM). She also serves as an Instructor and Certified Rater for the Physician Oral Language Observation Matrix (POLOM) at the Center for Clinician Multilingualism and is the Vice-Chair of NAMS (National Association of Medical Spanish). We discuss how Dr. López-Vera's training across Spain, England, Canada, and the United States reshaped her understanding of language access; moving it from an individual skill to a structural, institutional responsibility. She shares her perspective on the role and risks of artificial intelligence in medical interpreting, and why AI cannot replace language-concordant care without deepening a "two-tiered" system for patients who speak Spanish. We also explore how she designs and continually refines the Medical Spanish program at CUSM through student feedback, where she hopes to take the course next, and how medical Spanish scholarship has grown and gained recognition over the course of her career.

If you wish to connect with Dr López-Vera you can connect with her via her website at https://alexandralopezvera.com/

To learn more about NAMS membership benefits, visit https://www.namspanish.org/resources
Student memberships are free!

Hosted by: Manuel Panzardi
Guests: Dr. Alexandra López-Vera, PhD, MPH, CHES
NAMS Medcast Production Team:

Alexis Spencer, Ana Suarez, Manuel Panzardi, Rafael Ramos, Vera Arenas, Nicole Perez

Intro and Outro Music:
Bossa Samba Ballad by Studio Le Bus
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