The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently highlighted a program to prepare interpreters for those who are deaf at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) and the work of Jackson Nguyen, MD.
The Ascension Medical Group family medicine physician recently hosted eight American Sign Language interpreting students at Ascension Columbia St. Mary's - Prospect Medical Commons for a simulation so they could get real-world experience in a medical setting.
This was the third year that Dr. Nguyen has assisted in student training but the first year it’s been done in person due to COVID-19, according to the Journal Sentinel. His wife, Karen, is an associate lecturer in UWM’s Interpreter Training Program.
A son of Vietnamese immigrants, Dr. Nguyen is interested in helping underserved communities and knows what it can be like to navigate healthcare in the midst of communication barriers.
“Growing up, I would have to interpret for my parents speaking Vietnamese, and as a kid you really don’t want to interpret,” he told the Journal Sentinel. “When you’re talking to a doctor, there can be a lot lost in translation.”
Collaborations like this help address the social determinants of health, reduce barriers to access healthcare and improve health equity.
