Dr. Glenn Martinez
Dean of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts, Professor of Spanish, Bicultural/Bilingual Studies, and Public Health, Stumberg Distinguished University Chair, The University of Texas at San Antonio
“Teaching Spanish for Health Equity and Justice in Latinx communities: Reflections on Spanish in healthcare in and beyond COVID-19.”
“The field of teaching Spanish for health professionals has grown considerably over the past two decades. From its beginnings in the 1970s as a “boutique-style” offering molded in the ESP tradition, Spanish for health professionals has blossomed into a multi-disciplinary educational enterprise that spans the medical education pipeline from the undergraduate level through to professional school programs and residencies across the health care disciplines. The National Association for Medical Spanish (NAMS) founded in 2018 reflects the progress and growing interest in the field. In this talk, I will reflect on the growth of the field and consider the ways in which the simultaneity of a global pandemic and a racial reckoning in the US have fundamentally altered its course of development. After describing these changes, I will outline a model of teaching Spanish for health equity and justice that emphasizes ethical listening, raciolinguistic perspectives, and continuous critical reflection. I will provide examples of how this model is put into practice and highlight outcomes in multiple educational settings.”
Join us in exploring language and equity with Dr. Martinez’s keynote address on Friday, Oct. 21st, 6:00-7:30.
