HABLAMoS Medical Spanish, Designated Emphasis

School of Medicine

Ann Cheney (Associate Professor SMPPH), Director Lucero Vaca, Program Coordinator

Advisory Committee & Participating Faculty Brigham Willis (Pediatrics)

The Designated Emphasis in Medical Spanish or HABLAMoS (Hispanic and Bilingual Ambula- tory Medical Studies) is a four-year language learning program that includes classroom in- struction and experiential learning opportuni- ties in Spanish-speaking clinics, communities, and families in Inland Southern California and urban and rural Spanish-speaking countries. Students of all language levels can join the program any time during their first two years of medical school. Students must complete a minimum of 200 hours of Spanish-language learning spread out across their graduate or medical education to receive the DE in Medical Spanish.

1. Year one: builds the foundation for Spanish-language learning in medical contexts. Students receive one unit of selective credit on their transcript by completing 16 of 20 available activity hours for the medical Spanish selective.

A summer medical Spanish immersion program provides opportunities for students to learn from native speaking patients, doctors, and medical students in a Spanish-speaking country. Students also learn about the country’s healthcare and public health systems. 2. Year two: strengthens students’ language skills and emphasizes oral communication in clinical encounters with Spanish-speaking patients and families. Students participate in a minimum of 20 hours of language learning. This includes 10 hours of case-based learning, taught by native Spanish-speaking physicians, 3 hours of conversational Spanish with community members, 3 hours of one-on-one instruction or collection/analysis of Spanish text on health-related topic.

3. Year three: deepens students’ medical Spanish vocabulary and cultural humility in the context of caring for Spanish-speaking patients. Students work independently on their written and oral language skills. Activities include 40 hours of independent completion of online language learning models via CanopyLearn, recipient of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) innovation award recipient, oral presentation of practice improvement or research project, one-on-one instruction.

4. Year four: immerses students in Span- ish-speaking clinics and families in Inland Southern California and provides experiential learning into the cultural and structural factors that shape the health of Latino patients, patient-provider dynam- ics, and patient experiences in clinical spaces. Activities include: Four-week stay with a Spanish-speaking Latino family, 30-hour clinic rotation with a preceptor with a Spanish-speaking patient panel, 8 hours of online Spanish grammar instruc- tion, attend 6 hours of virtual classroom discussion.

All requirements for the Designated Emphasis must be satisfied no later than one calendar year from the quarter in which candidate advances to candidacy in their PhD field or the final block in undergraduate medical educa- tion; a minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for the Designated Emphasis completion.