HABLAMoS Medical Spanish, Designated Emphasis

School of Medicine

Ann Cheney (Professor SMPPH), Director Jacqueline Moreira, Program Coordinator

Advisory Committee & Participating Faculty Nuria Rico, SMPPH

The Designated Emphasis in Medical Spanish or HABLAMoS (Hispanic and Bilingual Ambulatory Medical Studies) is a four-year language learning program that includes classroom instruction and experiential learning opportunities in Spanish-speaking clinics, communities, and families in Inland Southern California and urban and rural Spanish-speaking clinics. Students of all language levels can join the program in their first or second year of graduate or 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 the 17.5 hours for the medical Spanish selective.

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 12 hours of language learning. This includes 8 hours of case-based learning, taught by native Spanish-speaking physicians, 6 hours of conversational Spanish with native Spanish speakers.

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. Activ- ities include up to 50 hours of independent completion of online language learning models via CanopyLearn, recipient of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) innovation award recipient.

4. Year four: immerses students in Spanish- 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 dynamics, and patient experiences in clinical spaces. Students can select from two activities: Clinical rotation: A four-week clinical rotation with a preceptor with a Spanish- speaking patient panel, 4 hours of online Medical Spanish classes, 4 hours of online Medical Spanish classes, 4 hours of anatomy and systems review, 3 hours of seminar, and a final public health talk. Scholarly Activity: A four-week scholarly activity involving the qualitative analysis of a Spanish-language dataset to inform evidence-based clinical practice. The activity includes 4 hours of online Medical Spanish classes, 4 hours of anatomy and systems review, 4 hours of seminar, 4 hours of conversation with a community health worker/promotora, and a final public health talk.

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.