Bilingual Health Scholarly Concentration

Graduating Healthcare Professionals Literate in Medical Spanish

Medical students walking in the beach talking to each other

The Bilingual Health Scholarly Concentration (BHSC) offers medical students a unique opportunity to integrate medical knowledge in Spanish throughout their four years of medical education. This one-of-a-kind curriculum enhances students' communication skills and strengthens their ability to effectively serve Spanish-speaking patient populations.

Students may choose to pursue the BHSC independently or combine it with credits from one of the partnered concentrations listed below under Curriculum.

Upon completion, students will graduate with:

  • Practical experience in utilizing Spanish medical terminology for patient education and care.
  • A Certificate of Completion, recognized in the commencement program.
  • A graduation chord, symbolizing their achievement.

This scholarly concentration empowers students to make meaningful contributions to healthcare in Spanish-speaking communities, preparing them for the evolving needs of a diverse patient base.

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Concentration Contacts

Norma A. Pérez Raifaisen, MD, DrPH, CPC, ELI-MP

Director, Bilingual Health Scholarly Concentration

Curriculum and Capstone Project MEHU 4411

Salud Para Todos

medical symbol snake and staff

  • Medical Spanish course that meets from 12-1 PM every other week starting in October 2025 (specific date TBA).
  • Mentees will be paired with bilingual mentors and cover the material.
  • Students must meet with Dr. Pérez in order to be approved to become mentors, unless they served as a mentor the year before or they are native Spanish speakers.
  • There are no grades or homework, except the session quizzes, which must be completed with an average grade of a 70% or above.
  • All levels are welcome!
  • We will meet for 11 sessions, including an OSCE in Spanish at the end. The material is in a shared Google Classroom, and it consists of:
    • A basic grammar portion, which includes pronunciation, accents, conjugations, gender and plurality, direct and indirect objectives, and commands.
    • A cultural discussion with their mentor about cultural differences in healthcare experience and delivery between Hispanic/Latinx cultures and American culture.
    • A clinical application scenario composed of all the elements of the medical intro (i.e. HPI, ROS, physical exam, etc.) and other additional sessions such as working with an interpreter and taking vitals.
  • New sign-up form will be available in September 2025!

Partners