2025
Language Access in Healthcare Symposium
Presented by the Center for Surgery and Public Health
Language barriers are a critical, yet often overlooked, dimension of improving health care experiences and outcomes. The 2025 Language Access in Healthcare Symposium (LAHS) will offer researchers, administrators, policymakers, and hospital system leaders the opportunity to learn about pivotal research, policies, and initiatives aimed at improving language access within health systems.
Join us to connect with your peers, hear from experts, and learn about how we can build a more accessible healthcare system for patients with language access needs.
Markell Conference Center, Assembly Row | 399 Revolution Dr, Somerville, MA 02145
9:00AM – 9:30AM: Welcome & Opening Remarks
- Gezzer Ortega, MD, MPH; Lead Faculty for Research and Innovation for Equitable Surgical Care; Center for Surgery and Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Jorge Rodriguez, MD; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Rose Molina, MD, MPH; Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Biology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Zara Cooper, MD, MSc; Kessler Director, Center for Surgery and Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Sucharita Kher, MD; Vice Chair, Clinical Operations and Quality, Medicine, Tufts Medical Center
9:30AM – 10:35AM Quickshot Presentations
- Beier Nelson and Aditya Tummala; Co-Founders and Executive Directors, The Health Fluency Project
- Joana Tudela, MA, MPH; Founder and CEO, Culturizing Access
- Ingrid Palacios; Multicultural Community Outreach Program Manager, New England Donor Services
- Leonor Fernandez, MD; Medical Director, Beth Israel Lahey Health, Health Equity
10:35AM – 10:50AM: Break
10:50AM – 11:20AM: Quickshot Presentations (Continued)
- Giovanni Rodriguez, MD; Emergency Department Clinical Director, BWH
- Luciana Canestraro, MHA; Director of Interpreter Services, Boston Children’s Hospital
- Beverly Wong, Tufts Medical Center
11:20AM – 12:15PM: Keynote
- Leah Karliner, MD, MAS; Professor of Medicine, UCSF; Director, Multiethnic Health Equity Research Center, Division of General Internal Medicine, UCSF
- Lisa Diamond, MD, MPH; Faculty, Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
12:15PM – 1:00PM: Lunch
1:00PM – 1:55PM: Keynote
- Pilar Ortega, MD; Vice President, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, ACGME; Clinical Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Medical Education, University of Illinois Chicago
1:55PM – 2:10PM: Break
2:10PM – 4:45PM: Panel Discussions
- “Intersection of Policy and Implementation Language Access in Healthcare” by Bruce Adelson, JD and Bill Rivers, PhD
- “The Future of Interpreter Services” by Shari Gold-Gomez, Chris Kirwan, PhD, Yilu Ma, MS, MA
- “Inclusive Design and Health Literacy for Patients with Language Access Needs” by Michael Paasche Orlow, MD, MPH; Caitlin Gebhard, MS; Alisa Khan, MD, MPH
4:50PM – 5:10PM: Closing Remarks
Question: Is this event free of charge?
Answer: There is no cost to attend the 2025 Language Access in Healthcare Symposium. We only ask that you RSVP.
Thank you to our 2025 Sponsors
We would like to thank the organizing committee for their support, including Mass General Brigham, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Tufts Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, the city of Boston, and the city of Cambridge.
This event is administered and led by the Center for Surgery and Public Health.
