Spanish for Future Medical Professionals

Join us for a lunch, workshop, and VR simulation organized by the Dedman College Interdisciplinary Institute’s 2025-26 Research Clusters on AR/VR in the Higher Ed Classroom & Languages for Specific Purposes.

It is estimated that language barriers cost the U.S. Healthcare system 2.5 billion dollars annually in preventable medical errors (AHRQ, 2023). University language programs are uniquely positioned to provide a wide range of future medical professionals the training, certification, and experience before they enter the workforce. This workshop will explain in detail the requirements needed for programs to graduate future bilingual medical professionals and provide a pre-view of a VR simulation of a bilingual physical therapy session developed by Dr. Benner.

About the speaker: William Benner, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Spanish at Texas Woman’s University, a board member of the Texas Association of Healthcare Interpreters and Translators, and an active member of the Texas Joint Committee for Languages. Additionally, he is the architect of the B.A. in Spanish Translation and Interpreting (Medical) program at TWU.

World Languages & Literatures | View More Events
Co-hosted with: Dedman College Interdisciplinary Institute, Pre-Health Readiness & Enrichment Program, SMU Pathways to Business and Industry

Contact the organizers