Spanish for Healthcare Professionals II

Michael Woods teaches in both the Spanish for Healthcare Professionals and the Translation & Interpretation Certificate programs. Michael is a Certified Healthcare Interpreter™ (CCHI) and also completed a Professional Certificate in Translation & Interpretation. He holds a Master of Arts in Contemporary Hispanic/Latino Studies and completed doctoral coursework in Spanish sociolinguistics with a focus on Central American voseo in the US. He has taught college-level courses for more than 15 years and has worked as a healthcare interpreter since 2017. Prior to teaching, interpreting, and translating, he was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras, which laid the groundwork for his career in language instruction and language access.

Michael Woods teaches in both the Spanish for Healthcare Professionals and the Translation & Interpretation Certificate programs. Michael is a Certified Healthcare Interpreter™ (CCHI) and also completed a Professional Certificate in Translation & Interpretation. He holds a Master of Arts in Contemporary Hispanic/Latino Studies and completed doctoral coursework in Spanish sociolinguistics with a focus on Central American voseo in the US. He has taught college-level courses for more than 15 years and has worked as a healthcare interpreter since 2017. Prior to teaching, interpreting, and translating, he was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras, which laid the groundwork for his career in language instruction and language access.

Graciela Gomez-Vitorri teaches teaches Spanish for Healthcare Professionals I, II, and III for the Spanish for Healthcare Professionals certificate program. 

A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Graciela Gómez Vittori holds a Bachelor's degree in Spanish Literature and Linguistics (Profesorado de Castellano y Literatura) and has more than twenty years of teaching experience.

An avid reader and award-winning writer, Graciela both developed and taught the Literary Café at UC San Diego Extended Studies, where students get the pleasure to analyze great Hispanic-American short stories.

In the medical field, Graciela spent over two decades working in the UC San Diego Genetics Department. Being in contact with patients under sensitive and difficult circumstances, Graciela was impacted by the crucial need for basic communication between physicians and patients. Consequently, she completed the UC San Diego Extended Studies English/Spanish Translation and Interpretation certificate.

After her time translating for patients and doctors at UC San Diego, Graciela felt compelled to develop a course that focused primarily on medical terminology in Spanish. Other objectives of the course would include; building a solid grammar foundation, cultural competence, giving students information about the customs and traditions of the Hispanic patient, as well as medical concerns specific to the Hispanic community.