National Experts Discuss Mental Health Care Challenges Facing Limited English Proficient Minorities

March 30, 2012 - PRLog -- Madison, WI – Dina Birman, PhD, national expert on refugee mental health, will be the keynote speaker at the Annual Membership Meeting of the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC) on May 31 and June 1 at the Hyatt Place/Downtown Hotel in Madison, Wisconsin.  The NCIHC is a multidisciplinary organization whose mission is to promote and enhance language access in health care in the United States. The Annual Meeting of the NCIHC is a convening of all stakeholders who help ensure health care access to limited English proficient patients and families, including interpreters, translators, trainers, hospital administrators, business leaders, policymakers and researchers.

The theme of this year’s 6th meeting is “Interpreting for the Whole Person: Mental Health Across the Healthcare Spectrum.” According to NCIHC President, Joy Connell, Dr. Birman is the ideal speaker for this event.  “Dina’s work not only addresses the linguistic challenges faced by newcomers, but also the interwoven issues of culture that cannot be minimized.  Her approach has always been to work from a strength-based, whole person perspective, long before these concepts became popular.”  

Dr. Dina Birman is an Associate Professor in the Community and Prevention Research Division, Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).  Dr. Birman’s research focuses on the process of adaptation and acculturation of immigrants and refugees.  Her most recent work as part of the American Psychological Association (APA) Presidental Task Force is a report published about the psychology of immigration .  She has conducted research on refugee adolescents, adults, elderly, and families, and she collaborates closely with refugee mental health programs.  

Prior to joining UIC Dr. Birman was a program officer in the Refugee Mental Health Program at the National Institute of Mental Health and SAMHSA where she provided consultation and technical assistance on mental health issues to the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).  In addition, Dr. Birman works in schools where there are large numbers of newly arrived refugees to understand the experience of the students, their parents, teachers and administrators.

As part of the Annual Meeting, participants will have the opportunity to attend a guided tour of University of Wisconsin-Madison Hospital hosted by Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, Director of Community Partnerships for UW Hospital and former Board Co-Chair of NCIHC.

To learn more about NCIHC, or to register for the event, visit http://www.ncihc.org.