The College of Arts and Humanities at UTPA has been awarded a $442,000 grant from the US Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. Under the direction of principal investigators, Dr. Glenn Martínez and Dr. Ethan Sharp , and the assistance of a national board of advisors composed of some of the nation’s most prestigious health care professionals, the program will develop, implement, and disseminate the nation’s first comprehensive program in medical Spanish for heritage speakers of Spanish enrolled in health related programs. Faculty members from the Department of Modern Languages, Dr. Guadalupe Cortina and Dr. Stephanie Alvarez , faculty members from the Department of English, Dr. Yong Lang and Dr. Minhee Eom , and scholars from the University of Arizona , the University of California at Davis , New Mexico State University, George Mason University , and the Ohio State University will participate in the project. The program develops critical language skills such as medical translation and interpretation, medical terminology, and medical discourse through classroom discussions and internships in local community health centers. Students will also be encouraged to explore the complex intersections of sociolinguistics and health on the border. The project engages stakeholders from across the community including South Texas College , Texas A&M School of Rural Public Health, the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, Nuestra Clínica del Valle, and El Milagro Clinic. “Our project aims to improve communication between limited English proficient patients and their health care providers. We believe that effective communication in clinical encounters can reduce health disparities among limited English proficient patients in the US and that the Valley’s future surgeons, physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals will be tomorrow’s leaders in the provision of high quality medical care for the nation’s Spanish speaking patient population,” explains Dr. Martínez. “I am elated and encouraged by the drive of our local community-based organizations, our institutions of higher education, and the deans of the Colleges of Arts and Humanities and Health Sciences and Human Services in the pursuit of innovative strategies to solve our community’s most pressing challenges,” he stated. Dean Dahlia Guerra added, “UTPA must be committed to offering new solutions to the most acute problems in our communities. Our focus on medical Spanish will go a long way in helping our Spanish speaking family members, neighbors, and friends to obtain access to high quality health care and to achieve better health outcomes.”