Cynthia E. Roat

Experience

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  United States Peace Corps

  Dec 1982 - Nov 1984

  Rural Health Educator

  • Attended Peace Corps 15-week intensive training program in Tabacundo, Ecuador, studying Spanish and Quichua language, cross cultural studies, and health promotion. • Developed and implemented an experimental community-based tuberculosis control program in 3 parishes of Salcedo County, Ecuador, in coordination with local villages, USAID and government agencies.• Designed and implemented latrine programs with 5 villages as part of a comprehensive water and sanitation program.• Conducted extensive health education with mothers' clubs and community groups. Show less

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  Plan International

  Jan 1985 - Nov 1985

  Program Advisor

  • Served as Program Advisor for an integrated rural development program in Bolivar Province, Ecuador.• Supervised the training and support of 40 Community Health Workers.• Initiated a training program for 20 Traditional Birth Attendants.• Arranged ongoing training for 5 Health Educators and 36 Social Promoters.• Shared supervisory responsibilities for a 53 member field staff.• Elaborated major internal documents, including the annual report, project design outlines, and the programming section of the 1986 budget. Increased national staff participation. Show less

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  Esperança, Inc

  Nov 1985 - Nov 1987

  Field Coordinator, Chaco Project

  Field Coordinator in the Chaco of southern Bolivia. This project, funded partially through a USAID Child Survival grant, involved the development of a regional primary health care network, focused on training mid/low level health workers and developing viable community support for them.• Promoted the maturation of community organizations in 21 rural villages and one peri urban area through the formation of mothers' clubs, health committees, and learning groups.• Supported income generating and primary health care activities in 17 women's groups.• Participated in design and implementation of a 9 month course for 17 rural Auxiliary Nurses.• Through Núr Univeristy in Santa Cruz, taught community organization and participatory education in a certificate program. Graduates became trainers for the Nurse Auxiliary course. • With community support, initiated a village-based malaria control program for project zone.• Coordinated with local Ministry of Health officials and CARE promoters the expanded delivery of basic health services, including immunizations, oral rehydration therapy, growth monitoring, health education, and monthly medical visits.• Organized the field component of a nutrition study. Used study results to organize village discussion groups about nutrition.• Shared supervisory and training responsibilities for a 10 member field staff. Show less

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  Hesperian Foundation

  Feb 1988 - Aug 1989

  USA Coordinator for Mexican Projects

  • Coordinated support for Mexican primary health care and rural rehabilitation projects.• Did desktop publishing for major publications (the Spanish Disabled Village Children, the revision of Where There Is No Doctor, and "Newsletter from the Sierra Madre").

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  Esperança

  Feb 1991 - Feb 1991

  Consultant

  • Evaluated a rural primary health care project run by FUNDECAI, a Mexican PVO in Sonora.

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  Development Associates

  Jun 1991 - Mar 1995

  Consultant

  Consultant for APROFAM, a Guatemalan family planning agency, in publishing a manual for training pre-literate community promoters.• June 1991. Designed participatory evaluation activities for the manual.• November 1992. Trained staff in desktop publishing: assisted in the manual's preparation.• January 1994-March 1995. Translated the manual into English and did layout.

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  Asociación de Desarrollo Socioeconómico Indígena, BAYAN

  Feb 1992 - Jun 1993

  Consultant

  February 1992 • Aided local staff in short and long-term planning for the expansion of integrated rural development activities in the Mosquitia. June 1993• With local staff, planned and conducted a two-week initial training for 21 Community Health Workers in the Mosquitia; also planned follow-up activities. • Trained the project's Community Health Director in participatory training techniques. • Trained a North American public health expert in community health program planning. Show less

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  Freelance

  Feb 1992 - Feb 1993

  Spanish Interpreter

  Freelance medical/social service interpreter with American Cultural Exchange and Virginia Mason Medical Center.

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  The Cross Cultural Health Care Program (CCHCP)

  Oct 1992 - Sept 2000

  Interpreter Training Program Manager

  Responsible for developing programs to advance the profession of healthcare interpreting on a national level. Principle accomplishments include the following:• Principle author of "Bridging the Gap," a 450-page manual and 40-hour curriculum for training medical interpreters. Trained over 1500 medical interpreters in 18 states. Trained trainers of BTG for 42 organizations in 20 states. • Coordinator for the production of other training materials, including bilingual medical glossaries in 10 languages, "An Interpreter's Guide to Medications","Communicating Effectively through an Interpreter" (a 29-minute instructional video) and "Provider Competencies for the Provision of Health Care through an Interpreter."• Trained providers on how to work with interpreters and health care administrators on issues of language access.• Founding member of the Society of Medical Interpreters (SOMI), a professional organization for medical interpreters in Seattle. Chair of the Training Committee (2 years); developed a 14-hour curriculum to help interpreters prepare for state certification; co-chair for the First Northwest Regional Conference on Medical Interpreting (September 1997).• Recruited, trained and supervised contracted interpreter trainers. Show less

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  Pacific Medical Clinics

  Feb 1993 - Aug 1997

  Spanish Staff Interpreter

  Interpreted for Spanish-speaking patients and their healthcare providers.

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  Pacific Interpreters

  Oct 2000 - Sept 2001

  Quality Assurance Specialist

  • Responsible for establishing PI’s face-to-face interpretation service in Seattle/King County.• Responsible for expanding PI’s recruiting, screening, training and quality assurance programs for all face-to-face and telephonic interpreting services.

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  Cynthia E. Roat

  Aug 2001 - now

  Consultant and Trainer on Language Access in Health Care

  I provide consulting, training and research services to healthcare organizations and educational institutions needing support related to language access, interpreter services and patient navigation.Consulting• Comprehensive assessment and guidance on language access systems for public and private healthcare systems. • Implementation of Video Remote Interpreting systems. • Guidance to state and national initiatives to improve language access in health care. • Evaluation of interpreter training programs. • Expert witness for judicial and legislative proceedings.• Guidance and support to regional interpreter associations throughout the United States.Training• Design and provision of training for healthcare interpreters, for interpreter instructors, for providers on working with interpreters, and for administrators on language access. • Extensive experience with curriculum design, review of existing curricula, multi-cultural training groups and both on-site and remote training modalities. • Licensed trainer of The Community Interpreter International.• Frequent invited speaker at regional, national and international conferences.• Peer reviewer for the International Journal of Interpreter Education and for Translation and Interpreting: the International Journal of Translation and Interpreting Research.• Member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Interpreter Education. Research• Lead Researcher on various studies funded by federal and state agencies. (See CV for details.) • Peer reviewer for the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Show less

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  Seattle Children's

  Mar 2012 - Feb 2015

  Supervisor, Bilingual Patient Navigator Program, The Center for Diversity and Health Equity

  Managed the Bilingual Patient Navigator program at Seattle Children's hospital; supervised a three-member staff and supported the work of the Center for Diversity's broader team; implemented a bilingual provider language assessment program; provided ongoing training on cultural effectiveness to SCH staff.