Alfredo Garcia’s vision of bringing American medical students to Guatemala for intense immersion in the Spanish language and Hispanic cultural experiences was inspired by a restaurant experience.

Today, UNMC students, as well as the local community, are reaping the benefits of that exchange.

"It is really gratifying to have a student who didn't speak any Spanish before the trip tell me how they are now able to assist local Latinos in medical translation," Dr. Garcia said during a recent visit to Omaha.

Alfredo Garcia, M.D., and Aura Whitney-Jackson, UNMC liaison for the South Omaha Community Care Council, discuss ways to improve medical professional translation for local Latino people.

"The Latino population of America is growing. Even in Nebraska there has been a significant increase in the Latino population," he said. "Our program is to help Latino people everywhere, not just in Guatemala. We see this as a service to the world."

Dr. Garcia came to America in 1996 to do post-doctorate work at the University of Florida. "A black American friend took me to a popular local soul food restaurant. The food was great, but what really captured me was getting to know the family that worked there. After several visits, it was like visiting my own family for dinner.

"I really came to understand a lot about black people in America and the great cultural strength that comes from the family matriarch."

When Dr. Garcia returned to Guatemala, he explored the possibility of bringing UNMC students to Guatemala with Sara Pirtle, director of UNMC's International Studies and Programs. Two UNMC classes traveled to Guatemala earlier this year. Three more will travel there in April, June and July of 2001.

The students who are selected for the Guatemala program spend six hours daily, one-on-one, with a professional Spanish tutor. They not only learn the mechanics, but the cultural nuances of the language. They learn that to effectively translate health information, they must understand the thought processes of the people they assist. That’s why Dr. Garcia personally teaches the UNMC students classes on Guatemala culture and folklore and plans field trips to cultural sites. The students visit three different health facilities during their stay and participant in patient care.

"The beautiful thing about our program is that young Americans 'get it,' " Dr. Garcia said. "They understand the simple value of relating to cultures beyond their own and communicating with people in their own culture.

"Sara Pirtle and the University of Nebraska Medical Center are doing a great service to my country and to America by supporting this program. We feel the benefits are real and are already paying off in the lives of these students and the Latinos they help in Nebraska."

--exerpted from UNMC Today, 11/02/2000