NCIHC 2023 Congress Call For Proposal

The National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC) will hold a Language Access Congress on September 28-29, 2023. This year our nonprofit organization celebrates its 25th Anniversary. To celebrate the Big Day, we would like to acknowledge our founders and those who have contributed to its successful growth over the years. 

The purpose of hosting a Language Access Congress is to expand participants’ knowledge with up-to-date information on the latest developments in the field, continue brainstorming solutions and network. 

The Covid pandemic shifted the way we interact with members. Thus, the Congress will be virtual. It will cover a variety of content and facilitate interactive sessions between participants allowing everyone to present their ideas and focus on the best language access practices. 

In order to make diversity a key element in our presentations and be sure we collect all your valuable input, however different may be, we are opening the Congress to a Call for Proposals.

It is based on the topics we have received from the stakeholders who have participated in our previous Annual Membership Meeting.  

Please see the topics and submission criteria listed below. 

The deadline for Submission is midnight, July 15, 2023.

Conference Goals

The main goal of conducting a Language Access Congress is to offer an event accessible to members and non-members of NCIHC as well as to roll out an open call for proposals as a way of bringing diversity and inclusion into our programming.  

Our event is dedicated to learning about relatable topics that could be transferred to the different aspects of language access through policy changes affecting it, accompanied by the communication among individuals promoting, supporting, advocating and offering language access in health care. 

Another goal is to offer attendance that dramatically enhances our participants' professional and personal development. Based on the tenet in our National Code of Ethics, we should always improve our interpreting skills and enhance our tools.  Congress allows you to take a deep dive into specific topics of your interest. As a bonus, certified medical interpreters will be gaining CEU credits. 

There is no doubt, it’s time to move forward. Let’s go beyond emergency pandemic strategies for language access and talk it out during our First Language Access Congress! 

Criteria for Submissions

The program is divided into two tracts that will run twice allowing participants to attend three sessions. 

As a presenter or facilitator, you should be prepared to present or lead your topic during both sessions. The selection panel of the Congress Committee will consist of the Annual Membership Meeting (AMM) Work Group members and specialists in the field.


We offer you three formats. 

  • A traditional type workshop/lecture. 
  • A Panel discussion with a moderator who will summarize the discussion at the end of the session. 
  • Language Access Café which will include a report out at the end of the session.   The facilitators or designated person will summarize the discussions during the Cafes, with time reserved for the participants to briefly discuss these topics.
When preparing your submission, please consider the following instructions:
  1. Select a topic from the ones listed below, choose the format of your presentation (workshop type or Language Access Café), and think about your target audience. 
  2. Submit an abstract (400 words maximum) including the title, format, and a short description. 
  3. If you choose the Language Access Café format, submit a short summary (50 words maximum) of the content to be talked about. Please prepare at least 5 discussion-generating questions. 
  4. All abstracts should include a specific topic, purpose and learning objectives. The title should be the same as one of the Topic Ideas listed below. 
  5. Don’t forget to mention all the references used in the abstract (literature review is not required). 

Topic ideas

  1. Power Dynamics in Interpreting         
  2. How do we get Health Care Interpreting back on Track? Do we need a reset? 
  3. Code of Ethics: Past, Present and Future         
  4. Quality Control for Onsite and Remote Interpreting 
  5. Systemic Racism in Language Access
  6. National survey for best practices in Remote Health Care Interpreting
  7. Pandemic Effects on Interpreting        
  8. Working with Interpreters
  9. Models for health insurance setting pay standards for Health Care Interpreters

Presentation format

Workshop, Panel discussion, or a Language Access Café (LAC). Duration is 1 hour 15 minutes. 

Speaker Benefits

NCIHC will waive the registration fee for presenters.  

Note

At our discretion, we may invite experts in the field to assist in facilitating our sessions.  

Submission

Submit your proposals by following the link, NCIHC Call for Proposals 2023. Have your abstract prepared before filling out the submission form, answer the questions and enter your abstract. You will receive an email confirmation for your submission. 

If you have any organizational questions, please reach out to Maria Michalczyk and Lisa Morris at [email protected]

If you have any technical questions, i.e., or you need help in submitting an abstract, please send an email to [email protected]

The deadline for submission is midnight, July 15, 2023. 

 

Congress Call For Proposal