The EthnoMed Podcast

Dr. Duncan Reid, MD @ EthnoMed.org
  • 5.0 (8)
  • MEDICINE

The official podcast of EthnoMed.org, a website based in the Interpreter Services Department at Harborview Medical Center which serves as a cultural bridge connecting providers and patients with resources for cross-cultural medicine. The podcast features provider interviews, community highlights, and topical episodes related to cross-cultural medicine.

  1. Provider Pulse Ep. 29: Dr. Anuj Khattar, MD (Part 1) - The Making of a Community Doctor

    4D AGO

    Provider Pulse Ep. 29: Dr. Anuj Khattar, MD (Part 1) - The Making of a Community Doctor

    Send us a text What happens when an idealistic pre-med student becomes a physician and discovers the healthcare system isn't quite what they expected? In this first part of our conversation with Dr. Anuj Khattar, we trace the path from a diverse San Jose childhood to six different healthcare jobs across Seattle. Dr. Khattar currently works as medical director at Cedar River Clinics, teaches at Swedish Family Medicine and ICHS, provides care at Planned Parenthood, runs a ketamine-assisted therapy practice, and works urgent care—a portfolio that reflects both passion and the complex realities of modern medicine. In Part 1, we explore: Growing up in 1990s San Jose during the tech boom, where white students in his school were the minority and diversity was the normThe mobile clinic experience at UCLA that cemented his commitment to serving underserved communities and taught him to see systems of power and inequalityUndergraduate research experience and his realization that this was not his pathThe challenging first two years of medical school at OHSU— endless exams and questioning his pathFinding redemption in third-year clinical rotations and discovering his mentor in family medicineThis episode is essential listening for anyone considering medical school. It's honest about the challenges—the grind, the depression, the culture shock—while showing why some people persist. Anuj's story isn't a warning to stay away from medicine; it's an invitation to enter with eyes wide open. Coming in Part 2: What happens when idealism meets the constraints of the American healthcare system. Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

    32 min
  2. Provider Pulse Ep. 28: Bayle Conrad, MPH (Part 2) - Finding Agency in the Work

    DEC 15

    Provider Pulse Ep. 28: Bayle Conrad, MPH (Part 2) - Finding Agency in the Work

    Send us a text After her crisis of conscience in Kenya, Bayle Conrad made a decision: no more international work. But finding her place in global health wasn't that simple. In this second part of our conversation, Bayle returns to Seattle with an MPH degree and more questions than answers. She turns down international jobs she's qualified for, takes a microfinance position that still involves those same power dynamics, and eventually stumbles into refugee resettlement work at the International Rescue Committee—a job she wasn't sure she could do. What follows is six years of transformation. The anxious teenager who couldn't speak up becomes a caseworker handling crisis interventions. The student who questioned her right to help finds meaningful work here in Seattle. And the questions that nearly made her quit? They become her greatest asset. This episode tackles the practical realities of refugee healthcare: Why "just pick up your prescription" isn't simple. How systemic barriers compound trauma. What happens when a care conference becomes an exercise in power dynamics. And most importantly, how providers can create space for agency rather than accidentally undermining it. We end with Bayle's hard-won advice for students navigating uncertainty, anxiety, and the messy path toward meaningful work. Topics covered: Transitioning from international to domestic workRefugee resettlement and casework at the IRCNavigating power dynamics in helping professionsBarriers to healthcare for refugee populationsWorking with interpreters and cultural brokersPractical guidance for providersAdvice for anxious, shy, or questioning studentsFinding your strengths in unexpected placesPerfect for: Healthcare providers working with refugees, public health professionals, students questioning their career path, anyone navigating the tension between helping and perpetuating harm, and those learning that their sensitivity might actually be their strength. Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

    40 min
  3. Provider Pulse Ep. 27: Bayle Conrad, MPH (Part 1) - The Voyeurism of Global Health

    DEC 7

    Provider Pulse Ep. 27: Bayle Conrad, MPH (Part 1) - The Voyeurism of Global Health

    Send us a text What's the difference between helping and voyeurism? Between witnessing and exploiting? These are the uncomfortable questions that nearly made Bayle Conrad quit her Master of Public Health program. In this first part of our two-part conversation, Bayle takes us from her childhood in Spokane—struggling with debilitating anxiety that made her hyper-aware of power and agency—through her undergraduate years at the University of Washington, where she learned to view global health through a critical lens. The pivotal moment came during a summer internship in Kibera, one of Nairobi's largest informal settlements. Tasked with escorting donors on "slum tours," Bayle found herself asking: What makes me different from them? What right do I have to be here? These questions led her to write an essay titled "The Voyeurism of Global Health" and to nearly abandon her career path entirely. This episode explores the ethical tensions inherent in cross-cultural work, the journey from crippling self-doubt to self-awareness, and why some questions are more valuable when left unresolved. Topics covered: Growing up with undiagnosed anxiety disorderFinding mental health support in collegeLearning critical perspectives on international developmentWorking in Kibera's informal settlementPower dynamics in global health workThe ethics of international developmentThe link to Bayle Conrad's essay can be found here at the following link (pages 38-39 as listed in the pdf, or 60-61 using search tab): https://courses.edx.org/asset-v1:BUx+GlobalHealthX+3T2018+type@asset+block/ReflectionGlobalHealthPart1.pdf Perfect for: Pre-health students, public health professionals, anyone working across cultures, and those navigating anxiety while pursuing meaningful work. Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

    44 min
  4. Provider Pulse Ep. 26: Which Hard to Choose - Dr. Angelo Cabal and Finding Authenticity on the Path to Medicine (Part 2)

    DEC 1

    Provider Pulse Ep. 26: Which Hard to Choose - Dr. Angelo Cabal and Finding Authenticity on the Path to Medicine (Part 2)

    Send us a text Part 2: "Which Hard to Choose" (Part 2 of 2) What happens when you do everything “right” and still don’t get in? When two full application cycles pass with no interviews? When you abandoned a degree program only to face rejection? In part two of this Provider Pulse episode, Dr. Angelo Cabal picks up his story in Chicago, where a hard truth and a single conversation with his mentor push him to walk away from an MPH program and start over. Back home in San Diego, Angelo studies for the MCAT, moves in with his parents, and finds the patient-facing work he’d been longing for as a lung cancer clinical research coordinator. But even with strong letters and meaningful experience, two consecutive medical school application cycles end with no interviews. Angelo talks candidly about shame, self-doubt, and the moment he decides to take an expensive leap into a post-bacc program—buoyed by the support of his oncologists and patients who keep asking, “How are your applications going?” From there, he describes finally getting interviews, being accepted to UC Irvine, and discovering that the hardest part was getting in. We follow him through clinical rotations, an away rotation at Harborview Medical Center, and matching into internal medicine in Seattle, where he now cares for immigrants and refugees in the International Medicine Clinic. Angelo closes with a message for anyone who has been rejected, rerouted, or talked themselves out of medicine: never let someone make you feel like you don’t deserve what you want—and seek the mentors who help you believe that you do. Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

    24 min
  5. Provider Pulse Ep. 25: Which Hard to Choose - Dr. Angelo Cabal and Finding Authenticity on the Path to Medicine (Part 1)

    NOV 24

    Provider Pulse Ep. 25: Which Hard to Choose - Dr. Angelo Cabal and Finding Authenticity on the Path to Medicine (Part 1)

    Send us a text Part 1: "Which Hard to Choose" (Part 1 of 2) What does it take to become a doctor when you don't fit the mold? When you've never met a physician, when your high school gets overwhelmed by budget cuts, when you're the first in your family to navigate the American education system? In Part 1 of Angelo Cabal's story, we follow his journey from a flooded house in Manila to a pediatric ICU in San Diego, through underfunded Southeast San Diego schools to the culture shock of UC Berkeley. Along the way, Angelo discovers that the study strategies that got him through high school won't work anymore, that his pre-med classmates seem years ahead of him, and that the path forward isn't always clear. After graduating, Angelo tries basic science research, then public health—only to find himself in Chicago, enrolled in a Master's program, facing a growing certainty that he's chosen the wrong path again. When he reaches out to a faculty mentor he's known for just a few months, that conversation changes everything. This is a story about structural barriers, culture shock, and the transformative power of mentorship. It's about learning to ask for help, and finding the courage to start over. Topics: immigrant experience, medical education, mentorship, UC Berkeley, underfunded schools, pre-med culture, public health, career transitions Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

    27 min
  6. Provider Pulse Ep. 24: From Siberia to Harborview - Yuliya Speroff and the Art of Medical Interpreting (Part 2)

    NOV 17

    Provider Pulse Ep. 24: From Siberia to Harborview - Yuliya Speroff and the Art of Medical Interpreting (Part 2)

    Send us a text In Part 2 of our conversation with Yuliya Speroff, Medical Interpreter Supervisor at Harborview Medical Center, we further explore the profound human work of medical interpretation. Yuliya pulls back the curtain on what interpreters witness every day—the cultural gaps, missed cues, unintended misunderstandings, and the invisible labor that makes cross-linguistic care possible. We discuss the delicate balance interpreters in maintaining objectivity and accuracy while also acting as cultural brokers and advocates when necessary. We also explore how interpreters are uniquely positioned to provide insights into the patient experience.  Yuliya shares memorable stories illustrating when meaning is lost, how family members unintentionally censor information, and why even well-intended provider phrasing—like “hit it out of the park” or “we’ll keep you comfortable”—can fail across cultures. The episode also examines some of the risks and promises of AI, ambient note-taking, and machine translation in clinical encounters. Yuliya outlines why even tiny translation errors can have catastrophic consequences, and why interpreters’ expertise is essential in validating new technologies before they become standard in patient care. Other themes you’ll hear: • Why idioms and cultural references are so difficult to interpret   • How power dynamics prevent interpreters from giving provider feedback   • What trainees and future physicians need to know about working with interpreters   • Why increasing diversity among clinicians improves communication for all patients   • Why human interpreters remain irreplaceable, even in an era of rapid AI advancement   You can find the Greek medical interpreter skits on the TikTok account of @yiannispac Through humor, candor, and deep expertise, Yuliya shows that interpretation is not just word-for-word exchange between languages—it’s a practice of empathy, cultural insight, and relational care. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who works with interpreters, cares for diverse patients, or is curious about the future of cross-cultural communication in healthcare. Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

    43 min
  7. Provider Pulse Episode 23: From Siberia to Harborview - Yuliya Speroff and the Art of Medical Interpreting (Part 1)

    NOV 9

    Provider Pulse Episode 23: From Siberia to Harborview - Yuliya Speroff and the Art of Medical Interpreting (Part 1)

    Send us a text Medical interpreter and educator Yuliya Speroff traces her path from a book-filled childhood in Siberia to high-stakes conversations in Seattle hospitals.  She explains how medical interpreting in the U.S. often falls to interpreters juggling work for many different fields, how vicarious trauma can affect medical interpreters, and what it means to convey emotion faithfully—without theatrics.  Along the way: a rare moment of acknowledgment that stayed with her, the cardiology lecture that hooked her on medical interpretation, and a reminder that empathy in care must be both deep and disciplined.  Find more interpreter resources at Yuliya's blog: https://medicalinterpreterblog.com/ Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

    32 min
  8. Provider Pulse Ep. 22: Crossing to Privilege - What Global Health Taught Tra Tran About Power

    NOV 2

    Provider Pulse Ep. 22: Crossing to Privilege - What Global Health Taught Tra Tran About Power

    Send us a text Raised by Vietnamese parents who survived war, Tra Tran grew up believing that everything would be okay—but learning what that really means took her from New Mexico to the global stage and back again. She shares how generational resilience, privilege, and honesty shaped her work in refugee advocacy and self-discovery.  In this conversation, she reflects on privilege, burnout, and rediscovering meaning through community-based advocacy with refugees in North Carolina through the Refugee Community Partnership. Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

    24 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

The official podcast of EthnoMed.org, a website based in the Interpreter Services Department at Harborview Medical Center which serves as a cultural bridge connecting providers and patients with resources for cross-cultural medicine. The podcast features provider interviews, community highlights, and topical episodes related to cross-cultural medicine.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Duncan Reid, MD @ EthnoMed.org
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The EthnoMed Podcast
  • Show Website
    The EthnoMed Podcast