While all life lost during the coronavirus pandemic is invaluable, the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI) will be highlighting the names of U.S. Medical & Healthcare Interpreters who have passed away after battling the virus:

We have lost so many due to COVID; family, friends, colleagues, coworkers, pillars of our communities. We invite you, the reader to take just have a private moment of silence to honor those who have passed on to the next life.

We also invite you to take a moment to read about the lives of these outstanding individuals whom profoundly touched the lives of those in their communities.

• Dahir Ahmed
• Policarpo Chaj - "Chaj, a Mayan spiritual leader in LA, worked as a K'iche' interpreter for decades, acting as a bridge for numerous Guatemalan immigrants who traveled to the United States and spoke little English or Spanish. When he first arrived in LA in the early 1990s from Guatemala, Chaj sought to empower all immigrant groups he met. He wanted them to know they had a right to be heard." Courthouse News
• Dulce Garcia
• Tuan "Archie" Nguyen
• Freddy Robles
• David Vazquez - "David Vazquez had served as a fountain of knowledge for students nationwide interested in reconnecting with their ancestral, indigenous roots. He wielded his native Nahuatl — a language spoken by the Aztecs — as an entry point into the history and culture of Mexico." LA Times

This list will be updated regularly. If you would like to add a fallen medical and healthcare interpreter to this list, please email either of the following:

Ana Catalina Jones, [email protected]
Gustavo Negrete, [email protected]