Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Gleeson Rebello, Named 2022 Language Access Champion

Mass General’s Department of Medical Interpreter Services supports the hospital community by enabling culturally competent care and facilitating access to hospital services for non-English, Limited English Proficient (LEP) or Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) patients. Mass General is committed to the idea that every patient, regardless of their style of communication, deserves an opportunity to develop a relationship with their provider: to speak freely, be heard and feel understood.

Recently, the Interpreter Services team named pediatric orthopaedic surgeon Gleeson Rebello, MBBS, 2022's "Language Access Champion" for his interpreter services advocacy and his approach to caring for LEP and DHH patients.

Chris Kirwin, Director of Interpreter Services at Mass General, explains the decision: "Our staff appreciates how Dr. Rebello fully engages with his patients with LEP, making them comfortable enough to express themselves through a natural dialogue. With Dr. Rebello, a patient who may have felt disempowered by the language barrier walks away feeling instead that their voice was heard."

"This is a wonderful tribute to the care, compassion and dedication Gleeson bring to every interaction he has with patients and their families," adds Ronald Kleinman, MD, Physician-in-Chief for Mass General for Children. "We're very fortunate to have Dr. Rebello on our team, and it's wonderful to see him acknowledged in this way; it publicly confirms the way we all feel."