CommunityHealth shines the Volunteer Spotlight on Lyan Basora Dorville as our June Volunteer of the Month!
Over the past two years, Lyan has contributed an incredible 609 hours to CH, beginning his journey with us as a remote interpreter. After being accepted into the University of Chicago’s medical school, he seamlessly transitioned into a leadership role within our student-run free clinics.
Now, he’s playing a pivotal part in revamping our interpreter training program, placing a greater emphasis on the ethics of interpreting, and is actively developing new resources to support continuous learning for our interpreter team. A truly dedicated volunteer, Lyan feels like part of the CH staff, and we’re incredibly grateful for his commitment and impact.
CommunityHealth sat down with Lyan to learn more about what quality health care for all means to him…
In a few sentences, tell us more about yourself and your background.
I’m a native Spanish speaker from the Dominican Republic, where I was born and lived until I immigrated to the United States at age 11. After moving to the U.S., I lived in the Bronx, NY for a couple of years, then moved to South FL where I lived for the next 12 years. After studying Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, and Biochemistry in college, I joined the workforce for 2.5 years and worked in a career outside of healthcare before coming to Chicago to attend medical school.
Why and how did you begin volunteering with CommunityHealth?
I started volunteering at CommunityHealth because while I worked in a career outside of health care, I missed the experience of volunteering at my local hospital before the pandemic and I was looking for an organization that would allow me to help in spite of my difficult work schedule. One day after work in September, I remembered that I wanted to explore an interest in medical interpreting during college but could not for various reasons at the time. I came across CommunityHealth while searching for interpreting opportunities.
Do you remember your first day? What surprised you?
I don’t remember many details about my first day. I had just come home from work and signed in to start the shift. After ending my first shift, I remember thinking “wow, this is real. These are real patients. These are real doctors I am working with.”
What is something you have learned from volunteering?
Being fully bilingual and growing up in a Spanish-speaking country with Spanish as your first language is not enough to be an effective interpreter. This became very clear to me during my most difficult appointments where it wasn’t necessarily my lack of language skills that hurt me but rather, I lacked the knowledge and experience to efficiently carry out the other roles of the interpreter aside from message conversion, including managing the triadic dynamic of the encounter.
What has been your biggest takeaway from CommunityHealth, and how does this impact your other life or career goals?
Before CommunityHealth, I hadn’t really considered or witnessed the impact that free clinics could make in the local community. Over my time with CommunityHealth, I have come to appreciate the positive effect that a small number of dedicated people can have on not just patient communities but future healthcare professionals as well. As interpreters, we listen to and vocalize some of the most difficult experiences our patients have had to go through. Because interpreting in the first person is the standard within healthcare interpreting, it becomes a much more personal experience. However, CH interpreters also have the rare opportunity of working with our outstanding CommunityHealth providers in providing language concordant, culturally competent care. Because I was interpreting for doctors in the first person (i.e. speaking to patients in Spanish from the perspective of the doctor), I was able to imagine a future self helping Latino patients as their doctor. This experience gave me the confidence to switch careers and attend medical school to make this vision a reality.
How has working with CommunityHealth influenced your perception of health care?
I’ve come to appreciate the importance of grass-roots efforts as the foundation of social and policy change. Hoping for and dreaming of top-down changes is not enough. I’m grateful to be part of an organization like CommunityHealth that turns hopes and dreams into action.
What advice would you give to a new volunteer with CommunityHealth?
Ask for help, seriously, especially if you feel overwhelmed. Your fellow interpreters and the staff are here to help you. I know this might be obvious, but these are real patients and real physicians you are working with and, as an interpreter, you can have a significant impact (positive or negative) in the doctor-patient relationship and the experience of both parties in the clinical encounter. Practice your interpreting skills outside of your shifts at CommunityHealth.
Outside of volunteering with CommunityHealth, how do you like to spend your free time?
My bench press record is 320lb/145kg (< three 45-lb plates on each side of the bar). Barbell squat and deadlift numbers to be announced at a later time.
