Staff Bios

Lisa Morris

Lisa serves as the director of Cross Cultural Initiatives for ForHealth Consulting at UMass Chan Medical School.  She oversees several projects related to cross-cultural competency with emphasis on language access for all.  She has dedicated her career to working in the field of medical interpreting as an interpreter, interpreter manager, and educator of interpreters and healthcare staff for the last three decades at several healthcare institutions and colleges in Massachusetts.  She has worked on developing medical interpreter training and conferences, and has published and presented on the topic of language access nationally. 

Lisa has served on the board to the National Council on Interpreting in Healthcare in the capacity of secretary and treasurer and remains an active member.  She is currently a board member of the Portuguese American Leadership Council of the US. 

She has a degree in Romance Languages from Boston College and a graduate degree in Training and Development from Lesley University.  She also completed a fellowship in Cultural Competence Leadership in 2007 with the Health Research Educational Trust (HRET), the education affiliate of the American Hospital Association. 

Bindiya Jha

Bindiya Jha is a believer in language access and equity. She is a community-based interpreter educator, administrator, and advocate with a focus on healthcare and legal interpretation. She speaks Nepali and has worked as a Nepali freelance interpreter since 2008. At present, she is CCHI-P/ CORE CHI certified in the healthcare domain and NCSC certified in the legal area. She has a masters degree in International Development and Social Change from Clark University, Worcester.

She has a background in refugee resettlement and has worked with Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugee populations all across the commonwealth. She has worked as a lead trainer and Nepali language coach for medical interpreter students in various platforms. She has been a passionate advocate for languages of lesser diffusion like Nepali and promotes language access for essential community services.

At present, she serves as the medical interpreter training coordinator within Cross-Cultural Initiatives for ForHealth Consulting at UMass Chan Medical School.  In her current capacity, she is responsible for medical interpreter program implementation, mentoring new trainers, providing continuing education workshops, and assisting with multi-day conferences and specialized trainings offered by UMass Chan.  

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