Raquel Cashman

Arriving in Boston from Argentina, Raquel understood the systemic barriers to achieving quality health care for all. As Director of Interpreter Services at Boston City Hospital, she knew the importance of transforming the role of the interpreter into one that could be viewed as another professional discipline. She founded the Massachusetts Medical Interpreters Association (MMIA, now known as the IMIA), and was its first President. She worked to create training and educational opportunities for interpreters, including the state's first academic curriculum at Northern Essex Community College. A true pioneer, Raquel carried on this work at a time when issues of race, class, culture, and language were not in the healthcare arena as they are today.

In 1993 Health Care For All honored Raquel with a: "For the People, Against the Tide" award stating, "Raquel Cashman . . . has been devoted to providing equal access to health care for non-English speaking patients since 1986. In a climate of budget cuts and little understanding of immigrants' needs, Cashman was able to establish the department of interpreter services as a permanent fixture at Boston City Hospital." And in 1995, the MMIA established the Raquel Cashman Scholarship Award in celebration of her many achievements and lasting legacy. She passed away 1995.

~by Joy Connell and Gaye Gentes (9/2023)