Dr. David Cardona, MD, MPH, is the President of Donostia D’Carmendi Consulting Group, LLC. He has over twenty-five years of experience in cultural issues and language access services. Dr. Cardona previously served as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager for the Office of Emergency Management at the Oregon Military Department and as the language access coordinator for the Office of Equity and Inclusion at the Oregon Health Authority, State of Oregon. In these roles, he worked with various state agencies, government jurisdictions, community organizations, and the private sector to advance Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, improving access to services for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) and people with disabilities. His responsibilities included developing technical assistance, data collection, evaluating compliance of health systems on language access service to LEP, and developing trainings, testing, and certification policies and procedures. Dr. Cardona also coordinated the development of a comprehensive language access service policy for the Oregon Health Authority, the Department of Human Services, and the Office of Emergency Management.
Dr. David Cardona holds a medical degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Santa Ana, El Salvador, a Master of Public Health from Portland State University, a Scientific Degree from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute at the University of Basel, Switzerland, and a Master of Science in Global Health from Queen Margaret University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Additionally, he has executive education in managing health programs in developing countries from the School of Public Health at Harvard University. His educational background also includes coursework in training of trainers for healthcare interpreting professionals from the Monterey Institute of International Studies of California.
Dr. Cardona served as an adjunct instructor for the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University, was an instructor of anatomy and physiology at Portland Community College, and taught medical Spanish to healthcare professionals at Oregon State University to ensure culturally and linguistically appropriate care for Spanish-speaking patients. He is the co-founder and former vice-president of the Oregon Health Care Interpreters Association, a former member of IMIA’s Advisory Board, and a former President of the IMIA. Dr. David Cardona has received multiple recognitions and awards for his tireless work on language access services and his advocacy role for LEP populations in the nation.