ASHLEY R. WALKER, PHARMD

SHE/HER/HERS

Dr. Ashley R Walker is a pharmacist, entrepreneur, and an advocate. Dr. Walker holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Xavier University of Louisiana and a Bachelors of Science in Biotechnology from Rochester Institute of Technology. She has been a pharmacist for 9 years with experience in retail pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, home infusion pharmacy, and long-term care pharmacy. In addition to being a pharmacist, Dr. Walker brought to life a new dream when she established her business Med Max Consulting, LLC. Under this business, Dr. Walker can advocate for members of the deaf and hard of hearing community as well as offer medication counseling services to help this unique community maximize and optimize their medication therapy.

Christa A. Moran NIC, M.Ed, CoreCHI-P

She/her/hers

Christa Moran is an ASL/English interpreter, trainer and supervisor in the Interpreter Services Department at the University of Michigan Hospital. She is a Certified Healthcare Interpreter (CoreCHI-P) through the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters and also holds NIC certification through the registry of Interpreter for the Deaf (RID). Christa combines her interpreting and teaching through the workshops and trainings she has developed for interpreters and staff, faculty and learners at Michigan Medicine. Additionally, she works to advance health equity and inclusion for patients with disabilities.

Corey Axelrod, MBA

He/Him/HIS

Corey Axelrod, MBA, is the founder and CEO of 2axend, a Deaf-owned strategic consulting and training firm working with organizations to provide user-centric experiences to Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Prior to founding 2axend, Axelrod served in several business development roles for Communication Service for the Deaf, as well as principal and digital marketing consultant for Synergetic Business Solutions, digital marketing coordinator for Purple Communications and director of marketing and business development for Hager Productions. Axelrod earned his master of business administration (MBA) with a concentration in marketing and sales management and his bachelor of science in business administration from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Elizabeth Ayers, MS

She/her/hers

Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Ayers is a Deaf-born Seattle native, a sonographer and clinical instructor with 26 and ongoing years of field experience, and an advocate of ASL signs that appropriately reflect STEM concepts. Liz also serves as a faculty member in the RIT/NTID Science & Mathematics department, Director of Healthcare Mentoring at Deaf Hub, Board Advisor for Atomic Hands, and a PhD scholar, among other roles. The use of contextually relevant signs optimizes health care literacy for DHH patients while educating the healthcare community about the benefits of sign language. Supporting interpreters in healthcare is important, not only for DHH patients but also for the growing population of DHH healthcare professionals.

Dr. Elizabeth Moore

Headshot and bio coming soon.

Jeremy Quiroga, MFA, CDI

he/him/his

Jeremy Quiroga continues to share his love of life and his language through workshops and performances nationally. He started out as a medical interpreter by becoming the first staff CDI for the University of Rochester Medical Center. From that point forward medical interpreting became his focus. ASL mastery skills & life experience, Jeremy provides interpreter workshops with a phenomenal range of tools for the various settings. Currently, Jeremy works as a VRI interpreter in medical setting. In his free time he enjoys cooking, hiking and gardening.

Julia Bartsch, PA-C

SHE/her/HERS

Julia Bartsch is a third generation Deaf woman who works as a physician associate in the Surgical Department at Unity Hospital in Rochester, NY. She is a graduate of RIT’s PA program and has been a practicing provider for 4 years. At the start of her career she worked primarily in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine, but currently assists in a variety of procedures including general, colorectal, plastics, and orthopedic surgeries. Julia’s professional interests include student mentorship and precepting, patient advocacy and health literacy. In her spare time, she cares for her 7 year old tripawd, Cleopatra.

Kimberly Kelstone, DNP, CNM, CI, CT

She/her/hers

Kimberly Kelstone is a Nurse-Midwife (board certified and New York licensed), who focuses on all aspects healthcare for women and people assigned female at birth, providing full-scope health care to patients throughout their lifespan. Prior to Midwifery, she provided ASL/English interpretation for a wide variety of settings for over 30 years. Specializing in medical settings, Kimberly was involved in establishing the Interpreters in Healthcare member section of RID and has interpreted for countless Deaf patients & their families as well as Deaf medical residents, researchers, doctors, and other professionals in various healthcare related fields. She had the good fortune to also receive training through the CATIE center specific to their Medical Immersion program. She has worked closely in the past with NTID on their Medical Interpreting certificate, as well as the Master’s Degree in Health Care Interpreting.

NICOLE FLEMING, RN, BSN

She/her/hers

Nicole is a registered nurse residing in Rochester NY. She attended the University of Rochester for degrees in ASL, Biology, and Nursing. She is now back in school at the University of Rochester working towards her Master’s as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Nicole has worked in a variety of settings including inpatient, emergency, and outpatient pediatrics. She enjoys providing both formal and informal mentorship to aspiring Deaf/Hard of Hearing nurses and is a board member for the Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Loss (AMPHL). Nicole became Deaf during college and now uses a combination of ASL, cochlear implants, and her wonderful service dog, Freya, to ensure complete access to the world around her. Outside of work, she is an avid rock climber and baker.

Nigel Howard

He/HIM/HIS

Nigel Howard is an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria. He used to work at Douglas College – the Program of Sign Language Interpretation (INTR), and Child, Family and Community Studies (CFCS) for 25 years. Nigel has interpreted for nearly 30 years in various settings, including medical and mental health settings. He is an Accredited International Sign Interpreter by the World Federation of the Deaf and World Association of Sign Language Interpreters. He is part of the United Nations team of International Sign interpreters and interprets frequently on media.

Scott Jeffery

He/HIM/HIS

As a person who is Deaf, Scott understands the unique challenges faced by the Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing community when accessing medical care. In his role as Lead, Language Access at Provincial Language Services (PLS), a program under Provincial Health Service Authority, he has worked hard to cement a relationship between PLS and the Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing community. Prior to joining PLS, Scott was a health care interpreter for 10 years and worked on the frontlines alongside health care providers, administration, patients, and their families. By addressing language and communication access issues and barriers, Scott supports health authorities in developing equitable and accessible health care services for their linguistically and culturally diverse patients and clients, including immigrants, refugees, official minority language speakers and members of the Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing community.

Shawn Norris, Ed K-12, NIC, CoreCHI-P

He/him/his

Shawn Norris is a healthcare language access leader, holding multiple key positions including President of the Florida Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (FRID) and Commissioner for the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI). With a background enriched by his Deaf parents, Shawn is an active advocate in the Deaf community. He’s spent over a decade in the interpreting field, mentoring emerging interpreters and founding a local agency to enhance language accessibility in Jacksonville. Currently, he’s developing Hello Interpreters, an online community for interpreters and translators and is the COO of AI Deaf. Shawn is one of the few practitioners to have held ADA Coordinator, Section 1557 Coordinator, and Interpreter Services Coordinator roles concurrently within a hospital system.

Sherri Collins

Headshot and bio coming soon.

Sheryl Emery, MA

She/her/hers

Sheryl grew up amid the turbulent 1960s, witnessing riots and the fierce struggle for civil rights. At 13, she became deaf due to spinal meningitis. Her great aunt taught her the Old English two-handed alphabet, fostering her ability to communicate and igniting a lifelong passion for advocacy. At 22, Sheryl became the founding president of the National Black Deaf Advocates (NBDA) organization. In October 2023, she returned as NBDA’s president. Her advocacy took her to Chicago, where she served as Director of Social Services and Advocacy at the Chicago Hearing Society. Following that she moved to Michigan and created initiatives such as the Macomb School to Work program and the Deaf HEAL and Shield programs at Deaf C.A.N! She made history as the first Black Deaf woman to lead a state-mandated Deaf agency, directing Michigan’s Division on Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She is the primary author Michigan’s original Sign Language interpreting regulations. A Gallaudet University alumna with a B.A. degree in Social Work and a M.A., in Rehabilitation Counseling from NYU, Sheryl now resides in Colorado, continuing her work as a Disability Community Equity and Engagement Specialist.

Trenton Marsh, CDI

He/him/his

Trenton Marsh (he/him) has been a communicator since he was knee high to a short chihuahua. Born to deaf parents and siblings, he grew up attending the California School for the Deaf in Fremont. He moved to Utah where he got his CDI and has been interpreting over twenty years, with the past two years exclusively in the medical setting. He lives in Salt Lake City with his wife Bonnie and two COCA-CODA kids, Madi and Rider.