Elena N. Casey, Ph.D.

Dr. Casey works at UW-Eau Claire as Assistant Professor of Spanish, Program Advisor for the Spanish for Health Professions Minor, Affiliate of Latin American & Latinx Studies, Advisory Board Member for the Health Humanities program, and Core Member of the Wisconsin Latinx History Collective. Dr. Casey teaches and performs research on topics at the intersection of Spanish and the health sciences. She is co-PI with Dr. Jiménez Frei (History) for the Voces del Campo / Rural Voices student/faculty research project, training UWEC students to recruit, conduct, transcribe, translate, and analyze Spanish-language oral history interviews with Hispanic & Latinx community members in Wisconsin. She is PI for a grant through the Collaborative Research program between UWEC and Mayo Clinic Health System - NWWI, analyzing language services and pandemic experiences for patients with limited English proficiency. She is also co-investigator and Spanish Student Interpretation Coordinator for a study and practicum with UWEC Communication Sciences and Disorders, “Preparing Communication Sciences and Disorders Students to Collaborate with Interpreters.” She has published and presented on COVID-19 oral histories, healthcare access, fever, disability, and mental illness in historical and present contexts, ranging from early modern Spain and the colonial Americas to present-day Hispanic and Latinx communities in the Midwest. Dr. Casey is also an active member of the Chippewa Valley Free Clinic’s community advisory board and the Eau Claire City-County Health Department’s Community Health Equity workgroup, advocating for equitable and inclusive healthcare practices for Hispanic and Latinx community members.