Here at Canopy, we’ve assembled an amazingly talented and mission-driven team united to end the language barrier in healthcare. The Team Member Spotlight series will feature the Canopy teammates one by one to give you a behind-the-scenes look at who we are, and how each one of us contributes in our own special way to the Canopy mission. Enjoy!

Dr. Kate Riestenberg

Job title: Director of Content and Pedagogy    

Lives in: Philadelphia, PA

Education / Professional Experience: I am an applied linguist  who specializes in the creation of authentic and evidence-driven language teaching materials, curricula, and assessments. I have a doctorate in Linguistics from Georgetown University and completed my postdoctoral training at the Smithsonian Institution.

Favorite Book: Niebla by Miguel de Unamuno

Hobbies: Gardening, hiking, skiing, traveling. Before becoming a mom I spent a lot more time riding (and fixing!) my bicycle and motorcycle, but I'm good with the tradeoff.

What brought you to Canopy?

At Canopy I get to be an applied linguist in the truest sense: I apply my skills as a linguist to solutions that address real-world problems related to health equity and language access.

What’s the best part about working with healthcare professionals?

I'm consistently inspired by how much healthcare professionals do to provide the best possible care for their patients. I’ve always appreciated this from a patient perspective, but working at Canopy has given me an even greater understanding of the time and effort that goes into this.

Since joining Canopy, what have you learned about the language access problem that you didn’t know before? Challenges? Opportunities?

It's been really exciting to see more evidence in support of language-concordant care (when patients and providers communicate in a shared language) and what a difference this can make for health outcomes and patient satisfaction. 

What other volunteer work or causes do you participate in?

Lately my focus is hyper-local. I help stock our neighborhood community fridge and work with a group of moms who support teachers and students at our local public high school.

Want to learn more about the rest of the team? Click here to learn about the Canopy mission and see the rest of our all-star lineup.