Weber State student developing app to provide better care for Navajo patients

Kendra Ellison posing on Weber State campus. OGDEN, Utah — While completing her clinical hours at the Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, New Mexico, Weber State University radiography student Kendra Ellison observed elderly patients facing a language barrier while seeking care.

“I noticed there weren’t many Navajo translators,” she said.

At times, politely asking elderly patients to “sit still for a moment” or “please lie down” became a difficult task for caregivers as they interacted with patients who primarily speak Navajo. 

Ellison, who is learning Navajo herself, started thinking there should be an app for that. 

After attending a recent women’s entrepreneurship program, she plans to create a platform that offers essential medical terms in the language, along with proper pronunciation. The app would also honor her father Samuel, whose first language was Navajo. In the meantime, she’s gaining skills to treat patients one-on-one by earning an Associate of Applied Science in Radiography.

Ellison is an Army veteran who has recently lost loved ones and faced her own health challenges. The WSU senior said she’s inspired by her professors, who worked with her during trying times.

“They keep me going, encouraging me despite what is going on in life,” she said. 

After graduation in spring 2025, Ellison plans to earn her bachelor’s degree in computed tomography at WSU.

Author:

Jaime Winston, Marketing & Communications 
jaimewinston@weber.edu

Contact:

Rachel Badali, news coordinator 
801-626-7362, rachelbadali@weber.edu