More and more elderly patients in the Navajo population were becoming scared, frustrated and withdrawn because of the language barrier between themselves and health care givers.

“There aren’t a lot of people who speak the Navajo language fluently and I noticed a majority of the patients were getting to be a little hesitant and very nervous because of the communication gap,” she said.

Ellison, who originally wanted to become a nurse, said God opened up a different door for her that led her to focus on a different area of medicine she said the Navajo population in the four corners would benefit from greatly.

“I chose radiology; or rather, radiology chose me,” she said. “I’m a person of faith and because the radiology department got back to me so quickly, I decided God had opened that door for me and I’ve been really blessed to be able to stay in New Mexico while completing the outreach program at Weber State University.”

Ellison said she works 40 hours a week at the hospital. As a Navajo herself, she said she is also learning to speak the language more fluently so she can create an app that will help bridge the communication gap between patients and those who care for their health as well as a way to honor her father, Samuel, whose first language was Navajo.

“My father has many chronic illnesses and when he’s really sick he only speaks Navajo,” she said. “I’ve also noticed that with various elderly people who come through.”

Ellison said while she can understand the language, she wants to master it before creating the app. The app, she said, will offer essential medical terms, along with proper pronunciation.

“There are a lot of different dialects, depending on the area you’re from,” she said. “For instance, here on the reservation in New Mexico, the word snow is pronounced yas, but in other areas of the Four Corners it’s pronounced zas.”

Ellison said the Navajo language was never really documented. On top of that, the language is dwindling.

“I want to preserve the language so we can continue to help them as best we can,” she said. “We have had various travelers who have come to our hospital and so many of them have said what a great idea it would be to have an app available.”

Ellison, who is an Army veteran, said her professors at WSU have kept her inspired while working with her during trying times in her life. She struggles with her own health challenges and recently lost a loved one.

“They’ve just been so good to me and have encouraged and supported me and I am very grateful,” she said.

Ellison said if a person has any Native American heritage, she strongly encourages them to learn the language so it will continue to be a help for those in need.