Carolyn R. Stern MD is a Board Certified Family Physician. She was born deaf due to maternal rubella. She subsequently lost the rest of her hearing in 1990.

In her many years of clinical practice, she has worked with thousands of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HOH) patients as well as the extended D/HOH community. She serves as an inspiring and energetic speaker. She encourages others to think “out of the box” with regard to people with disabilities, while maintaining a good sense of humor. She presents extensively in the D/HOH and general community as a role model, mentor and educator.

She serves as a consultant to Federal, State and local organizations and internationally as well. Recently, she presented in China at the Tianjin University of Technology/Pen International: All-China Higher Special Education Conference on "Healthcare and the Deaf Postsecondary Student: Observations and Educational Impact." In Japan, she testified before the Ministry of Health and Welfare; she advocated for the rights of Japanese Deaf, to become licensed health care professionals. She has also co-authored an article on "Preventive Attitudes and Beliefs of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Individuals", in the Archives of Family Medicine.

In 1998, she moved to Rochester, NY and now works as Medical Director of Rochester School for the Deaf (RSD). Her current ambitious project involves this website! She is devoted to providing health education and training in an American Sign Language (ASL) friendly format. She seeks to reduce healthcare disparities and improve the health status of those who are Deaf. She works diligently to improve provider-patient communication and cultural competency by providing effective training and resources. She is committed to increasing the medical knowledge base of interpreters, while striving for a higher standard of interpreters in medical settings.

She graduated Cum Laude from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, and received her MD from Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago. She completed her Family Medicine Residency at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois.

She and her husband, Mr. Alan Spanjer, live in Rochester, NY with their 3 children.