Advocacy Training Grantees

Faculty & Resident: Molly Krager, MD and Andrew Donaldson, MD

Goal: Create a longitudinal legislative advocacy curriculum integrated across Y weeks in our new X+Y curriculum to empower residents to advocate for children’s health at the local, state, and federal levels. 

Key components:

• Conduct needs assessment with senior residents who have already completed the advocacy program to evaluate gaps and seek feedback on curriculum improvement.
• First year residency will focus on local policy under new curriculum then accompany staff to a local meeting learn about public policy initiatives.
• In year two advocacy will be broadened with exposure to state advocacy issues and coordinate with local AAP Chapter to use skills to meet with their legislators.

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Develop series of case-based discussions based on the Missouri AAP Blueprint for Children Agenda.
• Residents will attend both local and state advocacy sessions to learn how child health can impact public policy.
• Participate in child health advocacy experiences.

Faculty & Resident: Yonit Lax, MD and Farah Jooma, MD

Goal: Educate and empower pediatric residents to advocate for patients and families to prevent the accidental ingestion of cannabis products by children and the over-consumption of marijuana by adolescents and parents of young children.

Key Components:

• Residents distribute educational material.
• Residents will practice engaging in difficult conversations with simulated patient encounters.
• Work with multiple community partners to increase spread of educational materials.
• Engage in connecting with legislators through op-eds and statewide Advocacy Day.

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Increase resident knowledge on advocacy topic after pre and posttests.
• Increase resident comfort in having difficult conversations.
• Create partnerships with community organizations to spread knowledge.
• Empower residents to participate in legislative change by using their physician voice with legislators.

Faculty and Resident: Rinet Fernandes, MD and Nadia Shaikh, MD

Goal: To increase comfort and competence of residents to address and be a legislative advocate for specific needs and issues facing immigrant and refugee patient populations.

Key Components:

• Introductory session to advocacy topic area.
• Legislative advocacy workshop.
• Residents will practice engaging in difficult conversations with simulated patient encounters.
• Learn how to connect patients to existing resources.

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Increase level of comfort and competence in pediatric residents on advocacy issues in patient encounters.
• Increase legislative advocacy skills
• Add curricula elements to the advocacy rotation around advocacy topic areas
• Host educational consortium and strengthen partnerships with NJPRAC and NJAAP

Faculty and Resident: Carolina Guitierrez, MD and Jonathan Taylor-Fishwick, MD

Goal: Design and implement a sustainable longitudinal curriculum within the University of Colorado Medicine-Pediatrics program which utilizes partnerships with the Colorado chapter of the AAP to identify and understand key advocacy issues for child health, empowers residents to address the critical problems locally and nationally, and build foundational skills and practices for life-long advocacy.

Key Components:

• Conduct yearly survey to identify residents' areas of interest specific to advocacy and to identify key issues specific to Colorado.
• Provide early exposure to avenues for advocacy, integrating structured advocacy education focused on skill building, creating mentorship for residents passionate in advocacy.
• Year one of the curriculum will address current gaps in the categorical program’s advocacy curriculum. Year two will focus more on residents’ interest areas as well as key topics being discussed by the Colorado AAP and relevant to Coloradans.

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Orientation for residents to understand key components of healthcare in Colorado including local, state, and national advocacy issues.
• Bi-monthly advocate meetings to support and empower residents.
• Quarterly hand-on educational series focusing on advocacy topics.

Faculty & Resident: Shuba Kamath, MD and Victoria Quinn, DO

Goal: Implement a sustainable year-long curriculum within the Brown Pediatrics Residency that fosters collaboration between the residency program and the Rhode Island AAP chapter and guides residents to develop skills to become life-long advocates.

Key components:

• Workshop series for all pediatric residents led by the Rhode Island AAP (RI-APP) members with experience and success in advocacy
• Join the ‘Advocacy Interest Group’ a group of residents and RI-AAP members that will meet outside of the workshops
• Create a section in the Hasbro Pediatric Residency Newsletter titled ‘Advocacy Boosters of the Month’ to highlight an advocacy project developed from a resident-faculty partnership

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Increase partnership between RI-AAP and residency program
• Increased resident competence in child health advocacy
• Increased participation in child health advocacy after residency program ends

Faculty & Resident: Kristin Pyne, MD and Snigdha Raja, MD

Goal: Develop a formal 2-week advocacy rotation for second year residents increasing exposure to pediatric advocacy activities at the individual, community, and legislative levels.

Key components:

• Complete a needs assessment with a community partner
• Complete a legislative advocacy project
• Create an advocacy portfolio

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Increase resident engagement with the community and community partners
• Increase knowledge and participation in legislative advocacy
• Attend annual AAP Advocacy Conference

Faculty & Resident: Stephanie Kwon, DO and Allison Kuipers, MD

Goal: Establish an advocacy track within the pediatric residency program to ensure interested residents receive a comprehensive education on core child advocacy topics, advocacy skills development, and guidance in developing a child advocacy project.

Key components:

• Review current advocacy program and complete gap analysis to improve the program
• Quarterly skills workshops to identify child health needs that align with advocacy interests and community stakeholders
• Advocacy retreat including guest speakers and presentation of advocacy projects

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of child advocacy topics
• Increase awareness of child health needs and identify community stakeholders
• Utilize advocacy skills in post-residency careers

Faculty & Resident: Sheela Gavvala, MD and Amber Gafur, MD

Goal: To create a standardized curriculum for legislative advocacy within the UTHealth pediatric residency by building a module-based learning system that will be followed by a mock committee hearing in which residents will participate in a role-playing session to utilize and practice the skills learned.

Key components:

• Create standardized legislative advocacy curriculum within the current community health and advocacy in pediatrics (CHAP) rotation
• Conduct mock committee hearing for residents to simulate a legislative hearing

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Standardize legislative advocacy curriculum across pediatric residency programs
• Increase resident participation in state Advocacy Day