Advocacy Training Grantees

Resident & Faculty: Sabrina Benitez, MD & Taylor Rosenbaum, MD

Goal: Provide support to successfully launch a new advocacy curriculum, especially an Advocacy Track a new three-year longitudinal individualized track for two residents per year. The track consists of one dedicated advocacy month per year of residency.

Key Components:

• Establish annual Advocacy Bootcamp for all residents introducing the topic of advocacy including elective options for those interested in additional skills training.
• Creation of the Advocacy Track which will consist of one dedicated advocacy month per year of residency.

Anticipated Outcomes

• Create dedicated Advocacy Track curriculum
• Create link between advocacy program and the Florida Chapter of the AAP and Florida’s Children Week
• Residents will become comfortable with reviewing advocacy related research and be able to apply it to their patient population

Resident & Faculty: Ethan Bursott, MD & Sheilah Snyder, MD

Goal: To sustainably embed legislative and public health advocacy skills within the pediatric residency curriculum, empowering our future physicians to translate clinical insights into community-level policy action that proactively addresses the social and political determinants of health impacting Nebraska’s children.

Key components:

• Implement a Skills Workshop during didactic sessions to provide hands-on training in effective advocacy
• Host two noon conferences
• Expand existing programming by incorporating a Grand Rounds session focused on local Social Determinants of Health specific to our patient population

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Deliver a Skills Workshop for all PGY levels focused on letter writing, navigating the Nebraska unicameral legislature, identifying bills affecting pediatric healthcare, and communication strategies for engaging policymakers.
• Hold conference featuring Nebraska AAP representatives discussing current state-level legislation relevant to pediatrics.
• Residents will be able to craft patient-centered narratives for use in legislative testimony or written advocacy.

Resident & Faculty: Isha Darbari, MD & Maurine Sam, MD

Goal: To increase pediatric residents’ access, confidence, and competency in legislative advocacy skills by integrating hands-on advocacy training into the Community Organization Resident Practicum.

Key Components:

• A legislative advocacy skills workshop led by TPS Legislative Leads focused on understanding the Texas legislative process and applying practical advocacy skills when communicating with legislators using legislative policy on unassigned albuterol.
• A workshop focusing on media advocacy led by staff from the Dallas Morning News, paired with an interactive session led by a local pediatrician, who will share her experience integrating pediatric pulmonology expertise with legislative and media advocacy to address asthma exacerbations.

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Increased confidence and readiness level of residents to navigate legislative processes.
• Increased participation of residents in the TPS All Trainee Advocacy Day

Resident & Faculty: Shaemion McBride, MD & Pratishtha Chhabra, MD

Goal: To re-establish and strengthen a sustainable, community-engaged advocacy curriculum that equips pediatric residents with practical legislative and media advocacy skills through intentional partnership with youth leaders, ensuring that child and adolescent voices meaningfully inform advocacy efforts to address child health inequities in the San Joaquin Valley.

Key Components:

• Interactive workshops introducing legislative advocacy skills, including identifying relevant child health legislation, communicating with policymakers, and understanding state and local policy pathways
• Media and social media advocacy training focused on responsible, effective use of digital platforms, letter writing, and op-ed development to elevate child health issues relevant to our region.

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Advocacy content developed through this project will be formally incorporated into at least one recurring residency educational activity
• Residents will demonstrate increased confidence in legislative and social media advocacy

Faculty & Resident: Megan Tracy, MD & Omoadoni Emeagui, MD

Goal: To increase in pediatric interns’ knowledge and skills in relation to early childhood development advocacy, particularly in seeking to address disparities in access to services.

Key components:

• Quarterly resident workshops that focus on health inequities related to early childhood development.
• Resident participation in community meetings with community-based organizations.
• Opportunity for residents to attend advocacy day to discuss the needs of the Early Intervention Program with state representatives

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Increase resident knowledge of early childhood education services and the social disparities that influence access.
• Increase collaboration between legislators and trainees.
• Strengthen trainee engagement with community-based organizations.

Faculty & Resident: Kristin Rager, MD & Stephanie Ng, MD

Goal: Familiarize the residents with the legislative process and ways to support or oppose a bill while improving communication in both written medium as well as in- person with elected officials.

Key Components:

• Pinpoint relevant bills the AAP is advocating for and follow the legislative process longitudinally as the year progresses.
• Provide opportunities to apply learned advocacy skills at a local and state level while strengthening the residency program’s advocacy curriculum.

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Residents will feel more confident being involved in advocacy and feel comfortable using the skills imparted in the future.
• Support residents to attend the state legislative day.

Faculty & Resident: Beth Ebel, MD & Rachel Yang, MD

Goal: Instill confidence in legislative advocacy and a greater sense of purpose in our residents, empowering them to become leaders who not only treat patients but also shape policies that improve the health and well-being of underserved pediatric populations.  

Key Components:

• Residents will participate in an advocacy skills session during protected teaching time
• Noon conferences featuring panel discussions with invited faculty and community members about their experiences in legislative advocacy.
• Organize two social events each year focused on community building and networking, one of which will be centered around WCAAP Advocacy Day.

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Develop critical advocacy skills, including the ability to craft compelling messages for policy makers, effectively engage with the media, and mobilize community support for health initiatives.
• Residents will gain confidence in negotiating with policymakers and delivering impactful legislative testimony, empowering them to advocate effectively for their patients and communities.  

Faculty & Resident: Hailey Nelson, MD & Enjuli Chhaniara, DO

Goal: Implement a longitudinal and collaborative advocacy curriculum surrounding childhood injury prevention so Valley Children’s residents can learn about the topic from a medical, public health and legislative standpoint while gaining the skills to advocate for injury prevention through various modalities.

Key Components:

• Partner with the Safe Kids Central California organization to create a comprehensive injury prevention curriculum, which we will integrate into our Y-week blocks.
• Health policy workshop so residents can understand legislation pertaining to their injury area and identify gaps.
• Advocacy simulation” where residents will learn how to navigate a difficult conversation on injuries with families.

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Experiences will prepare each cohort to develop a capstone project in the form of a health campaign pertaining to their injury.
• Residents will learn about top childhood injuries and be able to advocate safety tips by age group to patients/families, the public and interprofessional staff. Additionally, the community will gain well-researched educational materials to prevent childhood injuries.