SOPT Advocacy

Every year since 2005, the AAP Section on Pediatric Trainees (SOPT) has implemented an advocacy campaign. The Section's Child Health Workgroup works closely with AAP staff to choose the campaign and to develop the materials and resources. The campaign kicks off at the SOPT Program at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition in the fall each year.

Annual Advocacy Campaign 2024 - 2025: HEADSS Up!

Why does SOPT conduct an annual advocacy campaign?
Every year, the Section on Pediatric Trainees (SOPT) organizes an advocacy campaign around a topic relevant to children’s health. The campaigns are designed and implemented by the Section’s advocacy campaign chairs, under the guidance of the SOPT Executive Coordinator of Child Health. The campaigns serve to educate medical students, residents, and fellowship trainees about the chosen topic, while introducing them to the many ways the AAP will help them advocate for children over the course of their careers. To accomplish these dual goals:

1. We guide our members in the development and implementation of advocacy projects using the AAP’s Community Pediatrics Training Initiative curriculum as a guide;
2. We connect our members with research and advocacy mentors through AAP sections, councils and committees;
3. We encourage trainees to apply for AAP funding to support their projects;
4. We involve our members in the review of the Academy’s policies concerning the annual topic;
5. We encourage our members to write resolutions to influence the Academy’s activities on the annual topic.

By using the annual campaigns as a vehicle to introduce these resources, we hope to encourage a lifetime of involvement in the AAP, and to make advocacy a central tenet of our members’ careers.

Overview of the HEADSS Up! Campaign

Inspired by the HEADSS Assessment, a social history mnemonic, the SOPT Advocacy Campaign Chairs created the HEADSS Up! campaign to highlight advocacy opportunities for each of the sections covered by the HEADSS assessment. To engage members across all training levels, the Section is providing learning opportunities for both “Back to the Basics" advocacy, as well as advanced opportunities. SOPT wants trainees to feel empowered to participate in advocacy in whatever capacity they have, so the campaign includes a range of activities – from the bedside to social media – to make advocacy more accessible. A wealth of resources related to the campaign are accessible on the AAP/SOPT Advocacy Campaign website (AAP Login Required).

The Campaign is divided into trimesters, with each trimester focusing on two parts of the HEADSS acronym:

Trimester 1: Home/Environment, Education

• For Home/Environment, our focus is on climate change. We will be featuring a climate change Instagram campaign that will share resources about climate change and how it impacts children's health, tips for greener practices, and strategies for advocacy at the bedside.
  • The campaign will culminate in a letter-writing session, where districts will host letter-writing events at their local institutions to write letters advocating for local policies regarding climate change. If you are interested in becoming a district representative and hosting a letter-writing campaign, please sign up here.  
• For Education, we will host a Spotlight on School Health webinar in November. Stay tuned for the exact date/time! The goal of the webinar is to introduce trainees to school health and how to get involved.

Trimester 2: Activities and Depression

• For Activities, we are highlighting three different topic areas and providing resources/education:
  • Unfortunately, human trafficking is very prevalent in the lives of youth in America. We will learn about what we as pediatricians need to know to keep these kids as safe as possible. We will also have active advocacy for us to be involved in.
  • Can someone teach me how I can help children with eating disorders in the outpatient setting? We sure can! Stay tuned for more information about this educational session.
  • Social media has lots of benefits but there are risks to it too. Through a social media campaign, we will learn about the positives and negatives of youth social media use #meta
• For Depression, we will be discussing the youth mental health crisis, and providing information specifically on the following topics:
  • We want to bring us back to basics to remember what all pediatricians should know about SSRIs, including the basics of prescribing them, side effects to be aware of, and when we should be involving our subspeciality colleagues.
  • Firearms are the leading cause of death for children in America. Yet, it is sometimes awkward to discuss firearm safety with our patients and families. In our workshop, we will learn about the firearm epidemic, how to discuss firearm safety with families, and practice real world scenarios.

Trimester 3: Drugs/Safety, Sex/Gender

• For Drugs/Safety, we will be exploring the ever-changing landscape of adolescent drug use and how pediatricians can intervene. We are looking forward to hearing from you about how you want to promote trauma-informed care and the safety of our patients, communities, and ourselves.
• This Pride Month, we're excited to take a 'back-to-basics' approach to learning about sex and gender! Our goal is to provide an introduction or a quick refresher on things like birth control and STI testing/treatment. We'll also be discussing ways all pediatricians can provide gender-affirming care – regardless of specialty.

To learn more, visit the SOPT Advocacy Campaign Members-Only page, and check out the SOPT Calendar on the SOPT Members-Only Home Page for events and deadlines (AAP login required). If you would like to get more involved in this campaign, please fill out the SOPT contact us form.