Advocacy Training Grantees

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

Goal: Educate residents on Early Intervention and the larger issues facing the community by highlighting the work of community partners and improving resident skills in advocating for their patients.

Key Components:

• Quarterly workshops will focus on health inequities in early childhood development.
• Create opportunities for residents to participate in community meetings with community-based organizations.
• Provide opportunities for residents to attend the Advocacy Day in 2026

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Residents will get hands-on advocacy practice through the Kids Can’t Wait Advocacy Toolkit and by developing an advocacy project.
• Improve resident knowledge and skills to address disparities in early childhood development.

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

Goal: Improve confidence in legislative advocacy in our residents by empowering them to become leaders who work to shape policies that improve the health and well-being of underserved pediatric populations.

Key Components:

• Protected teaching time to allow for participation in advocacy skills sessions.
• Panel discussions at noon conferences with faculty and community member to discuss their experiences in legislative advocacy.
• Organize two events focused on community-building and networking centered around the WCAAP Advocacy Day.

Anticipated Outcomes:

• A sustainable advocacy curriculum for resident trainees in collaboration with the AAP Chapter
• By addressing local health issues residents will be able to witness how advocacy can influence policy and improve health outcomes.

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

Goal: Increase residents’ comfort level with advocacy at state and national level by providing an overview of the legislative process and how it is tied to advocacy and improve skills in related tools to encourage residents to become more involved in advocating for their patients.

Key Components:

• The educational project will be based on relevant bills the state chapter is advocating for.
• Create skill-based training sessions on a variety of advocacy topics (i.e. building relationships with elected officials, writing Op-eds, media outreach, etc.).

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Sustainability in the update to the advocacy curriculum by tying it to the annual areas of focus by the state chapter.
• Increase confidence of residents to become more involved in advocacy efforts in their future careers.

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

Goal: Implement a longitudinal and collaborative advocacy curriculum to allow residents to learn about a topic from a medical, public health, and legislative standpoint while gaining the skills to advocate through various modalities.

Key Components:

• Create opportunities for second year residents to have a community outreach and advocacy rotation through the creation of a longitudinal curriculum.
• Increase advocacy curriculum to include utilizing media as a communication strategy to advocacy for patients.
• Create a health policy workshop to help residents understand the legislation pertaining to the focus area.

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Residents will learn a variety of tools for digital communication.
• Residents will develop community partnerships with community-based organizations and the AAP chapter.
• Residents will develop and present a Health Campaign Capstone Project