Advocacy and Community Engagement: Perspectives from Pediatric Department Chairs

Pediatric advocacy: Advancement in academic institutions

IMPACT

Children are facing many threats to their health today that require system change at a sweeping level to have real-world impact. Pediatricians are positioned as natural leaders to advocate for these critical community and policy changes. Academic medical center (AMC) leaders recognize the importance of this advocacy and clear steps can be taken to improve the structure to support pediatricians in their advocacy careers through faculty development and promotion, including standardized scholarly measurement of the outcomes.

Advocacy in Pediatric Academia: Charting a Path Forward

Pediatricians are effective advocates to improve the health and well-being of children, yet there are limited avenues by which to pursue academic promotion based on these activities. Drawing on an expanded definition of scholarship, pediatric advocates can use the portfolio format to highlight the quantity, quality, and impact of advocacy activities. True congruence with research and education will only be achieved through recognition and value by institutions and organizations.

Child Advocacy in Action: If Not You, Who? If Not now, When?

The notion that the physician has a responsibility to both the patient in their care and the community in which they reside has been a source of inspiration and tension within the profession for centuries. The profession of Pediatrics has uniquely incorporated advocacy into its training programs and will likely continue to incorporate advocacy into its professional standards for the foreseeable future. In this article, we review the history of advocacy within the profession, outline the skills needs for successful child health advocacy and offer examples of how advocacy combined with pediatric practice has improved the lives of children.

Making Advocacy Part of Your Job: Working for Children in Any Practice Setting

Effective child health advocacy is an essential strategy to improve child health, and can improve access to equitable care. It can also be professionally rewarding and improve career satisfaction. However, while advocacy has been a part of pediatrics since its origins as a specialty, many barriers to engaging in health advocacy exist which can be challenging to navigate. There are a wide range of organizational practice settings, which are each accompanied by unique strengths and limitations. No matter the practice setting, pediatricians can be effective advocates for child health through leveraging organizational, professional, and community resources and partnerships.