About Advocacy in Action Workshop
The Advocacy in Action Workshop is an opportunity for medical students to receive virtual grassroots advocacy skills training that will equip them to become effective advocates and leaders in medicine.
Registration
Register for the webinars on Oct. 5 and Oct. 6 to hear from expert speaker panels, participate in advocacy skills workshops, learn about healthcare issues and how you can actively advocate for patients, providers and communities.
On the third day, Oct. 7, workshop attendees are invited to put to use the skills they learned and resources provided to advocate for specific issues they care most about by writing emails or letters to elected officials.
Agenda
- Download the full agenda ( PDF).
Oct. 5: Telling Your Story and Building Community
8-9:30 p.m. Eastern
- Welcome and introductory remarks: AMA President Willie Underwood III, MD, MSc, MPH, and Jackie Liu, Medical Student Section (MSS) Government Relations Advocacy Fellow (GRAF)
- Keynote session: “Building Your Advocacy Narrative"
- Issue brief: Graduate Medical Education, Alexis Pierce, director, Division of Legislative Counsel, AMA
- Panel discussion: “Community Alliances for Sustainable Change,” featuring leaders from the Resident & Fellow Section (RFS) and Young Physicians Section (YPS):
- Christopher Libby, MD, MPH
- Daniel Resnick, DO
- Daniel Udrea, MD
- Abby Wilgruber, MD
Oct. 6: Building Your Advocacy Toolkit
8-9:30 p.m. Eastern
- Skills workshop: “For Your Toolkit: Writing Letters vs. Writing Public Comments,” Phil Lynch, Washington D.C. counsel, AMA
- Issue brief: Medicare Reform, Bryan Hull, Washington D.C. counsel, AMA
- Skills workshop: “For Your Toolkit: Preparing Your Policy Pitch,” Chris Sherrin, assistant director, Division of Congressional Affairs, AMA
- Issue brief: Maternal Health, Sierra Burgon, senior attorney, AMA
- Skills workshop: “For Your Toolkit: Social Media and Advocacy, Building the Movement,” Jackie Liu, MSS Government Relations Advocacy Fellow (GRAF)
Oct. 7: Apply Skills in Action
Asynchronous
Participants will apply the skills developed during the first two days of the workshop through independent, regional and chapter advocacy activities:
- Hosting letter-writing workshops
- Emailing state legislators to schedule meetings
- Creating social media posts announcing advocacy efforts
- Reaching out to community organizations to establish meetings and explore potential collaboration
Toolkit
Templates
- 2026 Advocacy in Action Congressional meeting request template (DOCX)
- 2026 Advocacy in Action letter template (DOCX)
- 2026 Advocacy in Action phone banking script (DOCX)
- 2026 Advocacy in Action public comment template (DOCX)
Issue briefs
- Advocating for Maternal Health: Bolstering Rural Obstetric Emergency Services (PDF)
- Advocating for Medicare Reform: The Patients First Act (PDF)
- Advocating for Future Physicians: Strengthening GME to Address the Physician Shortage (PDF)
Contact us
For questions about the Advocacy in Action Workshop, contact Jackie Liu, AMA Government Relations Advocacy Fellow at [email protected].
