Medical residency and advocacy: Even small contributions can have a significant impact

While our residency training is often focused on gaining medical knowledge, clinical expertise and patient care skills, our role as resident physicians in healthcare advocacy and policy has been increasing. Many major medical organizations such as the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) now recognize our roles and responsibilities within healthcare advocacy. These organizations often require us to learn about social determinants of health and healthcare disparities. Still, there is limited emphasis on how we may learn about formal healthcare advocacy and policy.

Recognizing this gap, the Academy of Resident and Fellow Educators, a resident-run organization dedicated to fostering the growth of residents as clinician-educators and leaders at Baylor College of Medicine, sought to provide Baylor residents and fellows with an opportunity to expand our knowledge on these topics via a non-partisan event that included information for getting involved in health advocacy at the trainee level as well as registering to vote and identifying polling locations for the upcoming election.

The event, sponsored through the President’s Grant from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, included a bi-directional, open discussion panel comprised of multidisciplinary Baylor faculty and staff that allowed us to ask meaningful questions, gain knowledge and connect with peers and experts in the healthcare advocacy and policy fields. Our main goal was to provide residents with the information and resources for the best practices in healthcare policy while being cognizant of our roles as medical trainees.

Panelists included Christi Guerrini, J.D., MPH, associate professor in the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy; Dr. Jean Raphael, director of the Center for Child Health Policy & Advocacy, professor of pediatrics; and Dr. Ariel Lyons-Warren, assistant professor of child neurology. They each spoke about their own experiences in these spheres. They emphasized that advocacy is accessible, even for us as busy trainees, through various entry points, including attending advocacy days at the state Capitol, volunteering as poll workers or becoming certified voter registrars.

Opportunities exist locally, within Baylor and nationally through organizations such as the American Medical Association and specialty societies, where involvement can begin with attending meetings or joining policy committees. They also recommended familiarizing yourself with the legislative process by tracking specific bills and policies that align with your personal and professional values. Engaging in small-scale actions, such as writing letters to lawmakers, can create meaningful change.

We were encouraged to remain passionate, genuine and proactive in pursuing policy changes that improve healthcare outcomes, emphasizing that even small contributions can have a significant impact. Panelists also discussed legal considerations when engaging in advocacy and stressed the importance of understanding our role as a physician-advocate, which is distinct from representing an institution. They highlighted Baylor’s Code of Conduct, which specifically includes guidelines that make clear that you are advocating on your own behalf and not as a representative of Baylor and that support from faculty mentors and the governmental affairs office is available to help guide you in your personal advocacy efforts. By taking these steps, you can help shape healthcare policy while also enhancing your own understanding of how legislation influences patient care.

Healthcare advocacy and policy is a huge world, but it is not insurmountable. For those with a passion or interest, the entry points are numerous, and support is all around. The reality is that many are already doing these things, both consciously and unconsciously. Being a physician is to be an advocate. It’s a lifelong declaration of love of and service to your community because you care. Healthcare advocacy is just another way to supplement and grow that covenant, sometimes on a bigger scale.

Remember that when walking this path, you are doing so as yourself: a physician, an individual and an employee of Baylor, but not a spokesperson for them. Be passionate and genuine and know that our faculty and the Office of Legislative Affairs are tools for you to utilize to make sure you’re representing your thoughts and expertise and not that of the College.

We are fortunate to have each other and so many incredible faculty members here at Baylor who share our passions for patient care and helping make the system work better for everyone. We can’t wait for you to join us.

In closing, as we approach Election Day, please remember to vote, and encourage others to do as well.

By Drs. Sophia Williams-Perez, PGY4 resident – general surgery; Ashlyn Brown, PGY3 resident – physical medicine & rehabilitation; Leslie Kathleen Appleton, PGY5 fellow – pulmonary and critical care medicine; and Bani Ratan, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, director GME at Baylor College of Medicine