Advocacy Education Initiatives

This structured, two-week elective will expose participants to pertinent topics in pediatric health equity through didactic lectures and asynchronous readings. Students will also engage in discussions with physicians and field experts who are experienced in advocacy, equity and health policy. As future physicians, students will be able to apply this knowledge to serve as physician-advocates. Learn more about the CHAI Equity and Policy Elective.

Learn more about the CHAI Equity and Policy Elective.

The Policy, Education, Advocacy for Kids (PEAK) Pathway is offered to pediatric residents who are interested in receiving additional training in advocacy. The PEAK Pathway consists of a variety of optional activities aimed at building pediatric residents’ skills and understanding of public policy and advocacy. The PEAK Pathway offers three main benefits to pediatric residents: an individualized curriculum, mentorship, and community partnership building.

The Community Bus Trips (CBT) Curriculum is an innovative curriculum developed in partnership between Children’s National pediatric residency program and CHAI. The goal of the CBT Curriculum is to provide first-year pediatric residents with a deeper understanding of how the social determinants of health contribute to health disparities through a bus trip to under-resourced areas of Washington, D.C. This active learning experience allows participants to get out and see the local factors that directly affect the health of the population served by Children’s National. The knowledge gained by the residents in this experience is then applied to their clinical practice. This curriculum has been adapted for hospital staff and researchers.

Intern Advocacy Day is a year-round program created in partnership between the CHAI and the Capital Area Food Bank and DC Central Kitchen to promote community-based learning in advocacy and food insecurity. The program is offered to pediatric residents, fellows, faculty and staff who are interested in gaining skills in advocacy related to child poverty and food insecurity. Participants spend a day volunteering at the food bank’s community garden , distribution center, or food production areas, undergo a poverty simulation activity that recreates a day in the life of families experiencing food insecurity and other financial challenges, reflect on their professional role in advocacy and connecting families to food resources. Participants demonstrate improved knowledge of advocacy and improved advocacy-related self-efficacy after participating in Intern Advocacy Day.

“Meet the Pediatricians” at Joyful Food Markets is a resident-run, longitudinal community-based partnership. Residents partner with Martha’s Table, a Washington, D.C. based anti-hunger organization, to provide health education at an after-school food market. They design and run interactive demonstrations on a different health topic every month and partner with a broad network of organizations to teach children and their families about healthy eating in addition to mental and physical wellness. This hands-on experience teaches residents about the impact and sustainability of a community-based intervention.

The Pediatric Public Health and Advocacy Curriculum (P-PHAC) consists of a series of interactive lectures that aims to improve resident knowledge on prevalent pediatric public health topics. P-PHAC utilizes interactive learning sessions to empower residents with the knowledge and skills necessary to advocate for their patients and their families. Through the P-PHAC curriculum, residents learn about the child health effects of several public health topics, identify advocacy opportunities and learn strategies to communicate with lawmakers and community partners regarding child health.

Residents on the Hill Day is a signature annual event within CHAI’s advocacy education portfolio that immerses pediatric residents in the heart of federal health policy. Developed in partnership with Children’s National’s Government Affairs team, this initiative provides residents with a rare opportunity to engage directly with members of Congress and their staff to discuss the most urgent and emerging issues in pediatric health care.

During the event, residents participate in structured briefings to prepare for legislative meetings, learning how to translate clinical experience into concise, evidence-based policy messages. They then bring those insights to Capitol Hill, where they speak with lawmakers about issues about issues that impact the health and well-being of children. These discussions allow residents to convey the real-world implications of policy decisions and to advocate on behalf of the children and families they serve every day.

Beyond the day’s meetings, Residents on the Hill Day is designed as an experiential learning opportunity that cultivates the next generation of physician-advocates. Participants build confidence in legislative advocacy, refine their communication and leadership skills, and gain firsthand understanding of how health policy is shaped at the national level. The experience reinforces CHAI’s mission to equip pediatric trainees with the tools, knowledge, and professional networks necessary to influence systemic change and advance child health well beyond the walls of the hospital.

The Trainee Education in Advocacy and Community Health (TEACH) Curriculum is an innovative multimodal curriculum developed in partnership between the CHAI and the Graduate Medical Education Office, funded by a 5-year, $1 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The TEACH Curriculum trains pediatric residents to understand, identify and address child poverty in a primary care setting. The curriculum consists of eLearning and experiential learning in the form of community-based activities. Throughout the three years of residency, residents complete the following components:

• Epidemiology of child poverty
• Population health and social determinants of health
• Biomedical influences of child poverty
• Taking action in primary care and
• Policy and child poverty

Through this curriculum, residents have shown improved knowledge, confidence and attitudes about child poverty.

CHAI is proud to partner with the Children’s National Pediatric Residency Program on a number of initiatives in the Leadership in Advocacy, Under-resourced Communities and Health equity (LAUnCH) track. The mission of the LAUnCH Track is to train a new generation of residents who will create successful community partnerships and integrate public health concepts into the everyday practice of medicine to improve the health of under-resourced communities. The training for the LAUnCH Track is integrated within the overall pediatric residency program to ensure excellence in the attainment of clinical skills.

First Year

The Community Building Blocks (CBB) rotation is offered to first-year pediatric residents who are part of the LAUnCH track. The goal of the CBB rotation is to provide residents with an understanding of how social determinants of health (SDH) affect the local community, improve their knowledge of community resources, and train them to incorporate a focus on SDH into their clinical care and future careers. Each week of the rotation focuses on one of four SDH: poverty; trauma and adversity; schools and education; and the neighborhood and built environment. The curriculum consists of community-based experiences, required readings, meetings with interdisciplinary leaders in the field, and reflections with rotation leaders.

Second Year

The Child Health Advocacy Institute (CHAI) rotation is offered to second year pediatric residents who are part of the LAUnCH track and focuses on legislative advocacy. The goals of the rotation are to orient residents to CHAI’s efforts and the legislative priorities of Children’s National; to describe the steps to engage in and practice skills around legislative and media advocacy; and to create or adapt a legislative advocacy policy proposal to share with a legislator or member of their staff. The rotation culminates in a meeting with a legislator or their staff member to present a policy brief prepared by the residents and discuss a child health advocacy issue.

The Child and Adolescent Protection Center (CAPC) rotation is offered to first-year residents in the LAUnCH track. During this rotation at the Child & Adolescent Protection Center (CAPC), pediatric residents gain experience evaluating children for suspected physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and other forms of maltreatment through both inpatient consults, outpatient clinics, and didactics. Residents learn history taking techniques, participate in multidisciplinary interagency case reviews, and may engage with legal processes such as court observations and mandated reporting. The rotation emphasizes trauma-informed care, interagency collaboration, and the development of clinical and documentation skills essential to the management of maltreated children and youth.

The Introduction to Global Child Health course is offered to second-year pediatric residents who are in the LAUnCH track, as well as residents interested in global health electives. This is a one-week rotation introducing global child health issues, including health care delivery, disease burden, resource allocation, discussion of principles of bioethics, and the introduction to common illnesses seen in low-resource settings through lectures, case-based discussions, and simulations.

Third Year

In the Population Health and Leadership rotation, third-year pediatric residents in the LAUnCH track develop the skills to advance the medical home model in order to improve population health outcomes for children. Through readings, coalition meetings and hands-on activities, residents learn how community partnerships and governmental policies advance population health.

In the Research rotation, third-year LAUnCH residents receive dedicated time to advance their research project, including data analysis and working on scholarly dissemination. Residents also present to a group of faculty to receive mentorship on their projects.

CHAI faculty serve as leaders within the Clinical Public Health Graduate Medical Education (CPH GME) Program at George Washington University (GWU) School of Medicine and Health Sciences. The CPH GME Program aims to develop 21st century clinician leaders who have the experience, skills, and knowledge to promote health equity and population health outcomes in three tracks: Health Policy, Quality Improvement & Patient Safety, and Community Health & Advocacy. The CPH GME Tracks integrate applied learning opportunities for trainees drawn from diverse specialties throughout the Children’s National fellowship programs and the residencies and fellowships at GWU School of Medicine. The longitudinal curriculum provides learners in each track with unique experiences through a combination of in-person discussions, group projects, self-directed learning, and experiential learning activities.

The CHAI Affiliate Faculty (CAF) program engages faculty from Children’s National Hospital and the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and School of Nursing who contribute substantially to CHAI’s mission of advancing child health equity.

CAF bring expertise across diverse disciplines and play a vital role in shaping CHAI’s advocacy agenda. They actively participate in and often lead advocacy education initiatives, legislative advocacy efforts, community benefit programs, and other projects that extend CHAI’s impact beyond the hospital walls. CAF also serve as integral partners in advancing CHAI’s flagship educational programs — the Leadership in Advocacy, Under-resourced Communities, and Health Equity (LAUnCH) Track; the Policy, Education, Advocacy for Kids (PEAK) Pathway; and Residents on the Hill (ROTH) Day — by mentoring residents, facilitating workshops, guiding advocacy projects, and helping to bridge classroom learning with real-world policy engagement.

CAF members are central to CHAI’s culture of continuous learning and professional growth. They participate in monthly Learning Lunches, which highlight emerging issues in child health advocacy, and Advocacy in Motion (AIM) sessions, designed to provide deeper, skills-based learning opportunities and collaborative discussions.

In addition, the program fosters professional development and collaboration through a structured mentoring initiative. This includes both peer mentorship, where faculty support one another through shared experiences and collaboration, and traditional mentor–mentee relationships, which pair more experienced advocates with those seeking guidance to advance their careers in advocacy skills and leadership.

Membership in the Affiliate Faculty is highly selective. Candidates are chosen through a competitive process that considers their advocacy experience, commitment to health equity, and alignment with CHAI’s priority activities. Membership is renewed annually based on demonstrated engagement and contributions, ensuring that the program remains dynamic and responsive to evolving advocacy needs.

Download the CHAI Affiliate Faculty Program description. Learn more about the current CHAI Affiliate Faculty.

Grab a Plate and Advocate (GAPA) Trainings are sessions led by the CHAI to build and strengthen the capacity of Children’s National employees to engage in various advocacy efforts. GAPA Trainings educate trainees (including residents and fellows), faculty and staff on key advocacy tools and how to use their expertise to advocate for children and families to advance health equity. GAPA Trainings are offered year round and cover various institution-led priority areas.

The Shared Nursing Leadership Advocacy Council’s Nursing Special Interest Group, along with the Department of Professional Practice, created a collaborative group to bring focus to global, local and community health efforts for Children’s National Nurses. CHAI staff educate the workgroup in social determinants of health and best practices of legislative advocacy. This workgroup aims to support nurses as they partake in global and community endeavors.