Advocacy

We are a group of passionate individuals whose purpose is to promote and prioritize health equity through advocacy and education about policy. 

At its core, each level of advocacy is about speaking out on behalf of children’s health and well-being, whether it is for one child or for systematic solutions that benefit many children. Pediatricians can play a powerful role in creating lasting and meaningful change for the patients they serve. We’re here today to continue that tradition—Isaac Abt, MD, the first AAP President, said, "It should be our aim to discover neglected problems and, so far as in our power, to correct evils and introduce reform."

Welcome to Atlanta, the state capital of Georgia and home of the Georgia State Capitol! We're excited to have you join us!

• To provide a unified, structured council to address and advocate for identified problems that residents deem to be changed and to provide the avenues to drive or affect that change
• To educate residents on the importance of advocacy and to build advocacy skills to empower residents to advocate for our patients and for the practice of pediatrics
• To provide residents the opportunity and structure to get involved with advocacy at the local, state, and federal level
• To bolster engagement in AAP Advocacy Initiatives
• To partner with community and national leaders on issues of child health

Who are we?

• Melissa Adams, MD
• Terri McFadden, MD
• Yuri Okuizumi-Wu, MD

Resident AAP Representatives

• Amanda Kuhn, MD (PGY-3)
• Heather Xiao, MD (PGY-2)

Pediatric Equity, Advocacy, Community Health, Environmental and Social Justice (PEACHES) Track Members

• Sajani Patel, MD (PGY-3)
• Andrew Potter, DO (PGY-3)
• Jacky Solis Solis, MD (PGY-2)
• Kelly Liu, MD (PGY-2)
• Olivia Hobson, MD (PGY-2)
• Emily Sterling, MD (PGY-2)

• To provide hands-on advocacy skill building, including training n legislative processes
• To understand the 4 levels of advocacy (individual, community, state, and federal) and how critical our role as pediatricians is at each level
• To solidify understanding of how to identify and address issues affecting children and the practice of medicine
• To increase awareness of community, legislative, and national child health needs
• To learn more about the financing of healthcare at state and federal levels

• To translate learned advocacy skills into community engagement at Legislative Day and through community projects
• To increase resident engagement with GA AAP and legislative efforts in the state
• To connect with additional resources, information, and training opportunities through AAP, GA AAP, and other allies and groups working on issues that pediatricians care about

• To provide framework for initial community organizing practices utilizing models of best practices
• To create longitudinal advocacy projects building upon work done in community rotations

• Partnership with the national civic health organization VotER - for the November 2020 elections, Emory Pediatrics was the largest registering entity in Georgia!
• Voter Rights advocacy

• AAP Resolutions
• AAP Policy Talks

• Longitudinal partnership with Covenant House, a shelter for homeless and runaway youth
• Longitudinal partnership with the Emory Pipeline Collaborative (EPiC), a high school mentorship program through EUSOM