Advocacy in Public Health: Making a Difference in Your Community
Grow your knowledge and skills to become an
effective advocate for improving public health. Participants will gain a
comprehensive understanding of public health advocacy, from identifying
critical health issues and building effective campaigns to navigating
challenges, measuring impact, and adhering to ethical principles.
**Instructions
to access the recorded webinar will be provided after you register.**
Learning
Objectives
At the conclusion of this recorded webinar, participants will be able
to:
- describe the role of advocacy in advancing population health;
- describe the difference between advocacy and lobbying and the rules that pertain to each;
- evaluate advocacy success stories and examples from U.S. cities; and
- analyze the differences between local and national public health advocacy.
Target
Audience
This presentation is appropriate for
people working at governmental or non-profit organizations.
Instructor
Jennifer
Kolker, MPH, is a
Clinical Professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the
Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health. From 2013 until 2023, she
served as the School’s first Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and
External Relations. She is also the co-lead of the Policy Core of Dornsife’s
Urban Health Collaborative. Prior to joining Drexel in 2004, Kolker worked for
the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and has over 25 years of
experience working in urban public health in Philadelphia, government, the
non-profit sector, and academia.
Length:
1
hour
Technology
Requirements
This
recorded webinar is presented through the Vimeo Internet-based platform. A
computer with high-speed internet connection and the ability to download and
run this platform is required.
For more
information about this recorded webinar or for assistance with registration,
contact marphtc@pitt.edu.
Creation Date: This course was
recorded in December 2023.
From Data to Decision-making: How to Engage with Policymakers
Turn insight into action by improving your
communication with policymakers. Learn the what, how, and when for
public health practitioners and scientists to engage with policymakers.
**Instructions
to access the course will be provided after you register.**
Learning
Objectives
At the
conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:
- describe the three components of what to communicate to policymakers.
- identify a sentence written in scientific jargon versus plain language; and
- describe a policy window and why it can be utilized to engage with policymakers.
Target
Audience
This presentation is appropriate for public health professionals or students.
Instructor
Caroline
Kravitz, MPH
is a PhD student in health services research and policy at the Dornsife School
of Public Health at Drexel University. She also holds an MPH in health policy
from Emory University. Her research involves understanding how various policy
levers and mechanisms impact health. Topically, her work to date has focused on
policy mechanisms in the areas of immigration policy and food access policy.
Prior to starting her PhD at Dornsife, Kravitz worked at the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention in the Chronic Disease Center. At the CDC, her
work focused on chronic disease program development, redesigning funding
processes, economic research, and COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
Level
This course is appropriate for those
with no or basic levels of experience with engaging with policymakers
Length:
45
minutes
Continuing Education
Credits
Continuing
education credits are not offered for this course.
Technology
Requirements
This
course is presented through the Vimeo Internet-based platform. A computer with
high-speed internet connection and the ability to download and run this
platform is required.
For
more information about this course or for assistance with registration, contact
marphtc@pitt.edu.
Creation Date: This
training was created in June 2025.
Fundamentals of Public Health Law and Ethics
This course focuses on the role of law as a critical tool for furthering public health. It explores federal and state authority for governmental intercession in matters of public health, describes how public health law contributes to public health accomplishments, and provides an overview of public health ethics. It also emphasizes the inherent tension between individual rights and public health powers.
**Instructions to access the course will be provided after you register.**Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this training, participants will be able to:
- describe the role of public health law as it pertains to public health accomplishments;
- explain the tension that exists between individual rights and public health powers; and
- list three important ethical considerations for public health decision making.
Target Audience
This
presentation is appropriate for public health practitioners.
Instructor
Elizabeth
Van Nostrand, JD is an Associate
Professor in the Department of Health Services Administration and Policy at
Temple College of Public Health.
Technology Requirements
This recorded webinar is presented on Vimeo
Internet-based platform. A computer with high-speed internet connection and the
ability to download and run this platform is required.
Creation Date: This training was recorded December 11,
2018.
For
more information about this course or assistance with registration, contact marphtc@pitt.edu.
Know It, Prove It, Change It: Health and Human Rights Advocacy
Created by Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health Office of Global Health and Asia Catalyst
This course provides tools and strategies to human rights activists, community advocates, grassroots organizers, and global health students. Over 10 modules, participants will learn about:
- the international rights frameworks and how it can be used for change (Know It);
- how to collect evidence of rights abuses (Prove It); and
- how to launch effective advocacy campaigns (Change It).
The modules focus on issues that have never been more relevant, including access to health care, non-discrimination, and access to justice. Video lectures, quizzes, and exercises walk participants through understanding basic human rights, documenting rights abuses, and creating an advocacy campaign with the goal of making change.
Learn more and register
Once you complete the Qualtrics registration form, the Drexel IT team will set up your guest account for the Blackboard system. This process usually takes 2-4 business days.
Public Policy and Advocacy
This course provides an overview of the issues
surrounding public policy and advocacy. It covers how public policy and
advocacy are defined and how to use problem definition to seek policy changes.
It also discusses how to engage decision makers to implement policy change,
with a focus on creating a decision memorandum. The
two-part course also includes interactive quizzing.
**Instructions to access the course will be provided after you register.**
Learning
Objectives
At the conclusion of this
course, participants will be able to:
- identify the key attributes of policy and advocacy;
- identify examples of policy implementation across the U.S.;
- describe the various methods of policy making;
- understand the differences between advocacy and lobbying; and
- describe a framework for planning a politically feasible advocacy campaign.
Part 1 length: 21 minutes
Part 2 length: 28 minutes
Target
Audience
This presentation is
appropriate for public health practitioners with varying professional
experiences and diverse educational backgrounds.
Instructor
Jennifer Kolker, MPH received her MPH in public health policy and
administration from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She is
a Clinical Professor of Health Management and Policy, the Director of the
Center for Public Health Practice, and the Drexel Director of the Mid-Atlantic
Regional Public Health Training Center, a federally funded training center for
the public health workforce. Prior to joining Drexel in 2004, Kolker held
various positions in the non-profit world and then the Philadelphia Department
of Public Health, working first in HIV/AIDS policy and planning and later in
the Office of the Health Commissioner. Kolker was also a senior policy
associate with Public Works, a consulting firm that provides public policy
research and analysis to government agencies and officials, non-profits, and
think tanks across the country.
Level
This course is appropriate for those with no, basic, or
intermediate levels of experience with cultural competency in trauma.
Technology
Requirements
A computer with high-speed
internet connection is required to view this course.
Continuing Education Credits
Continuing education credits
are not offered for this course.
Creation Date: This course was created in June 2021.
For more information about this course, contact cphp@drexel.edu. For assistance with registration, contact marphtc@pitt.edu.