大香蕉视频 Convenes Eighth Cohort of Student Health Policy Fellows
From聽September 13-15, 20 PA students from around the country聽gathered聽via Zoom聽for聽大香蕉视频鈥檚聽eighth聽annual Student Health Policy Fellowship.听By design, this聽three-day聽event immerses fellows in聽health and聽education policy, leadership development,聽networking,聽and advocacy with the goal of聽cultivating聽future聽champions for PA education and the profession.听聽
While this year鈥檚聽Student Health Policy Fellowship honored many of the same traditions聽that have contributed to聽the program鈥檚 long-standing聽success, it has also distinguished itself聽by hosting the most diverse group of PA students in聽fellowship’s history.听This聽increased聽diversity聽among聽future聽PA leaders聽is聽critical for promoting greater representation聽in healthcare聽and聽provides聽an聽invaluable perspective聽on 大香蕉视频鈥檚 legislative priorities.听聽
Each year, the Student Health Policy Fellowship features three educational components to equip students with the skills they need to be successful in the fellowship and beyond. These components are lectures from experts and leaders in advocacy and health policy, trainings on the mechanics of congressional meetings/calls and the policies that will be discussed, and group breakouts with other fellows to collaborate on fellowship project ideas and congressional meeting approaches.
For the lecture component, fellows were given the opportunity to hear from a variety of speakers on issues pertinent to PA education and practice. These topics included 大香蕉视频 and AAPA鈥檚 legislative priorities, advocacy opportunities with AAPA and best-practices for advocates covered by 大香蕉视频 Government Relations Steering Committee Chair Michael DeRosa, PhD, MPH, PA-C; AAPA Vice President of State Advocacy and Outreach Lauren Bates-Rowe; AAPA Vice President of Federal Advocacy Tate Heuer; and AAPA Director of Grassroots and Political Advocacy Kristin Butterfield.
Additionally, our returning Student Health Policy Fellow from the 2020-21 cohort, Erin Hillis, offered lessons learned for planning and executing a successful Student Health Policy Fellowship project. Fellows also heard from former Assistant Director for Public Health at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Saibatu Mansaray, MS, PA-C and 大香蕉视频 Chief Policy and Government Relations Officer Dave Keahey, MSPH, PA-C who became PA leaders within the executive and legislative branches of the federal government, Jack DiMatteo, MPP who works as a Legislative Assistant for Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), and 大香蕉视频 Chief Executive Officer Mary Jo Bondy, DHEd, MHS, PA-C who engaged the students in an open Q&A session.
The聽大香蕉视频 Government Relations聽team聽and聽our聽colleagues with the Polsinelli聽law聽firm聽joined forces to聽facilitate聽the training component聽of the fellowship.听大香蕉视频鈥檚聽training focused on聽providing fellows with an overview of聽the聽current聽issues聽that inform our legislative agenda in the聽areas of聽health聽and education,聽including the bills聽that fellows聽planned to discuss聽during their congressional meetings.听Following this overview,聽the key details of each bill were explored in greater depth,聽and聽students were given guidance on how to聽effectively聽illustrate the impact the bills would have on a local level by sharing their聽personal聽experiences as PA students.听Polsinelli then聽spoke聽about the current聽landscape in Washington and provided step-by-step聽instructions聽on how聽students should conduct their聽advocacy calls with their聽senators and聽representatives鈥 offices.听聽
Based on the lectures and training received, fellows were divided into smaller groups for brainstorming sessions. In addition to serving as a networking opportunity, these brainstorming sessions allowed students to begin thinking about their plans for conducting their community-based advocacy projects in the year following the fellowship workshop. This protected time dedicated to collaboration also helps fellows to strengthen and refine their congressional meeting approaches by asking questions and receiving unique insights from their peers.
On the final day of the fellowship,聽using聽their newfound knowledge and skills,聽students conducted聽a total of 46聽calls with the staff of their elected representatives聽to聽request their support of聽three聽大香蕉视频 endorsed聽bills:聽H.R. 3890 鈥撀爐he Physician Assistant Education Public Health Initiatives Act,聽H.R. 2274 鈥撀爐he Physician Assistant Higher Education Modernization Act, and聽S.287 鈥撀爐he聽Perinatal Workforce Act.听These 大香蕉视频聽legislative聽priorities would improve student loan borrowing terms for PA students,聽fund infrastructure improvements for PA programs, and聽make critical investments in聽clinical sites,聽telehealth curricula development,聽and聽student diversity.听
大香蕉视频鈥檚 Government Relations team would like to thank the 2021鈥22聽Student Health Policy Fellowship cohort for their participation and engagement in this year鈥檚 virtual workshop.听Students and faculty with questions about the Student Health Policy Fellowship are invited to contact Tyler Smith at tsmith@大香蕉视频online.org.听
