Schedule at a Glance
The Advocacy Summit is designed to build momentum on Saturday and Sunday, and then culminate with Hill Day on Monday when attendees can turn their knowledge into action and make their voices heard directly with policymakers.
* Breakfast, lunch and a light snack are served Sunday, but attendees are encouraged to eat lunch before Saturday afternoon sessions start.
Saturday, October 18
| 12 – 6 pm | Registration Open | Grand Ballroom Registration |
| 1 – 1:15 pm | Advocacy Summit Welcome Heidi Hancher-Rauch, PhD, MCHES®, SOPHE President Framework of the Advocacy Summit Keely Rees, PhD, MCHES®, Advocacy Committee Co-Chair | Grand Ballroom |
| 1:15 – 2:15 pm | Opening Keynote/Plenary I: Building Alliances that Last: Strengthening Advocacy-Ready Communities Glenn E. Schneider, DrPH, MPH, The Horizon Foundation Moderator: Keely Rees, PhD, MCHES® | Grand Ballroom |
| 2:15 – 2:30 pm | Break | |
| 2:30 pm | Concurrent Session A1: Oral Session Reframing Misinformation: Community Voices Through Dialogue, Art & Action Moderator: LaVerne Partlow, MEd Reframing Misinformation: Dialogue, Art, and Civic Engagement Beth Hoffman, Pittsburgh, PA Centering Community Expertise: Pathways to Inclusive Movement Building Danielle Melissa Joyner, MPH Keon Gilbert, St. Louis University Melody Goodman, PhD, MY | Grand Ballroom |
| 2:30 pm | Concurrent Session A2: Oral Session Advancing Youth Mental Health and Reviving Student Advocacy Moderator: Michelle Williams, PhD, MSPH, MPH, MCHES® Driving Youth Mental Well-Being at the School Community Level: Using Data and Community Engagement to Reduce Social Isolation April Jasmine May C Ducusin Megan Smith Boise State University Planning and Promotional Changes to Restart and Grow a Student State Advocacy Event Anders Cedergren, PhD, CHES® | Executive |
| 2:30 pm | Concurrent Session A3: Skill-building Workshop Strategic Advocacy for Public Health: Leveraging AI and the Decision Maker Matrix for Policy Impact Moderator: Alexis Blavos, PhD, MCHES® Strategic Advocacy for Public Health: Leveraging AI and the Decision Maker Matrix for Policy Impact Megan Williams, PhD, CHES®, Texas A&M University | Sagamore Hill |
| 3:30 pm | Poster Sessions P-01. Understanding Ohio’s WIC Enrollment Gap through Community Engagement Shelley Hill, MPH, CHES® P-02. Reclaiming Power: The Equity in Public Health Initiative Roger S. Abim-Karmon, Furman University P-03. Persistent Racial and Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19 Burden: Policy Gaps and the Imperative for Equity-Focused Advocacy Mannat Tiwana, MPH Candidate P-04. From Policy to Practice: Seizure Safe Classrooms in Arkansas Britt Dorfman, MPAP P-05. Community-Based Vaccine Advocacy for Spanish-Speaking Populations Debra Balandran P-06. Messaging Matters: A Training Program to Tailor Safe Gun Ownership Messaging Taylor Zingg, PhD, CHES® P-07. Hospital Websites: Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services Esther Lo P-08. Food Stamp Participation and Health Outcomes in CA Immigrants Esther Kang P-09. When and Where I Enter: A Stakeholder Analysis of Why Centering Black Women in Legislative Leadership and Policy is the Blueprint for Achieving Health Equity and Preventing Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases Ivorie A. Farley-Cook , PhD P-10. A Seat at the Table: Examining a Produce Prescription Program in NV Elika Nematian, MPH P-11. Due for Change: Disability Gaps in Perinatal Emergency Department Use Noah Matthew Contreras P-12. Bridging Health Gaps Through Innovation in Wastewater Surveillance Adam Gushgari, PhD | Grand Ballroom Foyer |
| 4:30 pm | HESPA Highlights Overview Moderator: J. Michael Wilkerson, PhD, MPH, MCHES® Antonio J. Gardner, PhD, MS, MCHES® Plenary II: Bridging the Divide: De-escalating Conflict and Leading Difficult Conversations in Public Health Advocacy Malynnda Stewart, PhD, BCPA, Founder and CEO of Compassionate Navigation | Grand Ballroom |
| 6 pm | End of Day 1 |
Sunday, October 19
| 7:30 am | Breakfast | Grand Ballroom Foyer |
| 7:30 am – 6 pm | Registration Open | Grand Ballroom Registration |
| 8 am | Welcome – Day 2 Overview William Datema, DrPH, MS, MCHES®, SOPHE CEO Brittney Chang, Advocacy Committee Co-Chair | Grand Ballroom |
| 8:15 – 9:15 am | Plenary III: The Public Health Workforce and Communication Collaborative: Strengthening Workforce Capacity and Rebuilding Public Trust Brian Castrucci, DrPH President and CEO de Beaumont Foundation Moderator: Heidi Hancher-Rauch, PhD, MCHES® | Grand Ballroom |
| 9:15 am | Break | |
| 9:30 – 10:25 am | Concurrent Session B1: Skill-building Workshop for Students Moderator: May Ubeku, MPH Bending Toward Justice: A Case Study of a Public Health Advocacy Leadership Program in Higher Education Kaleigh Albert Jean Breny, PhD Professor and immediate past Chair Department of Public Health at Southern Connecticut State University Michele Griswold, PhD, MPH, RN, IBCLC Associate Professor at Southern Connecticut State University Alycia Santilli, MSW Senior Director, Community Initiatives | Grand Ballroom |
| 9:30 – 10:25 am | Concurrent Session B2: Skill-building Workshop Elevating the Profession: Redefining Health Education in the Evolving Landscape Moderator: J. Michael Wilkerson, PhD, MPH, MCHES® Karen Mancera-Cuevas, DrPH, MS, MPH, CHES® Marissa L. Brash, DrPH, EdD, MPH, MS, CPH National Health Council, Washington, DC | Executive |
| 9:30 – 10:25 am | Concurrent Session B3: Oral Session Student-Powered Food Accessibility: Campus and Community Advocacy for Policy Change Moderator: Sheree Keitt, DrPH, MPH, CHES® Student-Led CalFresh Advocacy at 10 Los Angeles Institutions Natasha Wasim, MPH, PhD(c) Los Angeles Food Policy Council Nourishing Advocacy: Community-based Food Access Organizers Mobilize for Municipal Policy Change in New Haven, Connecticut Alycia Santilli, MSW Southern Connecticut State University | Sagamore Hill |
| 9:30 – 10:25 am | Concurrent Session B4: Skill-Building Workshop Public Health Curriculum: The Need to Advocate Moderator: Alexis Blavos,, PhD, MCHES® JEDI in Our Public Health Curriculum: The Need to Advocate Alexis Blavos, PhD, MCHES® SUNY Cortland Antonio J. Gardner, PhD, MS, MCHES® The University of Alabama Jodi Brookins-Fisher, PhD, MCHES®, FESG Central Michigan University Heidi Hancher-Rauch, PhD, MCHES® Butler University Glenn Schneider, DrPH, MPH The Horizon Foundation | Hermitage |
| 10:25 – 10:30 am | Break | |
| 10:30 – 11:25 am | Concurrent Session C1: Skill-building Workshop for Seasoned Advocates Communicating about Public Health: Tested Messaging and How to Use It Moderator: Alexis Blavos, PhD, MCHES® Communicating about Public Health: Tested Messaging and How to Use It Nalini Padmanabhan, MPH de Beaumont Foundation | Executive |
| 10:30 – 11:25 am | Concurrent Session C2: Skill-building Workshop for Newcomers In Our Fearless Era: Becoming a Local Advocacy Legend Moderator: Heidi Hancher-Rauch, PhD, MCHES® In Our Fearless Era: Becoming a Local Advocacy Legend Marianne Hedrick Weant, MSPH, MA North Carolina Alliance for Health Katie Dawkins, MLS North Carolina Alliance for Health | Sagamore Hill |
| 10:30 – 11:25 am | Concurrent Session C3: Oral Session Advancing Equity: Closing the Women’s Health-Wealth Gap & Uplifting Black Maternal Health Moderator: LaVerne Partlow, MEd Advocating for Narrowing Women’s Health-Wealth Gap Julie Friedman, MPH, CHES® Iris Cantor UCLA Women’s Health Education & Research Center Our Mamas, Our Mission: A Community-Driven Approach to Improving Black Maternal Health Outcomes in Mississippi Through Policy and Advocacy Asia Rush, MPH Nakeitra L. Burse, DrPH Six Dimensions | Hermitage |
| 11:25 -11:30 am | Break | |
| 11:30 am – 12:15 pm | Networking Lunch | Grand Ballroom Foyer |
| 12:15 – 1:25 pm | Skill-building Coaching Workshop Revisit our Ask(s) Heidi Hancher-Rauch, PhD, MCHES® | Grand Ballroom |
| 1:25 – 1:30 pm | Break | |
| 1:30 – 2:25 pm | Plenary IV: Advocacy in Action: Role-Playing Effective and Ineffective Hill Visits Moderator: Brittney Chang Alexis (Lexi) Blavos, PhD, MCHES® Brittney Chang Heidi Hancher-Rauch, PhD, MCHES® Keely Rees, PhD, MCHES® | Grand Ballroom |
| 2:25 – 2:30 pm | Break | |
| 2:30 – 4 pm | Coaching Tables Alexis (Lexi) Blavos, PhD, MCHES® Brittney Chang Gnora Mahs, DrPH, MPH Kendall Smith J. Michael Wilkerson, PhD, MPH, MCHES® | Executive |
| 4 – 4:30 pm | Hill Visit Schedule Kevin Schultze, Soapbox Consulting Fred Van Broeck, Soapbox Consulting | Grand Ballroom |
| 4:30 – 5:30 pm | Hill Visit Planning (Convene with state delegates) Brittney Chang, Advocacy Summit Co-Chair Keely Rees, PhD, MCHES®, Advocacy Summit Co-Chair Anders Cedergren, PhD, CHES® Katie Wagoner, MPH, MCHES® | Grand Ballroom |
| 5:30 pm | Wrap-Up and Closing Brittney Chang, Advocacy Summit Co-Chair Keely Rees, PhD, MCHES®, Advocacy Summit Co-Chair | Grand Ballroom |
| 5:30 pm | End of Day 2 |
Monday, October 20
| 7:30 – 8:15 am | Grab and Go Coffee & Tea | Hotel Lobby |
| 8:15 am | Advocacy Kick-Off and Walk to Capitol | Hotel Lobby |
| 9 am | Group photo on the Hill in the morning | U.S. Capitol Senate side |
| 9:30 am | Kickoff at the Hill | U.S. Capitol |
| 10:30 am – 5 pm | Hill Visits | U.S. Capitol |
*Times are tentative. Schedule subject to change.