Promoting Health Through Policy and Systems Change: Public Health Students and Mentors on the Value of Policy Advocacy Experience in Academic Internships

Abstract

Emerging professionals and new Certified Health Education Specialists often lack academic training in and actual experience in National Commission for Health Education Credentialing Area of Responsibility VII: Communicate, Promote, and Advocate for Health, Health Education/Promotion, and the Profession. For undergraduate and graduate students who have an opportunity to complete an internship or practicum experience, gaining experience in Competencies 7.2: Engage in advocacy for health and health education/promotion and 7.3: Influence policy and/or systems change to promote health and health education can have a profound impact on their career development and their ability to advocate for policies that promote health and health equity. Compelling evidence suggests that interventions that address social determinants of health such as poverty and education and those that change the context through improved policy or healthier environments have the greatest impact on public health, making it vital for emerging public health professionals to gain experience in policy advocacy and systems change. In this commentary, students and faculty from two large universities in the U.S.-Mexico border region reflect on the value of policy advocacy in academic internship/fieldwork experiences. Based on their experiences, they highly recommend that students seek out internship opportunities where they can participate in policy advocacy, and they encourage university faculty and practicum preceptors to provide more opportunities for policy advocacy in both classroom and fieldwork settings.

A Message to the Graduates

“…As a new author, you might find our shorter, flexible formats less daunting than a research article. For example, recent widely noted contributions to our Career Development Department, such as “Promoting Health Through Policy and Systems Change: Public Health Students and Mentors on the Value of Policy Advocacy Experience in Academic Internships” (Marquez et al, 2017) and “Mobilizing the Next Generation of Health Advocates: Building Our Collective Capacity to Advocate for Health Education and Health Equity Through SOPHE Advocacy Summits” (Thomas, 2019) were written by students and recent graduates. Your and your colleagues’ could be next!…”

Perspectives From a First-Generation College Student: Reflections on the Value of Mentoring Relationships

“…Real-world experiences in the community help students build a professional network, submit work for publication and presentations at conferences, and work collaboratively with peers and community partners in the field. More important, these experiences enable students to contribute to evidence-based policy improvements that create healthier environments (Garcia, Hernandez, & Mata, 2015; Marquez et al, 2017).…”

Mobilizing the Next Generation of Health Advocates: Building Our Collective Capacity to Advocate for Health Education and Health Equity Through SOPHE Advocacy Summits

“…Conferences and summits allow students, faculty, and practitioners to learn about and practice advocating for healthier environments. Health education specialists and other public health professionals working in diverse settings benefit significantly from participation in professional organizations and conferences in general (Mata, Latham, & Ransome, 2010; Ortega, 2018) and from training and participation in advocacy experiences in particular (Carson, Hancher-Rauch, & Gebru, 2018; Marquez et al, 2017; Rivera et al, 2016). Health education conferences and training events such as the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) Advocacy Summit connect diverse people from all backgrounds who share a common passion: improving community health by advocating for policy, systems, and environmental improvements to promote health and health equity.…”