The Fellows Advocacy Curriculum (FAC) is an elective track for subspecialty Medicine fellows who have an interest in health policy and/or advocacy. It does not alter the length or content of fellowship training. Through collaboration with the Duke Government Relations Office, fellows develop and present their own advocacy platform to legislators and legislative aides in Washington, D.C.
Apply by Monday July 14, 11:59pm.
Curriculum
Fellows attend 6 half-day sessions throughout the course of the year and a 1-2 day trip to Raleigh, NC or Washington, D.C. in the spring. Sessions are held on Mondays from 1:00-5:00pm and involve some didactic time and some group work time. All sessions are in-person.
The intention of the didactic curriculum is to provide fellows with a broad overview of the health policy landscape in the United States and North Carolina. Each session follows a specific theme that includes an introduction to the structure of government and healthcare payment models in the United States, the impact of government policies on the physician workforce, the patients they treat, and the various ways that physicians can “do” advocacy. Sessions are in-person and interactive. Almost all talks are given by guest speakers from across Duke campus and across the country. The curriculum is purposely flexible to allow for changes in topics and speakers based on the fellows’ specific interests.
Fellows are responsible for completing several self-directed tasks. For example, they are encouraged to reach out to their professional society/societies to learn about the policy issues that are most relevant to their subspecialty and the patients they serve. With guidance from the FAC director, and in collaboration with their peers, they develop an advocacy platform of the group's choosing. These tasks will involve 2-4 hours of work between each session.
The curriculum will culminate in a trip to Raleigh, NC or Washington, D.C. (depending on advocacy topic) in the spring. While there, fellows will meet with legislative staffers and present their advocacy platform. The FAC director and the Duke Office of Government Relations will also work to arrange meetings with members of the Administration (e.g., Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services) and professional societies (e.g., AAMC, Academy Health) to learn more about effective approaches to advocacy on the fellows' chosen topic.
Session 1 Monday, September 22
Session 2 Monday, October 20
Session 3 Monday, November 17
Session 4 Monday, January 12
Session 5 Monday, February 23
Session 6 Monday, March 23
Advocacy Trip April (flexible, depending on participants’ schedules)
Curriculum
The exact order and topics for 2025-2026 will depend on topics of interest to fellows and speaker availability.
| Session # | Block (1-5pm) |
Topic |
Speakers | Self-Directed Work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Session 1 | U.S. Healthcare Systems |
Intro to FAC Intro to US Healthcare System |
Caroline Sloan Virginia Wang |
Brainstorm possible topics; connect with advocacy arm of your professional society |
| Session 2 | Introduction to Advocacy |
How Congress “really” works Intro to Duke Government Relations Office |
TBD congressional staffer Government Relations staff |
Get familiar with searching for bills in Congress and NC General Assembly |
| Session 3 | Many ways to “do” advocacy |
How to weave advocacy into your career How to write an op-ed |
Faculty panel Maggie Salinger (Brown) |
Reach out to 2-3 physicians with careers in advocacy to hear their stories |
| Session 4 | Preparing for the advocacy trip |
Framing your pitch for audiences with different political perspectives Making a good leave-behind Workshop on how to make a pitch |
Caroline Sloan Duke’s Government Relations Office Group work |
Brainstorm possible advocacy topics |
| Session 5 | Special guests and advocacy topic decisions |
What it’s like to work in politics Discuss potential advocacy topics and make decision on final topic |
Current legislator TBD |
Work on pitch and conduct background research |
| Session 6 | Group prep |
Group prep: pitch and leave-behind |
Group work TBD |
Finalize pitch and leave-behind |
Eligibility
Applicants need to submit a short application in the early spring. They must have the support of their fellowship director in order to participate. Fellowship directors should ensure that fellows are free from all outpatient and inpatient clinical responsibilities during the entirety of each half-day session and up to two days of travel. Fellows do not need to have any health policy or advocacy experience to apply. Fellows who are in multi-year fellowship programs will be given preference during year(s) with fewer clinical responsibilities.
Program Expectations
- Fellows must be free from all outpatient and inpatient clinical responsibilities during the entirety of each half-day session and up to 2 days of travel.
- Fellows are expected to attend seminars in person as long as public health and Duke guidelines permit. Fellows will have the ability to join sessions virtually if they are sick, out of town for a meeting, or have other extenuating circumstances.
- Fellows must attend a minimum of 4 out of 6 full half-day sessions to be eligible to participate in the advocacy trip.