We believe advocacy is a critical component of resident education. During your time at Tufts Medical Center, we work to develop the tools you need to be strong advocates for your patients, your communities, and our field. Throughout your training, you will be exposed to a formal advocacy curriculum we refer to as the Tufts Advocacy Program or “TAP.” This curriculum reviews the basics of advocacy-from local to national, the power of social media, didactic skills such as Op-Ed letter-to-the-editor writing, and guest speakers in a variety of fields. There are also opportunities to participate in an online advocacy column, attend local and national advocacy days, and participate in panels on important women’s health policy issues. Many of our residents are local and national leaders in organizations like ACOG and the AMA and help to organize events on important women’s health issues.
The Tufts Advocacy Program (TAP) provides residents the opportunity to explore and engage in physician advocacy. Through didactics and active individual and community advocacy efforts, residents develop life-long skills enabling them to advocate for their patients and the practice of medicine.
Examples of topics covered in past years:
- An introduction to legislative advocacy
- Effective communication in abortion
- Evaluating and using evidence in reproductive health advocacy by IBIS Reproductive Health
- Advocating on behalf of your patients in public health insurance programs by the Harvard Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation
- Global health advocacy by the Refugee Women’s Health Clinic at Boston Medical Center
