Institute on Medicine as a Profession

SFGH Primary Care
Internal Medicine

Internal Medicine
Health Equities
Track

Pediatric Leadership
for the Underserved

Pediatrics Physician
in Community

Only statewide multicultural
health advocacy organization
in California.

Founded in 1992 by four
ethnic partner organizations
in aftermath of Rodney King.

Mission: to eliminate health
disparities by advocating for
public policies to address the
health needs of communities
of color.

To provide policy and advocacy knowledge and skills
to residents committed to caring for the underserved.

To provide a venue for residents to reflect on and
connect patient experiences with larger policy issues.

To build a partnership between CPEHN and SFGHbased residency programs so that:
 Residents have access to CPEHN’s legislative, administrative,
community mobilization and media advocacy expertise, and
 CPEHN develops relationships with physician advocates who
can partner with CPEHN on press conferences, op-ed pieces,
policy briefs and legislative testimony.
YEAR ONE
Session 1
Introduction to PPAS and CPEHN
Session 2
Government
101
Writing for Change
Session 3
Writing for
Change
Legislative Advocacy*
Session 4
Session 5
Administrative Advocacy
Writing for
Change
Media Advocacy
4 hours seminar time, 4 hours project time weekly
YEAR TWO
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Introduction to PPAS and CPEHN
Research as
Advocacy
Writing for Change
Health Impact
Assessments
CHIS
Writing for Change
Geographic
Information Systems
Writing for
Change
Media Advocacy
4 hours seminar time, 4 hours project time weekly
UCSF faculty (Aronson, Chen, Grubbs, Jain, Kuo)
 CPEHN staff (executive director, policy director, senior
policy analyst, and program director)
 California’s Deputy Controller
 Deputy Director, California Department of Public
Health’s Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion
 Senior Counsel, California Department of Managed
Health Care
 Lobbyist, California Academy of Family Physicians
 Former HHS regional director
 Attorney trainer, Alliance for Justice
 Berkeley Media Studies

UCSF faculty (Aronson, Chen, Grubbs, Jain, Kuo)
 CPEHN staff (executive director, program director)
 UCSF researchers who have been engaged with
national health policy on the safety net, workforce
diversity, and the primary care pipeline
 Director, California Health Interview Survey
 Co-founder/Scientific Advisor, Human Impact Partners
 Senior Research Manager, Advancement Project
 Berkeley Media Studies


Well received
 “My favorite curriculum”

Practice makes perfect
 Second session each year better

Adult learning
 Hands on skill building highly valued

Curricular cramming
 Near universal request for more time

Community building
 “Where are the family medicine residents?”
“I cannot over-emphasize the benefit of working
with an established non-profit advocacy
organization, rather than striking out on my
own.... As I look back on the experience, one of
the main take-home lessons is just how effective
it can be to partner with a knowledgeable
advocacy organization whose mission matches
my own values and beliefs. I feel like I have
been given a roadmap for a very effective,
longitudinal way to stay active in public policy,
while also being a busy clinician.”
- Denise Connor, PGY3

Session 1: discuss readings, practice
writing lede, feedback and discussion

Session 2: come with first draft (focusing
on narrative/story), feedback and
discussion of narrative and policy focus

Session 3: come with revised draft
incorporating policy issue, feedback for
finalizing piece



15 participants in 1 or more sessions
Feedback: daunting but loved it
4 pieces accepted or under review
 Huffington Post Op-Ed
 Annals of Internal Medicine On Being a Doctor
 New York Times Patient Cases
 Health Affairs’ Narrative Matters


Despite cherry picking, difficulty with
societal biases against population health
Time and sustainability
Gruen RL, Pearson SD, Brennan TA. Physician-Citizens—Public Roles and Professional Obligations. JAMA 2004;291(1):94-98.
Questions?
Alice Hm Chen, MD, MPH
achen@medsfgh.ucsf.edu