Trainee Advocacy Opportunities

Producing well-rounded pediatric champions

The Department of Pediatrics faculty and staff are passionate about championing the causes of our patients, and we want the next generation of pediatricians to continue this legacy. Our experts lead courses, workshops, and programs to trainees at every level, so they see advocacy as part of their DNA as a physician.

- Robust advocacy course offerings for medical students.
- Child Health and Advocacy in Pediatrics (CHAP) rotation is offered to all pediatric residents.
- The Advocacy Leadership Track is available to interested pediatric residents who qualify.

“I am so thankful for the plethora of advocacy opportunities I have been able to partake in thanks to UTHealth Houston. With the support of my advocacy mentors, I have been able to participate in local advocacy work in the Houston community with my AAP CATCH Grant on Caring for Children with Chronic Conditions; state advocacy work at TPS Advocacy Day in Austin; and national advocacy work at the AAP Advocacy Internship in Washington, D.C.”

— Dominique “Nikki” Dagdag, MD

Uncommon achievements in advocacy

Three doctors standing next to a sign on an easel

L-R: CATCH Grant recipients Alexandria Laws, MD, MPH; Andrea Pinto, MD; and Dominique Dagdag, MD

Advocacy is a major emphasis in the residency program and throughout the Department of Pediatrics, with numerous faculty who lead effective efforts at the state and national levels and readily mentor the next generation to do the same. Residents are equipped to develop and implement their own advocacy project through the dedicated Leadership Track for Advocacy. There is also guidance to secure funding, if desired, such as the prestigious Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) grants from the AAP, awarded to UTHealth Houston residents two years running.