Advocacy

Child Advocacy is a fundamental aspect of our program as we serve a diverse community of patients, many of low socioeconomic status with poor access to health care. Residents rotate through a Community Health and Advocacy in Pediatrics (CHAP) month during their first or second year. The goal of the rotation is to improve child health outcomes in the Houston area by increasing pediatric resident understanding of the social determinants of health, providing ways they can get involved in partnerships with local organizations, and giving them the tools to advocate for their patients on local, state, and national levels.  There are also annual opportunities for residents to attend the Texas Pediatric Society Advocacy day and American Academy of Pediatrics national conferences to learn about advocacy at the state and national levels.

There is a dedicated Advocacy Track where residents develop and implement an advocacy project. If interested, residents are able to participate in a month of advocacy in Austin, the state capitol. 

For residents interested in advocacy but not wanting to participate in a track, there are Advocacy Days and electives available. Each year, we send a group of residents to the Texas State Capitol to participate in the Texas Pediatric Society Advocacy day.