Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #106002

Ashley Myers Murchison, MPH¹, Meghan Lynch², Jennifer Hixon², Shannon Armstrong, BS³, Jennifer Skillicorn, MPH², Harolyn Tarr², Jennifer Quinlan², Thomas A. Farley, MD, MPH⁴, and Jeanette H. Magnus, MD, PhD⁵. (1) School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Department of Community Health, Tulane University, 143 S. Liberty SL-29, New Orleans, LA 70112, 504-988-4632, amurchis@tulane.edu, (2) Department of Community Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health, 1440 Canal Street (SL-29), New Orleans, LA 70112, (3) Tulane Xavier National Center of Excellence in Women's Health, 143 S. Liberty Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, (4) Community Health Sciences, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, (5) Community Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health, 1501 Canal Street, SL 29, New Orleans, LA 70112

The Student Policy and Advocacy Association (SPAA), officially recognized by the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in the fall of 2004, was conceived by students concerned with a lack of policy offerings in their curricula. Enthusiastic support from administration, faculty, and students prompted SPAA to develop a broader purpose, embracing the relationship between public policy, the public health system, and public health students and professionals. SPAA aims to act as a conduit between the school and community collaborators to diversify, improve, and actively engage students in educational opportunities; and to increase their understanding of the health legislative processes at the federal, state and local levels.

By taking a proactive approach to education through SPAA's creation and development, a learning laboratory of policy formation and advocacy skills was created. SPAA's structural development and organizational efforts provide a practical application for policy and advocacy that harnesses students' knowledge and abilities through navigating administrative procedures, advocating for curricula change, selecting issues that draw student interest, and organizing activities.

The proposed presentation illustrates the student organization, strategic components of which building a strong membership base, establishing an organizational identity, developing mission and vision statements, hosting regular events, and increasing university and community-wide awareness. SPAA can demonstrate that this experience of developing student organization aids students in applying many practical skills through issue selection, membership building, policy analysis and community involvement.

Learning Objectives:

• · Determine ways to identity gaps in existing curricula and highlight the opportunity to address this issue while improving the educational experience
• · Describe the structure & process of developing a successful student health policy and advocacy association
• · Identify ways in which the creation, development and maintenance of a student organization provides the opportunity for skill development and execution

Keywords: Policy/Policy Development, Advocacy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation