On March 5th, 2024, DCAAP held its annual Advocacy Day at Children’s National Shepard Park. Nearly 100 medical students, residents, practicing physicians, and community professionals registered for the event, all fostering insightful and multi-disciplinary discussions throughout the afternoon of panels, workshops, and networking.

The afternoon began with an impactful keynote address by Pediatrician Dr. Annie Andrews, CEO and founder of “Their Future. Our Vote.”, where she shared her journey as an advocate for gun violence prevention and urged our communities to strengthen our voices in pediatric advocacy. The Advocacy Career Panel moderated by Chapter President Dr. Nia Bodrick featured Drs. Alsan Bellard, Binny Chokshi, and Monika Goyal highlighted how different career paths within pediatrics can contribute to ongoing advocacy efforts. Workshops identified key skills utilized in the advocacy process and included how to craft an advocacy “elevator pitch,” how to write an Op-ed, understanding the legislative landscape in DC, and how to get more involved in AAP. The Community Panel featuring LaDon Love (Executive Director of SPACEs In Action), Tayo Belle (Deputy Director of the School Justice Project), and youth representatives from the Mikva Challenge emphasized how pediatricians and community voices can influence legislative policy changes. The afternoon concluded with a Call to Action.

Participants worked in facilitated small groups to brainstorm our Prescription for the City, which are recommendations, developed in partnership with our community partners, for a more resilient and healthier DC. “I was really impressed by the ideas that came out of our call to action,” said Dr. Matt Magyar, Chair of the Chapter Advocacy Committee. “It was clear that our participants took this call seriously, and I loved seeing students and physicians engage directly with community leaders. We hope to do more with this topic in the future, so stay tuned!”