Hosted online and in-person, APHA’s Policy Action Institute (Thursday, June 15) brings together public health leaders, students and advocacy experts for a collaborative event to discuss proven and proposed policy solutions to tackle today’s most pressing health threats at the local, state and federal levels.

On Friday, June 16, in-person attendees have the option to participate in a new experience called Putting Policy Into Action. This second day is designed to make attendees better advocates for public health. Attendees will learn by hearing firsthand from experts in advocacy, lobbying, and communications and by practicing skills in a small group setting.

Putting Policy Into Action is open to public health and advocacy professionals of all experience levels, from novice to proficient. By the end of the day, attendees will have:

1. Improved their advocacy and communication skills.
2. Learned about tools and resources available to become a better advocate.
3. Learned how to better build and develop advocacy campaigns appropriate to a wide array of audiences.
4. Practiced their pitch and received real-time feedback from experts in the field.

View the agenda for Putting Policy Into Action. 

Day 1

• Shelley Moore Capito, senator (R-WV), United States Senate
• Andrea Palm, MSW – Deputy Secretary, US Department of Health and Human Services
• Panel: Building a Healthier America – A federal approach
  • Carole Johnson – Administrator, US Department of Health and Human Services
  • Nirav D. Shah, MD, JD – Principal Deputy Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Chiquita Brooks-LaSure – Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• Shavon Arline Bradley, President, NCNW
• Panel: Remaking Downtown One Social Determinant at a Time
  • Rashad Robinson – President, Color of Change
  • Sheree Thaxton Vodicka, MA, RDN, LDN – president and CEO, NC Alliance of YMCA’s Inc.
  • Bobby Watts, MPH, MS – CEO, National Healthcare for the Homeless
  • Mary Kusler – Senior Director, Center for Advocacy and Political Action, National Education Association
• Panel: The Next Generation of Youth Leaders: Youth Voices

  • Joe Vogel, MPP – Maryland State Delegate (D-17)

  • Olivia Julianna – Director of Politics and Government Affairs, Gen-Z for Change

  • Kendall Kalustyan – Policy Coordinator, Human Rights Campaign

  • Santiago Mayer – Founder and Executive Director, Voters of Tomorrow

• Panel: Solutions from the field

  • Meg Molloy, DrPH, MPH – Business and Community Leader Engagement, Care4Carolina

  • Jennifer Wang, JD – Senior Director of National Policy and Advocacy, Fountain House

  • Kim Irwin – Administrator, Indiana Public Health Association

  • Greg Jackson – Executive Director, Community Justice Action Fund

Day 2

• Shelley Hearne, DrPH – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Sara de Guia, JD – Chief Executive Officer, ChangeLab Solutions
• Craig Andrade, RN, MPH, DrPH – Associate Dean for Practice, Boston University School of Public Health
• Arnitta Holliman, MS, LPC – Federal Affairs Director, Community Justice Action Fund
• Kristen Rosengren – Vice President, Strategic Communications, AcademyHealth