Health Advocacy - Education in Health Advocacy

Education in Health Advocacy

As of summer 2012, approximately 19 organizations and universities offer coursework specific to health advocacy. These opportunities range from weekend workshops, to webinars, to year-long certificate programs, and one master's program. To date, there are three health advocacy programs that offer credit-bearing graduate level programs, including the Health Advocacy Program (HAP) at Sarah Lawrence College, offering a master's degree in health advocacy and the interprofessional Center for Patient Partnerships (CPP) at UW-Madison offering certificates in Consumer Health Advocacy. Faculty from both programs co-wrote a book chapter describing their pedagogy and curriculum, and comparing and contrasting their programs.

HAP is the nation's first and only master's degree in health advocacy, preparing graduates for leadership roles in shaping the future of this field. By integrating analytical discussions of issues that face the nation's health care system with hands-on experiential field work assignments, students are prepared to influence health policy at the systems level and to serve individuals with health care advising and advocacy. Graduates of the Health Advocacy Program work in a wide range of organizations and government agencies as patient advocates, educators, ombudsman, health information specialists, and community and health policy advocates.

Founded in 2000, the Center for Patient Partnerships began offering two graduate certificates in 2008: the "Graduate" certificate, which students pair with their graduate / professional studies in various disciplines (e.g. law, social work, nursing), and the "Capstone" certificate, in which post-baccalaureate students enroll before entering graduate / professional school (e.g. public health, medicine, public policy, health administration). Beginning fall 2012, CPP also offers a "Professional" certificate. CPP's learning experience is grounded in service learning: students learn by providing advocacy to patients with life-threatening and serious illnesses. Consumer Health Advocacy certificate students gain fluencies in patients’ experiences in the health care system and the interplay between individual and system level advocacy. Admitted students may enroll for graduate credit or noncredit, and pursue the program either on-campus, online, or in a blended format. Graduates of the Consumer Health Advocacy Program incorporate the patient-centered perspective and advocacy principles into their work in the healthcare, non-profit, and government sectors. Alumni work at such places as: the Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration, Veterans Affairs, Wisconsin Judicare, After Breast Cancer Diagnosis, various hospital systems, and private law firms.