It has been a challenging number of years for those of us who care about the public’s health. Long established health protections have been eliminated or rolled back. Public health research funding has been erased. And the federal public health workforce has been decimated. Louis Pasteur, the famous microbiologist, coined the oft repeated mantra that luck [or chance] favors the prepared mind. In the same way, one could say that policy change opportunities favor the advocacy-ready community. If we ever want to rebuild the public health system and establish stronger, effective, public health policies, we need to prioritize advocacy work and become competent in the essential skills that undergird it. Come to this session and learn about the Johns Hopkins Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy and recent Public Health Advocacy Consensus Task Force (PH-ACT) research and activities. Learn how you can get involved as we work together towards building a more effective advocacy 2.0 instructional model, a stronger public health workforce, and advocacy-ready communities. 

Learning Objectives: 

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe at least two of the essential advocacy skill categories that are commonly used in public health advocacy campaigns. 
2. Provide two recommendations for how you can help your community become more advocacy-ready. 

Competencies/Subcompetencies: 

2.3.5 Plan for acquisition of required tools and resources

5.2.3 Create formal and/or informal alliances, task forces, and coalitions to address the proposed change.

7.2.3 Assess training needs.

At the Horizon Foundation, Dr. Schneider leads a skilled, strategic, and talented team of program and policy staff that works side by side with the community to improve public health outcomes and eliminate structural racism. For 14 years, he has overseen the Foundation’s overall strategic planning efforts, program planning, and policy work and has been a key advocacy campaign strategist working closely with community coalitions, grantees, and partners. These coalition-led initiatives are making an impact. Howard County Unsweetened reduced soda sales in Howard County, Maryland by 30 percent compared to a control community due to a multi-year policy, media, and outreach campaign. The County’s Streets for All Coalition successfully advocated for nearly $65 million in complete streets improvements over the past 7 years with priority given to underinvested neighborhoods of color. And through determined advocacy with local partners, all 77 schools in the county began offering 1:1 mental health counseling to students during the school day greatly reducing barriers to care.  

Dr. Schneider was also a key leader in local efforts to make all Howard County public places smoke-free, pass the nation’s first board of health regulations prohibiting youth access to indoor tanning beds, and make healthy food and beverages more widely available. He’s also helped secure millions of dollars in local public health investments and was a co-creator of the Healthy Howard Health Plan, a nationally acclaimed health care access program for the uninsured.

In his faculty role at the Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy, Dr. Schneider is the Director of the Public Health Advocacy Consensus Task Force (PH-ACT) and it’s National Consensus on Advocacy Instruction. In this role, Glenn and the Lerner Center team are working with the de Beaumont Foundation, in collaboration with other national and state public health organizations to 1) Gain consensus on the definition of public health advocacy;  2) Identify the essential advocacy skills needed to operationalize it; and 3) Draft guidance that could help schools and programs.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Schneider has been a national consultant, executive director, community organizer, grassroots strategist and policy director in the government and nonprofit sectors. His work helped lead to more than 40 new state and local laws and regulations across the nation that increased access to health care, protected the public’s health, raised tobacco prices, created smoke-free public places, cut youth access to tobacco and helped secure millions of dollars in new local public health funding. 

Dr. Schneider is a nationally recognized speaker and trainer and his work is featured in the book The DeMarco Factor: Transforming Public Will into Political Power. Glenn earned his Doctor of Public Health Degree from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health and his Master of Public Health degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health where he was named a Distinguished Graduate in 2002. He and his wife, Janice, are the proud parents of two young men, Eric and Evan.

In today’s polarized climate, public health professionals and advocates are increasingly faced with resistance, skepticism, and emotionally charged conversations—especially around sensitive topics such as vaccines, reproductive rights, and health equity. Navigating these interactions requires more than data; it requires empathy, communication agility, and proven conflict-resolution strategies. 

Learning objectives: 

1. Identify common emotional and psychological triggers that escalate conflict during public health advocacy. 
2. Develop a personalized toolkit for engaging in difficult conversations with stakeholders at various levels (e.g., policymakers, community members, peers). 
3. Assess the dynamics of challenging dialogues to adapt messaging strategies and maintain advocacy effectiveness. 

Malynnda Stewart, PhD, BCPA is a board-certified patient advocate and the CEO of Compassionate Navigation, LLC. She believes that effective communication is a form of preventive medicine, reducing misunderstandings, improving health outcomes, and building trust between patients, families, and healthcare teams. 

For over 20 years, Malynnda served as a professor of health communication, cultural communication, interpersonal communication, interviewing, and persuasion. This deep academic foundation shapes her consulting and training approach today, where she equips patients, families, and healthcare professionals with practical strategies to navigate complex conversations with clarity, confidence, and compassion. 

Malynnda meets people where they are — ensuring that difficult conversations, whether in healthcare, the workplace, or everyday life, are approached with empathy and skill. She also hosts Communication Compass, a podcast dedicated to helping individuals and organizations strengthen their communication skills in challenging situations. Her work empowers people to engage in meaningful, solution-focused discussions that lead to better relationships, improved well-being, and more inclusive environments. 

To come

Brian C. Castrucci, DrPH, MA, is the president and chief executive officer of the de Beaumont Foundation. He has built the Foundation into a leading voice in health philanthropy and public health practice.

An award-winning epidemiologist with 10 years of experience working in the health departments of Philadelphia, Texas, and Georgia, Brian brings a unique perspective to the philanthropic sector that allows him to shape and implement visionary and practical initiatives and partnerships and bring together research and practice to improve public health.

This interactive plenary session will immerse participants in a real-time role-playing experience designed to strengthen their advocacy preparation ahead of Capitol Hill visits. Facilitators will guide attendees through contrasting mock congressional meetings,  demonstrating ineffective communication and showcasing effective communication that highlights best practices. Participants will critically examine how storytelling, framing, and message clarity influence policy engagement and use evidence-informed strategies to craft more effective communication. Emphasis will be placed on developing persuasive narratives, tailoring messages to specific legislative priorities, and ensuring alignment with SOPHE’s policy goals. Through discussion and peer feedback, participants will refine their advocacy materials and strengthen their confidence to successfully engage with legislators and staff during the Advocacy Summit and beyond.

Lexi Blavos

Alexis (Lexi) Blavos is currently an Associate Professor in the Health Department at SUNY Cortland, and also serves as the National Director of Advocacy for Eta Sigma Gamma, the Deputy Coordinator and Webmaster for the Coalition of National Health Education Organizations, and the co-chair of the Society for Public Health’s advocacy committee. Dr. Blavos’ academic and work experiences include 10 years of service in the public health field as a practitioner and researcher. Among her many research interests are advocacy and health policy.   

Brittney Chang

Brittney Chang is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Florida, majoring in psychology with a concentration in cognitive behavioral neuroscience and minoring in societal health disparities. Passionate about addressing inequities in public health, her research focuses on the intersection of health disparities and neuroscience, particularly within the Asian American population. Brittney is involved in two key research projects: with Dr. Carolyn Tucker on the Community-Partnered Cancer Disparities Research Collaborative and with Dr. Brian Hoh’s cerebrovascular lab, where she investigates aneurysm healing processes. Her work aims to inform public health policy through data-driven research and community-based advocacy. 

Heidi Hancher-Rauch

Heidi Hancher-Rauch, PhD, MCHES®, is a professor of health sciences at Butler University with over 20 years of experience in academia and nearly 25 years in the public health field. Her professional background includes work in community disease prevention and worksite health, with expertise in health policy and advocacy, program evaluation, and evidence-based health promotion. A dedicated health advocate, the majority of her publications and presentations focus on this area. Dr. Hancher-Rauch currently serves as President of the SOPHE Board of Trustees. She has held multiple leadership roles, including Board Trustee for Advocacy & Resolutions, a long-time member of the Advocacy Committee, and delegate to the Coalition of National Health Education Organizations. She has also previously directed advocacy efforts for Indiana SOPHE and serves on the steering committee for the Top 10 Coalition in Indianapolis. 

Tiffany Neal

Tiffany Neal, MPH, MCHES is a public health educator with over 17 years of experience in health promotion. She currently works in community health with the American Heart Association, and has worked for years as an independent health educator with clients such as local health departments and community health coalitions. She developed her passion for public health while earning her MPH at UC Berkeley and during an internship at CDC. Tiffany currently serves as president of the New Jersey chapter of SOPHE. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and board games. 

Keely Rees

Keely Rees, PhD, MCHES, has joined the College of Public Health (CPH) at the University of Kentucky as the new Associate Dean for Faculty and Staff Advancement. With a strong passion for professional development and mentorship, she is dedicated to creating an environment where faculty and staff feel supported. In this role, Dr. Rees will focus on strengthening professional growth opportunities through mentorship, leadership training, and strategic initiatives that enhance career advancement. By working closely with the Dean’s team, she aims to align policies and resources that foster a collaborative workplace while ensuring faculty and staff have the tools needed to excel. 

Before joining CPH, Dr. Rees spent over two decades at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where she led programs in public health education and healthcare administration. She also taught at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and the University of New Mexico. She earned her Ph.D. in Community Health Education from the University of New Mexico, an M.S. in Exercise Physiology and Health Behavior from South Dakota State University, and a B.A. in Health Education from the University of Minnesota Morris.