Stanford Advocacy Program (StAT)

The Stanford Advocacy Track (StAT) is one of the six scholarly concentrations in Stanford Pediatric Residency Program. Residents that elect to participate in the StAT program share a common interest in addressing the social determinants of health and partnering with community agencies and organizations to eliminate child health disparities. As part of the StAT program, residents engaged in longitudnal community-engaged and/or advocacy projects. StAT is co-directed by Drs. Lisa Chamberlain and Janine Bruce. Program Manager, Monica de la Cruz provides expertise in qualitative methods.

Program Goal:

To promote child health and reduce child health disparities though engagement in community-based or legislative advocacy projects in collaboration with local, state and/or national partners.

Program Objectives

Community-engagement

Gain knowledge and skills in effective community engagement, applying the principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR) to develop strong collaborations and meet community identified needs.

Program Planning & Evaluation

Acquire expertise in the development and execution of a sound program plan which may result in systems and policy change. Key skills include conducting an asset map or needs assessment, and program implementation and evaluation.

Research

Develop strong skills in community-based research, using qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods. Key skills include IRB submission, survey development, qualitative research strategies, and data anlaysis. 

Funding

Write and submit a grant to receive project funding. Potential funders include: AAP CATCH Grant, LPCH Community Grant, APA Young Investigators Award. 

Dissemination

Disseminate findings locally to community stakeholders, to the Stanford community (Peds Research Day, Community-engagement Symposium) and at national academic conferences (PAS, Regional APA, APHA). Key skills include abstract development, poster and oral presentations, and manuscript submission.

StAT Rotation

The StAT rotation is a specialized month-long rotation designed to provide  advocacy residents with a foundation in child advocacy and health disparities. The rotation includes foundation topics, journal clubs, research methods, skill-based tutorials,  career development sessions, guest speakers, and protected time to work on individual advocacy projects.

StAT Projects

The Pediatric Advocacy faculty work with residents individually to identify a community partner/organization with whom to work and establish a collaborative partnership. The project focus is designed to meet community partner needs and resident interests. Throughout the course of the project, residents will acquire a variety of advocacy skills that can be applied to future community and academic endeavors.

Project Examples