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This course is BEING taught
Fall 2003
Information is current as of 10/22/03

• Application for Montefiore elective:  “Research Based Activism and Advocacy” (pdf format)
• Information Flyer (pdf format)

Research-Based Health Activism - Syllabus

October 2003

Montefiore Medical Center 
Albert Einstein College of Medicine 
Department of Social Internal Medicine

History and Goals:

The course arose from discussions between residents and faculty at Montefiore who wanted to train research-based physician activists. Despite a lively discourse in the literature on medical professionalism, there are few programs training health professionals how to create positive change.  

"Research-Based Health Activism" describes a growing sector of the medical and public health worlds where the classic skills of clinical research and epidemiology are combined with grass-roots advocacy to influence federal and state health policy, stemming the influence of private industry and market forces on public and community health.  

We designed this course to train medical students to create sound, ethical, purposeful research-but more importantly-how to use that research to create real change in people's lives.  We hope to foster the development of research based activism projects, and help students develop their progressive careers.

Overview of Course:

Below is an overview of the course, divided by the three major curricular segments.  The speakers are listed alphabetically.  In addition, attached is a calendar of the month.

The course is part didactic and part interactive workshops.  A primary focus of the students' time will be developing their final project-their own independent research proposal and a companion advocacy strategy plan.  Frequent brown bags every other day will keep them on track through the month.

1.      Health Policy

This section is designed to give students a rough background in US health policy, with a focus on the role of health professionals in forming health policy.

a.       Bertrand Bell:  Making Real World Change as a Physician

• Goal for session: Discuss challenge of remaining active in national and local health policy while practicing as a community physician.

b.  Jo Ivey Boufford:  Federal Government and Health

• Goal for session: Describe structure of federal government's health care administration.

• Goal for session: Discuss issues related to government provided health care.

c.  Ernie Drucker:  Substance Abuse and Health

• Goal for session: Introduce challenge of providing health care to substance abusing population.

• Goal for session: Describe methodology used to investigate vulnerable populations.

d.  Oliver Fein:  US and Universal Health Coverage

• Goal for session: Describe the financing and organization of the health care system, including distinctions between various programs.

• Goal for session: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a single payer health program.

e.  Bob Goodman:  Pharmaceutical Industry and Medicine

• Goal for session: Describe influence of pharmaceutical industry on physician and its affect on the health care system.

f.  Paul Jung:  History of the US Health Care System

• Goal for session: Provide brief overview of the history of the US health care system.

g.  Eva Metalios:  Human Rights Clinic

• Goal for session: Describe Montefiore's Human Rights Clinic.

h.  Barbara Seaman:  Women's Health

• Goal for session: Discuss recent book, "The Greatest Experiment Ever Performed on Women."

i.  Peter Selwyn:  Research and Advocacy During the Dawn of AIDS

• Goal for session: Describe struggles of advocating for an at-risk population.

• Goal for session: Discuss challenges of writing about personal experience.

j.  Victor Sidel:  War and Public Health

• Goal for session: Discuss historical perspective of war and terrorism as it applies to public health.

k.  Lanny Smith:  Liberation Medicine, Health and Human Rights

• Goal for session: Introduce concept of liberation medicine.

• Goal for session: Discuss issues of health care justice, domestically and internationally.

l.  Hal Strelnick:  Health Policy at Local, State, and National Levels

• Goal for session: Discuss federalism and relationship between government levels.

• Goal for session: Discuss lead advocacy as case study.

m.  Leonora Tiefer: Female Sexual Dysfunction

• Goal for session: Describe the role of the pharmaceutical industry in creating medical illness.

• Goal for session: Discuss challenges of building an advocacy organization.

n.  Bruce Vladeck:  Medicare and the Role of Physicians in the Future

• Goal for session: Explain origin and organization of Medicare.

• Goal for session: Discuss how decisions are made when operating the nation's largest insurer.

• Goal for session: Describe expectations for changes to come in Medicare and health care under Bush administration.

o.  Sid Wolfe:  Public Citizen's Health Research Group

• Goal for session: Describe the methodology and successes of research-based health activism.

• Goal for session: Overview of the Health Research Group's activities.

p.  International Society of Urban Health Annual Conference

• Goal for session: Demonstrate current research being done on urban health issues.

• Goal for session: Introduce concept of social epidemiology.

2.      Research Methods

This section is to give students skills in gathering meaningful data that will have an impact .  We have created homework for the students for this section.

a.  Robin Flam:  Introduction to Epidemiology and Health Policy

• Goal for session: Overview epidemiology as it relates to health policy decision making and research.

• Goal for session: Introduce methodology of secondary data set analysis.

b.  Alison Karasz:  What is the Research Question?

• Goal for session: Guide students through the process of choosing an effective research question.

• Goal for session: Evaluate students' pre-prepared research questions.

c.  Peter Lurie:  Research Ethics

• Goal for session:  Describe the unique challenges of conducing ethical research-based activism.

d.  Paul Meissner:  Grant Writing

• Goal for session: Introduce challenges of writing a grant.

e.  Denis Nash:  Data Management and Analysis

• Goal for session: Introduce methods of data analysis.

• Goal for session: Discuss appropriate data management and analysis techniques for students' projects.

f.  Joseph Ross:  Research Proposal Writing

• Goal for session: Discuss how to write a research proposal.

g.  Galit Sacajiu:  Study Designs

• Goal for session: Introduce methodology of study designs.

h.  Galit Sacajiu and Alison Karasz:  Questionnaire Design

• Goal for session: Introduce methodology of questionnaire design.

• Goal for session: Evaluate students' questionnaires for projects.

3.      Advocacy skills

Focuses on taking the knowledge and data and using them to create positive change.

a.  David Appel:  Montefiore-Lobbying

• Goal for session:  Present methodology used by physicians in combination with everyday practice to pursue advocacy.

b.      Laura Caruso:  Gay Men's Health Crisis-Creating Health Advocacy

• Goal for session:  Demonstrate how real world change is created by advocates.

c.  Hilary Kunins:  Case Study Workshop:  How to Advocate for Choice

• Goal for session:  Provide hands on workshop in advocacy, using choice as a case study.

d.  Sharon Lerner:  Media Relations in Health Research and Advocacy

• Goal for session:  Provide insight into media perspective on advocacy and media relations.

e.  Steve Max:  Midwest Academy-Intro to Organizing and Strategy Building

• Goal for session:  Give foundation for the principles of organizing.

• Goal for session: Teach basics of the strategy chart.

f.  Judy Wessler:  Commission on the Public's Health-Picking An Issue

• Goal for session:  Demonstrate how to choose an issue based on the politics and policies.

g.  Public Speaking and Role Play

• Goal for session:  Provide interactive session to practice public speaking skills.

Instructions to speakers:

We ask that some of your time be set aside at the end for a description of your career development, if not already covered.

Our students and their varied background are probably the most important resource unlisted in this syllabus.  This course seeks to tap into the activist passion and energy of these students around the country and give them a place to flourish.