Legislative and political advocacy in urology has traditionally focused on direct, face-to-face meetings with lawmakers. These meetings have been, and continue to be, one of the highlights of the Annual Urology Advocacy Summit, fostering and strengthening relationships between the urology community and members of Congress. More recently, advocacy has expanded to online social media platforms, necessitated and accelerated by virtual lobbying during the COVID-19 pandemic. The potential for social media to engage a broad audience, sustain relationships with our legislative champions, and bring new voices to our advocacy has added important dimensions to the Summit experience.

Social media can increase the reach and connectivity of urologists with lawmakers. The immediacy of digital content allows information to reach a global audience at a speed that was previously infeasible through traditional print media and early Internet technology like blogging. Today, social media platforms like Twitter have been shown to accelerate medical information dissemination, such as novel research findings and publications.^1,2 Applied to advocacy, social media platforms allow users to create widespread communities of advocates united in lobbying for common causes. Where grassroots efforts in advocacy once relied on door-to-door visits, expensive advertisements and local events, and time-consuming phone calls and emails, today social media can amplify advocacy efforts in urology, both at specific events like the Summit as well as year-round.

The 2023 Summit brought over 250 urologists, trainees, patient advocates, advanced practice providers, and allies from 35 states to Washington, DC. But the reach and impact of the Summit were strengthened through a robust online presence. On Twitter, participants and supporters used the hashtag #AUASummit23 to share news and updates from the Summit. Over the 3-day event, over 1,000 Twitter posts tagged with #AUASummit23 amassed 4.7 million impressions—the number of times Summit-related content appeared on the platform. Over 200 Twitter users participated online in #AUASummit23, including many who did not attend in person but were nonetheless able to promote advocacy, join the dialogue, and contribute their experiences and insights online. Though the Summit did not formally include a virtual component, #AUASummit23 made a real-time online experience not only possible but robust.

Social media has not replaced in-person advocacy. Personal visits with congressional offices have remained a powerful, valuable means of communicating issues crucial to urologists and the needs of our patients. But social media have indeed reshaped the experience. Although we still exchange physical business cards and follow up with emails after these “Hill visits,” real-time social media posts facilitate immediate feedback (see Figure). The target audience for this type of content includes not only our fellow urologists, but also constituents, patients and families, and other policymakers. Visibility of advocacy work through social media platforms increases the audience for our efforts, which in return may help convince legislators of the interest in and potential impact of our priorities.

For those unable to attend the Summit in person, social media have proven to be a critical tool in helping to amplify the AUA’s message, advance the discourse around advocacy issues, and catalyze change. The use of social media at the Summit, through posting infographics from expert talks, sharing photographs at congressional offices, and using the #AUASummit23 hashtag, was on full display (see Figure). While posting on social media can at times feel like shouting into the void, the combined power of in-person and social media advocacy efforts can yield tangible results. For example, following the Summit, the SPARC (Specialty Physicians Advancing Rural Care) Act, one of the AUA’s legislative priorities, was reintroduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate with bipartisan support.

Beyond strengthening connections among advocates in the urology community, social media can also help constituents engage with legislators. Summit participants who shared photos and stories on Twitter about their visits to congressional offices helped to reiterate our legislative priorities and recognize the commitment of AUA members. Many offices also reposted and commented on our content (see Figure), demonstrating their involvement with constituents while also raising the AUA’s advocacy profile on Capitol Hill.

Because successful advocacy does not end at the conclusion of the Summit, leveraging social media to create sustainable advocacy efforts beyond the conference is vital to enable urologists and other stakeholders to be heard on issues that affect urology. Social media engagement can increase awareness in our community about legislation that influences the delivery of high-quality care, such as the threat of Medicare physician payment cuts or loss of coverage for telehealth.

Social media can also shine a light on other AUA efforts that support our advocacy. For instance, the AUA Workforce Workgroup routinely works with the AUA Data Committee to study and understand pertinent workforce issues related to policy initiatives. Recent publications on debt of the workforce,³ debt among residents,⁴ and burnout^5,6 have supported advocacy efforts on reducing educational debt, supporting loan repayment for specialty physicians—a key tenet of the SPARC Act—and protecting the well-being of health care workers. Highlighting the findings in the context of advocacy can be augmented through social media (see Figure). Furthermore, the AUA Publications group not only publishes research that informs policy, but also has expertise in presenting research findings in a digestible way to the public to aid in our advocacy. This strategy allows the urology community to obtain the pertinent knowledge we need to be a united front for data-driven, effective policymaking.

Finally, an important way AUA members can support and participate in advocacy is by contributing to the AUAPAC. Donations to AUAPAC support legislative priorities by contributing to members of Congress and candidates who champion the causes that impact our patients and practices. Traditionally, fundraising for political action groups relied on in-person fundraising events. With social media platforms serving as a common virtual table around which to gather, the impact of AUAPAC continues to grow by increasing the presence of urologists on these platforms and online donations at the Summit (see Figure). AUA members can contribute to AUAPAC in just a few clicks. The power of social media activity to encourage donations and show the impact of AUAPAC on Capitol Hill will continue to be a vital avenue of fundraising and support.