The AUA’s 6th Annual Urology Advocacy Summit took place in Washington, DC, with over 250 urologists, trainees, advanced practice providers, patient advocates, AUA staffers, and other stakeholders coming together for the largest urological advocacy event of the year. This year’s Summit featured attendees from 35 states who spent time discussing the most pressing issues facing urology before going to Capitol Hill and conducting 200 congressional meetings with legislators to advocate for patients, practices, and the future of urology.

This year’s legislative priorities centered on Medicare Physician Fee Schedule reform to safeguard the sustainability of urology practice, increasing access to rural care and trainee loan repayment via the Specialty Physicians Advancing Rural Care (SPARC) Act, solidifying permanent legislation for the telehealth expansions that have transformed health care over the last 3 years, and improving the cost and availability of prostate cancer screening for minority populations with the PSA Screening for HIM Act.

Medical students and urology residents comprise one of the fastest growing groups of Summit attendees. In response to this rising interest and engagement, this year’s Summit featured a panel session geared toward young professionals titled, “Trainee Advocacy Engagement: Getting Involved,” which was moderated by Dr Logan Galansky, a urology resident at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and chair of the AUA Policy & Advocacy Resident Work Group.

While the Summit is a clear example of advocacy in action, advocacy in clinical practice can take many forms. As such, the session began by asking the panelists to define what advocacy means to them.

Dr Emilie Johnson, a pediatric urologist at Lurie Children’s and Northwestern University, Public Policy Council and State Advocacy Committee member, and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality grant–funded researcher, touched on the power of advocacy as a tool for solving clinical questions. “As a health services researcher, many of the topics I study lend themselves to health-policy solutions, whether at the hospital, state, or federal level,” Dr Johnson commented.

Dr Hiten Patel, a urologic oncologist at Northwestern University and avid clinical researcher, added that cost-effectiveness studies add depth that can increase the relevance of research for health care policies, particularly since level 1 evidence is not always available or pertinent to decisions being made in these areas.

The panelists also commented on using advocacy as an opportunity for community engagement and for augmenting patient care. “I think of advocacy in personal and professional spheres,” Dr Patel stated. “Ideally, they will complement each other, but personal interactions, organized groups you choose to be in, and donations or votes you choose to place are all part of engagement. This includes staying informed about your neighborhood and city so you can show up and support issues directly impacting the community.”

“Advocacy allows me to take the issues my patients and I face every day and bring them to the attention of lawmakers and people in positions of authority to leverage change. We have a unique perspective as trainees, a fresh set of eyes and ideas that we can bring to hospital leadership, the Capitol, and everywhere in between.”

The panel then turned to advice on how to successfully integrate advocacy work into training and a future urology career. The first step, agreed the panelists, is just to get started. Unlike clinical medicine, which requires trainees to build a formal skill set for medical management and technical procedures over time, those with an interest in advocacy can become involved at any point in their training. The AUA offers numerous formal advocacy venues. The panelists encouraged trainees to take advantage of these resources in order to build a foundation that can then be utilized throughout their careers to make a larger long-term impact.

Dr Denise Asafu-Adjei, a male reproductive medicine specialist and director of Male Reproductive Medicine at Loyola University Chicago, Legislative Affairs Committee member, and the AUA’s current Gallagher Health Policy Scholar, recommended that trainees be thoughtful about the way in which they frame advocacy work in order to get buy-in from residency programs, journals and grant committees, and future employers.

In service of this, Dr Patel discussed the importance of asking for more information on institutional help for supporting advocacy work and using data to improve one’s point. He said, “Often, asking will get the ball rolling and ensure your program, employer, or academic avenues are aware of your goals, and you will learn how to align your goals with their priorities. Back up your advocacy priorities with facts and figures, or put together a plan to get better data to support the agenda.”

Additionally, the panelists spoke to the fact that finding extra time as a busy medical student or resident can often feel unachievable, but using your network to make connections and help navigate the advocacy space is vital. Dr Jennifer Yates, a urologic oncologist and residency program director at University of Massachusetts and AUA New England Section representative to the Health Policy Committee, advised trainees to communicate with their program leadership to facilitate departments and trainees working together to create opportunities to carve out dedicated time and attend events, like the Summit.

Dr Van Horn detailed her experience as a trainee getting involved in advocacy, commenting, “Look for those in your department or institution who will support your efforts—mentorship is critical to access certain resources or avenues of advocacy that may not be immediately obvious.”

Overall, the panelists emphasized how advocacy has enhanced the care they provide their patients, their research endeavors, and their career paths. As Dr Johnson encouraged the trainees in attendance, “Getting involved with policy-related activities can help break up the day-to-day grind of residency, and remind you of the larger impact trainees can have!”