FM Resident Dr. Brenna Cockburn Reflects on her Experience at the Family Medicine Advocacy Summit
Whether in the exam room with a patient, organizing with local community groups, or meeting with legislators to discuss policy’s impact on patients, opportunities for physician advocacy abound. As a resident working in an urban underserved clinic in metro Denver, I saw firsthand how state and national policies were affecting my patients’ health, and I wanted to use my voice as a physician beyond the clinic walls. With my faculty’s support, I joined the CAFP Legislative Committee and began learning how family physicians discuss and inform policy in Colorado. I had the opportunity to dive deeper into policy advocacy during AAFP’s Family Medicine Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC with CAFP as a Resident Skills in Advocacy scholarship recipient.
While in DC, we heard from policy experts, discussed health issues facing urban and rural America, and networked with AAFP members from 48 other states. Every part of the conference was informative and motivating, but the most exciting was Capitol visit day—the reason, returning attendees told me, that they keep coming back year after year. On the Capitol visit day, we would discuss three bills with our Colorado state representatives and senators: bipartisan legislation to support the physician workforce in rural communities, reduce the burden of prior authorizations, and improve access to care management services for Medicare patients.
Walking up to the Capitol on that second day was both exciting and nerve-wracking; I knew our voices carried weight, speaking on behalf of family physicians across Colorado. But my nerves quickly faded once we started talking with the legislative aides—I realized we shared the same goal: improving quality of life for people in Colorado. I felt fortunate to share my own experiences, and the challenges my patients had faced related to this legislation, hoping it might positively shape the bill’s path through Congress.
FMAS was an incredible opportunity to use my voice for my community and to see the collective power family physicians hold. Because of this experience, I am motivated to intentionally integrate advocacy into my practice—from the exam table to Capitol Hill.
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Dr. Cockburn attended FMAS through the support of CAFP Foundation’s Resident Skills in Advocacy scholarship. Learn more.
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