Johns Hopkins Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy,
Department of Health Policy and Management
at Johns Hopkins University

presents

Advocacy Action Lab (Summer 2026)

In this comprehensive, multi-modal workshop, public health and health professionals will learn fundamental advocacy skills, workshop specific policy issues, and gain real-world insights on how to achieve public health goals.

Participants will build upon their own scholarly work to identify potential advocacy opportunities and develop an action plan. Workshop activities include action planning sessions, expert presentations and panels, and networking opportunities.

Objectives

At the conclusion of this course/program, the learner will have:

• Described how policy is made and identified where and how you can impact policy related to your public health topic.
• Applied advocacy knowledge, skills, and tactics to promote policy change in your public health topic.
• Assessed the strengths and weaknesses of possible policy asks related to your public health topic given the current context.
• Identified supporters and opponents of your public health topics, determined how to engage the right partners, and identified appropriate partnership strategies.
• Explained what lobbying is and determined what advocacy activities relate to your public health topic do or do not meet the definition of lobbying.
• Developed an advocacy plan to address your public health goal that reflects consideration of critical factors, strategic partnerships, and realistic tactics.

List of Topics

• Meet-up Session 1: Advocacy Overview and Identifying Your Policy Solutions
• Meet-up Session 2: Advocacy Strategy and Considering Power
• In-Person Workshop: Strategic Partnerships, Communicating Your Policy Ask, and Crafting Your Advocacy Plan
• Meet-up Session 3: Lobbying and Meeting With Legislators
• Meet-up Session 4: Review of Advocacy Action Plans and Strategizing Next Steps

Who Should Attend

Registration is open to invited applicants only.

Program Structure

This course runs from May 4, 2026 – September 11, 2026. The Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy will host an in-person session at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center on Thursday, June 11, 2026 from 9:00am-5:00pm ET.

Meet-up sessions are held in May, August, and September. Participants are expected to participate in four synchronous meet-up sessions total. Live sessions will take place via Zoom on:

Meet-up Session #1 (choose one):

• Tuesday, May 12, 6-8 PM ET
• Wednesday, May 13, 12-2PM ET

Meet-up Session #2 (choose one):

• Tuesday, May 19, 6-8p ET
• Wednesday, May 20, 12-2p ET

Meet-up Session #3 (choose one):

• Tuesday, August 11, 6-8p ET
• Wednesday, August 12, 12-2p ET

Meet-up Session #4 (choose one):

• Tuesday, September 15, 6-8p ET
• Wednesday, September 16, 12-2p ET

Following registration, you will receive directions on how to RSVP to your meet-up session dates.

Certificate

After successfully completing the program, learners will receive a certificate of completion from the Johns Hopkins Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy. While not conveying academic credit, it will document the learner's competency in the knowledge and skills delivered in the program and successful completion of course requirements.

Additional Information

Continuing Education

Course completers can receive:

• Continuing Education Contact Hours (CECH), pending approval by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.
• Certified in Public Health (CPH) credits, pending approval by the National Board of Public Health Examiners.

Course/Program Prerequisites

Registrants must have received an invitation from the Johns Hopkins Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy.

Materials

All online content will be accessible via canvas.jhu.edu. All evaluation surveys will be hosted in Qualtrics.

Requirements for Learners

None.

Technical Prerequisites

Registration will take place on the Canvas LMS (Canvas.jhu.edu). You will need the ability to log on to the platform, preferably using Google Chrome, to complete registration.

Hardware requirements: computer; webcam; microphone and speakers or headset.

Software requirements: Google Chrome web browser; access to Canvas.jhu.edu; Zoom web conferencing; Microsoft Office or similar; email

Fee Structure

Registration is open from March 2 through April 23. All payments must be submitted by April 23 to confirm enrollment.

Refund Policy

Refunds will be available until the course start date, May 4, 2026.

You will receive a confirmation by email from Instructure. If you have not received it within 24 hours, email the Office of Online Education to confirm your payment was successful.

Johns Hopkins reserves the right to cancel or postpone any activity due to unforeseen circumstances. Under such circumstances, registrants will be notified as soon as possible.

For Further Information

Website: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/lerner-center/advocacy-action-lab

For technical assistance with the course, Canvas.jhu.edu, or learnmore.jhu.edu, please email the Office of Online Education.

Americans with Disabilities Act

The Johns Hopkins University fully complies with the legal requirements of the ADA and the rules and regulations thereof. Please notify lernercenter@jhu.edu if you have any special needs.

Copyright Information

All rights reserved - Johns Hopkins University. No part of this program may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews.

Disclaimer Statement

The opinions and recommendations expressed by faculty and other experts whose input is included in this activity are their own. This enduring material is produced for educational purposes only. Use of the Johns Hopkins Medicine name implies review of educational format design and approach. Please review the complete prescribing information and safety profile of specific drugs or combination of drugs, including indications, contraindications, warnings, and adverse effects before administering pharmacologic therapy to patients.