Creating Stories that Drive Policy Change | Storytelling Skill-Building Session Fall 2026

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

presents

Creating Stories that Drive Policy Change (Fall 2026)

Virtual

Move Decision-Makers to Action: Creating Stories that Drive Policy Change is an experiential multi-module course for public health practitioners and researchers grounded in science, built around real-world advocacy practice, and ending with a complete story ready for your next legislator or stakeholder conversation.

Objectives

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

• Explained why narrative is more effective than data alone in moving policymakers, stakeholders and funders to act.
• Analyzed the values, motivations, decision environments, and political pressures of a specific target audience.
• Built a trust-centered, long-term relationship strategy with decision-makers across sectors.
• Constructed a compelling “so what” that connects your research or program to the priorities of a specific audience.
• Delivered a practiced, audience-specific story confidently anchored to a real upcoming policy conversation, presentation or grant.
• Used AI responsibly to draft, refine, and stress-test your story strategy and delivery.

List of Topics

• Week 1: My Foundation – Understanding the Science and Frameworks that Power Storytelling
• Week 2: My Audience – Creating Trusted Relationships with Decision-Makers
• Week 3: My Strategy – Connecting My Work to What Decision-Makers Care About
• Week 4: My Story – Bringing It All Together to Move Decision-Makers to Act
• Week 5: Final Capstone

 

Who Should Attend

Public health and health professionals that desire to improve their storytelling skills and share their ideas with a variety of audiences. Advocates who want to tell compelling stories that drive change. 

Program Structure

This non-credit/non-degree runs from October 7 – November 4, 2026. Includes one live 75-minute session per week and approximately 1 hour worth of asynchronous content to complete outside of the live sessions. Weekly live sessions will take place on Zoom:

• October 7, 12:05-1:20 PM EST
• October 14, 12:05-1:20 PM EST
• October 21, 12:05-1:20 PM EST
• October 28, 12:05-1:20 PM EST
• November 4, 12:05-1:20 PM EST

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

None.

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 July 15 through September 25, 2026, All payments must be submitted by September 25 to confirm enrollment.

Refund Policy

Refunds will be available until the course start date, October 7, 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/move-decision-makers-to-action-creating-stories-that-drive-policy-change

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

Americans with Disabilities Act

Johns Hopkins University fully complies with the legal requirements of the ADA and the rules and regulations thereof. Please notify us 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 University 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.