Advocacy for Sexual and Reproductive Hea

Reproductive health has been so mired in controversy that evidence and scientifically based rational arguments often go unheeded. This course offers public health students entrée to analytic tools and concrete skills needed to intervene in this logjam. While reproductive health is particularly fraught, other public health issues are similarly held captive by political contention.

This course will explore the role of the public health professional in advocacy, with a specific focus on advocacy related to reproductive health. We will examine the various strategies that public health professionals employ to achieve their advocacy goals as well as specific methods and skills vital to effective advocacy. Students will develop an understanding of the varied contributions different actors can make to effective advocacy, with an ongoing emphasis on the role of the public health professional as evidence based expert, skilled technician, policy analyst, leader, and collaborator in advocacy movements.