Advocacy Impact

On the Road

By Marah Wahbeh, PhD, and Carter L. Alleman, JD, CAE

The creation of the ASPET Road Show is one of the many avenues ASPET has taken to help support our scientists and further engage them in science advocacy. Along with expanding the Washington Fellows Program class size and providing additional travel grant opportunities for ASPET’s coalitions’ Hill Days to increase member participation, we recognized the need to meet our members where they are, especially with the belief that advocacy is most impactful when done person-to-person, and its training should also be done in that same manner.

The Road Show was created.

The Road Show consists of a custom, interactive workshop, ranging from 90 minutes to three hours. Participants will learn the following:

• Elevator Policy: How to develop an elevator pitch that will resonate with non-expert staffers
• Anatomy of a Meeting: A step-by-step walkthrough of meetings with decision makers on all levels, either virtual or in-person
• Demystifying the Hill: An analysis of how Congress functions regarding policy and advocacy efforts, and how to identify key times to petition for funding

Also, we realized that not everyone is interested in the inner workings of Congress or a policy area in which they may not be involved, so we have the option to customize sessions and tailor them to members interests, whether it’s a deeper dive into legislative or regulatory advocacy, or a policy area that is emerging and there is a strong interest in wanting to help shape it.

There is no charge to host the Road Show, beyond what the meeting costs the member to hold. ASPET will cover the cost of our staff to come to you and your meeting. We feel that this removes a barrier to bring ASPET closer to the members and build scientific advocacy.

Over the last few months, we have attended a few science meetings to speak about science policy and advocacy as part of the launch of the Road Show. Our first stop was at the Mid-Atlantic Pharmacology Society (MAPS) Meeting. ASPET staff provided an overview of our advocacy work and a briefing on current events and ways scientists could get involved.

The Association of Medical School Pharmacology Chairs Annual Meeting was the next stop. ASPET staff provided a training module specifically on how to engage in advocacy activities and one that attendees could encourage those in their labs to participate. The additional benefit of attending was that ASPET staff were on-site to provide informal briefings of current policy changes and learn about impacts that the attendees were experiencing, which helped shaped future advocacy engagement with policy makers.

Virtually, one of our staff members attended the Drexel University Medicine & Science Leadership Summit: Beyond the Bench: Partnerships and Policy Shaping the Future of Translational Medicine and participated in a panel discussion on Policy, Power, and Progress: How Changing Systems Shape Innovation and Careers in Medicine.

We are looking forward to engaging further with scientists and meeting our members where they work! Stay tuned to this space to learn more about those stops. If you would like to learn more about the Road Show or would like to schedule a stop, please do not hesitate to email the Department at publicaffairs@aspet.org.