Jeff STARS Program Shines

L to R: James Plumb, MD, MPH, J. Lindsey Lane, MD, FAAP, Marc Altshuler, MD, Karen Glaser, PhD, Esther K. Chung, MD, MPH, FAAP

In collaboration with the Department of Family and Community Medicine (FCM) at Jefferson Medical College, Pediatric Residency Program has implemented a new advocacy training program, called the Jeff STARS (Jefferson Service Training in Advocacy for Residents and Students) Program.

Jeff STARS, led by Dr. Esther K. Chung, Director of Advocacy and Community Partnerships for the residency program, is funded by two grants – a one-year grant from the Community Pediatrics Training Initiative with the American Academy of Pediatrics and a three-year grant from the Institute on Medicine as a Profession at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Jeff STARS provides trainees with advocacy and community opportunities that are integrated into a required pediatric outpatient rotation, and that are part of a longitudinal experience for pediatric residents in their continuity clinics and an intensive elective offered to medical students and pediatric and family medicine residents. The three major objectives of the program are to:

1. provide an opportunity to approach clinical care with a “trained eye” — a new understanding of how public policy affects the lives and health of patients
2. model and teach skills for effective and life-long advocacy, including building relationships with and listening to community members, using stories to engage the media and public, identifying strategic policy issues and solvable policy problems, and incorporating advocacy into clinical practice and professional development; and
3. provide students and residents hands-on experience in a local advocacy project conducted with an experienced community organization and mentor. Core faculty members include Drs. James Plumb and Marc Altshuler from the Department of FCM, and Dr. Lindsey Lane from Pediatrics.

The initiative components include a monthly Advocacy Journal Club, weekly Advocacy and Community Cafés, and community site visits. The journal club and Cafés have been made possible thanks to the committed faculty of the Division of General Pediatrics at Jefferson and volunteer and guest lecturers, including Michael Campbell, Esq., from Villanova University School of Law and David Paul, MD from the Department of Neonatology at Christiana Hospital.

Third-year medical students and pediatric and FCM residents work with community sites on a number of public health issues, including youth violence, asthma, access to care for mothers and children, and immunizations. Our volunteer community partners include the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Clean Air Council, Maternity Care Coalition, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the Maternal, Child and Family Health Division of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Educational and evaluation tools include advocacy assessments, an advocacy quick guide, community site visit reports, reflective writings and related web-based articles and resources. In the first year, an advocacy website for the Jefferson/duPont student and faculty community will be launched. This website will serve as a clearinghouse for Jefferson/duPont trainee and faculty advocacy activities, Advocacy Journal Club articles, and parenting educational materials and community resources.

A major goal of Jeff STARS is to change the institutional culture at Jefferson Medical College and the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children so that advocacy becomes an integral part of educating students and residents. “It is exciting to find that so many of our faculty are already involved in advocacy efforts and have past experiences with working in the community. Through this exciting program, we are able to connect learners with clinical and community mentors who are actively involved in health advocacy,” notes program director, Dr. Chung. The Journal Clubs and Café’s are open to students, residents, faculty and alumni.

For more information about the program and health advocacy, please contact Dr. Chung at echung@nemours.org or 215-955-9460.