Advocacy/Capitol Hill at the SDBP 2024 Annual Meeting in Washington DC

Due to an overwhelming interest in this advocacy activity, registration for the Capitol Hill visit is currently closed. 

Those who did register will be receiving additional emails with follow up information and action items. 

See below for additional Advocacy activities plus videos and tips!

Capitalizing on the Fall 2024 meeting location in Washington DC, the SDBP Advocacy Committee has put together a variety of advocacy activities that participants can engage in throughout the event. These activities are meant to encourage all participants, regardless of level of experience or professional training, to elevate their advocacy skills to the next level!

We know that advocacy can seem like an overwhelming and intimidating skill to tackle, but we hope that the activities available throughout the conference will show participants that BIG progress can come from even the smallest advocacy activities.

If you will be attending the Capitol Hill visits Monday, please review the checklist below:

• Make sure to attend the Sunday concurrent during the fall meeting from 1pm-2:30pm: Topical Symposium: The Art of Influence: Preparing for SDBP’s 2024 Capitol Hill Visits. This is where you will receive all of the information you will need for the hill visits Monday including education around our legislative “ask.”
• Buses will leave the Westin DC Hotel appx 12:15 pm on Monday, September 16th and head up to the Capitol. Please make sure to indicate during registration if you will be using the bus transportation provided. This will ensure we have enough available seats for attendees.
• Capitol Hill visits will end just before 4:00 pm, so please plan a late Monday or early Tuesday flight (bags can be checked at the hotel during the hill visits).
• Check this website back regularly for up-to-date information as we approach the fall meeting!

The weekend’s advocacy events will culminate in an opportunity to participate in visits to Capitol Hill on Monday, September 16th.  Participants will engage in brief pre-scheduled meetings at the offices of key legislators to advocate on a policy issue relevant to developmental-behavioral pediatric practice (HEADs UP Act of 2023 and/or the Autism CARES Act). If you are a beginner advocate, no worries! We will have a mix of group and individual visits, for those who may feel more comfortable in a group, and there will be plenty of educational information and opportunities leading up to the visits themselves.

For more information about Advocacy Committee activities, please contact the Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs, Jennifer Cervantes (jcervant@bcm.edu) and Hannah Perrin (Hannah.Perrin@ucsf.edu).  Please check back here for more detailed information on advocacy activities as they become available!