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

presents

Advocacy 101: Getting Started with Policy Engagement (Spring 2026)

Description

This Advocacy 101 course will empower learners to advocate for their policy issues. Through interactive and recorded lectures, with guest speakers, the course will discuss what advocacy is and how learners can identify advocacy opportunities to advance- or defend- their public health advocacy priorities. Learners will better understand the basic elements of policy advocacy and recognize how and when to use those tools in a variety of contexts and content areas.

Objectives

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

• Defined public health advocacy.
• Identified where to effectively direct advocacy efforts.
• Determined when advocacy efforts may be most strategic.
• Compared tools to further advocacy efforts.
• Prepared to effectively engage in public health advocacy!

List of Topics

• Week 1: What is Advocacy?
• Week 2: Where and when do you advocate?
• Week 3: Tools in your toolbox – How do you advocate?

Who Should Attend

Public health and health professionals interested in understanding the basics of public health advocacy and how to identify various tactics and strategies to maximize the impact of their advocacy efforts.

Program Structure

This virtual course runs from April 6, 2026 - April 24, 2026 (3 weeks). Includes one live 90-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 via Zoom on:

• Week 1: Thursday, April 9 from 12:30-2:00pm ET
• Week 2: Thursday, April 16 from 12:30-2:00pm ET
• Week 3: Thursday, April 23 from 12:30-2:00pm ET

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 January 12 through March 20. All payments must be submitted by March 20 to confirm enrollment. 

Refund Policy

Refunds will be available until the course start date, April 5, 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/advocacy-101-getting-started-with-policy-engagement

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.