Be the Voice for Change

FEATURE

Clinicians and scientists share how small steps can yield meaningful results

By Evonne Acevedo
March 21, 2026 | VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1

Being an advocate鈥攆or your patients, for your specialty, and for yourself鈥攃an begin with simple steps and result in major change. In this article, four leaders share their experiences with advocacy in the medical arena, from turning points in their own careers to starting tips for colleagues.

鈥淪how up and be specific鈥�

Silvi Rouskin, PhD, has advice for taking the first step toward advocacy: 鈥淪tart with what makes you angry鈥攊n the best way. What keeps you up at night? What makes you think, 鈥楽omeone should really do something about this鈥�? You are that someone.鈥�

Silvi Rouskin, PhD
Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School

Science works best when we let the experts lead, said Dr. Rouskin, Assistant Professor of Microbiology at Harvard Medical School. It鈥檚 also important to understand that the best scientists don鈥檛 always fit a typical mold, she said.

鈥淚 got into the biomedical field because I believe deeply that understanding how biology works is how we advance human health,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n my lab, the door is open to anyone who truly wants to contribute; I don鈥檛 care where you come from, what your background is, or what you believe politically. If you鈥檙e curious and rigorous, there鈥檚 a seat at the bench. The same goes for collaboration; if working together gets us closer to answering fundamental questions or developing a new therapy faster, I鈥檓 in.鈥�

Scientists haven鈥檛 always done a great job of making their work accessible to the general public or explaining why it matters in people鈥檚 everyday lives, Dr. Rouskin noted. She said effective action is straightforward: 鈥淪peak up. At faculty meetings, at conferences, in publications, even on platforms like X. Every time you articulate what you believe and why鈥攂acked by data鈥攜ou鈥檙e making your voice heard. You don鈥檛 need a grand platform. A pointed question in a meeting can shift a policy. A clear thread on X can reach people your paper never will.鈥�

“What makes you think, 鈥楽omeone should really do something about this鈥�? You are that someone.”

A particular passion of Dr. Rouskin鈥檚 is supporting students from unconventional backgrounds, who may not have the typical r茅sum茅 or connections but who have a clear 鈥渇ire鈥� for science. 鈥淢y parents were rock musicians, so I didn鈥檛 exactly come from a traditional academic household,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat background taught me that passion and talent don鈥檛 come with a pedigree.鈥�

Two years ago, Dr. Rouskin organized , a workshop to teach artificial intelligence and machine learning to undergraduates interested in biology. She believes these skills will transform the life sciences, and her aim is to give students who wouldn鈥檛 otherwise have access to the training a shot at driving that transformation.

鈥淕etting it funded was a battle,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 called and emailed foundation after foundation. Most said no. But I kept going, and eventually the Burroughs Wellcome Fund said yes.

鈥淲e even had John Jumper鈥攚ho won the Nobel Prize three months after the event鈥攁s a keynote speaker,鈥� Dr. Rouskin recalled. 鈥淲atching those students light up, ask fearless questions, and realize that this world was for them too... is something I will remember forever. For some of them, I genuinely believe it was career-changing.鈥�

“Every time you articulate what you believe and why鈥攂acked by data鈥攜ou鈥檙e making your voice heard.”

For early career colleagues who want to forge a transformative path, Dr. Rouskin offers pointed advice: 鈥淪how up and be specific. Don鈥檛 just say 鈥楻NA is important.鈥� Say why, say how, say what happens if we ignore it. The more precisely you can articulate your vision, the harder you are to dismiss.鈥�

Dr. Rouskin added that advocacy doesn鈥檛 need to start with a grand gesture. 鈥淲rite an opinion piece,鈥� she suggested. 鈥淢entor one student who doesn鈥檛 look like the typical scientist. Share your scientific failures publicly so others know they鈥檙e not alone. Organize a symposium on an overlooked topic.鈥�

On advocating for oneself, she said, 鈥淎pply for every award, every fellowship, every speaking slot you can. Most of them you won鈥檛 get鈥敵俪蟛钩兮€檚 fine. Each application forces you to sharpen how you talk about your science, and that practice compounds. The fifth version of your research statement will be unrecognizable from the first, and 迟丑补迟鈥檚 the real prize.鈥�

鈥淟ean in and work鈥�

鈥淥ur system was built piece by piece and not everything works well,鈥� said Ajanta Patel, MD, MPH, a pediatric pulmonologist at La Rabida Children鈥檚 Hospital in Chicago. 鈥淭o change it, we have to lean in and work to make it better.鈥�

Ajanta Patel, MD, MPH
Pediatric Pulmonologist, La Rabida Children鈥檚 Hospital

For Dr. Patel, the piece she leaned into was respiratory and environmental health. A self-identified 鈥渟ystems thinker,鈥� she has become a champion for asthma management, tobacco reduction, and supporting community health workers.

From 2020 to 2025, she served as Medical Director for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion for the City of Chicago, and she鈥檚 currently a delegate to the American Medical Association for the American Thoracic Society. Dr. Patel is continually on the lookout for opportunities to put her public health training to work.

鈥淒uring my time at the Chicago Department of Public Health, I started to learn about housing inspection and remediation, and I talked with anyone I could about the impact of housing conditions on pediatric asthma,鈥� Dr. Patel said. 鈥淚 was lucky to have colleagues working on the city鈥檚 Lead Prevention Program鈥攁lso a child health initiative鈥攚ho thought it would align with their mission to inspect and remediate asthma hazards in homes. I came to learn that clean, dry, hazard-free homes鈥攐r 鈥楬ealthy Homes鈥欌€攊s the underlying construct of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD] that allows for the mitigation of lead, radon, and other hazards.鈥�

“Our system was built piece by piece and not everything works well. To change it, we have to lean in and work to make it better.”

A transformative moment occurred when Dr. Patel was presenting at a conference about a possible merger between the Lead Prevention Program and asthma outreach initiative. A HUD program officer was in the audience, and they encouraged Dr. Patel鈥檚 team to apply for a new HUD grant to expand Healthy Homes.

鈥淭hat grant will allow the City [of Chicago] to fund the remediation of 74 homes against asthma hazards, which is a huge leap for a local government,鈥� Dr. Patel said.

For professionals looking to make an impact in their own spaces, Dr. Patel advises taking a few different advocacy avenues to see what fits. 鈥淚f you have a special interest in an issue, whether 迟丑补迟鈥檚 payment reform, community violence, or climate change, try to get involved in a society committee that works on that issue, and join in on any publications or speaking opportunities so that you meet more people who can help you in your advocacy. To raise your voice, you need to have a platform and ears to listen, so working alongside others will afford you those connections and visibility.鈥�

鈥淪tart where you are鈥�

Natalia Linos, ScD, says that advocacy means refusing to accept that data and decisions should live in separate worlds. A social epidemiologist and Deputy Director of the United Nations Development Programme鈥檚 health team, Dr. Linos also teaches a course on health justice at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she encourages midcareer professionals to focus on advocacy as a way to move policy.

Natalia Linos, ScD
Deputy Director, United Nations Development Programme

鈥淔or years, I wrote reports, gave talks, and advised policymakers,鈥� she said. 鈥淒uring [the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic], I felt an urgency to serve and be part of the decision-making. I knew the United States would be a key鈥攊f not the key鈥攑layer in setting global health policy, helping provide financing for the science we needed and technologies to protect the public. And there was no one in Congress with public health expertise. It felt like my background as an epidemiologist and my years at the United Nations had uniquely prepared me to serve in that moment.鈥�

Dr. Linos ran for Congress in Massachusetts鈥檚 Fourth District in 2020. Although she didn鈥檛 win, retreating from public life was not in the cards鈥攊n fact, she stepped closer. She was elected to the board of the Brookline Town Meeting and later to the Brookline School Committee, where she brought a public health lens to climate, education, and equity debates.

“It felt like my background as an epidemiologist and my years at the United Nations had uniquely prepared me to serve in that moment.”

One defining moment came during Brookline鈥檚 push for fossil-fuel-free new construction, where health data became part of a powerful argument to make discussions on energy and cost more meaningful. 鈥淲e often talk about climate in terms of parts per million,鈥� Dr. Linos said. 鈥淚n Town Meeting, I could talk about asthma, heart disease, and mental health. I could credibly talk about how green buildings mean healthier bodies, especially for children.

鈥淟ocal actions can feel small in the moment but they create the political space for state, and even national, change,鈥� she said.

In local office, advocacy isn鈥檛 theoretical, Dr. Linos said. 鈥淥n the School Committee, you are deciding on a budget, a building, a policy that will help some families and may fall short for others. My job is to keep asking: 鈥榃ho benefits? Who is left out? How do we close that gap rather than widen it?鈥欌€�

Her public health training, she added, helps her see beyond averages. 鈥淚f a policy works 鈥榦n average鈥� but harms students with disabilities or immigrant families, it鈥檚 not good enough.鈥�

For colleagues wondering how to begin, Dr. Linos emphasized that not everyone needs to run a campaign鈥攂ut everyone can learn to tell a compelling story about their research, their patients, or themselves. 鈥淪tart where you are,鈥� she advised. 鈥淲rite an op-ed, testify at a local hearing, join a town board, and bring your expertise in plain language. You are well-placed to help your community connect the dots between health, climate, housing, and education.鈥�

“Local actions can feel small in the moment, but they create the political space for state, and even national, change.”

She trains her students to pair evidence with narrative: 鈥淔acts alone rarely change policy. Facts plus a story, repeated by different voices, can.鈥�

And if you鈥檙e already in a decision-making position, she added, you have a responsibility to listen to those stories. As a science advisor to the New York City Health Commissioner, Dr. Linos saw how a well-resourced, politically supported health department could act on health inequities. She helped to revamp the city鈥檚 Community Health Profiles to include data on social determinants of health, translated into accessible infographics.

鈥淥ur goal was to put more power in community hands,鈥� she said. 鈥淕overnments have to want to listen鈥攁nd make it easier for everyone, not just experts, to engage with the evidence. So whether you are engaging in advocacy or listening to advocates, bring your public health expertise but also value the lived experience and other forms of expertise at the table.鈥�

Dr. Linos offered another suggestion for when advocacy from the sidelines feels insufficient. 鈥淚f you are tired of signing letters or writing op-eds, consider running for office,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e need clinicians, scientists, and public health professionals in elected office鈥攐n school boards, in town halls, in Congress. You don鈥檛 have to wait for the perfect candidate.鈥�

“Facts alone rarely change policy. Facts plus a story, repeated by different voices, can.”

Connect with medical societies

Colleen Christmas, MD, stokes her fire in medical education. She said it was a thrill and an honor to walk alongside a trainee as they determine where they鈥檒l do their life鈥檚 work. 鈥淢edical training is more grueling than it should be,鈥� said Dr. Christmas, Associate Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. 鈥淢y hope is that I can take some of the edges off so trainees don鈥檛 lose themselves along the way.鈥�

Colleen Christmas, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Opportunities for clinicians to be effective advocates can range from the simple to the complex, she explained. For those who struggle with finding time, 鈥渆veryday advocacy鈥� can make meaningful differences. A clinician can advocate for reducing the cost of a medication for a patient, get them an assistive device that will allow them to stay safely in their home, or work with administrators to help patients be seen in a timely fashion.

鈥淥f course, how we vote and how we spend money are other forms of advocacy when one is intentional about it,鈥� Dr. Christmas said. 鈥淭hen, with a little more time and energy, one can write to the hospital president to propose changes that support equity or write op-eds to inform others of issues needing advocacy.鈥�

“How we vote and how we spend money are other forms of advocacy when one is intentional about it.”

She said that she鈥檚 benefited from belonging to state and national medical organizations to stay abreast of legislation related to health, using the tools they provide鈥斺€渟uch as apps or websites to quickly jot a letter or place a call to my legislators explaining why a particular bill should be supported or rejected.鈥�

Dr. Christmas recalled an exciting milestone when the state chapter of the American Heart Association reached out to her state chapter of the American College of Physicians for help advocating for a bill in Maryland that significantly curtailed unreasonable restrictive covenants for physicians and dentists. 鈥淭he bill was passed! We also wrote a bill, now under consideration, to eliminate barriers to access to tobacco cessation products and programs in Maryland. Fingers crossed!鈥�

She strongly advises all her colleagues to take advantage of the connections medical societies can provide, including opportunities to advocate for patients, passion projects, and one鈥檚 own career.

鈥淎rticulate your vision鈥�

The most meaningful advocacy doesn鈥檛 necessarily come from people who had a master plan, Dr. Rouskin said, but from people who care deeply about one issue and refuse to be quiet about it. And they continue to find new ways to approach it.

鈥淭he strongest minds aren鈥檛 the ones that are certain,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e the ones that evolve.鈥�

“Start where you are. You are well-placed to help your community connect the dots.”