Leveraging Education and Advocacy Development (LEAD): A Statewide Advocacy Conference Framework [ID 887]

INTRODUCTION: The Virginia OBGYN Coalition for Advocacy and Learning (VOCAL) is a novel advocacy organization initiated by medical trainees to host a statewide advocacy conference. VOCAL executed two annual conferences. Based on survey item comparisons from attendees across three timepoints, our 10-step guide was validated to provide a foundation for trainees about active participation in obstetrics and gynecology (ob-gyn) advocacy. METHODS: To assess conference effectiveness, attendees completed three electronic surveys prior to, 1 week afterwards, and 4 months after our conference to assess perceived change in knowledge around advocacy topics and behaviors with a 5-point Likert scale. The Friedman test was used for analysis. Research approval was from Virginia Tech IRB (23-105). RESULTS: Our 10-step curriculum explains how medical trainees can create an organization to host a conference with an emphasis on topic hours that are influenced by clinical experience and state-level legislative changes. Forty-one attendees completed three surveys that demonstrated retained knowledge about identifying legislative effects and disparities that could benefit from advocacy at 4 months post-conference, such as, “I know how to get started advocating for my patients in a clinical setting” ( P <.0001); “I feel confident identifying health consequences that arise for patients when access to family planning is limited” ( P <.0001); “I understand the racial disparities present in the national pregnancy-related mortality rate” ( P <.0001). CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: VOCAL planned statewide ob-gyn advocacy conferences. A 10-step curriculum was validated based on participants demonstrating an improved understanding of active advocacy through legislative, community, and institutional avenues. This framework is intended to streamline initiatives in neighboring states.