During the APA annual convention, the Div. 20 Graduate Student Representatives held a collaborative symposium along with experts in topic areas of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and cognitive aging. The experts, Drs. Brian Yochim, Scott Sperling and Jennifer Margrett, led small group discussions about the current state of dementia research, the role of psychologists in this research and how current research is applied in the field. This session was a great opportunity for students and other professionals to hold interactive discussions in an informal and friendly setting.
Following these discussions, experts discussed how advocacy is important to aging research and the ways it can engage future generations of psychologists. The experts, Divya Jain, PhD; Kelly O’Malley, PhD; and Claire Conley, PhD, led an interactive conversation about the importance of advocacy work by psychologists and the benefits it can have for psychological practice and research. They provided participants with ideas about how to become advocates and how to engage lawmakers and stakeholders when advocating for one’s particular research or practice interests.
Advocacy is important for the advancement of our line of work. Therefore, we are continuing the conversation regarding advocacy and sharing the information provided by our advocacy experts in the hope that others will incorporate advocacy in their own work. Participating in advocacy has the ability to change or pass laws and regulations, obtain increased research funding, and provide marginalized people a voice. There are many ways to participate in advocacy, such as organizing public educational events, communicating directly with legislators, and supporting lobbyists. To advocate directly with legislators, one can visit their office in-person, speak to representatives by phone, write emails or print media or attempt to influence through social media.
Consider these do’s and don’ts to make your advocacy work more effective:
- Do: Get involved, stay informed on issues, be patient but continue to be persistent.
- Don’t: Argue with others even when you feel you are proving your point, exaggerate, answer a question when you are unsure of the facts, forget to follow up and say thank you.
Lastly, it is beneficial to develop and practice a one-minute elevator pitch that briefly highlights your experience in the area of interest, the broader impact of the issue that you are advocating for and your ask of the legislator. Some helpful tips when creating an elevator pitch: remember that you are the expert on that topic, don’t use scientific jargon, tell a personable story, keep it non-partisan, focus on one topic/issue and have a specific “ask.”
Reference
Jain, D., O’Malley, K., & Conley, C. (2019, August). Advocacy: Getting your message out [PowerPoint slides]. In B. Taylor, N. Meinertz, L. Stratton, K. Anthony, & D. Jain, Translational science and advocacy in dementia: Expert roundtable discussion. Collaborative symposium presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.