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Advocacy Ambassadors Program
About Advocacy Ambassadors
The AAFP Advocacy Ambassadors program pairs family physicians with congressional leaders and elected officials who are supportive of the priorities of the family medicine specialty and champion legislation and public policy.
As an Advocacy Ambassador, you
- build, maintain, and enhance relationships with members of Congress and their staffs while communicating AAFP legislative and policy priorities;
- amplify AAFP Speak Out campaigns and other calls to action; and
- support FamMedPAC, the Academy’s political action committee.
Benefits of Joining Advocacy Ambassadors
The Academy’s vision to transform health care to achieve optimal health for everyone drives our everyday activity as we work to improve the health of patients, families, and communities. With more than 136,000 members and medical students in 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam, as well as internationally, the AAFP is a leading voice on primary care and health care policy.
The Advocacy Ambassadors program complements the AAFP’s formal lobbying efforts to advance the specialty of family medicine, strengthen physicians’ collective influence, provide solutions to enhance the patient care you provide, and capitalize on the relationships AAFP members have with senators and representatives at the federal level.
Responsibilities
Advocacy Ambassadors are asked to actively participate in the program to fully develop relationships with their member(s) of Congress and their staff to maximize advocacy efforts. The time commitment is minimal. In addition to attending the Family Medicine Advocacy Summit* in Washington, D.C., Advocacy Ambassadors spend one to two hours monthly on program activities, including:
- scheduling and meeting with lawmaker(s) in-district during August recess with potentially other opportunities throughout the year;
- participating in Speak Out campaigns as they are initiated;
- responding to personal requests from AAFP Government Relations staff to contact their lawmaker(s) to encourage their vote on a certain issue, relaying why it's important to family physicians;
- delivering FamMedPAC contributions and notifying elected officials of political contributions; and
- providing feedback and updates on advocacy activity to AAFP Government Relations staff.
Training for these activities is provided by AAFP staff. Most of this activity can be completed outside of regular business hours to accommodate busy schedule.
*It is optional to attend FMAS, but encouraged. Advocacy Ambassadors are responsible for a nominal registration fee associated with participation in the FMAS advocacy event.
Family Medicine Advocacy Summit (FMAS)
Estimated time commitment: 8-10 hours
FMAS is held in Washington, D.C., each spring, and provides an excellent opportunity for Ambassadors to cement relationships with elected officials. Ambassadors and other AAFP members schedule meetings with members of Congress and their staffs to advocate for legislative and policy priorities important to family medicine.