Be the Voice for Change

A particular passion of Dr. Rouskin’s is supporting students from unconventional backgrounds, who may not have the typical résumé or connections but who have a clear “fire” for science. “My parents were rock musicians, so I didn’t exactly come from a traditional academic household,” she said. “That background taught me that passion and talent don’t come with a pedigree.”

Two years ago, Dr. Rouskin organized Next Epoch, 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’t otherwise have access to the training a shot at driving that transformation.

“Getting it funded was a battle,” she said. “I called and emailed foundation after foundation. Most said no. But I kept going, and eventually the Burroughs Wellcome Fund said yes.

“We even had John Jumper—who won the Nobel Prize three months after the event—as a keynote speaker,” Dr. Rouskin recalled. “Watching 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.”

For early career colleagues who want to forge a transformative path, Dr. Rouskin offers pointed advice: “Show up and be specific. Don’t just say ‘RNA is important.’ 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.”

Dr. Rouskin added that advocacy doesn’t need to start with a grand gesture. “Write an opinion piece,” she suggested. “Mentor one student who doesn’t look like the typical scientist. Share your scientific failures publicly so others know they’re not alone. Organize a symposium on an overlooked topic.”

On advocating for oneself, she said, “Apply for every award, every fellowship, every speaking slot you can. Most of them you won’t get—that’s 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 that’s the real prize.”

“Lean in and work”

“Our system was built piece by piece and not everything works well,” said Ajanta Patel, MD, MPH, a pediatric pulmonologist at La Rabida Children’s Hospital in Chicago. “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’s team to apply for a new HUD grant to expand Healthy Homes.

“That 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,” 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. “If you have a special interest in an issue, whether that’s 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.”

“Start where you are”

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’s 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.

One defining moment came during Brookline’s 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. “We often talk about climate in terms of parts per million,” Dr. Linos said. “In 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.

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

In local office, advocacy isn’t theoretical, Dr. Linos said. “On 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: ‘Who benefits? Who is left out? How do we close that gap rather than widen it?’”

Her public health training, she added, helps her see beyond averages. “If a policy works ‘on average’ but harms students with disabilities or immigrant families, it’s not good enough.”

For colleagues wondering how to begin, Dr. Linos emphasized that not everyone needs to run a campaign—but everyone can learn to tell a compelling story about their research, their patients, or themselves. “Start where you are,” she advised. “Write 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.”

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

And if you’re 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’s Community Health Profiles to include data on social determinants of health, translated into accessible infographics.

“Our goal was to put more power in community hands,” she said. “Governments have to want to listen—and 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.”

Dr. Linos offered another suggestion for when advocacy from the sidelines feels insufficient. “If you are tired of signing letters or writing op-eds, consider running for office,” she said. “We need clinicians, scientists, and public health professionals in elected office—on school boards, in town halls, in Congress. You don’t have to wait for the perfect candidate.”

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’ll do their life’s work. “Medical training is more grueling than it should be,” said Dr. Christmas, Associate Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. “My hope is that I can take some of the edges off so trainees don’t lose themselves along the way.”

She said that she’s benefited from belonging to state and national medical organizations to stay abreast of legislation related to health, using the tools they provide—“such 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.”

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. “The 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!”

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’s own career.

“Articulate your vision”

The most meaningful advocacy doesn’t 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.

“The strongest minds aren’t the ones that are certain,” she said. “They’re the ones that evolve.”