Storytelling for Advocacy: Harnessing the Power of Your Story

Monday, April 28, 2025

9:15am – 10:45am HST

Location: Convention Center: 322

CE: 1.5

Leader(s)

Kimberly Petko, MD, MPH (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Clinician Educator
Children's Hospital Los Angeles, United States

Co-Leader(s)

Natalia Sidhu, MD, MS (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, United States
Ruksana Khambaty, MD. FAAP

General Pediatrician
Pediatric Associates of Frisco, United States
YL

Yendi Linares, MD

Attending Physician
Children's Primary Care Medical Group, Rady Children's Hospital of San Diego
Oceanside, California, United States

Disclosure(s):

Kimberly A. Petko, MD, MPH: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Natalia I. Sidhu, MD, MS: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Ruksana Khambaty, MD. FAAP: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Yendi N. Linares, MD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Workshop Description: In today’s world, effective advocacy requires more than clinical skills; it demands the power of storytelling. Physicians can use storytelling to highlight critical issues, making them relatable and compelling, thus engaging others to take action. Developing this skill enhances your ability to advocate for your patients and yourself, and it’s a crucial tool that many physicians have not formally learned—until now. More and more programs are actively integrating storytelling education into their advocacy and leadership curricula. We’ve seen firsthand in our own advocacy work how this approach not only inspires greater participation in advocacy but also boosts success and helps individuals reconnect with their purpose in pediatrics, promoting wellness and preventing burnout.

Join us in a supportive environment where you can discover and refine your personal story. If you’re feeling uneasy or uncertain about sharing your narrative, that’s a valuable starting point for growth. By the end of this workshop, you’ll learn a storytelling framework that can transform any story into a compelling advocacy tool. For those involved in advocacy education or teaching advocacy curriculum, this experience will also enhance your ability to instruct others at your institution in harnessing the power of their own stories.

Learning Objectives:

Recognize the Role of Storytelling in Advocacy
Describe the Elements That Make a Story Effective
Develop Stories Using a Storytelling Framework