participant goes from training to testimony

By Jonathan Crowe, MD, MPH, MSc

This summer, I completed the AAN’s Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum (PALF). PALF was a remarkable experience, and I could not have imagined the doors it would open so quickly.

PALF is a four-day advocacy leadership conference where advocates learn practical skills like creating advocacy action plans, performing on-camera interviews, and understanding how to work with legislators and their staff. For advocates interested in issues that could become active legislation, PALF also provides in-depth training in giving testimony at a legislative hearing. This includes teaching on how to structure oral testimony, practice delivering testimony, and answering legislators’ questions at a mock hearing. All of this is done under the mentorship and guidance of former PALF graduates who serve as advisors and faculty, as well as the AAN’s professional staff. The training, support, and mentorship at PALF are incredible.

PALF’s unique environment also helps create opportunities for advocates to put their new skills into action. While I was at PALF, I expressed my support for prior authorization reform legislation that is currently being considered in the Massachusetts State Legislature. Grant Niver, the AAN’s Program Manager for State Affairs, connected me to the Massachusetts Medical Society’s Advocacy and Government Relations team after PALF. It turned out that their team was organizing legislative testimony in support of this prior authorization legislation. Since I had just completed legislative testimony training at PALF a few weeks earlier, their team asked me if I would testify before the Massachusetts State Legislature’s Joint Committee on Financial Services in support of the prior authorization reform legislation. I was excited for the opportunity, and the timing of my PALF training and the opportunity to testify amazed me.

A few short weeks later, I found myself sitting in the Massachusetts State House in front of Massachusetts state senators and representatives serving on the Joint Committee on Financial Services. The surroundings were very different from my day-to-day neurology practice, but I found my PALF training invaluable in helping me navigate this new experience. From knowing how to deliver my testimony to understanding how to highlight key points in support of the legislation, I used so many of the skills I learned at PALF. I even continued to use PALF skills after the hearing to highlight my testimony on social media and to work with AAN staff to alert all AAN members in Massachusetts about the prior authorization reform legislation and my testimony.

None of this would have been possible without the incredible support of AAN mentors and staff who make PALF possible and who support members’ advocacy. As I learned from my own advocacy journey, the AAN offers incredible training, networking, and opportunities to make a difference for neurology patients and neurologists. I would highly encourage anyone interested in AAN advocacy to consider applying for PALF or one of the AAN’s advocacy conferences, such as Neurology on the Hill in February.