Complete Story
04/17/2026
Public Health Advocacy 101
May 14th - Virtual
MHOA is sharing this training opportunity from the Bay State Public Health Training Hub that may be of interest to members. Please contact the Bay State Public Health Training Hub with questions.
When: May14, 2026 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Presenter Kate Forrest, is the Coalition & Policy Manager for the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance, where she has served in this position for over 2 years. Kate first joined the organization as a policy and campaign intern while earning her MSW from the Boston College School of Social Work. Prior to working at MPHA, she served as an Advocacy and Legislative intern at PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy, a national nonprofit dedicated to ending preventable stillbirth in the United States. Kate dedicates her career to improving health disparities through advocacy and community organizing, led by her lived experience and the justice-centered principles of the social work profession. During Kate’s presentation, she’ll explain the value of advocacy and how to help paint the picture for our policymakers to provide a better understanding of why they should support Local Public Health services & programs. This presentation will help you understand the power we all have in advocacy, by a fully informed outlook toward the issues we face & services we provide to better support the valuable work we all conduct as Public Health Professionals.
What will be discussed:
- The structure of the Massachusetts state legislature
- How the state budget cycle works and key items to lobby/advocate
- The difference between lobbying and advocacy
- How to advocate for LPH priorities in FY27 and future fiscal years
- Best practices for effective storytelling when engaging with your legislators
Registration deadline: May 12, 2026
