The Imperative for Political Advocacy Education in the Global Health Curriculum

If the public health community is to advance global health amid rising political divisions, we must actively teach political advocacy to the next generation of global health practitioners. Political advocacy is an essential tool of health communication, influencing policymakers to shape policies that prevent disease and promote health across countries. Rapid and ongoing political abandonment of global health initiatives is threatening global health equity and solidarity, failing to consider the interconnected health threats of a globalized world. Supporting training in political communication to advance health, advocacy education for global health students – at the intersection of health science and public policy – can build the political skills necessary to ensure the future of evidence-based policy to uphold global health. However, gaps remain in integrating policy and advocacy training competencies in the global health curriculum. To equip students with the health communication skills necessary to engage in global health policymaking, we must expand coursework on political advocacy through expansive curricular reforms, new course offerings, and faculty support structures – as well as teaching by example through our own advocacy practices. This commentary examines the rising imperative for political advocacy training in global health education, considering competency-based policy coursework across global health programs and offering recommendations for mainstreaming advocacy in the global health curriculum.