Engaging in Health Policy Advocacy through SBM: An Interview with Dr. Pam Behrman

Joanna Buscemi, PhD^✉; SBM Health Policy Council Chair and Akilah Dulin, PhD^✉; SBM Health Policy Committee Chair

The Health Policy Council, chaired by Dr. Joanna Buscemi, and the Health Policy Committee, chaired by Dr. Akilah Dulin, serve SBM by spearheading the Society’s health policy advocacy initiatives. Drs. Buscemi and Dulin interviewed Dr. Pam Behrman, a professor at the College of Mount St. Vincent, to learn about how she became involved in health policy work through SBM, how she came up with ideas for her briefs, and what members can do to participate. Dr. Behrman has published several health policy briefs and statements in the areas of child nutrition, gun violence, Medicaid, immigrant health, and family separation at the border.
 

How did you learn about SBM’s health policy activities?

During the 2015 annual meeting, I randomly passed by a Health Policy Committee (HPC) breakfast meeting and thought it was great that SBM was publicly supporting, taking positions on, and developing health-related policies. I also heard about the HPC via the Annual Meeting programs (especially the Washington, DC-based meetings) and the Child and Family Health (CFH) Special Interest Group (SIG) business meetings, where chairs talked about possibly partnering with the HPC on CFH-related policy briefs.
 

What made you decide to get involved in authoring a SBM health policy brief?

In the summer of 2016, I accepted the position of Co-Chair of the CFH SIG. During the SIG leadership orientation, it was mentioned that the HPC was interested in the SIGs taking more of a lead in developing policy briefs. I was immediately intrigued, so I spoke up about an idea following the orientation. As a retired clinician, many of the briefs I have authored for SBM were inspired by situations where my students and clients were affected by policy and policy funding decisions. I continue to view this work as a way of applying my clinical experience and research training in ways that go beyond the clinical setting to impact society more broadly.
 

What, if any, barriers did you have to overcome to get involved in writing a SBM policy brief?

The largest barrier I initially faced was having no experience in writing policy briefs. I also had some strong opinions about certain health policy related issues, so I was not sure if I was objective enough to do this kind of work. Fortunately, the collaborative nature of the process, the varied contributions of coauthors, and the hands-on assistance of Health Policy Committee and Health Policy Council members ensures objective and well-written policy statements that reflect SBM positions.
 

From your perspective, why is it important to be involved in health policy advocacy?

Translating research into practice and policy is a core value of SBM. The findings of our members’ research help to establish best practices which, in turn, can be integrated into federal, state, community, and organizational policies, procedures, and funding priorities.  Identifying how health research findings can be translated into possible policy and funding initiatives can benefit the public in direct and practical ways.
 

What suggestions do you have for SBM members who want to begin advocating for policy issues?

In thinking about policy brief writing, consider the positive and negative impacts of the policies, funding, and programs serving your research participants or clinical clients. Alternately, consider how you or individuals in your life are affected by current health-related policies. Think about the best practices and standards suggested by relevant research findings along with the stated ethics and priorities of like-minded professional organizations. Using the HPC proposal form, “briefly” propose actionable legislative and funding alternatives.
 

Click here to learn more about our health policy work and how you can get involved.