EAN Advocacy Training for Neurology and Brain Health
Become the Voice of Neurology!
Online Programme
Under the umbrella of the Brain Health Mission, and as a way to support its 47 National Neurological Societies , EAN has developed online Advocacy Training for Neurology and Brain Health, that will be offered for FREE to all EAN members.
This Programme is fully online, with three modules starting in January 2024 and ending in June 2024.
As one of the five pillars of the EAN Brain Health Strategy is Raising Public Awareness & Understanding, the goal of the Advocacy training is to help neurologists advance their ability to advocate for and with their patients for brain health at local and national level and in coordination with all relevant stakeholders, in particular patient organisations, politicians, administrators. They will learn from the Advocacy experts from all over the word, as well as the EAN Board Members.
On May 9, 2023, EAN launched Brain Health Mission, an initiative which aims to support people around the world to take care of their brain health, improve systems for those who live under unfair circumstances, and push for equal education opportunities for doctors. The Advocacy Training will help neurologists raise awareness about the brain health, through advocating for neurology and learning how to develop communication tools and skills in order to share their message with different audiences: politicians, patient organizations, lay persons and media.
EAN will accept and appreciate applications from different levels of experience, as we trust that a diverse audience (age, gender, geographic area, and level of experience in advocacy skills) will contribute to a wide range of exchange of experience, best practices, and knowledge.
Neurology and brain health future advocates will be trained on issues such as:
- Basics of advocacy: Advocating for neurology and brain health in order to promote social, economic, educational, and political changes that ameliorate the suffering and threats to human health and well-being that he or she identifies through his or her professional work and expertise
- Importance of advocacy for neurology as public health issue
- Defining brain health and develop strategies for its improvement at local and national levels: promotion, prevention.
- Talking to different audiences: politicians, lay persons, patient’s organizations, media
- Learning now to find information and how to distribute these to stakeholders
- Translating research into policy actions - Knowledge translation strategies
Course outline
The Advocacy Training for Neurology and Brain Health will consist of three online modules. To achieve the ‘Advocate for Neurology and Brain Health’ title/certificate, all three modules must be completed.
Upon completion of the programme, participants will obtain the EAN certificate Certified Advocate for Neurology and Brain Health.
Timeline
Module One:
Basics of Advocacy
18 January 2024, 14:00 – 17:00 CET
Key speakers:
- Matilde Leonardi,
EAN Communication Committee Chair - Neerja Chowdhary,
Technical Officer, Brain Health Unit, Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization
Moderator:
- Katharina Mitterbauer
Module Two:
Leadership Insights and Key Elements of Advocacy at National Level
11 March 2024, 15:00 to 18:00 CET
Key Speakers:
- Michael Markowski,
Advocacy Committee Vice Chair, American Academy of Neurology
Moderator:
- Katharina Mitterbauer
Module Three:
Interactions with Patient Organizations, Policy Makers, and Interprofessional Collaborations for Advocacy
6 June 2024, 14:00 – 17:00 CET
Key Speakers:
- Donna Walsh
CEO, International Bureau for Epilepsy - Elisabeth Stögmann,
Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna
Moderator:
- Katharina Mitterbauer
How to apply
The application process will be open from 13 October 2023 – 13 November 2023. Please make sure to log into your MyEAN account to gain access to registration.
The following documents must be submitted within the online application form.
- CV
- Motivational letter, including the following questions (1 page maximum)
- What are you expecting from the advocacy training?
- What is advocacy to you, and how important do you think advocating for neurology is?
- What goals do you want to reach?
- Have you ever led/taken part in advocacy campaigns/have you ever advocated for a certain cause? If yes, please shortly describe your experience
- What do you plan to do with the skills you learn during the training?
Additional documents (not required)
- If applicable: Support letter from the national society president or the Brain Health Mission strategic partner.
Each application will be reviewed by the Advocacy Training Task Force members. The reviewers will use a scoring sheet for the reviewing process and the score for each application will be the result of the following separate scores:
- Three scores for the motivational letter
- Two scores for the CV
- One score for the overall impression
- One score for EAN membership status and involvement in EAN activities
- Two scores for the letter from the national society president or the strategic partner (not mandatory)
To obtain the certificate, the candidate must take part in all three online modules.
- Prof. Matilde Leonardi,
Chair EAN Communication Committee - Dr. Neerja Chodhary,
World Health Organization - Dr. Michael Markowski,
American Academy of Neurology - Dr. Elizabeth Stögmann,
Medical University of Vienna - Donna Walsh
International Bureau for Epilepsy