The mission of the University of Wisconsin Department of Pediatrics is to promote and enhance the health of children through outstanding clinical care, exemplary education of pediatrics trainees, performance of cutting-edge research, and vigorous advocacy.
Pediatricians are natural advocates. In addition to daily bedside and outpatient clinical advocacy for individual patients, our providers practice broader advocacy activities as well.
Community Advocacy
We partner with local schools and community organizations to promote research-based, equitable solutions in children’s physical and mental health, and serve as board members on various local organizations. Every three years, we partner with UW Health Population Health to conduct a community-based needs assessment.
Legislative Advocacy
Children can’t vote and can’t necessarily speak for themselves, so we advocate on their behalf, whether that be for safe sports participation or effective vaccine use. We also serve as advisors on various governmental councils and to school districts.
Professional Advocacy
Many of our department members hold leadership positions within the American Academy of Pediatrics or other professional organizations and collaborate with pediatricians across the state, country, and world to improve child health.
Communication & Media Advocacy
Department members impart their expertise through media interviews, op-eds, letters to the editor, and journal articles.
Our Partners
Advocacy in Action
Learn More
- Murray Katcher Child Health Advocacy Lectureship
- Publications
- Resources
- Contact
- Pediatrics in the Media
The Murray Katcher Child Health Advocacy Lectureship
Thursday, March 12, 2026 | 7:30-8:30 a.m. via Zoom and HSLC
Speaker: TBD
Murray Katcher, MD’75, PhD’72, emeritus professor of pediatrics, retired from the Department of Pediatrics in 2012 after 35 years as both a clinician and a focused, tireless, prodigious advocate for the health and safety of children and vulnerable adults. The Katcher Lectureship features speakers who address the challenges and successes of such advocacy. Learn more here.
Nacht CL, Contreras J, Ehlenbach M, McGregory K, Houser L, Allen BJ. Long-Acting but Reversible: Opportunities to Address Provider Bias in Contraceptive Care. Hosp Pediatr. 2024 Aug 1;14(8):690-699. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2023-007673. PMID: 39005135.
Klass P, Heard-Garris N, Navsaria D. Effective Communication for Child Advocacy: Getting the Message out Beyond Clinic Walls. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2023 Feb;70(1):165-179. doi: 10.1016/j.pcl.2022.09.015. PMID: 36402466.
McAdams RM. Artist’s Statement: Seeking Asylum. Acad Med. 2022 Oct 1;97(10):1437. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000004841. Epub 2022 Sep 23. PMID: 36198156.
Zimmerman KO, Goldman JL, Schuster JE, Mena A, Quiriconi M, Butteris SM, Koval S, DeMuri GP, Mueller NB, Benjamin DK, Armstrong SC, Kalu IC, Boutzoukas A, Moorthy GS, Lane H, Weber DJ, Newland JG. Building a National Framework to Pair Scientists and Schools During a Global Pandemic. Pediatrics. 2022 Feb 1;149(Suppl 2):e2021054268D. doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-054268D. PMID: 34737179.
Shah S, Brumberg HL, Kuo A, Balasubramaniam V, Wong S, Opipari V. Academic Advocacy and Promotion: How to Climb a Ladder Not Yet Built. J Pediatr. 2019 Oct;213:4-7.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.07.051. PMID: 31561780.
Child Nutrition
- AAP policy statement on “Advocacy for Improving Nutrition in the First 1000 Days to Support Childhood Development and Adult Health”
- Food Insecurity Toolkit
Disabilities and Special Needs
General Resources
- American Academy of Pediatrics Advocacy
- American Public Health Association Advocacy
- Children’s Hospital Association Advocacy Tools
Healthcare
Local Resources
- Healthy Dane
- Race to Equity, Kids Forward
- Rainbow Project
- Rise Wisconsin
- Safe Communities of Madison
- Safe Kids South Central Wisconsin
- Starter Guide on Policy and Advocacy in Wisconsin, Kids Forward
- WIC Dane County, sign up here
- Wisconsin American Academy of Pediatrics Advocacy
Safety
Laura Houser, MD, director of advocacy, professor, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
(she/her)
Email
Jenna Contreras, strategic initiatives specialist
(she/her)
Email
Selections from 2025
- Katryn Furuya, MD speaks to her involvement in a dad becoming a living donor for his baby daughter.
- Mark Moss, MD, explains how climate change is to blame for longer allergy seasons in Wisconsin.
- Greg DeMuri, MD, monitors measles outbreaks.
- Christine Seroogy, MD, weighs in about raw milk in the New York Times.
Selections from 2024
- Laura Houser, MD & Mary Ehlenbach, MD share their opinion on how school shootings can be prevented.
- Megan Yanny, MD considers safety when purchasing toys for children.
- Paula Cody, MD, MPH shares tips for navigating Thanksgiving feasts for those with eating disorders.
- Casey Freymiller, MD explains how to keep kids safe during Halloween celebrations.
- Jim Gern, MD shows that children in formerly redlined areas have increased asthma risk today.
- Jasmine Zapata, MD, MPH shares where Wisconsin stands in the face of infant mortality rising in the U.S. for the first time since 2002.
- Cristina Delgadillo, MD gives tips on what to pack when camping.
More Advocacy
Dipesh Navsaria contributes to updated AAP Literacy Promotion policy statement
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourages parents and caregivers to read aloud with their newborns and young children as an opportunity to foster loving, nurturing relationships during a critical time of brain development, and …
In memoriam: Murray Katcher, a tireless advocate for child health and safety
Surprise, sadness, and grief spread through the Department of Pediatrics as members learned that Murray Katcher, MD, PhD, emeritus professor of pediatrics, had unexpectedly died on July 13 following complications from a fall. Katcher joined …
Pediatrics resident Julia Clemens receives AAP CATCH Resident Grant to develop a community-based program that supports new mothers with substance use disorders
Second-year resident Julia Clemens, MD, is the recipient of a 2024 CATCH Resident Grant from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). These annual grants provide up to $2,000 to resident pediatricians to lead innovative, community-based …
Firearm Safety Training: Cultural Competency Helps Health Care Providers Communicate Effectively With Patients
Whether you are an experienced physician, a resident venturing into practice or a medical student, you likely spend much of your time in a hospital or clinic setting. A small but growing number of health care …
Advocacy in action: Three members of the Division of Genetics and Metabolism attend Rare Disease Week on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
February 25 through 28 marked Rare Disease Week on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Hosted by Rare Disease Legislative Advocates, a program of the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases, it is a weeklong event that …
- More Advocacy posts