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.
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 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.
See below for a few examples of our faculty members providing expert advice!
Our Partners
Advocacy in Action
Learn More
The Murray Katcher Child Health Advocacy Lectureship
Thursday, April 10, 2025 | 7:30-8:30 a.m. via Zoom and HSLC
Speaker: TBD
Murray Katcher, MD’75, PhD, 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.
Funds donated to these lectureships go directly to providing high-quality education for all faculty, staff, and trainees in the Department of Pediatrics by inviting distinguished lecturers. Lectureships are accredited and provide continuing medical education credits for faculty.
Donate to the Katcher Lectureship today!
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 child nutrition
WIC Dane County, sign up here |
| Safety | AAP E-cigarette information
Firearm Safety and Patient Health: A Proactive Guide to Protecting Patients and their Families |
| Healthcare | AAP Children’s Health Care Coverage Fact Sheets |
| Disability & Special Needs | Children’s Resource Center-South |
| General Resources | Advocacy Report, American Academy of Pediatrics |
| Local Resources | Healthy Dane
Race to Equity, Kids Forward Starter Guide on Policy and Advocacy in Wisconsin, Kids Forward |
More Advocacy
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 …
Megan Moreno invited to participate in White House roundtable discussion addressing child online safety
Responding to a January 24 invitation, Megan Moreno, MD, MSEd, MPH, professor and interim chair, Department of Pediatrics, traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate as one of the advocates and experts in a Kids Online …
Megan Yanny helps distribute school supplies to area students during back-to-school event for families with limited incomes
Last month, 100 Black Men of Madison hosted its 28th Annual Back to School Celebration at the Madison College Truax Campus in Madison, Wisconsin. The group distributed hundreds of backpacks filled with school supplies to …
Carter Ralphe will serve second term on AHA National Advocacy Coordinating Committee
J. Carter Ralphe, MD, professor and chief, Division of Cardiology, was selected to serve a second term on the American Heart Association’s (AHA) National Advocacy Coordinating Committee (ACC). The ACC sets advocacy policy for the …
Dipesh Navsaria and colleagues provide communications guidance for pediatric advocacy
In an accessible and comprehensive article, Dipesh Navsaria, MPH, MSLIS, MD, associate professor, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, and clinical associate professor of human development and family studies at UW–Madison’s School of Human …
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