Health Advocacy

• • Health advocacy
  • Advocacy, community and culture
  • Advocacy method
  • Applied advocacy in health

• Study resources

  • Instructional methods

    • Podcasting/Lecture capture
    • Virtual Classroom
    • Embedded Multimedia
    • Discussion forum/Discussion Board
    • Web links
    • Online assignment submission
    • Online Quizzes/Tests

  • Online materials

    • Audio-Video streaming
    • Resources and Links
    • Printable format materials

In order to enrol in this subject, you must be accepted into one of the following degrees:

Core

• ACU-GHE-GCE-2020

Elective

• ACU-GHA-MAS-2020
• ACU-MPH-MAS-2020

Special requirements

No special requirements

Public health advocacy involves individuals and organisations who operate locally, regionally, nationally and globally to address policies, products and practices that compromise people’s health. Advocacy is a critical skill for all practitioners to effectively promote and protect population health and wellbeing. Advocacy is often needed to transform research into policy and practice. This subject enables students to refine their existing communication skills by building their knowledge of the “art of advocacy” and the various ways this can be used to influence decisions and outcomes to improve health. Students will examine various facets of advocacy, including: approaches to advocacy; persuasiveness, rhetoric, method, audience, presentation and evaluation; nested advocacy within larger approaches; and challenging existing values or practices. Students will then consider the various factors that underpin effective, valid and appropriate advocacy, such as: community engagement, consultation and empowerment; community/organisational relationships; and respectful communication methods.  In considering health advocacy in a global context, this subject will also include cultural responsiveness and cross-cultural communication. Finally, this subject will apply critical analysis to advocacy “tools” (existing or emergent) such as social marketing, new media approaches, focused health campaigns, fundraising, celebrity advocacy and competitive advocacy in health.

A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements. In order to successfully complete this unit, students need to complete and submit two graded assessment tasks and obtain an aggregate mark of greater than 50%. PUBH643 assessments are designed to enable students to progressively develop their knowledge of health advocacy through first critique of existing strategies, and then through development of a health advocacy strategy for a contemporary health issue. In order to develop the knowledge and skills required to achieve the learning outcomes and Graduate Attributes, students first demonstrate their knowledge by preparing a critique of a health advocacy strategy with reference to global political priorities. Students then build on this analysis during the second assessment, where they are required to design a health advocacy strategy (including rationale, purpose, background and associated materials) on a contemporary health issue.

• Written Assignment: Global health advocacy and political priority (50%)
• Written Assignment: Health advocacy strategy (50%)