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.