Former Governor Dukakis Visits BUSM Advocacy Training Program

The BU Advocacy Training Program (BUATP) is a student-led, faculty-mentored program at BUSM that provides training in medical advocacy. Founded as a student-led elective class called “The Spectrum of Physician Advocacy” in 2005, the BUATP grew into a multi-year curriculum that currently trains approximately 15 percent of each incoming class.

Recognizing that the health of patients is often tied intimately to social, economic, and other non-biomedical circumstances, and that medical students and future physicians may in many cases have an opportunity to influence these circumstances, the BUATP trains medical students in the theory and practice of advocating for the health and well-being of patients and the communities that they serve.

Michael Dukakis, the former governor of Massachusetts and an expert on health care reform visited the Spectrum of Physician Advocacy second year elective class on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Governor Dukakis shared his experiences, spoke about the history of health care reform, answered questions about health care reform and the affordable care act and urged students to get involved in public policy.

Learn more about BUATP at http://blogs.bu.edu/buatp/about/