POLICY
Labs Matter: Communicating with Policymakers
by Kuki Hansen, BVMS, MPH, DACVPM, manager, Regulatory and Public Policy
Public health is a great story. Effectively
communicating this story to policymakers
is more important than ever given
constant threats to funding and an ever
increasing and complex public health
laboratory workload. While many public
health laboratories do not allow staff to
perform legislative advocacy, others do
and some even require it. In this social
media era, the public also has come to
expect an ever-higher degree of openness
from public servants. Scientists should
take every opportunity to demonstrate
the value of their work by sharing it with
different audiences, especially now when
the use of science in decision-making is
under threat.
Keep it Simple
One-page handouts with self-explanatory
diagrams, illustrations and contact details
help policy makers to retain major points.
Be Ready for Your Moment
Some people are natural communicators;
for others communication is a challenging
endeavor. Practicing an “elevator speech”
with a non-scientist and having them
read your handouts can be enlightening.
Was their interest piqued or did they
respond with blank stares and requests
for clarification? Many organizations
offer communications training, some
very general, others oriented towards
science or policy. APHL offers strategic
communications workshops as part of its
leadership training programs.
Building communication skills will
help laboratory scientists to stimulate
valuable conversations with policymakers,
establish a presence on social media and
even inspire the next generation of public
health specialists. n
A laboratory’s story should not be lost
in statistics and verbiage. While public
health laboratories do help millions of
people, it is more compelling to hear
the story of an individual rather than an
institution and connect that individual to
the millions of other patients, laboratory
scientists or whoever is profiled in the
story. Messages should be simple with
only the most important details
that convey the relevancy or urgency of
the issue.
Science communications resources have
exploded in recent years. Alan Alda’s Clear
+ Vivid Podcast, especially the episode
with Tina Fey, a physicist and a buzzer,
is a wonderful primer. Story Collider
offers a storytelling platform for science
stories, with events nationally. If you are
interested in how Congress gets its scientific
information, the American Association for
the Advancement of Science convened a
symposium to examine the use of science
in policymaking.
A Capitol Hill office may easily have a
few dozen visitors per day. Legislators
and staffers will quickly move on from
even the most fascinating presentation
if it is of little relevance in their state or
district. Explaining the financial, social
or health benefits of a program to their
constituency is vital. Many legislators also
have subjects of personal or professional
interest that draw their attention, for
example, a disease that has affected
their family.
A laboratory tour or trip to Congress may
inform policymakers about the role and
contributions of public health laboratories
or be directed toward action on a
particular issue. If the latter, both concrete
recommendations and consequences
of inaction need to be clearly described.
PublicHealthLabs
@APHL
APHL.org
Fall 2018 LAB MATTERS
21