2026 Advocacy Summit
The College’s first Advocacy Summit was held in Chicago, March 13-14, 2026. Modeled after the College’s Leadership Summit, attendees honed their advocacy skills and learned new ones. A total of 25 HOD State Delegates and speakers were on hand to launch the inaugural Summit.
The program began Friday afternoon with a “meet and greet” where College leaders provided a high-level overview of the program and conveyed the importance of advocating for the allergy specialty. Not only were participants updated on the state of the College, but on the history of allergy’s advocacy. A strong presentation related to effective advocacy at the state and national level was another topic covered. During an engaging media training session, participants were coached on how to effectively engage with reporters.
Another role-playing segment had participants analyzing legislation and then convincing “legislators” to support or oppose it. All participants were engaged, networked with each other, and learned so much from the Advocacy Summit session. When asked, “How will you use what you have learned to be a strong advocate for allergy/immunology, your patients, and/or your practice?” Dr. Carl Thornblade (MT) answered, “I have a much better understanding of how to handle a meeting with a legislator or a member of the media. (I’ll) Try to get involved with my state medical association to see if I can elevate allergy concerns there, or just be available and recognized as a stakeholder in my state medical system.”
We anticipate this will be an annual event.
