Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42399901›Full record

ArticleBMC medical education2026

Curricular advances to develop medical students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes in health advocacy.

Nupur Agrawal, Rashmi Mullur, Hilary Koenig Whalen, Cambria Garell, Candace M Gragnani, Emily Hotez, Annabelle J Lee, Nicholas J Jackson, Peter A Quiros, Whitney Arnold

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in BMC medical education, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Nupur AgrawalDepartments of Medicine and Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. nupuragrawal@mednet.ucla.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6456-6439
Rashmi MullurDepartment of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2575-7160
Hilary Koenig WhalenDavid Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Cambria GarellDepartment of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6399-5370
Candace M GragnaniDepartment of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5512-8189
Emily HotezDepartment of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4476-4032
Annabelle J LeeUniversity of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2676-999X
Nicholas J JacksonDepartment of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9515-5050
Peter A QuirosDepartment of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1133-9179
Whitney ArnoldDepartments of Comparative Literature and Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Funding

Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation MFS 25-02
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe American Medical Association's Declaration of Professional Responsibility is an important covenant obligating present-day physicians to transcend personal beliefs and affiliations to advocate for changes that alleviate suffering and promote human health. Despite this recognition of advocacy as a pillar of physician duty, advocacy training in undergraduate medical education remains variable across institutions, elective in nature, and often insufficient in developing trainees' professional identities and competence as health advocates.

methodsEducators at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine designed and delivered a novel half-day session required for all first-year medical students to nurture their professional identities as health advocates and empower them with knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA) needed to give voice to issues impacting the patients and communities they serve. Students attended a shared didactic followed by two focused workshops. The session was conducted annually from 2023-2025. Pre- and post-session data was collected after each iteration to evaluate changes in KSA.

resultsA total of 509 first-year medical students participated in the session from 2023-2025 with 477 (94%) partaking in the session synchronously. All 509 participants (100%) completed at least one survey, and 361 (71%) completed both pre- and post-surveys. Pooled data showed that participation led to statistically significant improvement on a 7-point Likert scale at similar rates in all three cohorts in each of the measured domains: knowledge (Δ1.45, p < 0.001), skills (Δ1.37, p < 0.001), and attitudes (Δ0.44, p < 0.001).

conclusionsA required half-day advocacy session supported trainees in developing their professional identities and acquiring foundational KSA needed to fulfill their roles as health advocates. Implementing this session across institutions can broaden its impact. Longitudinal data collection can clarify its long-term influence on physician engagement in advocacy and on health outcomes of patients and communities.

Indexed as

Clinical CompetenceCurriculumEducation, Medical, UndergraduateHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticePatient AdvocacyStudents, MedicalFemaleHumansMaleAdvocacy educationAssessmentCompetency-based educationEvaluationHealth advocacyUndergraduate medical education

Identifiers

PMID42399901
PMCPMC13445688

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.