Advocacy
Watch VideoDiscover the many ways our faculty are impacting children's health beyond the hospital.
Community
Our faculty collaborate with community stakeholders to develop partnerships, provide education, create programs and services, and change public policies and practices to improve children’s health.
Media
Our faculty effectively utilize television, radio, print media and blogs to promote messages about child health and well-being.
Op-Ed by Dr. Christina Barriteau: Too Scared to Watch: Social Justice and Media
Op-Ed by Dr. Kyle Mack: Some Medical Examiners Say Sickle Cell Trait Causes Sudden Death - They're Wrong
Legislative
Many of our faculty members testify at city, state and federal levels to promote issues concerning child health and well-being, as well as serving as content experts for legislative advocacy or policy development.
Using advocacy to improve the health and well-being of children is a defining element of pediatrics."
Associate Chair, Advocacy
Faculty Advocacy Spotlight
Jean Junior, MD, MPhil
Jean Junior, MD, MPhil, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine and an attending pediatric emergency medicine physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She also serves as a pediatrician with Doctors Without Borders. Jean is interested in policy advocacy and research to address social determinants of health, such as child poverty. Her primary focus is on how tax policy can be designed to help maximize child survival and well-being. She engages in advocacy with the American Academy of Pediatrics and Scholars Strategy Network. She also serves as a mentor for students participating in Feinberg School of Medicine’s Community Health Advocacy Initiative course.
Christina Barriteau, MD, MPH
Christina Barriteau, MD, MPH, is a pediatric hematologist who specializes in the treatment of children with blood disorders such as sickle cell disease. She is medical director of the Blood Bank at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Her interests include blood disorders, blood transfusions and health equity. She is a champion for health equity and is committed to addressing factors outside of the traditional hospital/clinic setting to optimize health outcomes for children with sickle cell disease.
Emma Anselin, MD, MPH
Emma Anselin, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Hospital-Based Medicine at Northwestern University. She is committed to advocating for community-based interventions and policy change to ensure all children have access to safe, healthy, and affordable housing. As the co-chair for the Committee on Housing with the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, she partners directly with City of Chicago officials to advocate for legislative solutions to increase resources for children and families experiencing housing insecurity. She is the principal investigator for a community-engaged pilot intervention to provide home environmental assessments and interventions for children with asthma, with the goal of addressing unhealthy asthma triggers in the home environment, developed in partnership with Northwest Center in Belmont Cragin. In May 2024, she hosted a summit with the Northwest Center on healthy housing. She mentors and trains medical students and residents to become physician advocates and is the co-director of the pediatric residency advocacy pathway and faculty mentor for several grant-funded resident advocacy projects. She was the recipient of the Lurie Children's Department of Pediatrics Excellence in Advocacy Award in 2023.
Audrey Brewer, MD, MPH
Audrey G. Brewer, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and an attending general pediatrician in the Division of Advanced General Pediatrics and Primary Care at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She is a member of the Committee on Bias Awareness and Anti Racism for the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and is a fellow in the Academic Pediatric Association Health Policy Scholars Program. Dr. Brewer considers herself a physician researcher and advocate, passionate about developing primary care and community-based interventions that mitigate the impact of racism on child health outcomes. She partners with community organizations in medically and socially under resourced communities on the South and West sides of Chicago to develop initiatives focused on addressing child health disparities and inequities. An active legislative advocate, Dr. Brewer lends her expertise to fighting for child health policies at the local, state, and federal level. Dr. Brewer is also involved in mentoring medical trainees and students in building health disparities and equity research skills, as well as advocacy skills.
Advocacy Board
Find out how our faculty encourage advocacy today and in future generations of pediatricians and scientists.
