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LEAD: Legislative Education & Advocate Development

LEAD is Patients Rising’s advocacy training program for patients and caregivers who want to engage effectively in healthcare policy.

The program provides structured education on policy fundamentals, effective communication, and how to engage legislators and decision-makers at the state and federal level helping participants translate experience into informed, credible advocacy.

Secure Your Spot

Patients Rising Legislative Advocacy Masterclass

Strategic Advocacy Training

Understand the System.
Engage Effectively.

LEAD provides structured training in healthcare policy, regulatory processes, and effective communication.

Participants build the knowledge and practical skills needed to navigate complex systems and engage confidently with policymakers and decision-makers.

Who LEAD Is For

Built for Patients and Caregivers Ready to Engage Policy

LEAD is designed for patients and caregivers who want to better understand how healthcare policy works — and how to engage constructively in shaping it.

Participants may be managing chronic illness, caring for a family member, or navigating a complex healthcare system firsthand. What they share is a willingness to learn, prepare, and engage thoughtfully with policymakers and decision-makers.

Learning Approach

Education That Respects Experience

LEAD is designed to meet participants where they are with structured, practical education that treats patient experience as context, not credential.

The program emphasizes clear communication, evidence-informed advocacy, and collaboration across disease areas to support thoughtful policy engagement.

Advocacy Education

Building the Skills for Effective Policy Engagement

LEAD teaches the foundations of legislative advocacy, including how to understand policy issues, communicate clearly, and engage decision-makers.

Participants learn how to connect patient experience with evidence and policy context whether providing testimony, meeting with legislative staff, or participating in policy discussions.

Learning from People Who Know the System

Instruction is practical and applied — focused on how systems actually function and how advocates can engage effectively within them. Participants learn from experts who have worked inside legislative, regulatory, and policy-making environments, and who understand what it takes to be credible in those settings.

Module 1: Congress 101 | Foundations in Legislative Advocacy

Module 2: Step Therapy | Understand step therapy and how it impacts patient care

Module 3: PBMs & Co-Pay Accumulators | Learn the complex pharmaceutical pricing system

Module 4: Price Transparency | Transparency initiatives and real-world navigation

Module 5: Value-Based Care | How "value" and "success" are defined and measured in the healthcare system

Module 6: Raise Your Voice | How advocates can extend their influence through strategic use of formal government processes and media engagement

Module 7: Understanding Value Assessment Frameworks

Module 8: Advocacy on the Hill | Learn the practical, professional aspects of Hill advocacy while maintaining a focus on the personal storytelling

Module 9: FDA Advisory Boards | Understand FDA Advisory Board Structure & Purpose, and discover patient engagement opportunities and how to deliver effective testimony

Module 10: Drug Utilization Review Boards | Learn the function and composition of DUR Boards and effective advocacy tactics for engaging them

Module 11: Prescription Drug Advisory Boards & Upper Payment Limits |Understand the origins and structure and the impacts both have on market and innovation

Module 12: Storytelling | Learn how to craft your unique narrative

“By human’s innate nature, everyone wants to help but they don’t necessarily know how, so sharing our story through advocacy has been a liberating experience as we see results of our efforts in moving the needle forward in getting approvals and support from the community and government.”

– Alpa

Patient Advocate

“My motivation is to empower others to be able to live their lives and thrive. The chronic illness and disability community continues to inspire and remind me that representation matters as does education and advocacy! Everyone matters and deserves a chance to live to their fullest potential.”

– Skyler

Patient Advocate

Frequently Asked Questions

This is a free course.

Patients and caregivers who are ready to take their advocacy to the next level–from beginners to more seasoned advocates.

This is a self-paced course comprised of 12 modules with video instruction, required reading and assignments based on the material. You can take as many as 12 weeks to complete the course or finish in as little as one week depending on the intensive schedule you choose.

Yes! Join us for live sessions throughout the duration of the course. All live sessions are recorded for later viewing.

No. We teach critical thinking not just policy mechanics. You bring the lived experience and commitment–we provide the framework and insider knowledge.

Ready to
transform healthcare?

The healthcare system needs your voice, experience and determination to demand better. But passion alone isn’t enough. The Legislative Advocacy Masterclass gives you everything you need to turn your experience into a force for systemic change.