Advocacy and the Hand Surgeon: Why and How

This article explains and gives examples of the importance of political advocacy for hand surgeons at the federal and state levels. Two health care leaders who are also hand surgeons, one now serving as a state Senator and one a former President of the American Medical Association, give their perspective on participation in the political process. The article covers avenues for advocacy for hand surgeons as individuals and as members of medical organizations, including suggestions about effective communication with legislators. There is discussion of the unique role of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand in representing hand surgeons.