Empowering Pediatric Trainees as Advocates: Building a Longitudinal Injury Prevention and Media Communication Curriculum

Enjuli Chhaniara, MD, PGY-3
Hailey Nelson, MD, FAAP, IBCLC

This interactive workshop will introduce participants to a replicable, innovative model for teaching pediatric residents injury prevention through longitudinal advocacy and communication training. Based on the new curriculum being implemented at Valley Children’s Healthcare, this session will provide attendees with the tools to create a similar injury prevention program at their own sites, with a specific focus on empowering residents to become effective advocates for child safety through digital media.

Participants will explore how a curriculum was designed to fill a gap in second-year residency training, incorporating mentorship, community partnerships, and media production. The program’s structure leverages an X+Y scheduling format to deliver experiential learning on priority injuries (drowning, motor vehicle safety, burns, and safe sleep), culminating in resident-led health campaigns.

Interactive components will include:

Small group breakout to brainstorm top injury priorities in each attendee's community and how to structure a cohort-based curriculum around them.

Hands-on media activity, where attendees work in teams to “translate” a peer-reviewed injury prevention article into a mock social media post or infographic.

Role-play simulations of advocacy conversations between pediatricians and families, with feedback from peers.

Capstone planning exercise, in which attendees draft a mini health campaign pitch tailored to a specific audience (e.g., teens, caregivers, school staff).

The session will also explore evaluation strategies including pre/post surveys, rubric-based assessments, and qualitative feedback from stakeholders. Attendees will leave with a toolkit including templates for planning, educational material development, and campaign evaluation.

1. Describe a longitudinal model for injury prevention and advocacy education integrated into pediatric residency training.
2. Identify injury prevention priorities in their own communities and outline a feasible cohort-based curriculum.
3. Apply health communication strategies to create a media-based educational message on a selected injury topic.
4. Practice advocacy communication techniques through role-play simulations.
5. Develop an outline for a resident-led injury prevention campaign in partnership with community organizations.

Developing a Longitudinal Advocacy and Injury Prevention Curriculum for Pediatric Residents

Enjuli Chhaniara, MD, PGY-2
Hailey Nelson, MD, FAAP, IBCLC

Unintentional injuries remain the leading cause of death for children ages 1–21. In 2023 alone, a regional children’s hospital reported over 700 trauma admissions, excluding numerous additional injuries managed in the emergency department. The majority of the hospital’s pediatric patients are from underserved backgrounds, with high proportions of racial/ethnic minorities and families living below the federal poverty line. While the pediatric residency program includes some advocacy-focused education, a gap in training exists during the second and third years. Additionally, current curricula lack emphasis on media literacy and strategic communication—key tools for modern advocacy. This project aims to develop a longitudinal curriculum for senior residents during “Y weeks” that equips pediatric residents with both injury prevention knowledge and communication skills to effectively engage communities.

This program will span July 2025 to March 2026. Twenty-seven senior residents will be divided into five large cohorts (5-6 residents each), with each cohort assigned one of five high-priority injury topics: drowning prevention, poison prevention, safe sleep, burn prevention, or motor vehicle safety. Each cohort will be further divided by age focus (0–10 and 11–18 years). In partnership with Safe Kids California, each cohort will be paired with a content expert mentor and participate in a series of structured learning modules, including:

Written-to-verbal translation of research articles

Simulated advocacy conversations with families

Health policy workshops

Field trips to relevant community organizations

Residents will then design and implement a health campaign for their injury topic, including bilingual (English/Spanish) materials such as blog posts, infographics, and short videos. Campaigns will be presented during an Interprofessional Injury Prevention Day to residency faculty, hospital staff, AAP Chapter members, and Safe Kids Coalition partners.

By March 2026, we anticipate ten distinct health campaigns (one per sub-cohort), each consisting of a minimum of two educational deliverables. This will yield at least 20 bilingual materials to be used in community outreach. Qualitative evaluation will include grading rubrics used by stakeholders during the capstone showcase to assess content accuracy, public engagement, and creativity. Residents will complete pre- and post-tests to assess their knowledge of injury prevention and advocacy, alongside self-assessment surveys to measure growth in confidence and skill.

This novel curriculum fills a critical training gap by integrating injury prevention and advocacy skills into a longitudinal format. With structured mentorship and community partnerships, residents gain real-world communication experience while producing valuable educational resources. The model is scalable and replicable for other institutions aiming to enhance resident advocacy and community impact.

1. Describe the structure of a longitudinal injury prevention and advocacy curriculum integrated into pediatric residency training.
2. Identify effective strategies for teaching communication skills to residents using injury prevention topics.
3. Demonstrate how to leverage community partnerships to guide resident-led health campaigns and evaluate outcomes.