As a scientist with a chronic illness, I have always been passionate about advocating for patients who may not be able to speak up about their own health care journey. This passion drove my desire to intertwine advocacy into my studies as I’m working toward my PhD. I discovered the American Physiological Society’s (APS) Science Policy Committee, a group of APS members who advocate for science policy at the federal level. As a recipient of APS’ Early-career Advocacy Fellowship this year, I am excited to put my passion into practice and work closely with the committee for the next two years on a variety of advocacy priorities.

My first experience with the team was the APS Hill Day, held in Washington D.C. More than 70 APS members from across the country gathered to meet with their state representatives about policies that advance the interests of the scientific community. Following a group breakfast and planning session, we embarked on our journey to Capitol Hill. I traveled alongside two other Virginia scientists—Emily Grammer from the University of Virginia, and Brian Simmons from William & Mary—to four different legislative offices to discuss issues facing our community.

During each meeting we shared personal stories about our research with legislative staff and told them about the patient populations that benefit from our work. We had some productive conversations with Virginia representatives, and I’m excited to keep in touch with these offices as new science policies emerge.

My biggest takeaway from this experience was realizing how much impact our individual voices can have on shaping policy. The congressional staff were sympathetic to our stories, and some were even surprised to learn about how significantly policies can directly affect our practices. They also encouraged us to continue gathering stories from others in the field who would be willing to share. 

It’s important to note that you don’t have to be a scientist or patient to speak about the value of scientific discovery. Every perspective matters. APS members Alexa Corker and Kelsey Shwartz highlighted the importance of science policy further in a talk at the 2025 American Physiology Summit. Some of their suggestions for getting started with advocacy include:

• Sign up for APS Advocacy Action alerts to stay in the loop on science policy issues and to take action about topics you are passionate about.
• Learn about how to communicate your science effectively. Complex data and technical terminology can be simplified so the ideas are accessible to all audiences, including legislative officials.
• Take APS’ Advocacy 101 learning module for a crash course on becoming a science advocate.

Advocating for science in the nation’s capital with my fellow physiologists was a thrilling experience and just the beginning. I’m excited to continue raising my voice for science as my career advances, and hope that others are inspired to do so as well.