From Evidence to Action: A State Adolescent Health Policy Partnership Workshop
This Adolescent Health and Well-being Project (AHWP)— a collaboration between the Stanford Division of Adolescent Medicine and the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) is excited to announce the upcoming AHWP State Adolescent Health Policy Partnership Workshop, designed for adolescent health professionals interested in strengthening their state or territory’s policies for the betterment of adolescents and young adults.
The application period is now open – deadline Monday January 5, 2026, at 8:00 am Eastern Time.
Information Session & Open Office Hours
AHWP hosted an Information Session on December 10th. View the recording here to learn helpful insights to inform your application. Click here to download the slides shared during the session. And consider joining for Open Office Hours – information below.
- Friday, December 12th – 9-10 a.m. PT / 12-1 p.m. ET
- Wednesday, December 17th – 7-8 a.m. PT / 10-11 a.m. ET
All are welcome to join for the information sessions and office hours. In the meantime, please contact the AHWP team with any questions.
Overview
Held on Monday, March 2, 2026—the day before the start of the 2026 SAHM Annual Meeting in Seattle—this one-day workshop will bring together adolescent health professionals representing 8–12 U.S. states and territories who are committed to strengthening adolescent health policies and service delivery through collaborative work with their state or territorial governments. The initiative is designed to deepen accepted applicants’ understanding of state-level policy implementation, with a particular focus on the Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant, while also identifying opportunities to enhance policy translation in their respective states and territories.
The workshop will enhance participants knowledge of state health policy mechanisms and implementation, provide insights into state health department priority-setting processes, and explore strategies for effectively advancing policy within governmental structures. Attendees will also develop skills to build productive relationships with state/territory health officials. By the end of the workshop, participants will leave with concrete action plans positioning them as trusted resources to state/territory leaders responsible for adolescent health policy development and implementation.
About the Workshop
This is a pre-conference workshop which will be held one day prior to the SAHM 2026 Annual Meeting at the same location.
Date/Time: Monday, March 2, 2026, 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. PT
Location: The Westin Seattle – session room TBA
Workshop Description: The 1-day workshop features an insider panel with state health officials who will share how Title V strategies translate into concrete policy and where external partners can make the greatest impact. Through facilitated team work sessions, you’ll analyze your state or territory’s specific landscape—identifying key players, priorities, and opportunities—while developing a detailed action plan for partnership with your state/territory health department. Expert facilitators from Stanford University, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) will guide you through implementation strategies, and you’ll benefit from peer feedback as teams share approaches and insights throughout the day.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the 1-day workshop, participants will be able to:
- Explain how decisions are made in state government, identify key pressure points, and describe strategies for effective partnership across health and non-health departments.
- Describe the role of the Title V Maternal Child Health Block Grant and other structures in state or territorial government
- Analyze their state or territory’s adolescent health landscape, including key stakeholders, priority data, Title V implementation, and relevant cross-departmental opportunities.
- Develop a concrete action plan for partnering with state or territorial officials to advance adolescent health policy.
Who Should Apply
We’re seeking adolescent health professionals who:
- Are motivated to collaborate respectfully with state government counterparts and work on shared priorities
- May or may not have prior state/other government relations experience—motivation and commitment matter most
- Are of any professional discipline
- Are ready to complete pre-work, attend the workshop, and independently partner with state or territorial officials afterward for 6-12 months
- Experts from any state, territory or political landscape – working collaboratively with government is needed in red, blue, and purple states.
- Will be living in the state or territory they are in for the 6 months following the SAHM meeting.
The application period is now open. Deadline to apply is Monday January 5, 2026 at 8:00 am ET. Start thinking now about your state’s adolescent health priorities and who you might want on your team. Feel free to contact the AHWP team should you have any questions.
Application and Selection Process
Applicants will be asked to:
- Complete the brief application, including a statement of interest
- Submit a CV
- If accepted, be willing to complete minimal preparatory work, attend the workshop in person and complete post-meeting activities including 2–6 post workshop virtual evidence-update sessions and technical-assistance calls.
Adolescent health professionals can apply as an individual or form a team of members from the same state or territory. Up to 8-12 teams will be selected based on their application to the program. Teams can consist of:
- 1 or 2 Lead Adolescent Health Professional(s) – required, must be SAHM members, can be young or more senior professionals.
- 1 Young Professional in Adolescent Health – optional but encouraged
You have the option to include a State or Territorial Government Official, e.g. state health department leadership, MCH Director, or adolescent health coordinator, on the team for the workshop. Costs of travel and attendance can be covered for state government officials. Please contact the AHWP team if you’re interested in this option.
Application Selection Criteria:
- Demonstrated motivation to impact government policy
- Willingness to complete pre-work , attend the meeting, and independently partner with state government after the meeting
- Experience working with city, state, territorial or federal government is ideal but not required
- Willingness to work on existing government priorities and other shared topics.
- Geographic and political variation across states will be considered to maximize diversity.
Selected applicants must register to attend at least one day of the 2026 SAHM Annual Meeting. Contact the AHWP team if you would like to request an exemption.
Provided Compensation
Funding is available to support participants with up to two nights of hotel accommodations and a daily per diem of up to $92 for each of two days. State or territorial health officials who participate as part of a team may also be eligible to have all costs of travel and attendance covered. Please contact the AHWP team for additional details.
About the Adolescent Health and Well-being Project (AHWP)
The Adolescent Health and Well-being Project, a collaboration between Stanford Adolescent Medicine and the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine is supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of Population Affairs as part of a five-year grant (Award #1 IAHAH000001-01-00) totaling $999,855. Jonathan D. Klein, MD, MPH, Principal Investigator.
