The Center for Patient Partnerships offers a graduate certificate and a capstone certificate in consumer health advocacy. Both certificates are designed to enhance existing professional expertise by adding valuable skills in patient advocacy and related knowledge of health systems.
The course of study is the same for both certificates and combines applied health advocacy training, an introduction to health systems and health care delivery, and elective course work in one of three areas (law, regulations and ethics; health economics; or policy, management and public health).
Today, as health systems grow more and more complex, health consumers—individually and collectively—increasingly turn to adept advocates to help them navigate medical, legal, employment, financial and psychosocial issues, and improve the systems and instruments that support health care access and quality.
These certificates will provide health professional and other students:
A guiding principle of the certificate is that consumer perspectives must be included in any health care performance improvement initiative. Graduates with a Consumer Health Advocacy Certificate will demonstrate adaptability to the increased complexity of the consumer experience in health care and related sectors.
The consumer health advocacy graduate certificate is a complementary certificate available to all UW graduate students, and for professional students from the schools of Nursing, Pharmacy, Medicine and Public Health, and Law.
To participate, students must complete the Declaration of Intention to Complete the Certificate in Consumer Health Advocacy.
The consumer health advocacy capstone certificate is the certificate available for working professionals or nontraditional students who are not currently enrolled in a graduate or professional program at the UW–Madison, but who have a B.A. or equivalent.
To apply, students must complete two applications:
For more information: Center for Patient Partnerships, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 975 Bascom Mall, Suite 4311, Madison, WI 53706; Advocacy Services, 608-890-0321; Business Office, 608-265-6267; fax 608-265-4332; Aphra Mednick, amednick@wisc.edu; www.patientpartnerships.org/certificate.php.
