In 2021, as public health officials across the country were on the frontlines of messaging and managing a global pandemic, Mission Partners was engaged to lead a focused media and message training for Clinical Scholars, a national leadership program for experienced health care providers supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The 60 participants in the session included pharmacists, physical therapists, dentists, social workers, nurses, physicians, and many others involved with public health. Through mentoring, networking, and an intensive leadership curriculum centered on equity, they deepen their influence and impact as leaders with the power to transform their workplaces and communities. When the group gathered in the spring of 2021, all Scholars had one clear need in common: how to manage a range of difficult questions when there are not always clear answers. Carrie Fox led the team through a half-day training that detailed the basics of working with the media, the use of tools like a message map and bridging, and how to center equity through communications. As one participant shared: “Carrie’s advice was practical and timely. She laid out the message rooted in practice vs. bogged in theories…I can start using these tools today.”

In the months after the session, participants are still consistently using the tools introduced that day, and their confidence in engaging with the media has grown. While becoming an expert spokesperson takes time, the session helped the scholars deliver their messages to the media at a time when it was needed most.