Health Policy and Physician Leadership Course Provides Advocacy Skillset
Programs such as Medicare and Medicaid influence healthcare delivery on a daily basis, making it critical for future physicians to understand how these systems operate.
Recognizing its importance in medical education, institutions have begun integrating policy-focused training into their curricula.
For the past nine years, Dr. Dan Heinemann ’81, clinical professor of family medicine, has offered an elective course for fourth-year University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine students titled Health Policy and Physician Leadership. The course spans three weeks and continues to grow in popularity.
Throughout the course, Dr. Heinemann arranges presentations from a wide range of health professionals, such as practicing physicians, health plan and Medicaid CMOs, Department of Health representatives, virtual long-term care physicians, pharmacy benefits experts, Board of Medical Examiner members, Vanderbilt University faculty, American Academy of Family Physicians representatives, as well as physician recruiters and credentialing specialists.
By bringing together professionals from diverse roles, the course fosters dynamic presentations that often lead to meaningful conversations.
“The diverse range of roles sparks meaningful discussions and keeps students actively engaged,” said Dr. Heinemann. “I’m proud of how engaged our students are with these visitors.”
“The course broadened my understanding of legislation, leadership and advocacy,” stated Rachel Schild, Class of 2026. “I appreciated learning from a wide variety of leaders about their career paths and contributions. Overall, this course introduced me to the tools that will help me communicate with policymakers, collaborate with professional organizations and potentially lead within healthcare systems in the future.”
While the first and third weeks are classroom-based in Sioux Falls, the second week takes the students to Pierre for a first-hand look into the state’s lawmaking processes during the legislative session. While there, students experience the legislative side of healthcare. Students attend hearings and legislative sessions, meet with lawmakers and observe policy in action. They also log into committee hearings and witness firsthand how decisions are made.
“Students are seeing how elected officials are governing their practices,” explained Dr. Heinemann. “The experience can be life changing for some students. They are learning things they never would have otherwise learned.”
Nathan Popp is another Class of 2026 student who enrolled in the course. “As future physicians, we will see firsthand how policy decisions affect our patients, especially in rural communities where access is already fragile,” he said. “If we don’t understand how to advocate effectively, we miss an opportunity to protect and improve the systems our patients rely on. Advocacy isn’t about politics but instead about patient care at a broader level. Developing this skillset now gives me the tools to speak thoughtfully and constructively on issues that impact healthcare in South Dakota.”
Dr. Heinemann says he acknowledges that working with the legislative process, even though it is crucial, doesn’t take a lot of effort to have a significant impact. “I tell my students, ‘If you are not at the table; you are on the table.’ It’s important they are involved,” he said.
Medical students come away from the course with practical advocacy skills to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Through this training, students move beyond the role of clinicians to become well-rounded professionals capable of navigating, influencing and improving the healthcare system. By developing a strong foundation in legislative policy, future physicians are better prepared to advocate for their patients and contribute to meaningful improvements in healthcare.
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