The importance of young surgeons in surgical health policy advocacy engagement.

Abstract

Despite its critical importance, health policy advocacy remains vastly underutilized among surgeons and represents a critical area for professional development. Yet, interest is growing among younger physicians, particularly early-career surgeons who increasingly view advocacy as integral to patient care. Amid a rapidly evolving health care landscape, advocacy is defined as physician efforts to influence social, economic, and political factors affecting health and is essential for addressing systemic challenges. Millennials and GenZ are now entering in early to mid-stages of surgical practice and are transforming advocacy approaches. These generational cohorts have been shaped by digital technology, health care and insurance debates, and public health emergencies (eg firearm violence and COVID-19). They bring new energy and methods to health policy advocacy engagement. These digital natives prefer multichannel communication and virtual platforms, both of which facilitate participation while reducing clinical disruptions. Younger physicians see advocacy not as an optional task, but a professional responsibility aligned with leadership, autonomy, and systemic change. Despite support from competency frameworks such as Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, formal training in advocacy remains limited, often relying on mentorship or experiential learning. It is imperative that we improve our engagement and education of surgeons interested in advocacy as we know there are benefits for the surgeons themselves, the surgical community, and society as a whole. Engaging in policy can help young surgeons influence major legislative and hospital-level decisions. It also builds skills in leadership, negotiation, and communication, while fostering resilience and reducing moral injury through agency and systemic change, and allows young surgeons to shape the future of their profession. Engagement of young surgeons in advocacy is vital for improving patient care, ensuring professional autonomy and sustainability, and translating science into impactful health policy. Academic surgery programs can contribute to the improvement in education of residents and early-career surgeons with mentorship programs and collaborations with other departments to develop a robust network of surgeon health policy advocates.