Pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists—medical practitioners who provide comprehensive care for children, including those with specific medical conditions or developmental needs—are uniquely positioned to advocate for children’s health by contributing their clinical expertise to inform public policy. The public comment process allows these providers to share data and frontline experiences that can inform more equitable and effective federal regulations. A recent case study published in The Journal of Pediatrics outlines a five-step process that was used to mobilize pediatric subspecialists in informing U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations aimed at reducing added sugars consumption among children. The process was developed by Stanford Medicine Children’s Health’s Office of Child Health Equity, and included:
- Engaging with policy experts
- Identifying scholars to develop evidence-based recommendations
- Developing an efficient comment submission process
- Obtaining institutional approval
- Promoting the comment opportunity.
The initiative successfully mobilized pediatric subspecialists to participate in the FDA’s 2023 public comment process on reducing added sugar consumption, resulting in 65 evidence-based submissions, which represented 16% of all national comments. Most of the submissions were unique, including personal experiences and patient stories. Key learnings for those participating in the project included balancing efficiency with meaningful storytelling, leveraging research expertise for credibility, and understanding how personalized comments carry greater weight in shaping future child health policies. This structured approach can be applied to other child health issues and may enhance clinicians’ advocacy and engagement, with future explorations incorporating technology-driven methods. Collaborators included Jang Lee with Stanford University School of Medicine, Eimaan Anwar with Boston College of Law, Alison Clayshulte with the University of San Francisco, Lisa J. Chamberlain, Janine Bruce, Noelle H. Ebel, Adrienne Lazaro, Shweta S. Namjoshi, and Anisha I. Patel with the Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, and Christina Hecht with the Nutrition Policy Institute.