By Crystal Shen, MD, MPH, FAAP
From April 12–14, 2026, nearly 400 pediatricians converged on Washington, DC for the 2026 American Academy of Pediatrics Advocacy Conference — and the energy at the conference reflected just how much is at stake for children’s health right now.
Learning Together Before Taking the Hill
The conference opened with two days of educational sessions covering some of the most pressing issues facing pediatric advocacy today. Topics ranged from the impacts of HR1 on Medicaid and child health programs — including SNAP — to pediatric payment reform, immunization policy, gun violence prevention, and strategies for sustaining advocacy momentum over the long term. Sessions on legal advocacy, protecting scientific standards, and effective communication gave attendees practical advocacy information. One presentation by the FrameWorks Institute focused on vaccine communication strategies.
400 Pediatricians. 215 Hill Visits. One Clear Message.
On Tuesday, April 14, 2026 the conference moved from the meeting room to the halls of Congress. Nearly 400 pediatricians representing 45 states visited Capitol Hill for approximately 215 congressional meetings— one of the most tangible expressions of what organized pediatric advocacy looks like in action.
Our collective ask was clear and urgent: support the Strengthening the Vaccines for Children Program Act of 2026, bipartisan legislation that would strengthen the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. Currently, the VFC program provides federally purchased vaccines to approximately half of all children in the United States (and all of the children I serve at my clinic!). VFC is a cornerstone of equitable childhood immunization that has protected generations of kids. This Act, sponsored by Representative Kim Schrier — the only practicing pediatrician in the United States Congress — would build on that foundation by expanding program eligibility, increasing the locations where VFC vaccines can be administered, permitting payment for stand- alone vaccine counseling, and more to help strengthen the VFC program.
As pediatricians from Washington state, we had the opportunity to visit with our Senators and Congressional representatives directly, sharing patient stories and making the case for why strengthening the VFC program is essential — not just for the children we see in our clinics, but for the health of our communities as a whole.
Why It Matters
Moments like this conference are a reminder that pediatricians have a unique and powerful voice in policy. Pediatricians showing up, in numbers, with specific asks and patient stories, matters. The VFC program has been essential for decades. Strengthening it now, in a moment when childhood vaccination rates are under pressure and public health funding faces significant threats, is both timely and necessary.