Millions of patients around the world still face barriers to care that have nothing to do with medicine and everything to do with power, policy, and access. Closing that gap is the work of health advocacy — and doing it responsibly requires more than good intentions; it requires a solid ethical foundation. This is exactly what the Health Justice and Ethical Advocacy training course, delivered by Arab British Fellowship Training Academy, sets out to build: a working understanding of the principles, policies, and decision-making frameworks that keep advocacy honest, effective, and centred on the people it is meant to serve.

Advocates today operate inside increasingly complex health systems, where social determinants of health, systemic bias, and competing institutional interests all shape who gets care and who does not. This course walks participants through the ethical guidelines that govern health advocacy, from patient rights and cultural competency to the wider debate on health policy and communication, so they leave equipped to defend health equity without losing sight of the ethical line.

• Build a working framework for applying ethics to real health advocacy and public health policy work, not just theory.
• Examine how health justice, patient rights, and health equity intersect when advocating for vulnerable and underserved populations.
• Work through real ethical dilemmas in healthcare, sharpening decision-making and ethical leadership skills advocates need on the ground.
• Connect health system reform and healthcare access efforts to the social determinants of health and the broader push for equity.
• Look at global health advocacy and the ethics of pursuing equity across borders, including the challenges of universal health coverage.
• Prepare participants to run ethical health campaigns and advance patient-centred, human-rights-based healthcare reform.

Who Should Attend

• Healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses, administrators) who want a stronger grip on health policy and ethical patient advocacy.
• Public health advocates working directly on policies that address health disparities and expand access for underserved groups.
• Policymakers and health system managers looking to embed ethical principles into healthcare reform and legislation.
• Medical ethicists and clinical ethics professionals exploring advocacy's role in healthcare decision-making.
• Community health and social workers advocating for justice and equity on behalf of vulnerable populations.
• Researchers and public health educators interested in the ethical dimensions of health policy, communication, and health promotion.

This course works through health advocacy ethics as a practical discipline, moving from why it matters to how it plays out in real decisions, policy, and leadership.

Module 1: Why Health Advocacy Needs an Ethical Compass

• What health advocacy actually does, and why ethics has to sit at its centre.
• Core ethical frameworks for pursuing health equity, justice, and access to care.
• The advocate's responsibility toward health disparities and the social determinants of health.

Module 2: Making the Hard Calls — Ethical Decision-Making in Practice

• Case studies of real ethical dilemmas advocates face inside health systems.
• How health policy and healthcare ethics shape day-to-day decision-making.
• Cultural competency and ethical communication with diverse patient populations.
• Balancing health justice with individual patient rights when advocating for marginalised groups.

Module 3: Standing with Vulnerable and Underserved Communities

• Advocacy strategies for addressing health inequalities among underserved groups.
• Ethical leadership in expanding healthcare access for marginalised communities.
• Building durable strategies for patient advocacy and navigating the ethical trade-offs involved.

Module 4: Where Policy Meets Ethics in Health Advocacy

• How health policy decisions ripple through advocacy work.
• Ethical challenges in healthcare reform and health systems improvement.
• Public health ethics in the context of policy advocacy, and how ethical guidelines shape outcomes.

Module 5: Advocacy Without Borders — Global Health Ethics

• Ethical principles behind strengthening health systems globally.
• Navigating ethical health campaigns and disparities at an international level.
• Advocating for universal health coverage and the role of health and human rights worldwide.

Module 6: Leading Ethical Advocacy That Lasts

• What ethical leadership looks like in health advocacy, and how it drives accountability.
• Designing advocacy strategies and ethical health campaigns that hold up under scrutiny.
• Tackling health systems reform and advocacy challenges to create sustainable change.