To apply for the 2026 Policy Academy, please read this page carefully and then fill out this application.

Through the Policy Academy, NCSD trains individuals from state, local, and territorial health departments on how to engage in policy and policymaker education safely and effectively. By providing an overview of policy basics and options, and building skills to navigate policy, NCSD strives to demystify policy work and empower STI program staff to effectively implement feasible and relevant policy goals.

If you have questions about the application process, please watch this video (also included on the page below).

The Policy Academy has several learning objectives for participants:

• • • Learn policy basics and legislative and non-legislative options
    • Learn how to confidently engage in policy and policymaker education
    • Gain skills to address public health program challenges through policy
    • Understand how to leverage partnerships and coalitions
    • Develop messaging that resonates with various audiences
    • Understand how to evaluate policy quality and effectiveness

In addition to one-on-one technical assistance throughout the Policy Academy, NCSD will assist participants with activities such as policy strategy development, factsheet creation, messaging, and more.

Policy Academy Topics for 2026

Participants must choose from one of two broader themes under which they will propose, refine, and implement a policy goal. Goals can vary in scope and content but must fit within one of the two topic areas.

Topic Option #1 – Congenital Syphilis Prevention

Within this policy topic area, participants will choose a goal that strengthens the public health response to syphilis during pregnancy. Participants will develop a policy goal that addresses barriers to testing and treatment for people at higher risk for syphilis during all stages of pregnancy, especially those who may not have access to routine prenatal care. Examples could include, but are not exclusively limited to:

• • • Expanding prenatal syphilis screening requirements or recommendations through legislative action (i.e. bills or state rulemaking) or non-legislative action like health department guidelines, board of health directives, etc.
    • Creating more entry points for syphilis screening and testing by engaging providers outside STI clinics and health departments who may be more reachable for some communities, such as OBGYNs, emergency rooms, detention centers, and more.
    • Identifying ways to expedite treatment or improve treatment completion rates through programmatic strategies that scale up access, such as injectable syphilis treatment delivery or congenital syphilis review boards.

Topic Option #2 – Innovations in Program Collaboration

Within this policy topic area, participants will choose a goal that preserves, expands, or retools STI program policies to further synergize them with partners, such as HIV prevention programs, viral hepatitis programs, maternal health care programs, opioid epidemic response programs, and others.

Participants will develop a policy goal that addresses the unique conditions of their jurisdiction by picking at least one other area outside STIs that could mutually benefit from innovative collaboration. Examples could include, but not are limited to:

• • • Adapting existing protocols (i.e. integrating STI prevention strategies such as doxyPEP into HIV PrEP programs) to maximize efficiency.
    • Partnering with health department programs to identify collaborative opportunities that strengthen program operations.
    • Identifying ways to strengthen 340B partnerships between grantees and subgrantees to fortify best compliance practices or modify infrastructure to absorb any relevant policy changes.

To fully take part in the Policy Academy, participants should complete the following activities:

• • • Join a 30-minute one-on-one Zoom interview with NCSD staff to discuss your goal(s) for the Policy Academy and travel to the in-person training. Interviews will take place during the month of April 2026 and NCSD staff may schedule an interview with you after you apply.
    • Participate in a virtual orientation on May 7 from 3-4 pm ET.
    • Participate in two virtual workshops on May 21 and July 9 from 3-4:30 pm ET.
    • Watch four 20–30-minute modules and one 60-minute supplemental video between May and September 2026 (there will be specific deadlines by which each module must be finished). Each module includes a mandatory quiz and evaluation, both of which are less than six questions long.

• • • Schedule at least one 30-minute 1:1 session with NCSD’s policy team during the duration of the Academy to brainstorm your policy goal in more depth.

• • • Attend the in-person training in Washington, D.C. from August 20-21, 2026.
    • Complete four homework assignments throughout the summer and one policy “pitch” presentation in late September to graduate.
    • Participate in one follow-up virtual meeting and one final evaluation after the Policy Academy concludes (November 2026 and February 2027, respectively).

In the years since the Policy Academy began, nearly 200 participants have been trained. These participants have addressed policy topics ranging from expedited partner therapy (EPT) to STI prevention partner-related barriers to third-trimester syphilis testing requirements. In many cases, the time spent tackling these topics in the Policy Academy has led to policy movement at the local and state level. Join us today to help make a difference in your community!

Policy Academy Application Tutorial

Learn how to apply and more information about the Academy by watching this tutorial video.