RESULTS
The Global Engagement Office (GEO) made the decision to support a RESULTS chapter in 2018 in an effort to expand the conversation around global health at Health Sciences and, more broadly, throughout the state.
A grassroots, non-partisan anti-poverty movement, RESULTS provides training and support to advance health, education, and economic opportunity in the US and globally. The mission of RESULTS is to influence political decisions that will bring an end to poverty. Because poverty is the greatest social determinant of health, and health outcomes here in West Virginia mirror those of other low-resource regions throughout the world, this mission is all the more relevant both to the work of faculty and staff as well as the academic experience of students.
An investment in health anywhere is an investment in health everywhere – this is the credo of WVU's RESULTS team. As advocates we believe that solutions to poverty are simple, attainable, and already exist. However, meaningful change requires action. We are able to have an exponentially greater impact collectively than we might otherwise have on our own. Working together with respect, objectivity, passion, and a commitment to engaging in the democratic process, we can influence political decisions that improve health.
Membership in RESULTS is open to everyone at Health Sciences and the greater community. After receiving basic advocacy training from RESULTS staff, members are able to take on different leadership roles within the group, including contact leads for Congressional offices and communications coordinators. They also build the visibility of global health issues by drafting op-ed pieces and letters to the editor for publication in regional newspapers.
Members with limited availability may choose to join the group's action network, which carries out directed communications strategies at key points in the legislative process. All members are invited to attend the annual RESULTS International Conference in Washington, DC, and participate in a lobby day on Capitol Hill.