Head to the Hill Event Details

• Registration is open to all patients, caregivers, family, friends, researchers, and clinicians.
• Anyone participating in congressional meetings must register separately and complete all the required trainings. Participants under the age of five do not need to register.
• Each registrant must have their own unique email address and registration.
• Registration closes on Friday, April 14, 2023.

Space is limited for congressional meetings, so register today!

No, but we will have a virtual action alert available to help you send a message to your legislators encouraging them to support the needs of the brain tumor community. We’ll also have a second opportunity to virtually meet with your legislators for Head to the Hill in the fall.

There are a limited number of scholarships available for Head to the Hill 2023 to cover hotel costs. We invite all those interested in financial assistance to apply. The deadline to apply for a scholarship is Friday, March 31. Scholarship applicants will be notified by Wednesday, April 5.

Scholarships are awarded based on a variety of factors, including whether there are other advocates signed up to represent the applicant’s state, as well as their answers to the questions in the application. If you have any specific questions about the scholarship process, please contact advocacy@braintumor.org.

Yes, anyone planning on participating in congressional meetings must register separately. Congressional offices require a list of everyone attending, and we will also need to make sure everyone has individually completed training to schedule them for the meeting. Finally, each participant must register separately and complete all trainings to receive a t-shirt. 

NOTE: Each advocate must register with a unique email address. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at advocacy@braintumor.org.

Advocates can dress casual for the in-person training on May 8. For the day of meetings, please wear your Head to the Hill t-shirt and business casual pants.

NBTS will make every effort to secure appointments for you to meet with your two U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representative. If a Senator or Representative is unavailable, NBTS will schedule the meeting with a staff member. 

Please note that staff meetings are just as important as meetings with the actual Senator or Representative! Staff members are key advisors to the lawmaker and often are deciding factors in what gets passed on to your member of Congress. These staff members meet regularly with advocates. 

Your story can make the difference between just another meeting and a meeting that results in action and support from your Member of Congress.

• Head to the Hill meetings will be scheduled for May 9, 2023.
• National Brain Tumor Society will arrange all of the meetings.
• Please do not set up your own appointments! If you have special contacts with members of Congress or their staff, please contact us at advocacy@braintumor.org.
• You will be grouped with other advocates from your city, state, or region.
• If you are the only advocate from your state, we will pair you with NBTS staff or experienced volunteers.
• Advocates are usually scheduled for three or more meetings, each about 20-30 minutes in duration.
• You will have time to meet with your fellow advocates to prepare for your meetings on Monday, May 8.

Please email advocacy@braintumor.org with any questions.

Head to the Hill training prepares each advocate to share their story most effectively, speak about NBTS’s legislative priorities, and share their efforts on social media. Additionally, the training will showcase what advocacy is, how past Head to the Hill participants impacted public policies, and why it’s important to advocate for increased medical research funding.Online training via the Litmos platform will be available about a month before Head to the Hill. This training is mandatory and must be completed before the in-person training on May 8. Registered participants will receive more detailed information about what the training day entails closer to the event.

Your meetings will be scheduled throughout the day on Tuesday, May 9. Nearly every meeting will take place that day between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET.

Your meeting schedule depends on when your congressional offices are available to meet. Unfortunately, it can be hard to predict your meeting times until a few days before the event. The schedule of your meetings will not be confirmed until a few days prior to Head to the Hill. Upon arrival at our in-person training session, you will receive your schedule for your meetings, which are subject to change.

Anyone who registers for Head to the Hill and completes both the virtual training before May 8 and the in-person training on May 8 will be welcome to attend their Head to the Hill meetings.

Everyone will have at least one other person in the meeting with them. Participants will join other people from their state, NBTS staff, and advocacy professionals who can help navigate the meetings.

Each participant will have time before their meetings to meet in their state groups to prepare. For larger states, participants will meet with other advocates in their congressional district group. If desired, participants can also specify during registration whether they would like to get a call from an Advocate Mentor who can help answer any questions.

Members of Congress make decisions largely because of the impact legislation will have on their constituents. Each year, we see the value of brain tumor advocates meeting directly with their local members of Congress to highlight how these important issues affect members in their district or state.

• Due to NBTS’s advocacy efforts in collaboration with the brain tumor community, NIH funding for brain tumor research increased by $20 million to $435 million in 2022.
• After Head to the Hill in May 2022, the Stop the Wait Act gained 24 new co-sponsors — 23 in the House and one in the Senate. This important piece of legislation directs the Social Security Administration to phase out the five-month waiting period to receive SSDI benefits and allow those who are uninsured or unable to afford health insurance to immediately receive Medicare coverage.
• Between Head to the Hill in May 2021 and the end of 2021, the Telehealth Modernization Act acquired 78 new co-sponsors in the House and 11 new co-sponsors in the Senate.

Advocates can inspire policymakers to take action on an important policy or issue affecting the brain tumor community.

Yes. In-person training is mandatory as well as participation in meetings on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, May 9. Participants will likely have 3-5 congressional meetings that will be about 30 minutes long. Participants can expect all of their meetings to take no more than two and a half hours during the day. However, the exact time of the meetings will not be confirmed until the week prior to Head to the Hill and are subject to change. Participants should expect to accommodate a 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET schedule when making travel plans.

Head to the Hill started in 2011 with 31 advocates going to Capitol Hill to share their stories with members of Congress. It has grown into the NBTS’s marquee advocacy event with hundreds of advocates joining us each year to make their voices heard and motivate policymakers to take action for the brain tumor community. Whether advocates join us for the first time or return each year to urge government officials to pass policies that support our vision of conquering and curing brain tumors — once and for all.