Your participation in Head to the Hill this spring will help policymakers better understand the urgent, unmet needs of the brain tumor community and build support for the policies that are vital to ensuring availability of treatments, increased scientific research, and the discovery of a cure.
Join members of the brain tumor community on the Hill to raise your voice and make positive change. No prior experience is needed, and NBTS will help prepare you for the congressional meetings. During the in-person event, you’ll receive training and in-depth knowledge of our policy requests and learn how to effectively communicate these positions to members of Congress and their staff.
Whether you’re a patient with a brain tumor, care partner, family member, friend, researcher, or medical professional, we need your voice! Head to the Hill in May creates an opportunity for a united effort to ensure the community’s needs are heard loud and clear.
Please feel free to contact advocacy@braintumor.org with any questions about the event.
NBTS provides on-site training on Monday, May 8, 2023, to equip you with the resources you need and to empower you to share your story. On Tuesday, May 9, you will meet with your local representatives and their staff alongside fellow brain tumor advocates from your state and/or region. Collectively, your group will share personal stories and communicate the urgent needs of the brain tumor community.
Registration for Head to the Hill is now closed. If you have any questions, please contact advocacy@braintumor.org.
Friday, April 14 | Head to the Hill registration closes |
Monday, April 18 | Online Head to the Hill trainings available on Litmos |
Friday, April 28 | All online trainings must be completed for in person meetings to be scheduled |
Sunday, May 7 | Race for Hope DC |
Monday, May 8 | LIVE Meeting Training & Practice Sessions in State Groups MANDATORY and CERN Butterfly Release at 4:30 p.m. ET |
Tuesday, May 9 | LIVE Head to the Hill Congressional Meetings & Wrap-Up |
Explore the Q&A below to learn more about this event and how you can get involved.
Yes. Head to the Hill attendees can book a room in our block through the Hyatt Regency Bethesda. The final date to reserve a room in the hotel block is Friday, April 14.
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.
The scholarship application window has now closed. If you have any additional questions regarding Head to the Hill, 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.
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.
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.
Join NBTS this year as we advocate for the brain tumor community and affect the lives of the estimated 1 million Americans living with a brain tumor today and those who will be diagnosed in the future. Your voice matters. By sharing your story with your elected officials and their staff at Head to the Hill this May, you ensure policymakers know this is an important issue to their constituents.
Have a question about Head to the Hill? Contact us.