American Association of Kidney Patients

WASHINGTON – – October 31, 2026 -- The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) has awarded U.S. Senator Susan M. Collins of Maine its 2026 National Leadership Award for Science and Medical Innovation, as kidney advocates push Congress to expand research funding by up to $1.8 billion through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Collins chairs the Senate Committee on Appropriations and serves on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), including its Primary Health and Retirement Security Subcommittee. AAKP cited her support for patient-centered policy, American science and organ donation reform.

Washington – September 21, 2026 -- The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) has endorsed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s new appointments to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), following a years-long campaign by the group to force reforms on kidney disease screening policy. AAKP President Edward V. Hickey III said the appointees bring the diverse credentials needed to advance patient-centered medicine after what the organization calls two decades of Task Force inaction on kidney health.

Little Rock, Arkansas – September 17, 2026 -- The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) inducted Pine Bluff advocate Bob Abbott into its newly created Kidney Advocate Hall of Fame on September 10, opening the organization's 51st annual National Patient Meeting in Little Rock, Arkansas.

AAKP launches inaugural Hall of Fame class at Clinton Presidential Center

The induction ceremony took place during AAKP's Policy Forum session at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center, recognizing Abbott alongside medical experts, federal officials, and researchers as part of the Hall of Fame's first cohort. AAKP's tribute cited more than five decades of advocacy work by Abbott, owner and manager of Abbott Enterprises Inc. in Pine Bluff.