Nashville, TN – The American Association of Kidney Patients’ (AAKP) National Patient Meeting opens Friday, September 25, 2015. The Meeting, themed, Spotlighting Kidney Health, is a collaborative effort with support from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the Tennessee Kidney Foundation, Home Dialysis United, End-Stage Renal Disease Network 8, Inc, the Northwest Renal Network and TransplantFirst Academy.
The AAKP National Patient Meeting will host over 25 distinguished panelists and speakers, including top faculty from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, as well as health care professionals, researchers, patient experts and public policy leaders from across the nation. Dr. Doug Johnson, Vice Chairman, of Dialysis Clinic, Inc. will serve as opening, keynote speaker. Dr. Johnson will focus his keynote presentation on Improving Your Care at Every Stage of Kidney Disease.
Patients and their caregivers will have an opportunity to learn the latest scientific research regarding kidney disease, educate themselves on advances in new treatment modalities including advances in home hemodialysis and receive training in new strategies and tactics designed to improve their ability to impact Federal and state legislation and policies that determine the healthcare they receive. Nurses, social workers and dieticians can earn up to 10.5 continuing education credits.
The meeting agenda includes topics for both patients and healthcare professionals:
- The Future is Now – Innovations and Changes in Treatment and Care
- The Kidney Disease Self-Management Toolbox
- Understanding and Communicating with Your Healthcare Team about Your Healthcare Plan
AAKP recently announced it will live stream its public policy session, Under the U.S. Capitol Dome: Issues Impacting Your Healthcare, taking place Friday, September 25th from 10:15am – 11:15am CDT. The session will provide an update on key Federal legislation, policies impacting living kidney donors, Federal government efforts to increase patient engagement in healthcare and give tips on how patients and caregivers can engage their elected leaders. The session participants include Paul T. Conway, AAKP President and kidney transplant recipient; Tod Ibrahim, Executive Director of the American Society of Nephrology; Dale Singer, Executive Director of the Renal Physicians Association; and Richard Knight, AAKP Vice President and Chair of Public Policy.
Other Live Stream Sessions:
Friday, Sept. 25 – The Future is Now – Innovations & Changes in Treatment & Care
2:00pm – 3:30pm CDT.
Speakers:
Raymond Hakim, MD Vanderbilt University
William Fissel, MD Vanderbilt University
Rachel Fissel, MD Vanderbilt University
John Scandling, MD Standford University
Clifford Miles, MD Nebraska Medicine
Saturday, Sept. 26 – Patient Engagement & Your Federal Government – Opportunities to Shape Health Outcomes
9:00am – 9:45am CDT.
Speaker: Dr. Carolyn Neuland, Chief, Renal Devices Branch (RNDB) U.S. Food and Drug Administration
AAKP will also unveil the new AAKP Center for Patient Engagement and Advocacy, which will offer online training guides for advocacy as well as the first-ever online certification program for kidney patient advocacy.
AAKP is hosting its Annual Award banquet, Saturday, September 26th. The Association added new national awards designed to recognize the expanded role social media and journalism have as key platforms for educating and engaging kidney patients in the programs and decisions that impact their health outcomes. AAKP will recognize social media savvy advocates, media specialists and journalists who have increased patient education and engagement by using social media, print and video to champion kidney health issues and health policy.
The new awards broaden the time-honored AAKP Annual Awards, which recognize individuals and groups who have contributed to the success and growth of AAKP and the kidney community at large, and whose contributions merit national recognition by patients.
The Meeting will conclude Sunday with the session titled, AAKP Says I Can. Its focus will summarize the theme of the 2015 Patient Meeting, which is providing patients and their caregivers the opportunity to learn the latest scientific researchin kidney disease, educate themselves on advances in new treatment optionsand receive training in new strategies and tactics designed to improve their ability toimpact Federal and state legislation and policiesthat determine the health care they receive.
For more on the AAKP National Patient Meeting, visit www.aakp.org.
Media Contact: Jerome Bailey – jbailey@aakp.org
For media inquiries on-site at the conference, please contact Mr. Bailey at 813-787-7218.
Follow AAKP its social media channels for further updates prior to and during the conference:
On Twitter: @kidneypatients
On Facebook: Kidneypatient
AAKP is a voluntary non-profit organization founded by kidney patients, which for more than 45 years, has been dedicated to improving the quality of life of kidney patients through education, advocacy and the fostering of patient communities. The programs offered by AAKP inform and inspire patients and their families to better understand their condition, adjust more readily to their circumstances, and assume more normal, productive lives in their communities.
