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VIRGINIA GOVERNOR GLENN YOUNGKIN APPOINTS KIDNEY PATIENT AND TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT PAUL T. CONWAY AS CHAIR OF THE COMMONWEALTH’S RENAL DISEASE COUNCIL

AAKP STATEMENT:

VIRGINIA GOVERNOR GLENN YOUNGKIN APPOINTS KIDNEY PATIENT AND TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT PAUL T. CONWAY AS CHAIR OF THE COMMONWEALTH’S RENAL DISEASE COUNCIL

Washington, D.C.:  The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), the largest and oldest independent kidney patient organization in the United States, issued the following statement by AAKP President Edward V. Hickey, III, USMC, regarding the appointment by Commonwealth of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin of Paul T. Conway, AAKP's Chair of Policy and Global Affairs, to serve as Chair of the Commonwealth’s Renal Disease Council:

"AAKP has tremendous respect and appreciation for Governor Glenn Youngkin and his decision to name kidney patient and transplant recipient Paul T. Conway to serve as Chair of the Commonwealth’s Renal Disease Council. Paul is an optimist with deep empathy for all patients, and their caregivers, impacted by the unique burdens and risks associated with kidney diseases, and he understands it is a complex healthcare and workforce issue. He is a tireless advocate for patient care choice, greater innovation, and patient-centered care including prevention education, increased organ donation and transplantation, and timely access to therapies that increase patient independence, including home dialysis. He has a demonstrated ability to build consensus around principled policy solutions, expert knowledge of the kidney care ecosystem, and is unafraid to challenge the status quo on behalf of both patient consumers and taxpayers.”

Hickey is a kidney patient and attorney with professional experience as a senior staff member on Capitol Hill and appointed service under two presidents. He is also Chair of AAKP’s Veteran’s Health Initiative, and is involved with veteran service organizations aiding homeless veterans and advancing protections for their earned legal rights and benefits.

Governor Youngkin also appointed to the Renal Disease Council AAKP’s Virginia Ambassador Ms. Kelly Cline, a caregiver and long-time kidney patient and family advocate, and Ms. Renée Bova-Collis, a former member of the AAKP Board of Directors and the Patient Services Director at Quality Insights Mid-Atlantic Renal Coalition.

Conway lives in Falls Church, Virginia, and is a former president of AAKP. He has managed kidney disease for forty-two years, including three years on home peritoneal dialysis and, for the past twenty-five years, with a kidney transplant. He received his transplant from a deceased organ donor in 1997 at the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University (MCV/VCU) Hume-Lee Transplant Center. His public service career includes past service in Virginia as a Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and a member of both the Board of Health Professions and the Secure Commonwealth Panel (click here for a complete bio).

Conway’s kidney advocacy honors include the American Society of Nephrology’s (ASN) President's Medal for policy work before Congress and the White House, and the President's Lifetime Achievement Award for volunteer service to the larger kidney community. He serves on the boards of the Kidney Health Initiative (KHI), the U.S. Renal Data System (USRDS), and is a Patient Editor for the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). Over the past decade, he has chaired multiple technical evaluation panels on patient-driven dialysis and transplant quality measures for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), served on multiple advisory committees of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and has participated in patient-centered research efforts for the U.S. Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Administration (VA). He is a founder and Co-Chair of the annual Global Summit on Kidney Disease Innovations, an AAKP partnership with the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, which engages patients, medical experts, and private sector innovation leaders across more than 90 countries.

Professionally, at the federal level, Conway has served under three presidents and in support of five presidential transitions. His federal awards include the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary's Silver Medal for exceptionally meritorious service to America. His prior federal posts include Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Labor; Chief of Staff at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management; Interim Federal Coordinator and Chief of Staff at the DHS Office of Gulf Coast Rebuilding; and Special Assistant at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

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About the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP):  Founded in 1969, AAKP patient members helped establish the End Stage Renal Disease program through advocacy before U.S. Congress and the White House from 1971-1973. Over the past decade, AAKP patients have helped gain lifetime transplant drug coverage for kidney transplant recipients (2020); new patient-centered policies via the White House Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health (2019); new job protections for living organ donors from the U.S. Department of Labor (2018); and Congressional legislation authorizing HIV-positive organ transplants for HIV-positive patients (2013). AAKP virtual platforms and social networks are internationally known for their impact. Follow AAKP on social media at @kidneypatient on Facebook and @kidneypatients on Twitter, and visit www.aakp.org for more information.