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.

Washington – September 20, 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.