Kidney Patients And Docs Ask Congress To Expand Research And Innovation Amidst COVID-19, Largest American Kidney Organizations Back Strategic Funding for NIH and KidneyX News provided by Share this article Share this article WASHINGTON, April 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), the largest kidney patient organization in America, partnered with the American Society of Nephrology (ASN), the world's largest renal professional organization, to host their 9 th Annual Kidney Health Advocacy Day on April 14th. The event centered on two specific Congressional kidney funding requests, $25 million for the KidneyX, a collaborative between ASN and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and an additional $285 million for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), each designed to accelerate groundbreaking advances in kidney disease research and innovation. Together, the organizations conducted dozens of joint, virtual meetings among key Congressional offices representing twenty-five states. The reach of the Kidney Health Advocacy Day event was further amplified as patients - including many undergoing dialysis treatments in real-time, families, living kidney donors, and renal doctors across the nation, engaged through AAKP's Center for Patient Engagement and Advocacy via smart phones and iPads in a simultaneous contact campaign with Congress. AAKP is a national leader in efforts to expand the impact of patient insight information in all Congressional and federal agency discussions and decisions (read article).