Global Summit on Kidney Disease at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences Engages Huge Worldwide Audience of Patients and Professionals

5/28/2019 10:02:02 AM

(MENAFN- PR Newswire)
WASHINGTON, May 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) and the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS) Division of Kidney Diseases and Hypertension hosted the Inaugural Global Summit on Innovations in Patient-Centered Kidney Care on May 21-23, 2019 at the George Washington University campus in Washington, D.C. AAKP is the largest and oldest fully independent patient education and advocacy organization in the United States. Conference sponsors included Amgen, Inc.; CareDx; and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.

The conference was livestreamed worldwide and gained an audience of patients, caregivers and medical professionals in over 25 countries. Online engagement included viewers in South Korea, Malaysia, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Philippines, Singapore, Netherlands, India, Nigeria, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Chile, Zambia, Australia, Sweden France, Germany, Ireland, Canada, Columbia, the United Kingdom, China and Russia. In 2018, following an AAKP presentation on kidney disease and care ethics at the United Nations, AAKP launched a Global Patient Ambassador program that has rapidly expanded to include patient social media influencers in over 20 countries and the Global Summit livestream audience will be enveloped into the program.

The Global Summit co-hosted by AAKP and GW SMHS invited top international experts in kidney care including thirty-five presentations from twenty-four organizations representing patient advocates, top regulatory officials from the U.S. government, entrepreneurs, investors, medical professionals, academic researchers and industry leaders. Speakers highlighted comprehensive efforts to incorporate real world data, patient reported outcomes and patient preference information in their respective efforts to develop new biologics, diagnostics and devices aimed at earlier care interventions, pre-emptive transplantation and implantable and wearable medical devices for patients with end-stage kidney disease. All presentations will be made available later by AAKP via the AAKP website ( www.aakp.org ) and via social media at Facebook @kidneypatient and Twitter @kidneypatients.

AAKP President Richard Knight, a transplant recipient and former U.S. Congressional staffer and liaison to the Congressional Black Caucus stated, "AAKP and George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences are fully committed to equipping kidney patients across the globe with the kidney disease knowledge they need to exercise their choice in care including new therapies to delay disease progression, pre-emptive transplantation and innovations like wearable and implantable devices that will allow patients to become more independent."

Global Summit Co-Chair and Chief of the Division of Kidney Diseases and Hypertension at the GW, Dominic Raj MD, FACP, FASN said, "Two organizations seeped in history came together to advocate for transforming kidney care by bringing together major stakeholders in kidney care including physicians, scientists, policy makers and patient advocates". He further reflected, "The first lifesaving dialysis was performed in GW hospital as early as 1956 and we continue the rich tradition of research education and patient-centered medicine."

AAKP Chair of Policy and Global Affairs Paul T. Conway, a Global Summit Co-Chair, stated, "The human aspiration to live freely and fully contribute to society is universal and kidney patients worldwide reject the idea that a lack of access to modern innovations and treatments, or barriers caused by their governments, should limit their lives. AAKP knows informed kidney patient consumers are the most powerful force for disrupting the status quo in kidney care policy and the most effective allies for government officials, private sector leaders and researchers working to develop patient-centered innovations that will protect and extend their lives."

AAKP Executive Director Diana Clynes said, "AAKP and George Washington University have been strong partners over the last four years and this collaborative event is the launch of an annual partnership aimed at bringing together all sectors of the kidney community both nationally and internationally to advance discussion on a global level and address the growing need for early detection and innovation for kidney diseases."

To view the event agenda and speaker list visit:https://aakp.org/global-summit/ . To sign-up to be alerted when the livestream videos are available post-event, please contact: or (813) 400-2394.

About Global Summit Partners:

American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) is celebrating its 50th Anniversary as the oldest and largest fully independent kidney patient organization in the United States. AAKP patients led the effort in the U.S. Congress and with senior White House officials to establish the End Stage Renal Disease Program in 1973, which has saved over a million lives through dialysis coverage. AAKP fights for patient care choice, early detection; increased kidney transplantation and pre-emptive transplantation; protection of the patient/physician relationship; promotion of research and innovation; and the elimination of barriers for patient access to available treatment options.

George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences Founded in 1824, the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) is the 11th oldest medical school in the country and the first in the nation's capital. Since its establishment, the school has been at the forefront of medical education and has grown to include highly-ranked programs in the health and biomedical sciences. With dozens of top-tier residency programs, SMHS is a competitive and esteemed destination for medical school graduates across the country. Today, students and residents are exposed to some of the most innovative educational techniques, taught by world-renowned faculty members, in state-of-the-art facilities.

MEDIA CONTACT: Deborah Pelaez Marketing & Communications Manager(813) 400-2394

SOURCE American Association of Kidney Patients