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The American Society of Nephrology is calling on nephrologists to step up their advocacy game. At ASN Kidney Week, ASN president Dr. Samir Parikh highlighted landmark wins in kidney policy — from a new HHS Kidney Care National Plan to the Honoring Our Living Donors Act — while urging the field to embrace innovation and fight for research funding, fair reimbursement, and workforce protections.
At the ASN Kidney Week opening plenary in Denver, ASN president Dr. Samir Parikh made a clear call to action: now is the time for nephrologists to engage in advocacy. With major decisions being made in Washington — on research funding, visa policies, and Medicare reimbursement — Parikh argued that the stakes for the specialty and its patients have never been higher.
Parikh spotlighted a string of wins for the kidney community in 2026, including the launch of the HHS Kidney Care National Plan (focused on preventing kidney failure, improving dialysis, and expanding donor access), the enactment of the Honoring Our Living Donors Act, and the establishment of the KidneyX Empower Prize. ASN also joined the AMA House of Delegates, a move Parikh framed as a strong signal of the specialty's growing influence.
On the research front, ASN's Transforming Kidney Health Research initiative — backed by more than 30 kidney organizations — is pushing for a "kidney research moonshot," with a target of $1.8 billion in annual federal investment over the next decade. Meanwhile, ASN is actively fighting proposed H-1B visa fees that could hit nephrology hard, given that international medical graduates make up roughly half the nephrologist workforce.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: Nephrology is at a crossroads — exciting scientific advances are colliding with workforce shortages, funding uncertainty, and immigration policy headwinds. The field's ability to advocate effectively now could shape kidney care for a generation.
