A week of information, empowerment and community: AKF's 2025 Kidney Action Week®

From March 3-7, the American Kidney Fund (AKF) held its sixth annual Kidney Action Week®. Each day of this weeklong, free virtual event featured a series of moderated expert panel sessions covering key topics such as dialysis, kidney disease prevention, kidney-friendly eating, transplant and innovation in kidney care. Through Kidney Action Week, AKF aims to equip people with practical tools they can use to better their kidney health and enhance their lives. 

Hundreds of people across the country joined us throughout the week for Kidney Action Week 2025 for 18 information-packed sessions! This year, we also introduced exciting new features to the event like kidney disease trivia and mission-moment videos, which provided participants with stories and experiences from the kidney community while keeping them engaged during breaks between live sessions. 

Did you miss this year's Kidney Action Week? Don't worry! All sessions were recorded and can be viewed at your leisure at KidneyActionWeek.org or on AKF's YouTube channel. 

With so much great information, it may be hard to figure out where to start. Here are a few sessions you may be interested in watching:

Managing Resistant High Blood Pressure in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients 

Resistant hypertension (a type of high blood pressure that is difficult to control) is common in patients living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and has been linked to an increased risk for cardiovascular (heart) events and kidney failure. In this session, Dr. Jordana Cohen and Dr. Swapnil Hiremath provided an in-depth description of the connection between resistant hypertension and CKD. Some points they addressed included:

• Challenges in diagnosing and managing resistant hypertension in CKD patients
• Shared practical strategies for measuring blood pressure accurately
• Emerging research in therapies, including medicine for blood pressure management
• The importance of a multidisciplinary approach to improve patient outcomes and to make informed treatment outcomes

The Power of Participation: Diversifying Clinical Research to Advance Kidney Health 

Precision medicine tailors disease prevention and treatment based on individual genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors, with the goal of delivering the right treatments to the right patients at the right time. An important part of precision medicine is testing treatments in clinical trials. In this information session, Dr. Camille (Pope) Campbell and Dr. Joshua Denny emphasized the importance of diversifying research and clinical trial participation to advance kidney health. They also discussed ways to drive meaningful change and create more inclusive representation in research.

Attendees learned how their involvement in clinical research can:

• Shape the future of research and innovations in chronic kidney disease
• Improve treatment outcomes of chronic kidney disease
• Ensure that research addresses the diverse needs of all patients

Congressional Briefing – Genetic Testing: Is It the Right Choice for You?

Did you know that 1 in 5 cases of kidney disease is linked to a genetic factor? Genetic testing, along with genetic counseling, can help you and your health care providers understand why you have kidney disease and guide your treatment options. A staple of Kidney Action Week, this year's Congressional Briefing addressed genetic causes of kidney disease, who should consider testing and the benefits of genetic testing and counseling. Attendees heard from AKF Ambassador Jorden Albright, who lives with APOL1-mediated kidney disease; AKF Ambassador and transplant recipient, John Bayton; pediatric nephrologist Dr. Ashima Gulati and genetic counselor and past president of the National Society of Genetic Counselors Gillian Hooker. Together they provided perspectives from those who have received genetic counseling, those who provide genetic counseling and those who have questions about the process. 

In addition to the panel of speakers, Rep. Adrian Smith from Nebraska joined the session via a special recorded message. Rep. Smith introduced the Access to Genetic Counselor Services Act in the last Congress. This bill would change Medicare law so the program would recognize genetic counselors as health care providers who can be reimbursed directly by Medicare. 

Behind the Diagnosis: Unique Experiences from Patients with Rare Kidney Diseases 

In this session, attendees heard firsthand from patients, Emani McConnell-Brent, Nichole Jefferson and Kevin Schnurr, and parent caregiver, Jill Goodrich from the Dent Disease Foundation, about their personal journeys with kidney disease — from what led to a diagnosis to the challenges they faced afterward. They also shared how undiagnosed, misdiagnosed or newly diagnosed patients can navigate the overwhelming changes in their lives. 

These are just four of the 18 sessions from an inspiring Kidney Action Week. Be sure to visit the Kidney Action Week website to learn more or watch each session.

And be sure to join us for Kidney Action Week 2026, which will be held in March (Kidney Month)! 

Kidney Action Week was made possible by the generosity of Event Sponsors Travere Therapeutics, Inc. and U.S. Renal Care, Track Sponsors Boehringer Ingelheim, CorMedix Inc. and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; and Session Sponsors AstraZeneca plc and Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.