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.

Little Rock, Arkansas – September 16, 2026 -- The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) inducted Pine Bluff advocate Bob Abbott into its newly created Kidney Advocate Hall of Fame on September 10, opening the organization's 51st annual National Patient Meeting in Little Rock, Arkansas.