David M. White
When I heard the words "your kidneys are no longer working" during an emergency room visit in 2009, I was not ready or willing to accept the news. My first six months as a dialysis patient were challenging and scary, and I am fortunate to have a loving family and support system that did not give up on me when I tried to give up on myself.
A care plan meeting in 2010 changed my attitude and my future. My dialysis care team worked with me to develop a plan of care that empowered me to reach my full potential as a person living with a serious illness. Most importantly, I was told I had to own the plan for it to work. Thankfully, I listened, took charge of my health, and eventually thrived on dialysis before receiving a kidney transplant from a deceased donor in 2015.
I serve as an Expert Advisory Panelist with the Kidney Transplant Collaborative, on the National Committee for Quality Assurance?s Committee on Performance Measurement, am a Founding Member of the Alliance for Person-Centered Care, and am a Voting Member of the FDA?s Patient Engagement Advisory Committee, its first and only advisory committee whose members are all patients, caregivers, and representatives of patient organizations. I serve or have served in leadership roles with the American Association of Kidney Patients, the Kidney Health Initiative, the Light Collective, the Patient Advocate Foundation and the National Patient Advocate Foundation, PCORI, Quality Insights Renal Network 5, and the Veterans Transplantation Association.
I believe the best way to eliminate disparities in health outcomes is to empower communities to take collective responsibility for their own well-being.