Advocacy & Public Policy

Kidney Health Advocacy

A Message From ASN President Prabir Roy-Chaudhury, MD, PhD, FASN

Dear Colleague:

I am pleased to share this month's advocacy updates from the American Society of Nephrology (ASN). Despite the federal government's shutdown, ASN continued to advance kidney health by bolstering kidney research in at least five ways:

1.     Partnered with Satellite Healthcare to Endow the Norman and Sandra Coplon Research Scholar Grant

Established with a $2 million donation from Satellite Healthcare and a matching $2 million donation from ASN, the Norman and Sandra Coplon Research Scholar Grant will be awarded annually by KidneyCure (the ASN Foundation) beginning in 2026. Named for the founder of Satellite Healthcare and his wife, the Transition to Independence Grant honors Norman and Sandra Coplon's commitment to improving the quality of life for people living with kidney diseases. KidneyCure is dedicated to keeping talented investigators in the field of nephrology and on track to making groundbreaking discoveries. The foundation distributes approximately $3 million annually to clinicians, researchers, fellows, and educators.

2.     Launched the KidneyCure Bridge Grants Program

To help sustain researchers affected by federal funding cuts and changes in payment policy by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), KidneyCure has committed up to $6 million in additional funding over three years. The KidneyCure Bridge Grant is a single payment of $100,000 to bridge NIH applicants to future NIH funding support who:

·       Submitted as a contact principal investigator (PI) a kidney-focused proposal to a NIH R01 Research Project Funding Opportunity with deadlines between October 5, 2024, and June 1, 2025.

·       Received an overall impact score ranked within the top 15th percentile.

·       Were not awarded a grant.

3.     Partnered on Americans for Medical Research, a National Non-Partisan Campaign

Coordinated with Research!America, Americans for Medical Research aims to activate key constituencies to contact their Congressional delegation in support of federally funded research. ASN members are invited to participate in the campaign by visiting the campaign's website and sharing how you have been impacted by NIH funding cuts or general budget uncertainty, and how your research illustrates why federal funding for medical and health research is crucial. To learn more and get involved, please visit www.americansformedicalresearch.org/sciencesocieties.

4.     Released Transforming Kidney Health Research: A Research Agenda for the Future.

Under ASN's leadership, the Transforming Kidney Health Research initiative brought together the kidney community—including the American Association of Kidney Patients, American Kidney Fund, American Society of Pediatric Nephrology, and National Kidney Foundation—to examine how the nation can reimagine kidney research. The report calls for the federal government to provide $1.8 billion annually over the next decade for kidney research to develop scalable therapies and innovation, and details five interconnected priorities that, together, can transform the nation's approach to kidney health. Reflecting broad collaboration with federal agencies, research institutions, and nonprofit partners, the report provides a unified research agenda to help the United States achieve a bold vision: a future without kidney failure.

5.     Supported International Medical Graduates (IMGs)

As the nephrology specialty relies heavily on IMGs, ASN has prioritized immigration advocacy to ensure access to kidney care and quality kidney research across the country. ASN commented on a proposed rule by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) titled "Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking to File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions". ASN strongly urged DHS to withdraw the proposed rule implementing a weighted selection process for H-1B visas and to maintain the current process for H-1B visas.

I am also proud to share that following sustained advocacy from ASN—independently and in partnership with the National Kidney Foundation, the Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health, and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners—the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final National Coverage Determination (NCD) on October 28, 2025, to provide Medicare coverage for renal denervation, a minimally invasive procedure to treat uncontrolled hypertension. The decision follows extensive clinical evidence demonstrating durable reductions in blood pressure and represents an important step toward expanding treatment options for patients struggling with high blood pressure.

Finally, I look forward to seeing you next week at ASN Kidney Week 2025 in Houston, TX. Continuing the theme of bolstering research to advance kidney health, I'm absolutely thrilled that the opening plenary session on Thursday, November 6, will—for the first time in history—include the results of two featured clinical trials:

·       "Finerenone in CKD and Type 1 Diabetes."

·       "ORIGIN 3: A Phase 3 Trial of Atacicept in IgAN."

If you haven't registered for the world's premier nephrology meeting, there's still time. Please visit https://www.asn-online.org/education/kidneyweek.

And as you prepare for ASN Kidney Week 2025, I encourage all members to participate in the policy-focused sessions and events offered throughout the meeting. I have selected out a few ASN Kidney Week 2025 sessions and events that provide important opportunities to engage directly with experts, learn about the latest developments in health policy, and strengthen ASN's collective voice on issues that affect the future of nephrology research, education, and patient care.

As always, I thank you for your commitment to the patients, research, and policies that define our field. To stay up to date on these and other advocacy efforts, please visit ASN's Kidney Health Advocacy page. Your involvement is critical to advancing kidney health through advocacy.

Sincerely,

Prabir Roy-Chaudhury, MD, PhD, FASN
President

Advocating for Transformative Change

ASN—both individually and as a member of healthcare, medical, and scientific coalitions—routinely engages Congress and the Trump Administration, advocating for policies to create transformative changes in kidney health. ASN relies on its Health Care Justice Committee, Policy and Advocacy Committee, Quality Committee, and Transplant Policy Committee when formulating, prioritizing, and accomplishing annual policy priorities. A summary of ASN's most recent advocacy efforts follows—including for fiscal year (FY) 2026 kidney health research—in reverse chronological order.

Additional Advocacy Resources

February 2025: How Trump's Medical Research Cuts Would Hit Colleges and Hospitals in Every State (New York Times).

Council on Governmental Relations Facilities and Administrative Cost Reimbursement Advocacy Materials.

Association of American Medical Colleges Advocacy Resources on Facilities & Administrative (F&A) Costs:

• A fact sheet outlining key messages and a frequently asked questions overview.
• A comparison of foundations' support for F&A to government support.
• An infographic illustrating what types of expenses are and are not supported by F&A reimbursement.

January 2025: Research!America releases results of national survey showing Americans want President and Congress to assign higher priority to medical progress.