“Increasing the supply of kidneys and other organs for transplantation is an urgent national priority – thousands of Americans die each year awaiting an organ,” said AAKP President Brenda Dyson.

TAMPA, Fla. November 9, 2005 -- The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) is pleased to announce Executive Director/CEO Kris Robinson has been appointed by U.S. Health and Human Service (HHS) Secretary Michael O. Leavitt to serve on the HHS Advisory Committee on Organ Transplantation (ACOT). Among other responsibilities, the Committee advises the Secretary on ways to increase both living and deceased organ donation.

“Increasing the supply of kidneys and other organs for transplantation is an urgent national priority – thousands of Americans die each year awaiting an organ,” said AAKP President Brenda Dyson. “Kris Robinson’s professional responsibilities as the top executive of the nation’s kidney patient organization – and her personal experience as a 20-year kidney transplant recipient – will bring a real world patient perspective to that important charge.

HHS has a legal mandate to oversee the nation’s organ donation, procurement, allocation, and transplantation system. ACOT also provides expert input to the Secretary on the latest advances in the science of transplantation, as well as additional medical, ethical, legal and socioeconomic issues relevant to transplantation.

Click here for the ACOT Web site.

AAKP is the voluntary, patient organization, which for more than 35 years, has been dedicated to improving the lives of fellow kidney patients and their families by helping them deal with the physical, emotional and social impact of kidney disease. The programs offeredby AAKP inform and inspire patients and their families to better understand their condition, adjust more readily to their circumstances, and assume more normal, productive lives in their communities.