Little Rock – September 04, 2026 -- Kidney patients, family caregivers, and living organ donors can attend a four-day national meeting on kidney disease treatment and transplants at no cost starting September 10.
The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) is hosting its 51st annual National Patient Meeting from September 10-13 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Admission and meals are free, with pre-registration available online or by calling (800) 749-2257.
The event opens with a policy forum at the Clinton Presidential Center
The gathering begins Thursday, September 10, with AAKP's Public Policy Forum at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center, running 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Central Time. Doors open at noon with complimentary lunch, and the session covers kidney research innovation alongside federal regulatory and reimbursement decisions affecting patients.
The forum revisits ground the organization broke in 2011, when it held a discussion at the same venue linking outdated dialysis care to patient unemployment -- the first time a national kidney group tied care innovation directly to reducing economic dependency and improving survival.
Sessions continue at the Little Rock Marriott through September 13
The meeting shifts to the Little Rock Marriott for September 11-13, with both virtual and in-person registration options. In-person attendees receive complimentary meals throughout.
University of Arkansas experts lead multiple sessions on kidney disease
Dr. John M. Arthur, Chief of the Nephrology Division at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), will present on Cardio Kidney Metabolic (CKM) Syndrome. Dr. Brandi P. Wright, a nephrologist at Jefferson Regional Medical Center, will cover CKM lab values, while Dr. Manisha Singh, Director of Home Dialysis at UAMS, will address rare kidney diseases. Joy Cope, Nursing Director of the Solid Organ Transplant Program at UAMS, will discuss how patients maintain transplant readiness and eligibility.
More than 30 additional experts are scheduled to speak, including Dr. Dominic Raj of George Washington University School of Medicine and Dr. Prabir Roy-Chaudhury, Co-Director of the Kidney Center at the University of North Carolina. Both will address emerging kidney science and care innovations during what AAKP calls the Decade of the Kidney.