JELF Update

The time has come for another cycle of the John E. Lewy Foundation Advocacy Scholars Program! As a member of the most recent cohort, I’ll borrow the words of a fellow “JELF squad” member and say that this has truly been a transformative experience. From learning about the program’s early…

Over the past few months, JELF members have been working hard to keep up with the rapidly changing landscape of healthcare funding and research. We have especially been focusing on proposed cuts to Medicaid. This topic has come into greater focus over the past month when the House Committee on…

As a JELF scholar over the past two years, I have had the privilege of learning how to advocate at the institutional, state, and national levels as a pediatric nephrologist. Through the ASPN JELF seminars and the guidance of my mentorship team, I have partnered with a local grassroots coalition…

February was an eventful month for the JELF community and the ASPN Public Policy Committee. Hill Day was held virtually on February 14 and was well attended by PPC members and Congress representatives. For this Hill Day, we focused on a few main asks relating to appropriations for the 2025…

Systems of power are upheld when people believe they are powerless. In the aftermath of the election season, thoughts of concern for my undocumented patients have frequented my headspace. While there has been longstanding discussion around organ allocation and kidney equity for those who are not US citizens, my internal…