I’m well into my first year as a JELF Scholar and I’m doing all that I can to make the most of this opportunity! I’m fresh off my very first in-person Hill Day experience at the U.S. Capitol, where I met with congressional offices from Georgia and North Carolina to discuss advocacy priorities of the ASPN. These priorities included increasing funding for the NIH and the Pediatric subspecialty Loan Repayment Program, specifically advocating for a proportionate increase in funding for the NIDDK, asking Congress to include report language in the FY 2027 Labor-HHS appropriations report directing the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on the federal levers impacting the pediatric nephrology workforce, preventing further expansion of the use of multi-year funding of grants, advocating for increased access to vaccines while urging senators and representatives to support congressional oversight over the changes made by the CDC and ACIP, and advocating for members of Congress to support a Dear Colleague letter backing the extension of the pediatric add-on payment for pediatric dialysis units while requesting that CMS update the hospital cost report forms to include pediatric-specific information. My Hill Day partner and I spoke with staffers in five offices throughout the day and had very productive conversations with each of them. They were especially stunned to hear how dire our workforce shortage is and how pursuing pediatric nephrology as a career can decrease our lifetime earnings compared to a general pediatrician. The experience was overall a gratifying one!
To strengthen my advocacy efforts for vaccine access, I joined the vaccine advocacy working group within the PPC where I’ve gotten the opportunity to not only review official statements released by the ASPN in support of the AAP’s vaccine schedule, but to also virtually meet with congressional offices to reiterate the safety, efficacy, and importance of vaccines, especially for pediatric patients with CKD and ESKD. Additionally, I’ve continued to attend and engage in the monthly PPC calls, as well as the JELF Scholars Webinars where we’ve listened to presentations on social media advocacy, how to be a civic advocate as a healthcare professional, and how advocacy is inextricably linked to research funding. My knowledge in health policy has continuously been fortified with the “Understanding Health Policy: A Clinical Approach” book that the JELF program provided us with when we first started. I’m very much looking forward to attending the AAP Advocacy Conference this year, where I’ll be able to engage in advocacy skills-building workshops designed to help us become more effective advocates for children, listen to guest speakers with extensive experience in this domain, and meet with congressional offices to discuss key issues impacting the health of children!
In the midst of all the overwhelming and often frustrating news updates that we get on a daily basis, it has been incredibly helpful and uplifting to be part of a group of people dedicated to making a positive impact on our community and the children we care for. Although it often feels like we are fighting an uphill battle with medical misinformation, the erosion of trust in our public health infrastructure, attacks on the delivery of equitable care, and threats to cut research funding, I do try and hang on to glimmers of hope when they appear such as the advancement of the Living Donor Protection Act by the Senate HELP committee, the extension of Medicare telehealth flexibilities until the end of 2027, and the modest increases or level funding for the programs prioritized by the ASPN in the FY 2026 Labor-HHS appropriations bill. I am looking forward to continuing my advocacy efforts as a JELF Scholar and taking advantage of all the opportunities that will be afforded to me in this program!
Author: Christel Wekon-Kemeni, MD
Emory University and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Posted: April 6, 2026