WASHINGTON – Kidney Care Partners (KCP) – the nation’s leading kidney care multi-stakeholder coalition representing patient advocates, physician organizations, health professional groups, dialysis providers, researchers, and manufacturers – today announced that LaVarne A. Burton has been selected by her peers to succeed Mahesh Krishnan, MD, MPH, MBA as Chair-Elect of the organization.

Burton serves as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the American Kidney Fund (AKF), a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to fight kidney disease and help people live healthier lives. Burton is the immediate past Chair of the National Health Council Board of Directors, an advocacy organization for the more than 133 million people in the U.S. with chronic diseases and disabilities and their family caregivers.

“With more than 1 in 7 American adults living with kidney disease and more than 800,000 people in the United States with kidney failure, it’s clear that kidney diseases are a major public health concern that demand our urgent attention,” said LaVarne Burton. “It’s a privilege to be elected to serve in this role. I look forward to collaborating with coalition members to achieve our shared mission to improve the quality of care, choice, and access for people living with kidney diseases.”

Burton previously served as Executive Secretary to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she managed policy development and regulations. Prior to that, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget Policy at HHS and as Senior Analyst to the Budget Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, advising the Committee on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other health programs.

LaVarne Burton will assume the position of Chair-Elect in December 2023, as current Chair-Elect Mahesh Krishnan, MD, MPH, MBA, Group Vice President Growth and New Initiatives at DaVita, will succeed to Chair of Kidney Care Partners. With a wealth of clinical and research credentials, Krishnan will help the coalition continue to support the use of innovative treatments to ensure that kidney care is being provided efficiently and effectively to patients nationwide.

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