NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2026 - The National Kidney Foundation (NKF), KidneyCare (Community Access to Research Equity)® Study has been selected as a nominee for the Inaugural Prix Galien Patient First Award in Honor of Michael J. Fox by The Galien Foundation, the premier global institution recognizing groundbreaking achievements in the life sciences.
This newly introduced award recognizes excellence in clinical research, clinical trials, and patient-centered care improvement initiatives that embody the principle "No decision for me without me." The winners will be announced during the Galien Patient Summit on October 29, 2026, at the New York Academy of Medicine in New York City.
The NKF KidneyCARE Study was created as the first national, longitudinal research platform designed to capture the experiences and health information of people living with kidney disease of all kinds and all stages. This registry brings together patient-reported health information and experiences, health-related quality of life measures, and clinical information from electronic health records. This unique combination of data allows researchers to examine not only what happens to people with kidney disease clinically, but also how patients feel, function, and survive with their disease. The Study provides participants with an enriched experience through a Patient Portal offering kidney disease education, clinical trial information, research updates, and connections to NKF programs and support.
"We are honored to be among the distinguished nominees for the Inaugural Prix Galien Patient First Award”, Kerry Willis, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, regarding the KidneyCARE Study. “The National Kidney Foundation's KidneyCARE Study is designed to capture the experience of living with kidney disease, and to elevate its importance in clinical decision-making. This nomination will provide an opportunity to introduce our dynamic patient-centered research platform to a wider audience and showcase its potential to improve care and outcomes in other chronic conditions.”
In its first year, the Patient First Award will be granted to the winning nominee in honor of Michael J. Fox, an actor, author, and advocate who launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 after publicly disclosing his diagnosis with Parkinson's disease. Mr. Fox is also the Prix Galien USA 2025 recipient of the Roy Vagelos Pro Bono Humanum Award, which recognizes an individual's outstanding efforts to improve the human condition through the application of pharmaceutical science to problems of developing or underserved populations worldwide.
"We are truly inspired by this year's nominees, who are striving to prioritize patient care and wellbeing in response to the toughest health challenges," said Bruno Cohen, Chairman of the Galien Foundation. "While there is more work to be done to ensure that patient voices rise above the noise, we are confident that these nominees are proof of hope and innovation across the global health ecosystem."
The Prix Galien Patient First Award Committee comprises 12 distinguished leaders including prominent policymakers and representatives across patient advocacy and life sciences. Judges evaluated submissions that demonstrated excellence in initiatives that:
- Are led by patient organizations or embed patient voices directly into clinical trial design, recruitment, and execution
- Integrate lived experience into research priorities, protocols, and outcome measures
- Advance patient-centered quality improvement in real-world care delivery
- Demonstrate transparency, equity, and trust in patient partnerships
- Translate research into meaningful improvements in patient outcomes and quality of life
About Kidney Disease
In the United States, CKD remains an under-recognized public health burden that impacts 1 in 7 adults, and 90 percent of those affected are unaware of their condition. Approximately 1 in 3 U.S. adults are at risk for CKD, but less than 20% are assessed with guideline-recommended testing, eGFR and uACR. Risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People of Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. Black or African American people are about four times as likely as White people to develop kidney failure. Hispanic and Native American people experience kidney failure at approximately double the rate of White people.
About the National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation is revolutionizing the fight to save lives by eliminating preventable kidney disease, accelerating innovation for the dignity of the patient experience, and dismantling structural inequities in kidney care, dialysis, and transplantation. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org.
Media Contact:
Jade Rivera-McFarlin
413-537-1155
Jade.RiveraMcFarlin@kidney.org
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