Understanding Your Insurance and Navigating Challenges

Speakers

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  Mike Spigler, MCHES

  Vice President of Patient Support and Education at American Kidney Fund

  Mike Spigler has served as vice president of Patient Support and Education for the American Kidney Fund (AKF) since July 2015. Mr. Spigler oversees a spectrum of programs and services: prevention activities, top-rated health educational resources, clinical research and charitable assistance that enables kidney patients to access lifesaving medical care, including dialysis and transplantation.

  Mr. Spigler has more than 25 years of experience in creating and managing health education programs for a multitude of chronic health conditions, including kidney disease, cancer, food allergies and anxiety disorders.

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  Josie Cooper

  Executive Director at Alliance for Patient Access

  Josie Cooper serves as executive director of the Alliance for Patient Access. At AfPA, Ms. Cooper has worked in stakeholder and clinician mobilization, developing policy and educational strategies to improve patient access to care. Ms. Cooper has a background in communications, research, grassroots organization and campaign politics. Ms. Cooper has worked at the state and national level advising political campaigns and public affairs clients on supporter and stakeholder mobilization. She has worked on major races across the country, from presidential campaigns to Senate and congressional races. Prior to joining AfPA, Ms. Cooper worked for a DC-based consulting firm and for a trade association representing biotechnology companies. 

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  Nichole Jefferson

  AKF Ambassador at American Kidney Fund

  Nichole Jefferson is an AKF Ambassador from Dallas, Texas and has dedicated herself to educating, empowering and uplifting the Black community on the topic of kidney disease. Nichole learned she had kidney disease in 2003 when she crashed into kidney failure. However, she did not learn that she has a rare kidney disease, IgA nephropathy, until 20 years later in 2023 – after doing hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis and receiving a kidney transplant in 2008 and 2020. She has an unwavering commitment to driving change, fostering awareness and amplifying patient voices within the health care landscape. 

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  Cecilie Nelson

  AKF Ambassador at American Kidney Fund

  Diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in 2003, Cecilie Nelson has spent over two decades navigating the physical and emotional challenges of kidney failure. Her condition progressed rapidly in late 2020, when her eGFR dropped from 16 to 7 in just a few weeks, leading her to start dialysis in February 2021. In October 2022, she received a life-saving kidney transplant from a living donor after being on the waitlist since December 2019. In 2024, she underwent follow-up biopsies as part of ongoing monitoring and care.

  Since 2023, Cecilie has served as an Ambassador for both the American Kidney Fund and the National Kidney Foundation. In these roles, she advocates not only for patients living with kidney disease, but also for the caregivers who walk beside them and the living donors who make second chances possible. Her mission is to raise awareness, educate communities, and be a voice for those still waiting, still fighting, and still hoping.