AAKP: O’Melveny’s Edward Hickey Receives Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for Exemplary Kidney Patient Advocacy

Edward V. Hickey III, O’Melveny’s Director of Staff Attorneys, has been recognized by President Joseph R. Biden with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for exceptional contributions to The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) and the wider kidney community. Representing the highest level of recognition within the U.S. Presidential Volunteer Service Awards, the highly competitive and non-partisan national award recognizes an exemplary level of volunteerism to build a stronger nation through volunteer service, including the investment of thousands of hours of personal time and professional expertise.

In its announcement, AAKP praised the six 2022 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award recipients as “nationally known advocates deeply involved in efforts to impact kidney science, innovation, and policy through collaborations with top kidney scientists, elected and appointed leaders, federal agencies, investors, major companies and startups, and nearly every major academic research center and university involved in kidney research.”

AAKP is a driver behind greater national and global patient care choice and access to new therapies to delay disease progression, stop kidney failure, and increase kidney transplantation, including pre-emptive transplants, wider utilization of home dialysis, and the rapid development of safe, artificial implantable and wearable organs. According to the organization, AAKP’s policy achievements have included lifetime transplant drug coverage for kidney transplant recipients; new patient-centered policies via the White House Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health; new job protections for living organ donors from the U.S. Department of Labor; and Congressional legislation allowing HIV-positive organ transplants for HIV-positive patients.

Prior to receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, Hickey received a U.S. Presidential Volunteer Service Award in 2020. His current and past leadership roles with AAKP include Vice President, Chair of the Veterans Health Initiative, and Liaison to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Additionally, Hickey has served as Reviewer for the U.S. Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hickey was a member of the Judging Panel for the KidneyX COVID-19 Kidney Care Challenge, an innovative effort by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and American Society of Nephrology to engage a community of researchers, innovators, and investors to collaborate on breakthrough solutions to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 among people with kidney disease and/or reduce the risk of kidney damage among people who contract the virus. He also co-authored the scholarly article, “COVID-19 and Palliative Care,” published in the Clinical Journal for the American Society of Nephrology.

At O'Melveny, in addition to leading all staff attorney operations firmwide, Hickey is Co-Chair of O’Melveny Salute, the firm’s veterans advisory group with more than 50 members representing all branches of the military. The role is befitting of his lifelong professional and volunteer record of service in support of the military community, as well as his status as a veteran U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer.

Prior to joining O’Melveny, Hickey held high-level public service positions that intersected with national security and veteran issues, including senior staff roles on Capitol Hill and under two presidential administrations.