Terry Litchfield

Terry Litchfield’s role as a patient advocate began in the 1970s with her first job at the National Kidney Foundation. While completing her master’s thesis on rehabilitation in end-stage renal disease (ESRD), “Factors that Influence Success”, she met a very special patient, Bill Litchfield, who had become one of the first dialysis patients in the United States in 1968. Renal replacement therapy sustained her late husband’s life for 46 years, making him the longest surviving dialysis patient in the U.S. Mrs. Litchfield has been an active member of the renal community for 30 years, including her role as co-founder and VP of Clinical Operations at Lifeline Vascular Access (DaVita) and co-founder of RMS Disease Management. Terry continues to shape how patients experience kidney care through her roles in a variety of patient advocacy and engagement groups, including the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), the Kidney Health Initiative’s Patient and Family Partnership Council, and the Dialysis Vascular Access Coalition.