2026 Conference Speakers

Allison Brown, BSN, RN, CNN, is a Nurse Surveyor with the National Dialysis Accreditation Commission (NDAC), where she evaluates dialysis facilities nationwide for regulatory and accreditation compliance. She brings prior experience as a Facility Administrator with DaVita, with a strong background in clinical operations and survey readiness. Allison has been published multiple times in the Nephrology Nursing Journal and has also contributed to a chapter in the Nephrology Nursing Core Curriculum (forthcoming). She is committed to advancing quality and safety in nephrology care. 

Anne has more than 26 years of experience in medical social work. For thirteen years, Anne Pugh worked as the patient services manager for two End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Networks. Most recently, as the patient services manager for ESRD Network 18, she processed grievances from a patient population of 48,000+ dialysis patients, 23,000+ transplant patients, and provided support to 487 ESRD facilities. She led quality improvement initiatives prescribed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to improve health and care for and with ESRD patients in Southern California.

Prior to that, for thirteen years, she worked as a unit-based dialysis social worker in Hayward, CA. At present, she works halftime as a hospital-based Women and Infants’ social worker for Sutter Health and is forming a private psychotherapy practice centered on coping with chronic disease, pain, and pregnancy/post-partum issues.

She appreciates the opportunity to continue to present and learn from you, while supporting CKCA. She considers herself a “foodie,” and loves spending time with her fiancé, Jason, and their two dachshunds, Jimi Mack and Tinkerbell.

Annmarie has over 40 years of clinical nutrition experience including 27 years working as a renal dietitian, caring for both in-center and home dialysis patients. Her career has included experience as a nutrition support dietitian, research coordinator and member of advisory boards and speakers’ bureaus. She has a passion for education and 
has served as an adjunct professor, preceptor for dietetic interns and new renal dietitians. ​​​​​​​​​​​​

Cameron Lillie-Liberto is a Patient Experience Consultant, speaker, and kidney patient advocate whose perspective on healthcare has been shaped by a lifetime of living with kidney failure. Born with a rare kidney disease that caused his kidneys to fail before birth, Cameron has spent much of his life navigating dialysis, transplantation, and the realities of chronic illness.

What makes Cameron's perspective unique is that he has experienced kidney care from both sides. After spending more than 10,000 hours receiving dialysis treatment as a patient, he later worked as a dialysis technician and modality educator, helping others navigate their treatment options and healthcare decisions.

Today, Cameron partners with healthcare organizations, dialysis providers, and patient advocacy groups to help professionals better understand the patient experience and build more compassionate, patient-centered systems of care. He is the founder of The Dialysis Mindset and leader of the Saddleback Kidney Support Group, where he works to empower people living with kidney disease to find purpose, resilience, and fulfillment despite the challenges they face.

Through a combination of lived experience, professional insight, and authentic storytelling, Cameron challenges audiences to see healthcare through the eyes of the people they serve and inspires meaningful changes that improve both patient experience and outcomes.

Dr. Chatoth is the Chief Medical Officer of Fresenius Kidney Care and serves as Chair of the Pharmaceutical & Therapeutics Committee. He is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Georgia Nephrology, a 16-member physician practice in Atlanta, GA.

Dr. Chatoth has also served in different leadership roles at the Gwinnett Health System in Georgia, including serving as the Chair of the Department of Medicine.

He is also the former Co-Chair of the East Division Medical Advisory Board for Fresenius Medical Care. He has worked with the K-DOQI workgroup for Peritoneal Dialysis and currently serves as a member of the PDOPPS US Advisory Workgroup. He served on the Technical Expert Panel for bone and mineral disorder quality measurement convened by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

He has a keen interest in promoting home dialysis and Hemodiafiltration as modalities of choice for patients requiring renal replacement therapy.

Before joining USRC, she most recently served as Chief Medical Officer of In-Center Dialysis Services and Vice President of Quality and Clinical Programs at Satellite Healthcare, amongst other roles. She provided collaborative oversight of the corporate quality program, developed the organization’s quality strategy with the data analytics teams, and steered clinical improvement programs that improve the lives of those living with kidney disease. Dr. Green also co-managed pharmacy and therapeutics utilization, medical policy, oversight of high acuity admissions, and a broad range of medical-clinical affairs. She now continues many of these activities as part of U.S. Renal Care’s Medical Office. She is a strong advocate for quality and patient-centered care with a focus on physician and patient education.​

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Kristi Foy is a member of the California State Bar. She graduated with honors from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law where she received her Juris Doctor degree. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from UCLA.​ Prior to joining Arnold & Associates, Ms. Foy was employed in the legal department of Western Farm Credit Bank in Sacramento. She also served as a Legislative Intern to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Dr. Odama is a board-certified internist and transplant-trained nephrologist and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow. Dr. Odama is a Physician leader with experience in public health, bioethics, and health policy. She has over 20 years of progressively responsible experience at large-scale clinical health systems, state operations, and federal health policy. Dr. Odama has demonstrated success advising a U.S. Senate HELP & Finance Committee Member on Medicare, Medicaid, Private health insurance, Organ transplantation, Rural health, Chronic diseases, Health Security, and emerging health policy issues, and providing strategic counsel to senior federal and state policymakers. She has served in Physician executive leadership roles in state public health operations and in one of the nation’s largest kidney care organizations, where she led multidisciplinary clinical teams and translated policy into safe, high-quality, accessible health care.

Sarah Crow is the Division Chief over the Medi-Cal Eligibility Division at the Department of Health Care Services. In this role, she leads the implementation of Medi-Cal eligibility policies across the Medi-Cal program, providing direct oversight and monitoring over all Medi-Cal eligibility policy and system operations as it relates to the administration of the Medi-Cal program. Sarah's 20+ year career has focused on the social safety net for California's children and families, and she has held senior and leadership positions in multiple public and non-profit organizations.