Risa Simon is an award-winning author, speaker, consultant, and preemptive living donor kidney transplant recipient who has dedicated her life to helping fellow kidney patients pursue their best possible transplant outcome.

As Founder and CEO of 1Kidney.org (powered by her non-profit, TransplantFirst Academy), and Simon Says Seminars, inc., Risa’s transforming patient education by empowering individuals to find their voice, self-advocate for better choices, and inspire living kidney donation.

Drawing from her own transplant journey, she’s developed innovative educational resources—including The Donor Seeker® Story Planner & Search Guide for Finding Living Kidney Donors, companion webinars, inspirational kidney patient books and videos—that have helped kidney patients and transplant centers rethink what’s possible.

Whether she’s speaking, mentoring, writing, or collaborating with national kidney organizations, Risa’s mission remains the same:
To help her fellow kidney patients live longer, healthier lives.

Today, you can find Risa paying it forward with her heart strapped to her sleeves as she leads the way to better outcomes.

What they’re saying: “Risa continues to be a valuable partner for us as she is continuously developing innovative ways to engage with patients.”
“Risa has dedicated her extraordinary talent to bridging the gap by creating accessible materials to help patients pursue living donation.”