About Us
With the help of the Board of Directors and Advisory Council, the staff of the DPC Education Center is truly dedicated to empowering kidney disease patients through education and bring a diverse set of skills and backgrounds that help sustain our mission.
Hrant joined DPC in April 2011 and has served as the CEO ever since. In this capacity, Hrant directs and oversees all day-to-day operations of the organization including coordinating Board of Directors activities, fundraising, public relations and lobbying.
As the primary spokesperson for the organization and lead advocate for DPC, Hrant has spearheaded numerous successful advocacy efforts, including securing passage of legislation to provide dialysis patients with access to Medicare Advantage; the first disease-specific Accountable Care Organization (ACO); a two-year delay to dialysis funding cuts at the federal level, followed by another three-year adjustment to reimbursement to help stabilize the system; Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) protections for dialysis patients in the health insurance exchanges; removal of prior authorization requirements for dialysis patients with medication coverage in Medicare Part D; and legislative and regulatory victories in more than two dozen states. Hrant also successfully sued the federal government to protect patient access to charitable assistance as the lead plaintiff in DPC v. Burwell.
Formerly the Director of Health Policy for the United Way Worldwide, Hrant brings extensive expertise in formulating and advancing effective health care policies at the national and state levels. Hrant previously served as Director of Congressional and State Relations for the American Pharmacists Association and as Director of Field and State Operations for the American Psychological Association, where he spearheaded a number of successful national advocacy initiatives and grassroots campaigns. He also previously worked at the Armenian Assembly of America, where he led the organization’s membership, grassroots and public relations activities. Hrant received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Catholic University Columbus School of Law as well as his Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Global Health Law from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Hannah oversees the DPC Education Center’s public relations strategy and provides executive support. She works on strategy and execution of communications to the Education Center’s numerous channels, supports business development and fundraising efforts, works to secure meetings with policymakers and potential funders, and helps plan and organize meetings and events. In her previous position, Hannah worked as a project coordinator in global health development, helping to implement projects with USAID and other government aid agencies. She also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Uganda, where she wrote, managed, and reported on a PEPFAR grant to help address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country.
Her educational background is in business administration and marketing, having received her Bachelor’s from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado.
Yolonda Brisbane leads DPC’s grassroots efforts to help elevate the patient voice of 31 million Americans with Chronic Kidney Disease and the half-million patients with kidney failure. Brisbane manages DPC’s grassroots program by organizing and mobilizing our membership and volunteer advocates, developing, and recruiting new patient advocates, assisting in the planning and execution of DPC’s Annual Advocacy Day, and hosting Patient Ambassador training calls.
Prior to coming to Dialysis Patient Citizens, Brisbane dedicated her career to serving and empowering youth, families, and communities throughout New York State. Her advocacy efforts, and program development and implementation skills led to numerous victories for the organizations where she served, including increased funding and resources, and strengthened partnerships with both government and the private sector.
Brisbane began her career as a “Street Worker” with the New York State Office of Children and Family Services and advanced to manage multiple juvenile justice programs before serving in Family Advocacy, and Intergovernmental Relations where she was tapped to spearhead Governor George E. Pataki’s Youth Leadership Congress. In this role, Brisbane mobilized youth ambassadors across the State so that their voices were heard, and they were a part of the local decision-making process, resulting in increased resources and opportunities in their respective communities.
Brisbane continued her grassroots efforts with Boys & Girls Clubs of America where she served at the largest club nationwide and led grant management and program expansion, including a partnership with The White House/Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Brisbane attended the State University of New York College at Brockport where she studied Mass Communications and African American Studies.