2023
October 2023
FDA Public Meeting: Mitigating Clinical Study Disruptions During Disasters and Public Health Emergencies
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI) invited Valen to serve as a panelist in the moderated panel discussion “Patient Experiences and Perspectives.” This session discussed patient experiences in clinical studies during the COVID-19 pandemic, including barriers and needs for safe enrollment and ongoing participation.
You can view all of the meeting materials and recordings here: Mitigating Clinical Study Disruptions During Disasters and Public Health Emergencies (FDORA) - CTTI (ctti-clinicaltrials.org)
April 2023
Valen partnered with Placer County, CA for the second year in a row to have the dome of the Historic Placer County Courthouse lit blue and green all of April to raise awareness of organ donation during Donate Life Month. She also accepted a proclamation from Placer County and Auburn City, both declaring April as Donate Life Month.
2022
August 2022
Donate Life Hollywood (DLH) Inspire Awards Event, Hollywood, California: Letters of Hope, created by Valen and sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific, was awarded the Donate Life Hollywood Inspire Award at the DLH Inspire Awards Event! Valen and Thermo Fisher were recognized alongside writers and producers in Hollywood – from Chicago Med, Grey’s Anatomy, The Resident, TV Broadcaster Robin Roberts and more – for their authentic and positive organ donation and transplantation storylines. Letters of Hope aims to educate other transplant recipients and society at large about the realities of life before, during, and after transplantation.
August 2022
Live Screening of the Award-Winning Docuseries, Letters of Hope, Los Angeles, California: Letters of Hope was created by Valen and sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific. The first live and virtual screening of the docuseries was hosted by Thermo Fisher in LA. The screening was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Chris McCloskey, Director, Business Development at Thermo. The panel included Valen, Dr. Christopher Lawrence, transplant nephrologist and Sr. Director, Medical Affairs at Thermo as well as transplant patients Phil Shin, and Kadin Hoven and Drew Bierut, the series producer.
During the roundtable discussion, Valen shared her experience as a dual-transplant recipient and discussed how she hopes the docuseries will help educate and inspire patients, caregivers, and the community at large. The other speakers shared how they became their own patient advocates as well as what improvements they would like to see in transplant patient care.
July 2022
Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) People Driven Transplant Metrics Consensus Conference, Bloomington, Minnesota: SRTR brought together representatives from various stakeholder groups to make recommendations for better metrics to support the field of organ donation and transplantation. Valen was honored to be invited to share her firsthand experiences at this important conference, where she joined other transplant patients, living donors, caregivers, researchers, physicians, and other leaders in the community to help develop priorities to expand transplant metrics to better include what is important to transplant patients, donors, and their caregivers.
June 2022
American Transplant Congress (ATC) 2022, Boston, Massachusetts: Valen co-moderated a Thermo Fisher Scientific sponsored symposium at ATC titled: How Emerging Technologies are Filling the Gaps and Positively Impacting Post-Transplant Care. She also contributed her unique patient perspective on this topic helping to illustrate what the promise of cutting-edge science and the use of novel diagnostics means for patients striving to take great care of their transplants and maintain the best quality of life.
April 2022
Light Up Placer Blue & Green for Donate Life Month: Valen partnered with Placer County, CA to have the dome of the Historic Placer County Courthouse lit blue and green all of April to raise awareness of organ donation during Donate Life Month. She hosted a lighting ceremony, where she partnered with Thermo Fisher Scientific and Sierra Donor Services, and gathered the local and transplant community together for an emotional, educational, and empowering program. Placer County presented a proclamation declaring April as Donate Life Month in Placer County and it was a huge success.
March 2022
American Society of Transplantation Virtual Congressional Meetings: Valen virtually joined her hepatologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and others in the transplant community during several meetings with congress to express the importance of the Living Donor Protection Act.
2020
October 2020
Donate Life Hollywood Inspire Awards, a virtual celebration of the best organ donation and transplant storylines in Hollywood. Valen presented the DLH Inspire Award to the creator of New Amsterdam and writer of their episode, “Domino Effect,” for positively and accurately portraying organ donation.
March 2020
Event committee member for Corks for a Cure – Fair Oaks, CA
2019
September 2019
“Dreamer”/model in the DreamWalk Fashion Show - New York City, NY
March 2019
Event committee member for Corks for a Cure - Fair Oaks, CA
2018
March 2018
Event committee member for Corks for a Cure - Fair Oaks, CA
2017
August 2017
Rose bush planting ceremony event in honor of Valen’s 15-year kidney transplant anniversary - Auburn, CA
February 2017
Event committee member for Corks for a Cure - Fair Oaks, CA
2016
February 2016
Event committee member for Corks for a Cure - Fair Oaks, CA
2012
April 2012
Donate Life Blue & Green Day Celebrity photoshoot with Ann Lopez - Beverly Hills, CA
2011
January 2011
Valen decorated the Donate Life Float for the Rose Parade in December 2010 and rode on the float on January 1, 2011. Later in December of 2011 she then went back and decorated the float for January 2012 – Pasadena, CA
2010
March 2010
Coordinated a Renal Education Seminar at the Susan P. Byrnes Health Education Center - York, PA
2009
June 2009
Attended Senate Session as Senator Waugh’s special guest as he adopted Resolution 138 designating September 2009 as PKD Awareness Month in the state of PA in Valen’s honor – York, PA
April 2009
Canadian book launch for Valen’s biography at the flagship Indigo Book Store - Toronto, Canada
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PART 2:
2008-2004
September 2008
United States book launch for Valen’s biography at Yorktowne Farms – York, PA
November 2006
Walked the runway at the Texas Passion for Fashion Show benefiting the PKD Foundation – TX
September 2006
Coordinated the South Central PA Walk for PKD – York, PA
September 2005
Coordinated the South Central PA Walk for PKD – York, PA
September 2004
Coordinated the South Central PA Walk for PKD – York, PA
September 2004
Founded the South Central PA Chapter of the PKD Foundation – York, PA