TAMPA, Fla. January 22, 2004 – The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) is pleased to announce Morrell M. Avram, MD, of the Long Island College Hospital, in Brooklyn, New York, as its 2004 Medal of Excellence Award recipient. 

The Medal of Excellence is one of AAKP’s most prestigious awards and is in its ninth year of honoring a renal physician who has achieved outstanding success in caring for kidney disease patients. Dr. Avram will be honored at the AAKP Medal of Excellence Award Dinner on Sunday, March 21, 2004, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. The Award Dinner is held in conjunction with the Renal Physicians Association’s Annual Meeting. 

Recognized nationally as a patient advocate, Dr. Avram was among the first to use the artificial kidney to treat a considerable number of patients with kidney failure, including those with diabetic kidney disease.  This led to his establishment of one of the nation’s first kidney centers, the Long Island College Hospital’s Avram Center for Kidney Diseases. This center has long served as an international model of widespread and innovative care.  Due to Dr. Avram’s efforts, this facility is now one of the largest ambulatory treatment centers in the United States. A longtime supporter of patients’ rights, Dr. Avram also established one of the first local patient groups in Brooklyn.

Currently, Dr. Avram is Chief of the Division of Nephrology at Long Island College Hospital and a Professor of Medicine at the State University of New York, Health Science Center at Brooklyn. He is past president and founding member of the New York Society of Nephrology and past president of the New York Regional Renal Disease Network.

Dr. Avram is an accomplished researcher and writer in the field of kidney disease with numerous books and over 150 published papers. A distinguished medical leader, Dr. Avram has been recognized for his vast achievements and contributions to the renal field. He is truly a supporter of kidney patients nationwide.

The Medal of Excellence Award was created to honor a renal physician who has dedicated his or her career to improving the lives of kidney patients. A panel of renal community peers reviewed the nominations and selected Dr. Avram as this year’s recipient of AAKP’s most prestigious award.

Individual Medal of Excellence Award Dinner tickets may be purchased for $125. A 10-person table may be reserved for $1,250. Program book advertisements and event sponsorship opportunities for this prestigious evening are still available. Current sponsors of the Award Dinner are Abbott Renal Care (Gold Sponsor); American Regent, Inc. (Bronze Sponsor); Amgen, Inc. (Platinum Sponsor); Dialysis Clinic, Inc. (Patron Sponsor); Fresenius Medical Care (Bronze Sponsor); Gambro Healthcare, Inc. (Bronze Sponsor); Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals (Patron Sponsor). More information on the Medal of Excellence Award Dinner is available by clicking here or by contacting the AAKP National Office at (800) 749-2257.

Past Medal of Excellence Award recipients include: Willem J. Kolff, MD, of the University of Utah School of Medicine & Belding H. Scribner, MD, of the University of Washington School of Medicine(2003); George E. Schreiner, MD, of Georgetown University (2002); Garabed Eknoyan, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine, Houston & Nathan Levin, MD, of Renal Research Institute, New York (2001); Christopher Blagg, MD, of Northwest Kidney Center (2000); John Bower, MD, of University of Mississippi Medical Center and the Renal Physicians Association (1999); A. Peter Lundin, MD, of State University of New York, Health Science Center at Brooklyn (1998); Clive O. Callender, MD, of Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C. (1997); and Eli Friedman, MD, of State University of New York, Health Science Center at Brooklyn (1996).

AAKP is the voluntary, patient organization, which for 35 years, has been dedicated to improving the lives of fellow kidney patients and their families by helping them deal with the physical, emotional and social impact of kidney disease. The programs offered by AAKP inform and inspire patients and their families to better understand their condition, adjust more readily to their circumstances and assume more normal, productive lives in their communities.