TAMPA, Fla. October 17, 2005 -- The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) is accepting nominations for its annual award – the AAKP Medal of Excellence.

This prestigious award honors a renal physician who has dedicated his or her career to improving the lives of kidney patients. The AAKP Medal of Excellence truly signifies a renal physician’s involvement, professional achievements, contributions and accomplishments within the renal community.

The 11th Annual Medal of Excellence Award Dinner will be hosted by AAKP on Sunday, March 19, at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore. The event will be held in conjunction with the Renal Physicians Association's Annual Meeting. A nomination form and more information on the Medal of Excellence Award Dinnerare available on the AAKP Web site, click here. The deadline for nominations is Dec. 5.

If you know a renal physician who works tirelessly and exudes extraordinary skills and devotion to improve the quality of life of kidney patients, please consider nominating him or her for AAKP's most prestigious award – the AAKP Medal of Excellence. AAKP encourages self-nominations.

Past award recipients include: John H. Sadler, MD, of Independent Dialysis Foundation (2005); Morrell M. Avram, MD, of Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, N.Y. (2004); Belding H. Scribner, MD, of University of Washington School of Medicine& Willem J. Kolff, MD, of University of Utah 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 & 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, Washington, D.C. (1997); and Eli A. Friedman, MD, of State University of New York, Health Science Center, Brooklyn (1996).

For more information about the 11th Annual Medal of Excellence Award Dinner or to request a nomination form, please call the AAKP National Office at (800) 749-2257 or info@aakp.org. For specific information about sponsorship or advertising opportunities, please contact Kim Buettner at the AAKP National Office or kbuettner@aakp.org.

AAKP is the voluntary, patient organization, which for more than 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.