TAMPA, Fla., October 17, 2006 – The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), a national non-profit organization dedicated to helping kidney patients and their loved ones live more productive lives, issued a call today for nominees for the AAKP Medal of Excellence Award.

The AAKP Medal of Excellence Award recognizes a renal physician who has dedicated his or her career to improving the lives of kidney patients through education and advocacy.  The AAKP Medal of Excellence Award is one of AAKP’s most prestigious awards.

The winner will be honored during the 12^th Annual Medal of Excellence Award Dinner on March 11, 2007 in Baltimore.  The award ceremony will be held in conjunction with the Renal Physicians Association’s Annual Meeting.  Nomination forms can be downloaded on the AAKP Web site at www.aakp.org or you can call the National Office at 1-800-749-2257. All nominations must be submitted to the National Office by Tuesday, December 5, 2006.

Anyone can nominate a physician. If you know a physician who has shown extraordinary dedication and service to the renal community, please consider nominating him or her for the AAKP Medal of Excellence Award.        

Past award recipients include: H. Keith Johnson, MD,of Dialysis Clinic, Inc. (2006); 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 the 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).

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.