Tampa, Fla - December 21, 2009– The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) is pleased to announce Tom F. Parker, III, MD, is the 2010 AAKP Medal of Excellence recipient. The AAKP Medal of Excellence Award acknowledges a renal physician’s significant contributions to the progress of patient education and disease treatment in the kidney community. Dr. Parker joins a long list of nephrologists who have excelled in his/her contributions to the renal community including patient care and patient education.

Over the course of his distinguished career, Dr. Parker has notably helped to improve quality of life and survival in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD), dialysis and kidney transplant recipients. He was a founding member of Dallas Nephrology Associates and continues to be very involved in the kidney community and kidney patients are still close to his heart. Currently, he is a consultant with the Baylor University Medical Center Transplant Program, a Senior Attending at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, TX, a Clinical Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Chief Medical Officer of Renal Ventures Management. His major contributions have been, with others, to define the quantity and quality of dialysis delivery, having written over 100 papers on the subject. Most recently, Dr. Parker co-hosted a four day conference with Harvard Medical School that pointed out the ongoing inadequate outcomes and quality of life for patients undergoing dialysis and outlined what now needs to be accomplished to immediately change this. He is actively engaged in affecting these changes.

“Dr. Parker is a man of esteem caliber in the renal community,” stated AAKP President Roberta Wager, RN, MSN. “It is an honor for AAKP to recognize his countless contributions to the kidney community and his fundamental changes to patient care. It is a well deserved honor!”

AAKP will honor Dr. Parker Saturday, March 13 at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore, Md, during the Medal of Excellence Award Dinner held in conjunction with the Renal Physician Association’s Annual Meeting. Dinner tickets are $99 and can be purchased by contacting AAKP at (800) 749-2257. AAKP offers numerous sponsorship levels that companies and/or individuals may purchase to show their support of AAKP and the Medal of Excellence Award recipient, Dr. Tom Parker. For more information visit www.aakp.org/events/Medal-of-Excellence/2010 or email Jerome Bailey at jbailey@aakp.org.
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AAKP is the voluntary, patient organization, which for 40 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.