Minneapolis Pharmacist to receive NKF Medical Advisory Board Distinguished Service Award

 

 

New York, NY – February 4, 2020 – Each year, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) considers the work of hundreds of specialists in the field of nephrology and selects among them those who most exemplify the relentless efforts of NKF to enhance the lives of patients through action, education, and accelerating change.

 

Their work is vital to the 37 million people who are affected by kidney disease and the 1 in 3 American adults who are at risk.

 

Among these prestigious awards is the Medical Advisory Board Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes individuals for their educational activities and community service in promoting the mission of NKF on a local level.

 

This year, Wendy St. Peter, PharmD, of the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, in Minneapolis, will receive the distinguished prize at the NKF 2020 Spring Clinical Meetings in New Orleans, March 25-29.

 

“I feel honored to receive this award from NKF,” said Dr. St. Peter. “I’m fortunate to have worked alongside so many enthusiastic volunteers and committed NKF staff at both the regional and national level for over 25 years. The patient-focus that NKF consistently applies to everything it does hooked me in as a young pharmacy clinician and continues to inspire me in the work I do today.”

 

Dr. St. Peter is a Professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center, where she also completed a fellowship in adult medicine.

 

“Dr. St. Peter’s career as a practitioner and now as a researcher has been focused on improving medication management and drug safety in patients with end-stage kidney failure,” said NKF President Dr. Holly Kramer. “She is changing the lives of thousands of people with this work and we are internally grateful.”

 

Dr. St. Peter is an investigator with the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) and conducts pharmacoepidemiology and health outcomes research. She has served on several national technical expert panels for medication-related safety and quality measurement and is on the Board of Directors of the Kidney Health Initiative. She has served on her regional NKF Medical Advisory Board for many years, is on the national NKF Scientific Advisory Board, and has contributed her time and expertise to many NKF local and national projects, including the Spring Clinical Meetings, and local patient and professional symposia.  She has worked closely with the local NKF Serving Minnesota to develop a KEEP Healthy screening program, which is directly integrated into a local student run medical clinic, and regularly recruits her pharmacy students to volunteer with NKF.   

 

For the past 28 years, nephrology healthcare professionals from across the country have come to NKF’s Spring Clinical Meetings to learn about the newest developments related to all aspects of nephrology practice; network with colleagues; and present their research findings. The NKF Spring Clinical Meetings are designed for meaningful change in the multidisciplinary healthcare teams’ skills, performance, and patient health outcomes. It is the only conference of its kind that focuses on translating science into practice for the entire healthcare team.  This year’s Spring Clinical Meetings will be held March 25-29 in New Orleans.

 

Healthcare professionals can join NKF to receive access to tools and resources for both patients and professionals, discounts on professional education, and access to a network of thousands of individuals who treat patients with kidney disease. 

 

In the United States, 37 million adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease— and more than 90% aren’t aware of it. 1 in 3 American adults are at risk for chronic kidney disease.  Risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and family history.  People of African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease.  African Americans are 3 times more likely than Whites, and Hispanics are nearly 1.5 times more likely than non-Hispanics to develop end-stage kidney disease (kidney failure).