(April 1, 2024, 2024, New York, NY) — The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is excited to announce that Renal Nutrition Expert Kathy Schiro Harvey, MS, RDN, CSR, is the recipient of this year’s prestigious Joel D. Kopple Award. Each year, the NKF meticulously evaluates specialists in nephrology, selecting those who exemplify the organization's relentless efforts to improve patient outcomes through action, education, and accelerating change. Harvey's remarkable career and tireless advocacy have earned her this esteemed recognition. This award will be presented to her at the NKF 2024 Spring Clinical Meetings (SCM) in Long Beach, CA, in May.
Harvey recently retired after enjoying 40 years of dedicated service in the Renal Nutrition field. Over the past 20 years, she was the Director of Nutrition for Puget Sound Kidney Centers (PSKC) in Snohomish County, Washington. Before that, she served as the Renal Dietitian for Providence Hospitals and Northwest Kidney Centers. She was instrumental in starting the Washington State Council on Renal Nutrition and the Northwest Renal Dietitians organization.
"Winning this award is an honor, especially following in the footsteps of so many previous winners,” said Kathy Schiro Harvey. “I have benefited from the expertise and experience of most of the previous Kopple Award recipients. It is because of their efforts to enhance the care of people with kidney disease that I devoted my career to this field. I am grateful to NKF for creating this award to honor the efforts of Dr. Joel D. Kopple and those who follow his passion for renal nutrition."
Volunteerism and mentorship were important elements of Harvey’s career. She volunteered as a preceptor for hundreds of dietetic interns from universities and internship programs throughout the country to encourage as many dietetic students as possible to consider a career in Renal Nutrition. She served on the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) Chronic Kidney Disease Workgroup and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Technical Expert Panel on mineral bone health.
Throughout her illustrious career, Harvey was the recipient of numerous awards – the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) 2021 Medal of Excellence Award, the 2020 Northwest Renal Dietitians (NWRD) Pillars of Excellence Award, the 2018 National Kidney Foundation – CRN Susan C. Knapp Excellence in Education Award, and the 1997 RPG Outstanding Service Award.
“Kathy is being recognized due to her unwavering commitment to enhancing the lives of patients with kidney disease and in her dedicated approach to patient care," said NKF President Sylvia Rosas, MD, MSCE. “She seeks to educate about nutrition in the setting of kidney disease and tailors her support to help the patient achieve their goals. Her dedication extends beyond patient care to mentoring future dietetic professionals and spearheading innovative programs like the Survive and Thrive Chronic Kidney Disease Education Program which teaches kidney patients how to maintain optimal kidney health and slow the progression of their disease.”
As she embarks on this new chapter in retirement, Harvey remains committed to advocating for kidney patients as she serves on the PSKC Foundation Board.
NKF Spring Clinical Meetings
For the past 32 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 is 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.
About Kidney Disease
In the United States, more than 37 million adults are estimated to have kidney disease, also known as chronic kidney disease (CKD) - and approximately 90 percent don't know they have it. About 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. are at risk for kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People of Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. Black or African American people are about four times as likely as White people to have kidney failure. Hispanics experience kidney failure at about double the rate of White people.
NKF Professional Membership
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.
About the National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive, and longstanding patient-centric organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease in the U.S. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org.
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