Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), the nation's leading provider of dialysis and care for renal patients, is proud to announce that Dr. Dobri Kiprov, medical director for its Apheresis Care Group, was recently chosen by the American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) to receive the annual Francis S. Morrison, M.D. Memorial Award and Lecture. Dr. Kiprov presented his keynote lecture, "The Plausible Future of Therapeutic Plasma Exchange," on May 23, 2013, at ASFA's annual meeting in Denver, Colo.

Dr. Dobri Kiprov, medical director for Fresenius Medical Care's Apheresis Care Group, was recently c ...

Dr. Dobri Kiprov, medical director for Fresenius Medical Care's Apheresis Care Group, was recently chosen by the American Society for Apheresis to receive the 2013 Francis S. Morrison, M.D. Memorial Award and Lecture. Apheresis is a procedure in which patients' blood is withdrawn, components such as plasma or platelets are removed, and then the blood is returned to the body. The process is used to treat a variety of blood, kidney and nervous system diseases.

ASFA's memorial lectureship award program recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the field of apheresis medicine and apheresis professionals who have made a lasting difference in the field at the national level. Apheresis is a procedure in which patients' blood is withdrawn, components such as plasma or platelets are removed, and then the blood is returned to the body. The process is used to treat a variety of blood, kidney and nervous system diseases. It is also an important part of stem cell and other cell treatments.

"We're pleased to honor Dr. Kiprov for his pioneering work and numerous contributions to the field of apheresis," said Nick Bandarenko, ASFA president. "Besides his groundbreaking research and the many journal articles he has written, he also served two terms on ASFA's board of directors and received the society's Presidential Award."

FMCNA is the largest U.S. apheresis services provider. It offers a full range of apheresis therapies, including state-of-the-art stem cell collection and LDL cholesterol removal.

"I'm truly honored by this award and the opportunity to deliver this prestigious lecture, which encourages future developments to the field of apheresis," said Dr. Kiprov. "It's especially meaningful to me because Francis Morrison, the award's namesake, was a good friend of mine."

Dr. Kiprov earned his doctor of medicine degree in 1974 from Bulgaria's Medical University of Sofia, followed by residencies in Tel Aviv, Israel, and at Cleveland's Mount Sinai Hospital, and fellowships at Harvard Medical School and the Children's Hospital of San Francisco. Since May 2005, he has been medical director and senior vice president for Fresenius Medical Services' Apheresis Care Group. Dr. Kiprov is also the chief of immunotherapy in the Department of Medicine at the California Pacific Medical Center located in San Francisco, Calif.

Therapeutic apheresis is just one of an array of integrated inpatient and outpatient care services that FMCNA provides to hospitals. More than 1,300 hospitals nationwide rely on FMCNA's integrated services to provide cost-effective treatments that improve the quality of patient outcomes, shorten hospital stays and reduce the number of re-hospitalizations.

For more information about FMCNA's integrated inpatient services, call toll-free at 877-369-0547 or email Inpatientservices@fmc-na.com.

About Fresenius Medical Care North America

Through our leading network of more than 2,150 dialysis facilities in North America and our vascular access centers, laboratory, pharmacy and affiliated hospitals and nephrology practices, Fresenius Medical Care provides renal services to hundreds of thousands of people throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. We are also the continent's top producer of dialysis equipment, dialyzers and related disposable products and a major supplier of renal pharmaceuticals.

For more information about the company, visit www.fmcna.com; for information about patient services, visit www.ultracare-dialysis.com.

Media contact:
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Company contact:
Fresenius Medical Care
Rosemary Heinold, 1-781-699-4171 / voice
rosemary.heinold@fmc-na.com