NORTHWEST RENAL DIETITIANS
NWRD ANNUAL CONFERENCE
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The History of NWRD

Katy Wilkens, former President of Northwest Renal Dietitians (NWRD), recalls that NWRD started in the 1980s as a "Task Force" workshop meeting of renal dietitians in the Pacific Northwest (PNW).

The Task Force stemmed from the Network's Nutrition Audit in the early 1980s, entrusting renal dietitians to devise standardized guidelines of care. Renal dietitians from Washington State Council on Renal Nutrition (WSCRN), Oregon State Council on Renal Nutrition (OCRN),  Alaska, Idaho, and Montana collectively took on the project of developing science-based nutrition guidelines for renal patients.

Over the decades, the collaborative workshops grew into annual two-day conferences. It was the hard work of these same groups ~ WSCRN, OCRN, and Canadian Association of Nephrology Dietitians (CAND) ~ who kept NWRD growing, as they rotated hosting cities between them, sharing top notch speakers from each region.

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In 2016, NWRD officially became a non-profit organization, operating by its own Board of Directors and Planning Team.  Shortly thereafter, WSCRN and OCRN merged to form what is now the Pacific Northwest Council on Renal Nutrition (PNW-CRN).

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Today, NWRD is a stand-alone, annual two-day conference, still hosting from various regions in the PNW. The conference expanded its reach beyond the PNW, with the COVID-19 pandemic pivoting to include a virtual format. 

Fun Facts:

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• The early "Task Force's" initial science-based guidelines were soon adopted by the American Dietetic Association and published as Guidelines for Nutritional Care of Renal Patients.

• Three editions later ~ and now published by Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ~ these guidelines continue to shape the way renal dietitians practice globally!

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