Calgary nurse clinician garners national award for renal care

Tracy Zeiler celebrated for exceptional service to kidney patients

Story & photo by Melanie Veriotes

CALGARY — Tracy Zeiler has been awarded the prestigious 2024 Karley Patient Services Award by The Kidney Foundation of Canada — a national award which recognizes exceptional volunteers who’ve made a significant contribution to the foundation’s Patient Services programs and activities, and improved the lives of people living with kidney disease.

Michelle Hofer, manager of Communications and Community Development with the foundation’s southern Alberta branch, praises Zeiler, a nurse clinician and modality nurse educator with Alberta Kidney Care – South.

“Tracy’s unwavering commitment to the renal community has made a profound impact,” she says. ”Her compassion, expertise and tireless advocacy empower patients to make informed decisions about their care, and she exemplifies the heart of what it means to be a leader in healthcare.”

With an impressive 36-year career at Alberta Health Services, Zeiler is a vital figure in the renal care community. She works closely with patients at various stages of kidney failure, explaining treatment options, guiding them through the complex healthcare system, and ensuring they are fully informed about their choices.

This involves helping patients make decisions on what type of renal replacement would best suit them and their support systems such as home hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, in-centre dialysis or conservative care. Her role involves not only delivering education but also advocating for her patients to ensure they receive the best care and quality of life possible.

Additionally, Tracy volunteers her time with The Kidney Foundation of Canada, where she explains kidney care concepts to individuals and groups. Even during the pandemic, recognizing that patients still required information, she continued her work by transitioning to virtual education sessions. Today, she spends her time leading both a mix of in-person and virtual sessions.

Deeply honoured by the award, Zeiler reflected on her career: “I’m grateful for this recognition, but it’s the work I love doing. I started my nursing career on an inpatient kidney unit and am now continuing to support kidney patients and their families in an education role. I feel as though if I can give information to just one person, I have done my job.” She adds that she’s surrounded by an amazing team. “Together, it makes it easy to move forward in supporting our patients.”

Parveen Sandi, manager, Alberta Kidney Care – South, describes Tracy as a dedicated, compassionate, and approachable team member — someone who’s a pleasure to work with and learn from — as she consistently goes above and beyond to support renal patients as well as provide invaluable insights when facing challenges.

“Tracy is a respected leader and colleague who is always available to collaborate and support positive patient outcomes for our renal patients,” says Sandi. “Her knowledge and empathy have supported thousands of patients at very vulnerable stages of their life.”