News & Notes from the National Office

Proceedings from the NLA 2nd Annual Masters Summit now online

The National Lipid Association offers an annual Masters Summit as its highest level of medical education. We presented the second of these symposia as a satellite event at the American Heart Association's 2007 Scientific Sessions in Orlando last November. Like the inaugural event, attendance was tremendous and seating was filled to capacity. The topic of the Summit was The Role of the Digestive Tract in Lipid Metabolism and CV Risk, and it brought together 7 thought leaders to discuss current developments in this area of lipid science.

If you were not able to attend the Summit in person, you can now view the proceedings online. Visit www.nlacme.com for the complete audio recordings and speakers slides. These are arranged as a 3-hour CME activity with post-test and evaluation included.

ACC Symposium—Popular Particle Mechanics

At ACC this year, the NLA will present a symposium titled Popular 'Particle' Mechanics, designed to explore the science of lipoproteins, from their structure to their role in metabolism, placing particular emphasis on their pathogenic role for arteries. This 3-hour program will be held March 29, 2008 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago.

At this event, top experts in lipidology will also explore issues related to LDL-C lowering, non-HDL-C, and a look at where we stand with respect to HDL-C metabolism. If you're planning to attend ACC you’ll definitely want to take part in this program. Look for upcoming advertisements in NLA literature and visit www.lipid.org to register.

NLA now offering Speaker's Bureau

A long-term NLA initiative is now ready, and we would like your help as we begin to organize a clearinghouse for members who would like to be considered for speaking engagements: The NLA Speaker's Bureau. To participate, visit the NLA homepage at www.lipid.org, and from there, select "Account" at the top of the page.

Once there, you will see a new item in the upper left box, titled, "Speakers Bureau Records." Select that option and you will be presented with a list of topics in lipidology, and radio buttons you can use to select your specialty and indicate whether you have published in a particular area and if you have speakers materials available. The more members who complete this information, the more robust our speakers bureau will be. Then, when members are looking for local or national experts on particular topics, this information will be From the NLA Office available. If you'd like to participate, please visit your Account page and update this information.

Register now for the Annual Scientific Sessions

The highlight of every year is the NLA Scientific Sessions. This year, we're holding the Scientific Sessions in Seattle, Washington. Don't miss this opportunity to get up to speed with recent developments in lipid science and clinical care. This is also an opportunity to prepare for ABCL and ACCL certification, with more than 30 hours of lipid-focused CME/CE credit offered, or sit for an exam if you now qualify.

See page 22 for the NLA Education Course Cataloge for more information.

Visit the online registration page and learn more at www.lipid.org/sessions.

NLA Announces 2008 Annual Scientific Sessions Poster Session

The NLA is now accepting poster session submissions for presentation at our Annual Scientific Sessions in May in Seattle. Only a limited number of abstracts will be accepted and the submission deadline is March 20, 2008, so hurry and submit your abstract today at www.lipid. org/poster/. Accepted abstracts will be published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology.

Take the Needs Assessment Survey

We can meet your needs better when you tell us what you want from your Association. Our annual Needs Assessment Survey is now underway. It only takes 5 minutes to complete. Hundreds of you have already weighed in and we appreciate your participation. If you haven't taken the survey yet, do it today. Your responses will be used to shape and improve our programs. Visit www.lipid.org and select the link at the very top of the page titled, "click here to take the survey."

NLA Statement on ENHANCE

On January 16, 2008, in response to member concerns with advice to patients, the NLA published a press release regarding the limited availability of data on the ENHANCE Trial. That statement is available at the homepage of www.lipid.org, and also provided on our press page.

NLA Membership Logo available

Now there's a way to let the world know youre a member of the NLA—the NLA member logo. We have two available for use by members in good standing. Select the one that best suits your needs at www.lipid.org (download from your "Account" page).

Round-type for general use:

Extended-type for stationery:

New Item for NLA Members Coming Soon

As part of our "Beyond Cholesterol" physician and patient education campaign, we're now in the production phase of desktop stands that will be mailed to all members of the NLA in the spring. Accompanying information will explain the use of the stands, which are designed to facilitate discussion of lipid panel results with your patients. The NLA Consumer Affairs Committee helped to design this useful tool and we thank them for their work on this project.