15th Anniversary LipidSpin Articles | National Lipid Association Online

Peter H. Jones, MD, FNLA James M. McKenney, PharmD, FNLA	Emerging Therapeutics in Clinical Lipidology Lipid therapeutics over the past three decades have focused on oral drugs that targeted lipid metabolism through mechanisms that regulate clearance of apoprotein B-containing lipoproteins (through the LDL receptor, such as statins, bile acid resins and ezetimibe) or the synthesis/clearance of triglyceride-containing lipoproteins (such as fibrates, niacin and omega 3 fatty acids). Modulation of HDL cholesterol was also thought to be of benefit, and drugs that favorably increased HDL-C, such... more
Matthew K. Ito, PharmD, CLS, FNLA	Thoughts from the NLA Presidents: A Five Year Perspective I was asked to write a perspective on a look back of the past five years on the NLA and clinical lipidology. It is impossible to state all the advances made in clinical lipidology and the contributions our organization has made over the past five years in a short and focused perspective. Therefore, I decided to constrain my perspective to those advancements made in one of the highest risk populations, familial hypercholesterolemia (FH)-not surprising for those who know me well. Our... more
Terry A. Jacobson, MD, FNLA, FACP	Thoughts from the NLA Presidents: We Live in Very Interesting Times I’m always reminded of how fortunate I have been to serve the National Lipid Association (NLA) in various capacities and to watch the organization grow and mature over time. I have seen tremendous growth in member engagement in various NLA activities, as well as a renewed sense of comradery and purpose. Although we are still a relatively young organization approaching our 15th year anniversary, I still see us as the youthful, enthusiastic, wide-eyed “teenager,” ready to take on both... more
Carl E. Orringer, MD, FNLA, FACC	Thoughts from the NLA Presidents: The Role of the NLA Advancement of Clinical Lipidology As practicing clinicians, we all continue to face the challenge of remaining up to date with the rapid pace of advancing science in our field. As I consider different options to accomplish this goal in 2017, none can compare to active participation in the wide variety of educational activities offered by the National Lipid Association. Our Annual Meeting and regional Clinical Lipid Updates are beacons of light that help us to focus on the newest clinical applications of lipidology science.... more
Joyce Ross, MSN, ANP, CRNP, CLS, FNLA	Thoughts from the NLA Presidents: Letter from the President It is an exciting time to be the president of the National Lipid Association as we celebrate our 15th Anniversary. The successes and accomplishments of this and the past years are built on the strong leadership and counsel that we have enjoyed from the inception of the organization. An appropriate way to measure our growth and development this year is to visit the Mission Statement and Goals of the NLA, which were established by the Southeast Lipid Association and adopted by the NLA Steering... more
Linda C. Hemphill, MD, FNLA, FACC, FAHA Catherine J. Anderson, PhD, RD, CDN	The NLA: Providing Professional Practice Guidance and a Place to Have a Ball *How has your professional training and background shaped your career in lipids?* After completing Cardiology training in Boston, I worked under the mentorship of Dr. David Blankenhorn at the University of Southern California for 14 years. His expertise and passion for the field was instilled in me during this time – something I was able to bring back to Boston, where I have been at Mass General since 2004. *How did you become interested in... more*
Don P. Wilson, MD, FNLA Anum Saeed, MD	One-on-One with a Veteran Pediatric Lipid Specialist Dr. Don P. Wilson, a Fellow of the National Lipid Association, began his career with the National Lipid Association (NLA) in 2006. Dr. Wilson received his medical degree from the University of Mississippi and completed his internship and pediatric residency training at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. His fellowship training is in Pediatric Endocrinology, completed at the same institute. Throughout his career in pediatric medicine, which spans more than 30 years, Dr. Wilson has... more
J. Chris Bradberry, PharmD, CLS, FNLA Ahmed K. Pashka, MD	An Interview with J. Chris Bradberry *Please give us a little introduction about yourself.* I am currently working as a Dean of the School of Pharmacy and Health Profession at Creighton University. This is my 13th year in this position. Because I am more involved in administrative side of the academics and not too involved in the clinical side, I really miss clinical involvement. I enjoy what I do and am in a position to support and help other individuals succeed. We have implemented some... more
Paul Ziajka, MD, PhD, FNLA Gerti Tashko, MD	An Interview with Paul Ziajka Dr. Ziajka, it is very impressive that you have been an investigator of numerous clinical trials, an author of dozens of journal articles and books, an editorial board member of JCL, as well as running the only medical practice in the state Florida devoted exclusively to lipid disorders. Of all the achievements and responsibilities, what is the most rewarding aspect of being a lipidologist? A couple of corrections - my practice (The Florida Lipid Institute in... more
Interviewee - Carol Kirkpatrick, PhD, MPH, RDN, CLS, FNLA Interviewer - Ahmed A. Harhash, MD	An Interview with Carol Kirkpatrick *It is my pleasure to interview Dr. Carol Kirkpatrick as a part of the National Lipid Association (NLA) 15th anniversary issue of the LipidSpin. How are you Dr. Kirkpatrick? I am doing great, thank you. It is a pleasure to be part of the NLA's special anniversary. First, I would like to begin by having you tell us about yourself. Let’s start with your childhood.... more*
Joseph Saseen PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, FNLA, CLS	15th Anniversary Letter From the Co-Editor My journey with the National Lipid Association (NLA) started in 2005. I have always had a focus on cardiovascular risk reduction pharmacotherapy for my patient care and educational and scholarly activities at the University of Colorado, so this was a natural part of my development. I decided to join this organization based on recommendations from a colleague that the organization was both multidisciplinary and “PharmD friendly.” I found out quickly that the NLA not only was friendly to my... more
Daniel Soffer, MD, FNLA, FACP	15th Anniversary Letter From the Co-Editor When you are new to an organization, it is difficult to have perspective on where it’s been, where it is, and where it is going. As an ~11-year veteran, the NLA 15-year anniversary is an ideal time to reflect on my own relationship with the NLA and provide some thoughts about the future. My first NLA event was a Clinical Lipid Update meeting and Masters course in Amelia Island in 2005. I asked my wife to come for the long weekend since I had the hotel room anyway, but she... more
Robert A. Wild, MD, MPH, PhD, FNLA	Fun Years of LipidSpin - 2009 to 2015 LipidSpin was the most fun NLA project ever! It’s a win-win. Educating and being educated at the same time. What a great way to give back to the NLA! During our time, Jamie Underberg and I developed a wonderful tag team. We got to build on each other’s strengths and weaknesses and energies and fill in for each other in the team process! One of the greatest parts of the job has been working with colleagues with not just review but also editing. It has been great to... more
James A. Underberg, MD, MS, FACP, FNLA	Thoughts and Reflections As a young Lipidologist starting a lipid clinic there were very few colleagues and mentors to turn to. Just as the NLA was young and germinating, so was the internet and a search quickly led me to the Southeast Lipid Association (SELA). I joined as an upstart New Yorker and soon was swept up by the momentum and inertia of the times. As SELA morphed into the NLA, I was asked to join the Northeast Lipid Association (NELA) board and soon met and worked with many of our key founding members.... more
Maria F. Lopes-Virella, MD, PhD	LipidSpin - Starting With SELA On the 15th Anniversary of the National Lipid Association, it is with some nostalgia and a considerable amount of pride that I remember the beginning of the Association and the birth of LipidSpin. The main function of LipidSpin, created soon after the incorporation of the Southeast Lipid Association (SELA), was to create means of communication with our members and be a resource for them. The main goal of LipidSpin was to provide scientific information in emerging... more
Ronald Goldberg, MD, FNLA	Memories of the Beginning When Dr. Maria Lopes-Virella and I took on joint editorship of the first issue of LipidSpin all those years ago, I remember feeling like we were responsible for a newborn baby named clinical lipidology. At that time, the National Lipid Association (NLA) had grown from a local lipid association, the Southeast Lipid Association (SELA) under the guidance and vision of Dr. Virgil Brown, MD, and the tradition whereby patients with lipid disorders were mostly seen in specialized lipid... more
W. Virgil Brown, MD, FNLA	The Journal of Clinical Lipidology - 2007 to 2017 The basic mission of the NLA is to stimulate and guide improvement in clinical lipidology in all appropriate medical settings. To accomplish our goals, we would need resources for: 1) Those entering the field, 2) Practical updates on research findings with immediate and relevant clinical applications, and 3) More fundamental knowledge regarding the biochemical, physiologic and genetic mechanisms of lipoprotein disorders. Our educational programs, and LipidSpin have served the first two... more
W. Virgil Brown, MD, FNLA Joyce Ross, MSN, ANP, CRNP, CLS, FNLA	Special Notes: Christopher Seymour and the First Years of the NLA In the year 2001, we began a new millennium, but for many of us a more important beginning occurred the next year with the formation of the National Lipid Association. I had the good fortune to be there with my colleagues as we made the decision to convince Christopher Seymour to become our Executive Director. At the time, we were the Southeast Lipid Association (SELA). In the minutes of its first Board meeting, SELA stated that its Mission was “to enhance the practice of lipid... more
Anne C. Goldberg, MD, FNLA	Foundation Update: Looking Ahead The Foundation of the NLA has already had an extremely eventful 2017 with many new, exciting plans for its future and direction. The Foundation Board of Directors met in January to discuss our goals, strategy and upcoming plans. The discussions at this meeting led to a new mission, vision and values that we will now operate under moving forward: Mission: The Foundation of the National Lipid Association is a patient-focused nonprofit organization dedicated to... more