From the PLA President: Specialty Care in Clinical Lipidology

Welcome to the Fall issue of the LipidSpin. It is a great honor and privilege to have the opportunity to serve as the president of the Pacific Lipid Association (PLA) during the coming year. An important goal of the National Lipid Association (NLA) is to be responsive to the diverse needs and interests of individual members and their regional chapters, while maintaining cohesiveness in the organization from the grassroots level all of the way up to the national board and executive committee. This is a challenging task that cannot be accomplished without engagement of individual members of the organization. As president of the PLA, one of my goals is to be a voice for all PLA members to ensure that each of you is fully represented at the national level. To facilitate this endeavor, I will be relying on all of you to reach out to me to share your perspectives, interests, and suggestions. Together, we can strengthen the NLA and help ensure that it continues to be a dynamic organization that is relevant to its members.

The theme of this issue of the LipidSpin is “Specialty Care in Clinical Lipidology.” The idea behind this concept is that lipidologists go far beyond simply following treatment algorithms from clinical practice guidelines. Lipidologists have the training and experience to discern the subtleties involved in the personalized evaluation and treatment of individual patients, as well as having the skill to identify and treat unusual lipid disorders or unusual presentations of common disorders. This has become even more important in the context of exciting new advances in pharmacotherapy during recent months that include FDA approval of alirocumab and evolocumab, two potent members of a new class of anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody therapy. Another important advance in the realm of lipidology is the FDA approval of an expanded indication for Liposorber LDL apheresis for patients with Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) and an LDL-C > 160 mg/dl in lieu of the prior threshold of 200 mg/dl.

Rob Greenfield, MD, president-elect of the PLA, has addressed the topic of specialty care in lipidology in greater detail in his article in this issue (page 20). His article is complemented by other well-written articles about a variety of clinically relevant topics. The hope is that this issue of the LipidSpin will provide content that is useful to seasoned lipidologists, while also providing helpful tips and information that are relevant to readers whose interest in lipidology is only just beginning.

Everyone with an interest in lipid metabolism and lipidology is welcome in the family of the PLA and NLA. This includes individuals who range from those who are only possibly interested in lipidology (e.g. pre-lipidologists or non- lipidologists) to providers who are solid clinical lipidologists to clinician-scientists whose activities span from “bench-to- bedside.” Everyone is welcome in the organization and everyone is invited to have a voice in the direction of the PLA and NLA as we move forward. It is fine if you do not have time to take an active role in the organization, or you prefer to stay on the sidelines, but there are numerous rewarding opportunities in which one can get involved at the local and national level for those members who are interested.

I look forward to serving as your PLA president during the coming year. These are exciting times. Please stay in touch and keep me informed about your interests, needs, and vision for the PLA and NLA.