President's Message: Visions of Inclusivity

To my fellow National Lipid Association members, I am pleased to present you the 2021 NELA/SELA edition of the LipidSpin. Society in general has made great strides in recent months towards improvement of racial and ethnic differences and disparities in our everyday lives. To answer the call to action, this edition of the LipidSpin steps up to the plate and discusses what Racial and Ethnic Differences and Disparities looks like in the field of lipidology. It will also feature the first NLA Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Member Spotlight, a feature developed by the NLA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Task Force. The work found in this edition is riveting and I applaud every writer for their dedication to making a difference.

Looking back on the year, the National Lipid Association remains strong despite the challenges we have faced. It was wonderful reuniting with so many dear friends and colleagues at the 2021 Scientific Sessions held in Orlando, Florida in late September. The hybrid meeting ran smoothly, with half of registrants attending in-person and half virtually. We look forward to getting back on track with our meeting schedule and I hope to see everyone in-person at the 2022 Spring Clinical Lipid Update in San Diego in mid-February. We would love to see everyone in-person but understand that in today’s world – the virtual component is not going away. We will be offering a virtual, live-stream setting for the upcoming meetings with access to the general session.

While in Orlando, several exciting sessions were held, discussing everything from updates on the dyslipidemia research pipeline to the latest and greatest with our NLA Scientific Statements. It was an honor to welcome over 25 new fellows to our organization at the Honors and Awards Ceremony, along with over 25 individuals from 2020-2021 who have been awarded diplomate status from the ABCL or ACCL as Lipid Specialists. I am so happy to see so many young professionals joining and dialoging with us, and I hope to see participation from new and current members for the upcoming year. I encourage you to join a committee, get involved, and share your voice and unique perspective. As you review this edition of the LipidSpin, remember that broadening our canon of healthcare clinicians will advance our colleagues and their families, and benefit our patients and their families.

As the year comes to a close and we make our way into 2022, keep an eye out for exciting updates on our 2022 Spring Clinical Lipid Update, our newly published scientific statement on Lipid Measurements in the Management of Cardiovascular Diseases, and so much more. Have a safe and wonderful holiday season!