SELA Chapter Update: Renewed Hope

By the time this is published, NLA will have met in person for the first time in over a year and a half at the Scientific Sessions in Orlando. Finally able to see each other, this first in-person meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic brings renewed hope that our country will resume a more normal educational experience. SELA is honored to co-host this year’s Scientific Sessions with the NLA and jump start our learning for Fall 2021.

This issue of LipidSpin is a collaboration between SELA and NELA with a theme based on “Racial and Ethnic Differences and Disparities in Lipidology.” Thank you to all contributors for your hard work and insights into our combined project.

These past several months have been very busy for SELA. One of our members, Dr. Gina Lundberg from Emory University, was selected to Co-Chair the newly formed NLA DE&I Task Force along with Dr. Zahid Ahmad, from UT Southwestern. This Task Force focuses on efforts to promote racial, ethnic, gender, age and interprofessional/interdisciplinary diversity within NLA membership and NLA educational programming and resource materials.

Another focus of the Task Force is the inclusion of social determinants of health and gaps in knowledge related to lipid management in scientific literature and educational resources. They will make recommendations to support members, recruit new members, and expand educational efforts of the NLA to have more diverse leadership and speakers at the Scientific Sessions.

Over this past year, the SELA Board continued to meet virtually discussing how to appropriately use funds currently available in the chapter. With the decrease in educational opportunities due to COVID-19, we discussed utilization of Virtual Lipid Journal Clubs to expand access to continuing education for all of our membership. Dr. Gregory Pokrywka reports that the Baltimore Lipid Club held its first virtual meeting on April 20, 2021 with exceptional participation. Dr. Eric Michos was the featured speaker discussing “Lipid Management in Women”. The chapter is currently working on other options for membership education including case study education, modeled after Project Echo. Please stay tuned for more information as we continue to meet and discuss further options.

Along with all of the other challenges we have endured personally, professionally and educationally; SELA realizes the difficulties in membership engagement and recognizing opportunities. We hope that we are at a turning point, but please reach out to anyone on the SELA Board or NLA Board if you are wanting to become more engaged or active in any of the projects within the organization. The more the merrier. We are embracing more creative ideas that enhance involvement from everybody, in order to fill gaps experienced by the lack of personal engagement.

Let’s work together to move forward. Once again, thank you to everyone who contributed to this edition. I look forward to serving as your SELA Treasurer, but I look forward more to seeing each of you in person.

Disclosure statement:
Dr. McAlister has received honoraria from Amgen, Esperion, and Novartis.