This year promises to be an important turning point for the Pacific Lipid Association (PLA). Our goal is to reinvigorate our membership through greater opportunities to serve the PLA and National Lipid Association (NLA). This can only be done by improving member communication and engaging our membership in activities that are both personally rewarding and promote the mission and goals of the PLA/NLA.

First, it is worthwhile to applaud some accomplishments of a few of our PLA members who have contributed greatly to the mission of the PLA/NLA and serve as an inspiration for the involvement of newer and younger members (and forgive us if we have not mentioned all who have made recent valuable contributions). One key example is PLA member Geeta Sikand, MS, RDN, CLS, FAND, FNLA, Director of Nutrition for UC Irvine’s Preventive Cardiology Program, a longtime NLA member. Geeta recently led a large writing group of nutrition experts on completing the paper, “Clinical and cost benefit of medical nutrition therapy by registered dietitian nutritionists for management of dyslipidemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” which was published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology online (tinyurl.com/jclmedicalnutritiontherapy). Geeta continues to serve as an advocate for patients and professionals who would benefit from access to registered dietitian nutritionists.

Moreover, PLA Immediate Past President, Yehuda Handelsman, MD, FNLA, head of the Metabolic Institute of America, is legendary in his creation of the highly successful Diabetes in the Heart Conferences (the second annual meeting just completed) and, of course, the World Congresses on Insulin Resistance, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease successfully held annually in Los Angeles for the past 15 years.

In addition, the Orange County (California) Symposium for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, which has had as an important focus educating local clinicians about clinical lipidology, endorsed by the PLA and organized by PLA Past Presidents Paul Rosenblit, MD, PhD, FNLA, Rob Greenfield, MD, FNLA, and Nathan Wong, PhD, FNLA, is now in its 10th year.

Finally, cardiologist, clinical lipidologist and PLA Past President John R. Nelson, MD, FNLA, organized a satellite program at the 2018 NLA Scientific Sessions, “The Emerging Role of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexanoic Acid (DHA) in Atherosclerosis,” that was an extremely popular event. Additionally, because of his passion for community service, Dr. Nelson, along with PLA members, Wayne True, MD, MPH, FNLA, and Nathan Wong, PhD, FNLA, provided participant consultation on cardiovascular risk factor management at the Native Health Center at the February 2017 Spring Clinical Lipid Update in Phoenix. We have provided this service at such health fairs because of the collaboration we have had over the past few years with the American Heart Association (AHA).

The PLA has several important initiatives for this year. One key effort is a collaboration between the AHA and the NLA, initiated by the PLA, that will establish the first jointly marketed program between a NLA chapter and the AHA. The Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol.™ program offers practices and organizations opportunities to receive participant-level recognition for initiating cardiovascular risk assessment and gold-level recognition for demonstrating 70% of eligible highrisk patients are on statin therapy, as part of a nationwide effort to improve lipid control among our higher risk patients. We especially encourage our members to be part of this effort. More details can be found at tinyurl.com/ahaccc.

“We encourage members to be leaders in their community by promoting lipid education and other goals of the PLA/NLA among their colleagues.”

Second, the PLA is making a concerted effort to better promote education in lipids and related cardiovascular risk factors by encouraging its members to host local dinner programs, as well as regional symposia. A document is being made available to all PLA members about specific non-branded CME and non-CME opportunities available by a variety of sponsors in the lipid and cardiometabolic space.

Third, we hope to further improve member communication and highlight member accomplishments through a quarterly newsletter being produced by all NLA chapters. It is my hope that PLA members will reach out to the NLA communications staff to inform us of any recent accomplishments (publications, promotions, awards) that we might highlight in this new forum.

Most importantly, we hope through the activities highlighted above, and other means, we will empower our members to be more active contributors to the mission of the PLA/NLA. We encourage members to be leaders in their community by promoting lipid education and other goals of the PLA/NLA among their colleagues. We especially encourage you to advocate for healthcare providers and scientists of tomorrow to join in the great mission to help prevent cardiovascular disease through improved education, clinical care, and research around clinical lipidology.

Disclosure statement: Dr. Gupta has received honoraria from Amgen. Dr. Wong has no financial disclosures to report. Dr. Shapiro has received honoraria from Kastle, Novartis and Regeneron. Dr. Kirkpatrick has no financial disclosures to report.