From the MWLA President: Embracing Change and Identifying Opportunities

“In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein

To say that the past year has posed significant challenges to individuals and organizations around the world is clearly an understatement. The National Lipid Association’s handling of the pandemic really speaks to this in large measure. The ability of the NLA to pivot in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in a rapid and effective way continues to impress me. Fall 2020 saw the programming of LipidPALOOZA, a series of weekly presentations in September which allowed the membership to benefit from a robust educational mandate allowing reconnection with colleagues. The same can be said for the NLA Scientific Sessions meeting in December 2020 which was an outstanding virtual event with top quality speakers who provided an engaging, informative and thought-provoking agenda.

In addition to the organizers, participants and presenters, I want to recognize and thank our highly dedicated NLA staff who worked tirelessly to make the online delivery seamless. Of course, we are all eager to be able to meet again in person and catch up with our friends and colleagues. Yet, the lessons learned about how to maximize online learning experiences may create new opportunities for a blended approach to communication and learning in the future.

Emerging studies of COVID-19 suggest important roles for lipids and lipid metabolism, involving inflammatory responses that accompany COVID-19 infection and the association of the virus with CVD complications. In partnership with the PLA, this prompted us to focus
the 2021 Spring issue of the LipidSpin more broadly on the management of residual risk beyond statins. The result is a series of articles covering the role of non-lipid factors in residual CVD risk, the contribution and management of inflammation, the use of machine learning algorithms to predict COVID-related CVD complications, and strategies for facilitating healthy lifestyle choices in the time of COVID-19 constraints.

It goes without saying that many aspects of healthcare delivery have changed in the COVID-19 era; the Spring Clinical Lipid Update features a session on the use of telemedicine. It is wonderful to see the way that our NLA members are rapidly and effectively incorporating new approaches to assessment and treatment of patients during the pandemic. Our community of healthcare professionals is pivoting to embrace new ideas and to hone new approaches to care during this time of great challenge.

I am very proud of the way that the PLA and MWLA membership have come together virtually to generate a compelling and informative issue of the LipidSpin. It was a great collaborative effort that will undoubtedly generate new ideas and dialogue in the future. I hope you enjoy reading it!