PLA Chapter Update: Growth in Our Community

It is an honor to contribute this PLA Chapter Update to the current edition of LipidSpin. Congratulations to all PLA and SWLA authors who contributed to this edition. We sincerely appreciate the time and effort involved, and we are also grateful for the mentorship provided by senior authors to individuals who may be newer to the field of clinical lipidology. LipidSpin is such a critical part of the NLA’s efforts to help educate and generate excitement around the field of lipidology!

I am very proud of the PLA’s accomplishments over this past year. One focus has been on education and finding innovative ways to engage the lipid community in discussions around best-practices for various aspects of lipid management. We used Twitter/X to introduce “PLA Lipid Conundrums”, a platform for presenting challenging cases and engaging the community in discussions around best-practices. This was a great way to tap into the diverse expertise of our members and the greater community of clinicians in clinical lipidology and CVD prevention. 

Our PLA members have been busy! Congratulations to Dr. Nathan Wong and colleagues, including Drs. Rob Greenfield, Shaista Malik, and Paul Rosenblit, for running another outstanding program on cardiovascular disease prevention during the 15th Annual Orange County Symposium on CVD Prevention which occurred 10/28/23.

Over the past year, our current PLA president, Geeta Sikand RD, CLS, FNLA, has continued to make very important contributions to the field of diet and nutrition to address lipid disorders and reduce CVD risk, including: 

• Kirkpatrick C F, Sikand G (co-lead authors), Peterson K C et al. Nutrition Interventions for Adults with Dyslipidemia: A Clinical Perspective from the National Lipid Association. J Clin Lipidol. Online June 3rd, 2023; 
• Sikand G, Handu D, Rozga M, de Vaal D, Wong ND.  Medical Nutrition Therapy provided by Dietitians is effective and saves healthcare costs in the management of adults with dyslipidemia, Current Atherosclerosis Reports.2023;25(6); and 
• Cheung B, Sikand G, Dineen EH, Malik S, Barseghian El-Farra A. Lipid-Lowering Nutraceuticals for an Integrative Approach to Dyslipidemia. J Clin Med. 2023 May 11;12(10):3414.

Geeta was also featured in the media:   

• Sikand G. Eating Almonds and Other Tree Nuts Linked to Lower Blood Pressure (healthline.com), Yahoo News and MSN Health & Fitness, Feb. 14, 2023.
• Sikand G. The Surprising Link Between Calcium Consumption And Heart Health HuffPost February 14. 2023.

At our last NLA Scientific Sessions, I was honored to receive the President’s Service Award from our immediate past-president, Michelle Taylor, NP. Michelle has demonstrated incredible dedication to the PLA and worked very hard during her presidency to bring our Chapter together and advance goals around clinician and patient education, and we are all extremely grateful for her ongoing support of the Chapter. 

Since our last Chapter update, I’m excited to share the following publications which were a result of incredible collaborations with both experts and rising stars in the field of lipidology and CVD prevention:

• Small S, Iglesies-Grau J, Gariepy C, Wilkinson M. J., Taub P, Kirkham A. 2023. Time-Restricted Eating: A Novel Dietary Strategy for Cardiac Rehabilitation. Can J Cardiol. 2023 Sep 20;. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2023.09.017.
• Ma GS, Chiou TT, Wilkinson M. J. 2023. Is Lipoprotein(a) Clinically Actionable with Today’s Evidence? The Answer is Yes. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2023 Aug 26;. doi: 10.1007/s11886-023-01937-z.
• Wilkinson, M. J., Lepor, N. E., and Michos E.D. 2023. Evolving management of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol: a personalized approach to preventing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease across the risk continuum. Journal of the American Heart Association. DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.122.028892
• Wilkinson, M. J., Xu, I., Vasudevan, R. S., You, H., Xu, R., and Taub P. 2023. Trends in LDL-C following coronary angiography involving assessment by fractional flow reserve in obstructive vs non-obstructive coronary artery disease. American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpc.2023.100473

Our PLA member, Carol Kirkpatrick, PhD, continues to serve as an incredible advocate and mentor for those of us in the PLA, and has made numerous contributions to the field of lipidology and CVD prevention over the past year, including recent manuscripts and lectures. We were fortunate to have her present at the Fall CLU in 2023 on “Patient-Centered Lifestyle Interventions for Obesity – One Size Does Not Fit All”. Thank you, Carol!

I would also like to highlight some of the amazing contributions to the literature on lipoprotein(a) made by PLA member, Dr. Harpreet Bhatia. This is only a small fraction of Dr. Bhatia’s recent publications. Congratulations!

• Bhatia HS, Becker RC, Leibundgut G, Patel M, Lacaze P, Tonkin A, Narula J, Tsimikas S. Lipoprotein(a), platelet function and cardiovascular disease. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2023 Nov 8. doi: 10.1038/s41569-023-00947-2. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37938756.
• Bhatia HS, Hurst S, Desai P, Zhu W, Yeang C. Lipoprotein(a) Testing Trends in a Large Academic Health System in the United States. J Am Heart Assoc. 2023 Sep 19;12(18):e031255. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.123.031255. Epub 2023 Sep 13. PMID: 37702041; PMCID: PMC10547299.
• Bhatia HS, Rikhi R, Allen TS, Yeang C, Guan W, Garg PK, Tsai MY, Criqui MH, Shapiro MD, Tsimikas S. Lipoprotein(a) and the pooled cohort equations for ASCVD risk prediction: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis. 2023 Sep;381:117217. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2023.117217. Epub 2023 Aug 9. PMID: 37607461.
• Bhatia HS, Trainor P, Carlisle S, Tsai MY, Criqui MH, DeFilippis A, Tsimikas S. Aspirin and Cardiovascular Risk in Individuals With Elevated Lipoprotein(a): The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. J Am Heart Assoc. 2024 Feb 6;13(3):e033562. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.123.033562. Epub 2024 Jan 31. PMID: 38293935.

This is a very exciting time for the PLA as we continue to grow and develop new and exciting initiatives, especially around clinician and patient education. I look forward to all that we will accomplish in the months ahead under the stellar leadership of Geeta Sikand.

I will be honored to begin my term as PLA President during this summer’s NLA Scientific Sessions in Las Vegas. I hope you will join us! The NLA has been such a critical part of my career development and success, and Scientific Sessions has always been one of the most important ways for me to connect with others in the field and develop my expertise in clinical lipidology. Plus, we always have a great time (scavenger hunts involving hilarious photo-ops, karaoke, dance parties, just to name a few activities that brought us together at past meetings)! One of my goals as PLA President is to excite new members and bring more trainees into the field of clinical lipidology. With earlier exposure to the field and great mentorship, we can inspire individuals across specialties and disciplines to develop their expertise in clinical lipidology and join us in our work to prevent CVD in our patients.

See you in Vegas!