From the SWLA President: President's Views

I am humbled to serve as the president of the Southwest Lipid Association. Our territory is large and diverse. Our geography spans from the deep south and the Gulf of Mexico, to the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, to the Rocky Mountain states. Our members come from many different practice settings, including; solo medical practice sites, VA centers, large academic practices, multi-specialty groups, single specialty groups, and everything in between. I have had the opportunity to interact personally with many of you – at both regional and national meetings. I enjoy the uniqueness of the organization, the personal relationships and the cutting edge science presented. It is truly an organization I am proud to be associated with.

It is an exciting time to be in the field of lipidology. After several years of what seemed like a “lull” in new treatments and therapies, this year and the next few promise exciting developments in this field. Outcome trials for the PCSK9 inhibitor agents were presented this year and further trials are to be presented in the coming months. Other research areas include: modulation of the triglyceride and remnant rich lipoprotein pathways (via targeting of the ApoC3 and ANGPTL3 pathways), use of omega 3 fatty acids and CV outcomes, CETP inhibition; inflammatory reduction (via methotrexate or monoclonal antibody), Lp(a) modulation, and many others. With all of the breaking news in lipidology, I suggest all members make a point to attend your regional and national meetings next year and keep up with the rapidly changing science.

Finally, it is an honor to present the SWLA’s edition of the LipidSpin. Our theme is: Collaborative Patient Focused Care: Ensuring the Patient has Access to the Complete Healthcare Team. In our region, we have many talented health care professionals that can help in the successful treatment of our patients.

Patients with dyslipidemia require long term treatment, which creates many potential “touchpoints” with the health care system along a patient’s dyslipidemia journey. Each of these touch points offer an opportunity to impact the effectiveness of the delivery of care to our patients. Utilizing the talents and knowledge of our pharmacists, dietitians, health care counselors, advanced care practitioners and others can lead to better patient care. Unfortunately, many of us never get to work collaboratively with our non-physician colleagues. As medicine moves to team based care, I hope this changes. Enjoy the following articles!