From the NELA President: President's Views

I am proud to represent the Northeast Lipid Association (NELA) as president, and in my 30th  year of clinical lipidology. At the start of my practice at the the VA Medical Center (VAMC), lovastatin and ATP-1 were just introduced. In these 30 years of practice LDL-C targets have changed from 130mg/dL to less than 70mg/dL.

My interaction with the National Lipid Association started at the first gathering in 2002 where SELA expanded to the current five chapters that form our organization. I proudly call all of you both friends and colleagues as we know most of each other in our respective chapters on a first name basis.

I am excited to see the NLA develop its own recommendations and contribute to the development of national guidelines. As we continue to utilize our expertise in challenging patients with conventional drug therapies, it is stimulating to see new therapies on the horizon such as APOC3 inhibitors and ANGPTL3 modulators. All of us should take the opportunity to attend regional meetings to keep abreast of these new lipid developments.

The NELA lipid community is diverse, comprising of physicians, clinical pharmacists, clinical nurse practitioners and other allied health professionals. Going forward our biggest challenge in the coming years is treating complex patients with a multidisciplinary approach. We all know targets have changed over the years from total cholesterol reduction, where normal was considered 300 mg/dL during my residency, to recognition and modulation of LDL, VLDL and other new lipid targets that are part of multifaceted patient management.

Your continued participation the NLA and the Northeast Lipid Association increases the character and strength of the organization. Every one of you should  get involved by coming to the regional conferences, participating in the various NLA committees, contributing to the NLA publications including the Journal of Clinical Lipidology and using the blog on the website. There are numerous practice tools on the website (lipid.org/practicetools); chapter discussion areas (lipid.org/forums/chapter-discussion-nela) as well as a member contact area (lipid.org/member_map). My contact is in the membership list. You will find, as all many of my colleagues have done, that I am easily reachable and will go the extra mile to help you or put you in touch with someone who can fulfil your needs.

Please feel free to take advantage of all the resources available to you. Consider yourself as an ambassador of the NLA and be proud of your membership. Most of all share your experiences with others to assist in the growth of our lipid community.   

Disclosure statement: Dr. Kellick has no financial disclosures to report.