From the NLA President: How the NLA Adapted to the Challenges of 2020

My fellow members of the National Lipid Association, I am very happy to bring you yet another Northeast and Southeast Chapter-hosted edition of LipidSpin. When the editorial calendar was revamped last year, we fully intended this edition to roll off the presses in time to make the rounds at the Fall Clinical Lipid Update in Washington, D.C. But as John Lennon once famously sang, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Many NLA meetings have undergone virtual transformations this year – much like the professional environments we are all currently navigating. It seems only appropriate this edition’s theme would be “Telehealth and other EHR-Based LipidManagement Tools.”  

Progression

In addition to the publication, I would like to give you a brief update on what we’ve been doing as an organization – and what we can expect in the future. A few months ago, we held very productive board meetings, which yielded some exciting changes. First, we’ve restructured our Practice Management Council from its original three-committee design. Moving forward, this council will consist of two committees – Clinical Tools and Systems Tools.

We also recently implemented improvements made to our new manuscripts policy, particularly introducing a Clinical Perspectives category. Recently, the NLA Board of Directors approved three new publications to be rolled out within the coming year. Be on the lookout for one about statin-associated side effects (a Clinical Perspective) and another on dyslipidemia during the reproductive years (a Clinical Perspective). And just prior to the Annual Meeting, the board also approved Treating Hypercholesterolemia in Older Primary Prevention Patients (publication category TBD).

In the Potpourri edition of LipidSpin, I outlined some of the goals I hope to accomplish as NLA President – one of which was the incorporation of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equality. I am happy to say we are on track with ensuring our educational offerings encompass the spirit of diversity and inclusion. Equally important, we are making sure our educational offerings contain inclusions of social determinants of health. The establishment of a Diversity, Inclusion, and Equality Task Force was the natural next step to preserve these changes and make sure the momentum does not slow down. I am happy to announce our Task Force co-chairs Gina Lundberg, MD, and Zahid Ahmad, MD, are up to the challenge of doing just that. 

Education

Though many parts of the world have slowed to a crawl due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our need to maintain and hone our lipidology knowledge certainly has not. I invited our membership to take advantage of any downtime it might have had by enrolling in our virtual ancillary courses, and I am happy to say many of you did indeed participate in the online Foundations of Lipidology and Masters in Lipidology programs.

For the first time ever, we also took our virtual meeting ambitions to a higher level with our inaugural Virtual Scientific Sessions. And while I still realize we are all eager to learn lipids and talk shop in a tangible forum once again in the future, I could not be happier with this unique experience we were able to share. Even at safe distances apart, we were able to engage in robust symposia and thoughtprovoking expert theaters. We had the chance to explore scientific abstracts in our Virtual Poster Hall. We congratulated our deserving peers during our Honors and Awards ceremony. We even got the chance to loosen up and have a little fun at our New Member Event.

It is incredibly encouraging to close out 2020 on such a positive note. As the research continues for safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, we continue to encourage the safest possible practices to ensure maximum health and safety – both in our day-to-day and professional lives. Though breakthroughs are on the horizon, many health concerns and travel restrictions are still firmly in place. The top priority of the NLA at this time is ensuring healthy patients and clinicians, and as we were not fully confident these considerations and restrictions would be lifted as early as February, the NLA has made the decision to extend its virtual meeting schedule through the 2021 Spring Clinical Lipid Update. Stay tuned for an announcement unveiling plans to deliver our clinical curriculum in accessible and convenient virtual modalities. We maintain the steadfast hope the diligence we maintain now will give us the ability to meet face-to-face in Scottsdale in the Summer.

Finally, I am thrilled to share the NLA is officially recognized by the Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education™ for an additional six years as an accredited provider of interprofessional continuing education with commendation. The NLA is truly a top-notch educator and respected in the medical education industry for its excellence. This reaccreditation will allow the NLA to continue to provide accredited education for all members treating lipid patients.

Stay safe and stay vigilant. I look forward to seeing everyone as soon as possible.