SWLA Chapter Update: Making Progress in the Field, Despite the Pandemic

The members of the Southwest chapter of the National Lipid Association were thrilled to sponsor this edition of LipidSpin, themed “Unique Challenges of ASCVD Prevention in Rural America.” The members of our chapter board are truly grateful for all the contributors who wrote articles to share their expertise and make this an informative and valuable issue of LipidSpin.

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our chapter members have remained active. I have been co-chairing the NLA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force with Dr. Gina Lundberg, from Emory. The committee has added a “Diversity Spotlight” to LipidSpin, and we welcome everyone to contribute and share their stories. Also, stay tuned to the NLA Twitter account for the 21-day anti-racism challenge. This challenge will consist of brief daily materials (YouTube videos, figures, podcasts, blog articles, and short manuscripts) designed to be transformative regarding DEI. 

Dr. Catherine McNeal and I have had several fascinating discussions about healthy patients we’ve seen with extremely low cholesterol – with LDL-C undetectable in several of our patients. This led to
a fruitful collaboration: using exome sequencing, we were able to identify the underlying genetic cause in nearly all our patients (recently published in Journal of Clinical Lipidology).

Dr. Susan Dimick continues efforts to educate patients and rural providers. She continues to spearhead monthly lipid journal clubs attended by family medicine physicians, endocrinologists, cardiologists, pharmacists, internists, and mid-level providers. Thanks to the pandemic, the increased use of Zoom has allowed her to extend attendance to more rural communities, and she uses a Mailchimp option to send out short informative information pieces on lipid management and the NLA three days per week.

Dr. Anandita Kulkarni, who recently co-authored a great summary of the past/present/future of prevention (published in Journal Clinical Lipidology) as well as the 2021 ACC hypertriglyceridemia decision pathway, along with SWLA members Dr. Christie Ballantyne and Dr. Salim Virani, has led the expansion of the Baylor Scott and White Heart Hospital. Baylor Plano launched a brand-new Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention that specializes in the management of complex lipid disorders, South Asian cardiovascular health, and women’s cardiovascular health.

Nicole Ciffone, owner of Arizona Lipid Center, and Ann Skulas-Ray, PhD, at the University of Arizona Nutritional Sciences, have been partnering on a few projects. First is a research study on the benefits of grapes and how grapes support physiological function. Second is a “Healthier You” lecture series focusing on some hot topics in nutrition. The Healthier You Lecture series will be available for view on Azlipidcenter social media pages: www.Facebook.com/azlipidcenter and links on www.instagram.com/azlipidcenter.

We are excited to see all these initiatives progress and hope existing and potential members will enthusiastically become involved. While we work towards a post-pandemic world, the SWLA members are maintaining resources and creating new material in the virtual one to ensure our members have the latest in Clinical Lipidology tools at their fingertips.

In closing, I would like to personally thank the membership of the SWLA. I look forward to continuing to work with you to advance our mission.

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