Multiple Renowned Healthcare Professionals Honored During the National Lipid Association Scientific Sessions

Dr. Joseph Witztum Receives W. Virgil Brown Distinguished Achievement Award,

Drs. Jonathan Cohen, Edward Fisher, and Helen Hobbs, Receive NLA Honorary Lifetime Award

Joseph L. Witztum, MD, received the first ever W. Virgil Brown Distinguished Achievement Award during the annual Honors and Awards Ceremony on Saturday, May 21, 2016, in New Orleans. This award is given to only one recipient per year, and was established to honor one of the founding fathers of the National Lipid Association (NLA), Dr. W. Virgil Brown, whose contributions to the field of lipidology and the NLA are unparalleled. Dr. Witztum was chosen by a joint selection committee between the NLA and the Foundation of the NLA. Dr. Witztum has worked in the field of lipoprotein metabolism and atherogenesis for almost 40 years, and currently serves as a distinguished professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego. He has made an immeasurable impact in the field of lipidology by providing an understanding of the role of oxidized LDL and immunological mechanisms in atherogenesis.

The NLA also honored Jonathan Cohen, PhD; Edward Fisher, MD, MPH, PhD; and Helen Hobbs, MD, with the NLA Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is granted on special occasions to scientists or clinicians who would lend prestige to the NLA by being given Honorary Lifetime Membership by virtue of his/her extraordinary expertise and contributions to the field of clinical lipidology. James Falko, MD, FNLA, chair of the NLA’s Honors and Awards Committee, presented the three awards.

Dr. Cohen, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, has a laboratory focusing on the genetic basis of metabolic disorders, such as dyslipidemia and fatty liver disease. Together with his scientific partner, Dr. Hobbs, he has identified genes that play major roles in the metabolism of fats, cholesterol, and triglycerides, and elucidated the biological roles of their protein products. His laboratory showed that loss-of-function mutations in PCSK9 are associated with low plasma levels of cholesterol and confer protection from coronary heart disease. In addition, the Hobbs-Cohen laboratory identified the first genetic cause of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in humans. Unfortunately, Dr. Cohen was not able to attend the ceremony but extended his thanks to the NLA for the award.

Edward Fisher, MD, PhD, FNLA, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, attended the ceremony and was honored and thankful to receive the award. Dr. Fisher is the director of the Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at NYU Langone Medical Center and the director of the Marc and Ruti Bell Program in Vascular Biology. His research program includes investigations of the cell biology of the very low density lipoproteins; the regression of atherosclerosis, including its imaging; and the development of nanoparticles to target therapies directly to atherosclerotic plaques and other sites of inflammation. He is also an active practitioner in preventive cardiology with a particular interest in lipid risk factors. Dr. Fisher has published more than 160 peer-reviewed articles on both clinical and research topics. His expertise is further reflected by his serving on the editorial boards of the Journal of Clinical Investigation and Circulation Research, and his service as editor in chief of the American Heart Association journal, Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. Dr. Fisher has fervently promoted and been a mentor within the field of clinical lipidology throughout his career. In his current role as director of the Center, he oversees a fellowship in Lipidology and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine that has been responsible for at least 10 trainees and faculty members sitting for and passing the American Board of Clinical Lipidology (ABCL) and Accreditation Council for Clinical Lipidology (ACCL) exam.

Helen H. Hobbs, MD, is an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a professor of internal medicine and molecular genetics at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center. She is director of the McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, which serves as the Center for Human Genetics at UT Southwestern. Dr. Hobbs is also director of the Dallas Heart Study, a longitudinal, multiethnic, population-based study of Dallas County. Her work focuses on defining the genetic determinants of plasma lipid levels and cardiovascular risk. Most recently, she has identified genetic variations that confer susceptibility to fatty liver disease. Dr. Hobbs has received many distinguished honors for her work, including the 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for her work identifying genetic variants in the genome and creating potential for more effective drug treatments. She is the author of numerous scientific publications and book chapters, many dealing with the abnormalities in the uptake and metabolism of dietary lipids, such as cholesterol. Because of other obligations, Dr. Hobbs was not able to attend the ceremony but has expressed her thanks to the NLA.

Additionally, the former NLA President Carl Orringer, MD, FNLA, awarded Terry A. Jacobson, MD, FNLA, and Peter H. Jones, MD, FNLA, with the 2016 President’s Service Awards for their outstanding service to the NLA and the president during the 2015–2016 term.

During the ceremony, the 2016 Fellows of the NLA were inducted. This year’s fellows are Rolf Andersen, MD, FNLA; Judith Collins, APRN, MSN, CLS, FNLA; Deborah Croy, DNP, CLS, FNLA; Sondra DePalma, PA-C, MHS, CLS, FNLA; John Casey Elkins, DNP, MEd, NP-C, CLS, FNLA; Nancy Smith, RD, MS, CLS, FNLA; James Trippi, MD, FNLA; and Cezary Wojcik, MD, FNLA.