Foundation Update

The Foundation of the National Lipid Association continues to make strides to help educate and promote clinical lipidology — both to clinicians and to the public.

In the last Foundation Update, we discussed the launch of “Cholesterol Counts,” an unbranded cholesterol awareness campaign geared toward consumers to assess their knowledge of cholesterol and how their knowledge stacks up against other Americans. The Foundation of the NLA and representatives from Mended Hearts and Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA) are working with Sanofi US, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Cohn & Wolfe, and The Harris Poll to support this initiative. President-Elect of the Foundation of the NLA, Ralph Vicari, MD, FNLA, is leading this initiative for the Foundation.

Visit CholesterolCounts.com to see the poll and learn more about the program. There, you can view the initial poll results of more than 12,000 Americans via interactive maps to compare national and state-by-state data, and find information about this serious condition and why it’s important to manage and track cholesterol levels.

The first poll-data analysis from the Cholesterol Counts campaign was released Feb. 18, 2015, during American Heart Month. CholesterolCounts.com is being updated bi-monthly with new data. Physician’s Weekly interviewed Dr. Vicari on April 1 to discuss the campaign. An article based on their discussion is set to be released in Physician’s Weekly’s new Lipid Clinic Edition in the summer of 2015.

At the end of 2015, a one-year progress report that utilizes all data gathered from the poll responses depicting the awareness of cholesterol in the U.S will be developed.

Another initiative the Foundation has been working on is the “Akira Endo Award for Achievements in the Development of Treatments to Prevent Atherosclerosis.” This award is to honor the scientific achievements of Dr. Akira Endo of Tokyo, Japan, the discoverer of statins. The winner of the 2015 Endo Award is Harry R. “Chip” Davis, Jr., PhD, for his tremendous involvement in advancing the therapy of lipid disorders. W. Virgil Brown, MD, FNLA, will present Dr. Davis with the award at the 2015 International Symposium on Atherosclerosis  (ISA). The award will continue to be presented at future ISA meetings, which occur every three years, to a scientist who has made major contributions in the development of treatments to prevent atherosclerosis, the leading cause of death of developed countries throughout the world.

If you are attending the NLA Scientific Sessions in Chicago, make sure you check out a couple of the Foundations latest projects and events.

Memorial Wall
Starting this year at the NLA Scientific Sessions, the Foundation of the NLA will be sponsoring a memorial wall posthumously honoring past leaders and pioneers in the field of lipidology. These banner “walls” will be placed in the Poster Hall and are meant to recognize the tremendous contributions that have been made in areas relating to the causes, prevention, and treatment of cardiovascular disease and lipids. Please stop by the Poster Hall not only to take a look at the great abstracts that have been submitted, but also to view the Memorial Wall.

Honorees for 2015 include: E.H. “Pete” Ahrens, Jr., MD; Edwin Bierman, MD; John Brunzell, MD; William Connor, MD; Donald Fredrickson, MD; John Gofman, MD; Dewitt Goodman, MD; Jeffrey Hoeg, MD; Donald Hunninghake, MD; Roger Illingworth, MD; William Kannel, MD; Ancel Keys, PhD; Robert Knopp, MD; Peter Kwiterovich Jr., MD; Robert Levy, MD; Gustav Schonfeld, MD; Daniel Steinberg, MD; Roger Williams, MD; and Donald Zilversmit, PhD. Please see special insert in this LipidSpin.

Fun[d]Raising at the House of Blues
Join us at the House of Blues in downtown Chicago for an evening packed with music, food, and fun. Bring your family and support the Foundation, while enjoying today’s most popular songs, delicious food, and tasty drinks with colleagues and friends. Foundation board member and Chicago native Dr. Alan Brown and his band, This End Up, will provide the tunes for the evening! Take advantage of the complimentary photo booth to capture the unforgettable occasion and take home memories.

Tickets are $195/person. Please see an NLA staff member to purchase your ticket if you have not already done so. If you cannot make it to Chicago, we understand! But we hope to see you at future Foundation events. These events are intended not only to raise money but also to raise awareness about the Foundation as a whole within the membership of the NLA, and to encourage fellowship amongst our members.

As always, we appreciate your support of the Foundation and look forward to continued success.