From the NLA President: A Note of Thanks

As I near the end of my term as president of the National Lipid Association (NLA), I have so many thoughts about this rewarding experience that I want to share with you. I remember meeting with an ever-smiling Michael Davidson, MD, FNLA, in 2004, who had so much to tell me about this young organization that he thought would be a perfect fit for me. He asked me to come to a Midwest Lipid Association (MWLA) Regional Update, and by the time I left that meeting, I knew that I was hooked for good. As I immersed myself into studying about clinical lipidology, I was first struck with the realization of how little I knew. My lack of knowledge fueled a voracious appetite to read and learn everything I could and to attend every NLA educational session that the organization gave. The NLA Self-Assessment Program was a great place to start, and the Masters in Lipidology course only served to make me want more. When I took the first certifying exam of the American Board of Clinical Lipidology in 2005, I knew that I was on a path that would enrich my skills as a clinical cardiologist.

As a member of MWLA, my dedication to the NLA was particularly fueled by working with MWLA leaders, including, Dr. Davidson; Neil Stone, MD, FNLA; Jennifer  Robinson,  MD, FNLA; Anne Goldberg, MD, FNLA; and Alan Brown, MD, FNLA. I enjoyed serving on the MWLA Board of Directors and was privileged to become president of MWLA from 2009–2010. Participation at the regional level served as a springboard to my service on the NLA Board of Directors beginning in 2008, to the Executive Committee in 2012, and, to my developing close friendships and rewarding working relationships with a number of respected NLA leaders, including Virgil Brown, MD, FNLA; Matthew Ito, PharmD, FNLA; Peter Jones, MD, FNLA; and Terry Jacobson, MD, FNLA.

The past five years have been a time of rapid change and maturity for our organization and our leadership. During that time we evolved in our approaches to education of our membership, created valuable Expert Panel recommendations on familial hypercholesterolemia and biomarkers, and produced updates of our Self-Assessment Programs. The collegial spirit that characterized the creation of the NLA Recommendations for Patient- Centered Management of Dyslipidemia: Part 1 and 2 helped further establish our organizational identity and give providers our view on what constitutes evidence- based therapy for the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis.

This past year has been a time of evolution for the NLA. A strategic planning meeting, under the outstanding leadership of Dr. Jacobson, set the tone for the high level of performance that characterized the 2015–2016 year. Dr. Jacobson’s work as chair of the Science and Policy Council kept us in the forefront of advocacy issues that impact clinical lipidologists. The Regional Affairs Council, led by our NLA President-Elect and Council Chair, Joyce Ross, MSN, FNLA, promoted committee involvement that enabled our regional members to become more engaged with the national agenda, helped the national organization better understand the local perspectives of our membership, and facilitated the identification of rising stars who will provide our future leadership.

Our presence on social media, championed by Jamie Underberg, MD, FNLA, as Communications Council chair, effectively increased external awareness of the NLA’s activities. The selfless and tireless devotion of Dean Bramlet, MD, FNLA, in his work on the Executive Committee and as chair of the Practice Management Council, helped move forward activities that support clinical lipidologsts. Dr. Alan Brown’s thoughtful initiatives as Membership Council chair breathed new life into our membership recruitment and retention strategies and helped our new members understand that the NLA welcomes them and appreciates their involvement. The endless energy and constant striving for excellence of Harold Bays, MD, FNLA, as Education Council chair and creator of the NLA Annual Summary, have served as an inspiration to the rest of us. Finally, I want to recognize the steady leadership of Brian Hart, JD, who, along with the NLA staff, have helped facilitate the multiple agendas that make up the fabric of our organization.

A major theme of this past year has been collaboration. Through the tireless work of Dr. Bays, the NLA collaborated with the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the Obesity Medicine Association to create a consensus statement on lipids and bariatric procedures. The organizational bridge building efforts of Dr. Alan Brown and Pamela Morris, MD, FNLA, resulted in the NLA being asked to participate in the LDL Think  Tank meeting in October 2015, and in an American College of Cardiology Writing Group that produced the 2016 Expert Consensus Decision Pathway on the Role of Non-Statin Therapies in the Management of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk, a document that was endorsed by the NLA Board of Directors and published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in April 2016. In recognition of our key role as thought leaders in the field of clinical lipidology, the NLA was invited to become a partner with the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association in the creation of the next update of the Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol to Reduce Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Adults.

I thank you all for the privilege of serving the NLA during my year of presidency in 2015–2016. Your new President, Joyce Ross, has inherited a healthy, optimistic organization with almost endless potential to move forward our important agenda in 2016–2017.