Chapter Update: News from NELA

It is a real privilege to serve as the president of the Northeast Lipid Association (NELA). Part of that privilege is having a bird’s eye view of all of the wonderful things the NELA membership is doing. As the president, I feel that my main contributions have been to provide a word of encouragement here or a suggestion there. Overall, however, the success of the NELA chapter is really a testament to the amazing NELA membership — which is not only constantly brimming with new ideas, but also the energy to accomplish them.

One new idea that the NELA chapter is implementing this year is the NELA Travel Reimbursement Scholarship. This scholarship is designed to help provide financial assistance to NELA members that want to attend a National Lipid Association meeting but are unable to attend due to travel cost. Applications for the scholarship are submitted online for the NELA Board of Directors to approve. The goal is for these NELA members to attend the meeting and become involved with the NELA chapter. Two successful applications have already been approved by the NELA Board. The NELA chapter is always looking for opportunities and new ways to help its members get involved.

Kenneth Kellick, PharmD, FNLA, is currently working with the NLA staff to develop a NELA webinar program. This will allow members who cannot attend meetings the ability to receive the same high quality information and CME credit remotely. This is all about seeing and meeting the needs of our membership.

In addition, you can read about Wenliang Song, MD’s, very successful efforts to reach out to trainees in the Member Spotlight on Page 30. He conceived and executed this project, with the blessing of leadership, all on his own. This outreach is all about extending our impact and building for the future.

NELA is happy to endorse educational programs developed by our members for their peers. These include the NYU Langone Cardiovascular Risk Courses (“Dietary Strategies for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction” and “Advances in Cardiovascular Risk Reduction”) that will be offered this May, as well as Merle Myerson, MD, FNLA’s, New York Clinical Lipid Forum. Finally, on the local lipid club front, the Philadelphia Lipid Atherosclerosis Club (PLAC) has merged with the Cardiovascular Institute and will broaden its scope to include primary care cardiometabolic meetings as well as the “hard core” lipid meetings.

I am sure I echo the feelings of my predecessors in this position in saying this year is going by way too fast and there are no people like lipid people!