15th Anniversary Letter From the Co-Editor

My journey with the National Lipid Association (NLA) started in 2005. I have always had a focus on cardiovascular risk reduction pharmacotherapy for my patient care and educational and scholarly activities at the University of Colorado, so this was a natural part of my development. I decided to join this organization based on recommendations from a colleague that the organization was both multidisciplinary and “PharmD friendly.” I found out quickly that the NLA not only was friendly to my discipline, but was one of those rare professional organizations that fully embraced other health professions too! The NLA members and leaders that I met helped bring me into the fold and it was clear the core value of the NLA was interprofessional. I found a clinical home to help me engage further with like-minded people that shared my passion for lipid management. I was welcomed to participate in multiple NLA activities, and I could not be more grateful for the opportunities I have been afforded.

I have had the opportunity to participate in the formation of the Accreditation Council for Clinical Lipidology (ACCL), leading to the
Clinical Lipid Specialist credential. As an inaugural member of the ACCL Board of Governors, I saw first-hand interprofessional collaboration. Though we continue to target credentialing more Clinical Lipid Specialists, I could not be more pleased by the hundreds of high-level clinicians that are recognized by ACCL. I should add that NLA leadership and management (especially Chris Seymour) were essential in developing the ACCL and Clinical Lipid Specialist credential.

I often refer to LipidSpin one of the crown jewels of the NLA! I hold this publication in such high regard even though it is not an indexed
biomedical journal; it does not have to be that because we have the Journal of Clinical Lipidology for that purpose. Rather, it is a resource
appropriate for all members of the NLA. It provides front-line clinicians with relevant insights and information that helps them improve patient care. It also provides evidence-based summaries of timely scientific issues, and updates on regional chapters and activities of the Foundation. I am never disappointed and always learn something new with each edition. When reading it, it is as though I am getting either clinical pearls or curbside consults from colleagues in a more intimate way than a typical indexed journal. The first edition I read was similar to a newsletter. It was focused and helpful and spoke to me in language I understood. Over the past 15 years, it has evolved into an organized publication, supported by stellar NLA staff, that is diverse. Moreover, as the co-editor with Dan Soffer (who is just an awesome person to work with), I feel like I have received as much as I have given to LipidSpin.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of LipidSpin has been the timely value provided to front line clinicians. Think about landmark publications over the past 15 years. LipidSpin had timely review of the ATP III update in 2004, the JUPITER trial in 2008, the ACC-AHA 2013 Blood Cholesterol guidelines in 2013 and the NLA Part 1 recommendations. I mention these as examples of game changers recommendations that challenged us to think about our clinical decisions. The LipidSpin wasted no time in providing insight from our NLA colleagues and experts on how to see all sides of these stories. The information was timely, focused, and helpful. It has been a privilege to be co-editor of LipidSpin along with Dan Soffer. Based on the successes and evolution of LipidSpin over the past 15 years, just imagine what the next 15 have to offer!