15th Anniversary Letter From the Co-Editor

When you are new to an organization, it is difficult to have perspective on where it’s been, where it is, and where it is going. As
an ~11-year veteran, the NLA 15-year anniversary is an ideal time to reflect on my own relationship with the NLA and provide some thoughts about the future.

My first NLA event was a Clinical Lipid Update meeting and Masters course in Amelia Island in 2005. I asked my wife to come for the long weekend since I had the hotel room anyway, but she encouraged me to go alone and immerse myself in the course and reminded me how crazy it was to have a meeting in Florida humidity in August. It turned out to be a delightful, low humidity, not hot weekend. I met new people, was wowed by Tom Dayspring’s lipoprotein metabolism lecture, and passed my ABCL certification exam. I became a fully indoctrinated Clinical Lipidologist.

Since then, I have grown increasingly involved and devoted to the NLA. The organization has been a vital source of education, an opportunity to redirect my clinical practice effectively avoiding clinician burnout. In addition, I have found friends from around the country with similar perspectives and devotion to the science and who love to give back to the NLA.

I have sat on multiple committees now, enjoyed the opportunity to review NLA publications and for the Journal of Clinical Lipidology, participate in structural decision making for the organization, teach in the Lipid Academy course, and become co-editor of LipidSpin. All of these duties have helped me appreciate the devotion and care that goes into the varied aspects of the NLA, but I am particularly proud of the work we do for LipidSpin. I am privileged to work with Joe Saseen and the entire Publications Committee. Jamie Underberg and Bob Wild enabled an easy transition and offered support as Joe and I took the reins two years ago. We are moving towards restructuring the position so that it is a rotating assignment, and I look forward to my own transition and the search for our replacements. I know that the turnover is important to our success as a publication and a great opportunity for other NLA members to increase their involvement; this is what keeps the organization vital.

The NLA has offered me the opportunity to meet living “lipid legends,” colleagues from across the country, meet others who are lucky enough to call themselves Lipidologist including clinicians, researchers, dietitians, pharmacists, exercise physiologists, scientists, industry representatives, national and international thought leaders, critics, and patients/lay people. We all bring different perspectives to the field and I’ve learned from all of you. The other great joy of the NLA is meeting new members, budding lipidologists, and trainees as they begin their career.

I look forward to the next few decades as a lipidologist and with the NLA. I encourage everyone to reach out to non-lipidologist colleagues. Share your enthusiasm for lipidology, invite colleagues to meetings, give talks, and discuss interesting cases together. This is a unique organization because of its intimacy, inclusive spirit, accessibility, and high quality academic devotion, and I’d hate to keep it all just to ourselves. Thank you to the NLA, and congratulations on your first 15 years. I look forward to participating in your future and watching you grow and change for the next 15 years and beyond.