Foundation Update: Looking Ahead

The Foundation of the NLA has already had an extremely eventful 2017 with many new, exciting plans for its future and direction. The Foundation Board of Directors met in January to discuss our goals, strategy and upcoming plans.  The discussions at this meeting led to a new mission, vision and values that we will now operate under moving forward:

Mission: The Foundation of the National Lipid Association is a patient-focused nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the welfare of patients and families affected by cholesterol and triglyceride problems.

Vision:  Supporting patients and families with cholesterol and triglyceride problems with education, awareness, and advocacy in order to decrease suffering and death. The Foundation supports the initiatives of the National Lipid Association.

Values: Education • Awareness • Advocacy

Ultimately, the Foundation will turn its focus to providing education and materials that will help patients and their families with lipid problems. The concentrations will be on rare diseases awareness and the impact of lipid disorders on children.

Coming July 2017, the Foundation will also launch a new website.  It will be disease-state focused and patients will better be able to identify with the lipid disorders they face and get the information they need to understand their health. It will include basic information on various lipid disorders and resources and materials, as well as contact information on how to find a lipidologist in any given area in the United States.  The goal is for the website to have patients explaining their journey with each lipid disorder presented on the website so patients can more easily identify themselves with an individual experiencing similar issues.  If we can help make a connection that will encourage patients to get the treatment they need, and make them not feel alone with what they are experiencing, then we are accomplishing what we have set out to do.  Stay tuned to learnyourlipids.com later this summer.

In addition, the Foundation is continuing it’s RAre Disease AwaReness campaign that will enable the association to address the medical community and educate healthcare professionals and patients about the latest knowledge and information regarding rare lipid disorders.  The launch of additional materials and resources will coincide with the launch of the Foundation’s new website coming in July.

Finally, everyone should purchase a ticket to attend the NLA 15th Anniversary Celebration Gala at the 2017 NLA Scientific Sessions, benefiting the Foundation and its initiatives.  The night will include casino games, dinner, dancing and a photo booth to commemorate the last 15 years of the NLA. In addition, the night will include a presentation of the Foundation’s inaugural Clinical/Educator Award.

The Foundation will also be giving out the Hunninghake Familial Hypercholesterolemia Abstract Award and will be recognizing five Young Investigators with abstract awards at the NLA Annual Scientific Sessions.  These abstracts will be hosted in the NLA’s abstract hall that will showcase the posters in an electronic format on flat-screen televisions. We have also continued the Memorial Wall, in collaboration with the NLA, posted at each NLA Annual Scientific Sessions to honor (posthumously) those past leaders and pioneers who have helped shape the field of clinical lipidology.

I would like to acknowledge all the organizations and companies who have helped showcase the Foundation’s presence at the NLA Scientific Sessions this year:
Gala Celebration: Amgen • Kastle Therapeutics • Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
W. Virgil Brown, MD Distinguished Achievement Award: The Dyslipidemia Foundation
Clinician/Educator Award: Aaron & Lillie Straus Foundation
Donald Hunninghake FH Abstract Award: AstraZeneca
Young Investigator Awards: Sanofi
Memorial Wall: Amgen
Electronic Abstract Poster Hall: Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.

As always, thank you for your continued support for the Foundation and for an already successful 2017!