From the NLA President: Focusing on You

Great organizations thrive by looking forward, and the National Lipid Association is no different.

In looking forward, we must have a vision of how we will continue to grow our brand and membership, which ultimately helps advance the practice of clinical lipidology. NLA leadership, along with some special invited guests, met in Orlando for a Strategic Planning session in January to define exactly what that vision looks like.

The focus of this meeting was you, the NLA member. Some of the important questions we asked included are we offering enough value to you, how do we get you to be more engaged and how can we better understand what you like best about the NLA? Knowing those answers are vital in helping our organization recruit new members and retain current ones.

To address the question of value, we have formed a special task force responsible for evaluating current membership offerings and comprising a plan for potential revised options with different costs and benefits. The plan will be presented to the NLA Executive Council and Board at Scientific Sessions Board of Directors meeting in April.

In our two-way engagement, there’s no question, continued improvement is key. Our digital media efforts continue to evolve, offering more content designed to spark scientific discussion via our e-newsletter, @Lipid, and our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram). Make no mistake, we want you to join the conversation with us on social media. Remember to follow our pages and comment on and share our posts. This not only helps members converse with each other on important topics, but it also helps spread the NLA’s reach to potential new members.

Another point of emphasis is working with chapter leadership to offer more educational opportunities on a local and regional level. This includes Lipid Clubs, which are local, intimate gatherings featuring intriguing discussions in Journal Club format, and webinars. If you are looking to create a leadership path for yourself in the NLA, it is important to first become active with your chapter.

With regard to our organization’s growth, we are making a concerted effort to improve diversity. In addition to actively pursuing partnerships with the Association of Black Cardiologists and the National Hispanic Medical Association, the NLA is broadening its marketing efforts by reaching out to program chairs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities offering Medical, PharmD, Nursing and Dietitian programs. The Women in Lipidology group has also been actively engaged and helpful in these processes.

We also must prepare the future generation of lipidologists and lipid specialists to carry the NLA into the future. The NLA is looking at forming a new Associate Member committee with the purpose of increasing younger member engagement and providing a platform for them to progress on a leadership track within the association.

We will continue to refine the membership experience, and your feedback is vital. Please email our Membership staff (membership@lipid.org) with any questions or comments and remember to participate in our periodic surveys. If you run into me or our national or chapter leadership at our meetings, be sure to stop us, say hello and share your ideas.