From the NLA President: Momentum and Milestones

Over the past several months, the NLA has made significant progress on a number of initiatives that reflect our commitment to advancing the science and practice of Clinical Lipidology. These initiatives also reflect the NLA's ambitions to see advances in our field manifest in new and innovative ways.

This year, we opened the inaugural enrollment period for the Lifetime Membership program, which will ensure continuous membership in the association while helping to establish the first dedicated training programs in lipidology. In addition to supporting the development of young professionals in lipidology, the establishment of a fellowship program is a crucial component of our long-term efforts toward subspecialty recognition.

A limited-time offer, Lifetime Membership enrollment is available now through December 2013 for a one-time payment that includes a generous $1,000 donation to the Foundation's dedicated fund for training programs. Lifetime Membership is an area in which we can make a distinctive and important contribution. I ask that you review the program details and strongly consider signing up at lipid.org/lifemember to play a role in creating a legacy for lipidology.

This past year was also an important one for building on the specialized knowledge and practice of pediatric lipidology. NLA members Donnie Wilson, MD, Catherine McNeal, MD, PhD, Piers Blackett, MD, and Stephen Daniels, MD, PhD, have helped us look at pediatric dyslipidemia and cardiovascular risk factors in childhood. The initial output of their work includes a presentation by Dr. McNeal at the NLA Board meeting in November, as well as the recent Roundtable on pediatric screening featuring Dr. McNeal along with Sam Gidding, MD, and W. Virgil Brown, MD, which will be published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology this spring. The Pediatric Section will constitute a new and important group for the NLA. We will also add a lecture on pediatric dyslipidemia to the NLA Masters in Lipidology course.

There are many other important topics that also engender discussion. NLA expert panels have been convened to develop consensus statements on adiposity, statin safety, and a comprehensive review of HDL. We look forward to publishing these statements in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology in 2013.

Looking ahead, we continue to plan for the association in the short- and long-run. Considerable effort has been devoted to preparing for our biannual strategic planning session, to be held this February in Miami Beach. We look forward to sharing the 2013-2015 strategic plan with you once it is finalized and approved this May.

Robert Wild, MD, PhD, and Carl Orringer, MD, are working with a number of members to update the lipidology core curriculum. Numerous NLA members are working closely with the ABCL in an effort to achieve subspecialty recognition for Clinical Lipidology.

I hope these endeavors will encourage you to remain engaged with the NLA as we continue to build on the field in ways that make a positive impact on the way lipidology is practiced throughout the world.