Editorial introductions.

Abstract

Current Opinion in Lipidology was launched in 1990. It is part of a successful series of review journals whose unique format is designed to provide a systematic and critical assessment of the literature as presented in the many primary journals. The field of lipidology is divided into six sections that are reviewed once a year. Each section is assigned a Section Editor, a leading authority in the area, who identifies the most important topics at that time. Here we are pleased to introduce the Section Editor for this issue. SECTION EDITOR Erik StroesErik StroesErik S. G. Stroes is Chair of the Department of Vascular Medicine at the Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. After gaining his Doctor of Medicine degree from Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, he then specialized in internal medicine at University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands, and later in vascular medicine at the Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam. Professor Stroes’ research interests include the role of the vessel wall in atherosclerosis development and lipid disorders in relation to atherogenesis. He has been an investigator in numerous lipid-lowering trials using various surrogate markers, such as intima-media thickness and flow-mediated dilation, and more recently 3T magnetic resonance imaging as a surrogate marker for vascular disease progression. He has also been involved in the development of novel therapeutic moieties for dyslipidemia, such as lipoprotein lipase gene therapy, antisense oligonucleotide inhibition of apolipoprotein B synthesis, and reconstituted high-density lipoprotein infusion. He has been the recipient of numerous research grants and several awards. Professor Stroes is Chair of the Dutch Atherosclerosis Society, member of the Vascular Biology Working Group, member of the American Heart Association Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, and former Chair of the Dutch Internist Vascular Society. He has published more than 300 papers in various peer-reviewed journals and authored several book chapters in the field. Gerald F WattsGerald F WattsGerald F Watts (DSc DM PhD FRCP FRACP) trained at Imperial College (St Mary's Hospital) and King's College (St Thomas’ Hospital) in the University of London. He is a consultant physician, specializing in lipid disorders and cardiovascular medicine, within the department of cardiology at Royal Perth Hospital, as well as Winthrop Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine in the University of Western Australia. He is Chair of The Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH)-Australasia Network and executive board member of the International Atherosclerosis Society. His research interests include lipid disorders and cardiovascular prevention, with clinical interest focusing on delivering improved health care for patients and families with FH. Professor Watts is actively involved in undergraduate medical education and supervisors PhD students and post-doctoral fellows. He has authored over 500 published works, including scientific articles, reviews, book chapters and monographs, and is associate editor of Atherosclerosis, Journal Clinical Lipidology and Metabolism.