A Week with Pioneers in the World of Lipids

Dr. Gotto is a pioneer in the world of lipids, having played a key role in landmark clinical trials which determined that cholesterol-lowering medications could reduce the risk for heart disease. Him and his associates also were the first to achieve complete synthesis of an apolipoprotein (apo-C-I) and determined the full cDNA and amino acid sequence of apo-B-100. Apo-B-100 is one of the largest proteins ever to be sequenced, and a key protein in atherosclerosis.

Dr. Gotto also serves as the Dean Emeritus at Cornell Medicine, and he is the reason that OMI is the primary Cornell campus in Europe. At 91 years old, he still makes the effort to travel to Salzburg and share his knowledge with doctors from all over the world. He was the one who took one lecture and had the foresight to realize that there was enough valuable information there to build an entire course about Lipid Metabolism and Atherosclerosis. His efforts and faculty connections allowed the OMI to host the seminar yearly. We are so grateful to have his expertise with us!

During the course, Dr. Gotto was joined by fabulous faculty members from a variety of accredited institutions. The co-course director this week was Dr. Jessica Pena, a cardiologist and Associate Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine. We were also joined by Dr. Alan Brown from Wake Forest University, Dr. Florian Kronenberg from the Medical University of Innsbruck, Dr. Khurram Nasir from Houston Methodist, and Dr. Katherine Saunders from Weill Cornell Medicine.

After this week’s seminar, Dr. Gotto officially stepped down from his role as OMI course director and handed the reins over to Dr. Jessica Pena. This was a bittersweet moment, because while we were saddened to have Dr. Gotto retire from lecturing with the OMI, we could not have chosen a better successor than Dr. Pena. She has been here as a member of the Lipids faculty for 7 years and has served as co-course director for the past 2 years. Starting in July 2026, Dr. Pena also served as the course director for our OMI MEX seminar in lipid metabolism, with a focus on diabetes and obesity. These are two of the most prevalent issues in Mexico right now, which called for up-to-date information to be shared with the 52 fellows from the surrounding area in Latin America. The week was a great success, and it worked out perfectly that we were able to tailor our lipids course from Salzburg to a productive meeting in Mexico.

When asked how she feels about stepping into her new role as sole course director for the lipid metabolism seminar in Salzburg, Dr. Pena had this meaningful statement to share:

“We are so fortunate Dr. Gotto saw the need for a course focused on lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis many years ago. I’m honored to continue in his footsteps and share the newest developments in cardiometabolic prevention with the next generation of leaders in our field. I hope to continue to make the course relevant for a global audience and incorporate more interactive learning.”

Participants in the seminar this week were excited to have the opportunity to interact with such knowledgeable faculty. Fellows were eager to interact with these experts inside the lecture hall and out, continuing to ask questions and have valuable discussions during coffee and meal breaks. The structure of the week was also extremely interactive, with one afternoon entirely dedicated to working through difficult lipid cases that physicians might encounter within their practice, and another afternoon dedicated to the fellows presenting their own cases in order to share the issues prevalent in their home countries and get feedback from the faculty.

Participants this week also get the very special opportunity to take the National Lipids Association (NLA) exam, something usually limited to doctors within the United States. If they pass the exam, fellows receive an official certification as a lipidologist that they can use to bring more comprehensive care back to their home hospitals.

With amazing faculty and enthusiastic fellows, there was no way this week wasn’t going to be a success. We are once again so grateful to Dr. Gotto for his commitment to OMI as well as the world of lipid metabolism, and we are thrilled to continue the legacy of the course under the direction of Dr. Pena.