Duke Heart Pulse — February 16, 2025

 

Highlights of the week:

Emory’s Sperling Presented CGR; Focused on Prevention

This week we welcomed Dr. Larry Sperling of Emory School of Medicine as our Cardiology Grand Rounds speaker. Sperling is the founder and former director of The Heart Disease Prevention Center at Emory. He is currently the Katz Professor in Preventive Cardiology at Emory School of Medicine and Professor of Global Health at the Rollins School of Public Health. His CGR topic was ‘Focus on CKMH to Prevent CVD’.

ICYMI a recording can be found here.

 

Viola and Towery Earn IBHRE Certification

Congratulations to clinical service nurses Jody Viola and Emily Towery of Duke Electrophysiology! They both recently passed the International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners (IHBRE) Allied Professionals Cardiac Device Remote Monitoring Specialist (CDRMS) exam earning certification as remote monitoring specialists.

IBHRE certification validates expertise in managing heart rhythm disorders and cardiac device implantation. The IBHRE test is recognized as a standard in the medical industry for heart rhythm competency. Candidates are expected to have broad knowledge in five general areas: rhythm recognition; device and lead function; remote serve management; diagnostic monitoring, and device technology. Certification is good for four years.

Way to go, Jody and Emily!

 

Duke Heart Grows Again!

We’re excited to share the happy news that Emily and Mike Towery have welcomed their second child, a daughter. Violet was born on Feb. 10. “She decided to be efficient with her hospital stay with a door-to-delivery time of 25 minutes,” according to Mike.

Mom, Violet, and Dad are all doing well! She’s excited to be a great sister to her brother, Amos.

Congratulations, Mike and Emily!

 

News You Can Use: Community Engagement Updates

Earlier this month, during an event held at the Durham Convention Center, Duke officially launched the Duke Center for Community Engagement as a way to bolster partnerships with the city of Durham and throughout the region.

In creating the center, Vincent Price, president of Duke University, said it will enable the university to amplify existing community work. Central to the center is the idea that community groups will be full partners in identifying critical areas of research. Duke teams will listen and work with the community groups in developing the project, then turn the data over to them to implement solutions.

Cardiologist Gerald Bloomfield, MD is a member of the steering committee. To learn more about the Center, please see A Front Door to Community-Engaged Research That Benefits Durham and Duke.

Additionally, Duke Community Affairs launched an online resource in December to enable more efficient collaborations between Duke and Durham community organizations. The Partnership Platform is designed to better connect faculty, staff, and students from across Duke University and the Health System with community engagement resources, volunteer opportunities, and more.

Duke officials hope all university academic programs, student groups, and employee efforts involved in community engagement and partnerships will contribute information to the platform. Each program and opportunity added makes the site more meaningful to community organizations.

To learn more, please see A New Platform to Build Stronger Community Partnerships.  

 

Preparing for Transition from GME to DHIP Attending

Duke trainees who have accepted or are considering a Duke faculty position may find this event helpful.

This onboarding preparation session is for current Duke trainees who have accepted or are considering a Duke Faculty position. Members of Duke Health’s onboarding team will walk you through the process to prepare you for an efficient and successful transition. It’s an opportunity to meet leadership and network with colleagues who will also be staying at Duke.

When: Wednesday, April 9, 2025 — 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Where: Medical Center Amphitheater @ Duke Clinics (Basement level)

Please RSVP by March 31, 2025. Contact: Kylee.Mace@duke.edu.

 

Too Many Books at Home? Help Stock the DUH Patient Book Cart!

The Arts & Health at Duke program is seeking book donations to help fill their Reading Cart for adult inpatients. The Arts & Health program provides entertainment, comfort, and a way to pass the time for adult inpatients during their hospital stay. Your donations can make a meaningful difference!

Book Donation Guidelines:

  • New or gently used in good condition
  • No mold, smoke, or liquid damage
  • No missing, torn, or loose pages
  • No torn spines or excessive markings

Audience: Donations are for adult patients only. We are not collecting children’s materials at this time.

Donation Drop Box Locations:

  • Duke Clinic: near Pink Elevators
  • Duke North Lobby: near the Elevator area

 

Tier 2 Visitor Restrictions

Respiratory illnesses throughout our community remain high. We remain in Tier 2 Visitor Restrictions.

 

Navigating the Impact of Recent Executive Orders

The following resource page for the latest news and information related to the recent executive orders from the White House is being updated regularly. It includes direct links to policies and guidance documents as they are published. If you have specific questions, please escalate those to your supervisor.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

  • February is American Heart Month and Black History Month.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Feb. 24: Transforming HFpEF Management in the Age of Precision Medicine with Dr. Sanjiv Shah of the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Medicine. 5 p.m. DN 2002 and via Zoom.

Feb. 25: Teamwork, Leadership, and Healthcare with Mike Krzyzewski. 5 p.m., in-person only (TBD).

If you missed any of our CGR’s from the past year, all Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

February 19: HF/Tx with Husam Salah. Noon, DMP 7E39.

February 21: Heart and Diabetes with Nishant Shah. Noon, Zoom.

February 26: DHP with Nishakala Shivakuma. Noon, DMP 7E39.

February 28: EKG with Neil Freedman. Noon, Zoom.

 

Upcoming Duke Heart CMEs

Tues., Feb. 18: Remote Patient Care: A New Era in Cardiovascular Disease Management; 5:00-7:30 p.m., EST. Zoom. Free. Registration is required. Please visit this link for details and to register. 

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration is not yet open, but stay tuned for additional information.

  • April 26, 2025: Duke Structural Heart Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center in Durham)
  • June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham)
  • October 31, 2025: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center)

The following event is planned for Fall 2025; the date has not yet been set:

  • October: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium (live event, location TBD)

 

Women’s Health Symposium – Feb. 21, 2025

A women’s health symposium will be held on Feb. 21, 2025, in the Trent Semans Center’s Great Hall.

Organized by the Duke/NCCU BIRCWH Career Development Program, the Women’s Health Symposium “Scientific Meeting on All Aspects of Women’s Health and the Influence of Sex as a Biological Variable on Health Conditions” will be held on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, at the Trent Semans Center Great Hall. The featured speakers are Sharonne Hayes, MD, a cardiologist and professor of cardiovascular medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Cynthia Kuhn, PhD, a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at the Duke University School of Medicine.

Featured events include an interactive session on navigating the “bumps” along your research path and a poster session. For more details about the event, or to register and submit your poster topic click here.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

February 6 — Reid Chamberlain

WFMY News 2

‘God’s got this.’ Boy with congenital heart defect clings to faith on quest for cure

February 8 — Leanna Ross

The Hearty Soul

The Truth About Burning Belly Fat – What Works

February 10 — Robert Lefkowitz

Environmental Health News

Trump administration slashes medical research funding, threatening progress on disease treatments

February 10 — Duke University/DUHS

Triangle Business Journal

Trump policy would pummel UNC, Duke research funding

February 10 — Duke University/DUHS

The New York Times

Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Cuts to Medical Research Funding

February 10 — Gavin Yamey (Margolis Center)

The News & Observer

NIH cuts will cost Triangle universities millions. Now NC is suing Trump to block action

February 10 — Michael Pencina

JAMA Network/Viewpoint

Launching the Trustworthy and Responsible AI Network (TRAIN): A Consortium to Facilitate Safe and Effective AI Adoption

February 10 — Robert Lefkowitz

Vanity Fair

Donald Trump’s Slash-and-Burn Second Term

February 11 — Robert Lefkowitz & Gavin Yamey

The Chronicle (Duke University)

Federal judge blocks Trump administration’s $4 billion NIH funding cut, NC joins 21 states in initial lawsuit

February 11 — Robert Lefkowitz

Axios Raleigh

NIH cuts could deal a blow to the Triangle and North Carolina’s economy

February 12 — Marat Fudim

MyChesCo (Chester Co., PA)

Orchestra BioMed Unveils Groundbreaking Data on AVIM Therapy’s Potential to Prevent Heart Failure

February 12 — Manesh Patel

The Island News (Beaufort, SC)

Why ‘cough CPR’ is not the lifesaver it’s made out to be

February 13 — Robert Mentz

Medscape

Shunt System Still Improving HF Symptoms at 2 Years

February 13 — Tommy D’Amico

CTS Net

The Beat With Joel Dunning Ep. 92: Oligometastatic Disease

 

 

 

Duke Heart Pulse — February 9, 2025

Chief’s message:

This week we had a busy week caring for patients, educating our residents and fellows, and continuing our research missions across the basic, translational, and clinical realms.  We had Go-Red day on Friday to raise awareness for Heart Disease – see the photos below.  We are also excited to have Dr. Robert Califf join us at Duke again – you will see the announcement below.  Finally, Friday evening the NIH announced a  change to the indirect rate for institutions doing NIH funded research.  This has real impact on the ability for organizations like ours to continue life-changing medical research.  There has been quite a bit of misunderstanding and misinformation on the rate and how this funding actually supports the research at Universities.  We will be devoting some upcoming weeks to describe this for our community.  You will see that Dr. Lefkowitz from our own cardiovascular research center (CVRC) and Nobel Prize winner comments on it for the New York Times.  He highlights the value of basic research, as evidenced by the many therapeutics that have been developed by his groundbreaking description of G-protein coupled receptors.  As with a lot of ongoing changes – there will be real challenges and opportunities that we will work to better understand and align as we continue to improve the health of our community and country.

Highlights of the week:

National Wear Red Day

Thanks to everyone who supported National Wear Red Day on Friday, Feb. 7! Please continue to submit your photos to Pulse. We’re happy to run them throughout February.

Shown here are members of 2K CDU, Cath Lab, and Heart Step-Down leadership team members.

Happy Heart Month!

 

Califf Returns to Duke Heart

We are delighted to share that Dr. Robert Califf has returned to Duke Health as a faculty member in the Division of Cardiology. He’s excited to be back at Duke and looking forward to working in a role that he described as a sort of ‘free agent’ – not necessarily running a program or taking on responsibilities for a specific group, but working on a variety of important issues and helping others if they need guidance or someone to bounce ideas off, and perhaps helping support younger faculty as they navigate the early stages of their career.

Califf has always been passionate about issues that matter to him. At 73, Califf says he no longer wants to work at the pace he has been working for the past decade, but that he’s looking to contribute his time, talents, and understanding to areas he sees as critical, particularly as they relate to healthcare. He’s very concerned about the information ecosystem – one that is proliferating misinformation.

“I think part of what we need to work on are names and words we can use that are not so polarizing,” Califf said. “We’ve been losing the battle on misinformation because people are more and more influenced by unreliable information due to all these factors related to social media and purposeful manipulation.”

The second area he’s concerned about it cardiometabolic disease. “Throughout the world, but also very specifically, in the U.S., North Carolina and Durham, the combination of obesity, diabetes, vascular disease, use of tobacco – these are the primary risk factors that are the basis for cardiometabolic disease,” Califf added. “So, we’ll be working on approaches to health improvement in that regard and how our faculty and the health system can deal with it.”

His experience heading up the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under former Presidents Obama and Biden has given him a great deal of experience with policy-making at the national level and he hopes to continue to impact healthcare policies where possible. As for his time at the FDA, Califf says it was a great experience for him and that he gained a lot of appreciation for what the government can do.

Ultimately, Califf is happy to be back at Duke and looks forward to helping support faculty members by being a supportive listener, offering guidance based on his career experiences, and to working on critical healthcare issues that impact all Americans.

Please give him a warm welcome when you see him!

 

Trump Administration Cuts Put Medical Progress at Risk, Researchers Say

Dr. Robert Lefkowitz, cardiologist and Duke Health Distinguished Professor of Medicine was quoted in Friday’s issue of The New York Times in a story regarding Trump Administration cuts to National Institute of Health grants and the impact it will have on research universities. ICYMI, please see: https://duke.is/4/62b6 (story is also highlighted below under news coverage.)

Speaking of Lefkowitz…

 

2025 Robert J. Lefkowitz, MD, Distinguished Lecture, Feb. 11

The 2025 Robert J. Lefkowitz, MD, Distinguished Lecture will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at Noon in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center for Health Education. Carl H. June, MD, the Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy and Director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at Perelman School of Medicine will deliver the lecture, The Long and Winding Road Traveled by CAR T Cells.

The event is being held in conjunction with the Duke School of Medicine’s Charting New Horizons for Discovery & Translational Science event. To learn more, please visit: https://duke.is/4/wryg.

 

Great Catch, Lorenzi!

Lauren Lorenzi, a nurse on 7 East in Duke University Hospital who was performing dual verification for an insulin order, noted 16 units of glargine insulin was ordered and Syringe filled by pharmacy included the correct labeling with patient identifiers and ordered dose, however the actual syringe only contained 11 units of insulin. Lauren escalated this discrepancy to her Charge Nurse for support and notified the First Call Provider who was not concerned about the discrepancy. Ultimately to ensure she followed the orders for this patient, Lauren took extra steps to obtain a new syringe with the correct dose. This great catch, which required vigilance and ‘asking questions and questioning the answers,’ was reported via SRS as a mechanism to ensure awareness of the right team members to support learning and continuous improvement.

Way to go, Lauren!

 

Shout-out to Night Shift Fellows!

Thank you to all the fellows who worked nights recently which included record numbers of overnight consults for many fellows. Nate Goodwin sent the following observation to Anna Lisa Chamis, who shared it with us:

“It was definitely a record for me. But also worth noting that Hubie and Jon Hanna were in the ICU – Hubie did a whole floor consult on a patient the oncology team approached him about in the CCU, and Jon took care of triaging and caring for a sick patient in the ED who ultimately came to the floor with me while I was off seeing other patients on a busy floor night. Just another example of selfless work from my great co-fellows at Duke.” – Nate Goodwin

Great job Hubie, Jonathan, Nate and the rest of the recent overnight teams!

 

Tier 2 Visitor Restrictions

Respiratory illnesses throughout our community remain high. We remain in Tier 2 Visitor Restrictions.

 

Navigating the Impact of Recent Executive Orders

Recent Executive Orders filed by the White House Administration have led to some uncertainty as well as a range of opinions and emotions. It is vital to remember that Duke Health remains committed to the compassionate care, safety, and well-being of our patients, our team members, and the communities we serve. Our commitment to be an organization where all are seen, heard, and valued – regardless of background – remains unchanged.

We have assembled a team of leaders who are working diligently to evaluate and understand the potential impacts of these orders. We have also created this resource page, where you can find the latest news and information, including direct links to policies and guidance documents as they are published. If you have specific questions, please escalate those to your supervisor.

As an organization, we will continue to put people first and demonstrate the integrity and empathy that define our work, and strengthen the relationships that are core to our organizational culture. Thank you for all you do each and every day.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

  • February is American Heart Month and Black History Month.
  • February 9-15 is Cardiac Rehab Week and CV Professionals Week

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Feb. 11: Focus on CKMH to Prevent CVD with Laurence Sperling, MD of Emory University School of Medicine. 5 p.m., Zoom only.

Feb. 24: Transforming HFpEF Management in the Age of Precision Medicine with Dr. Sanjiv Shah of the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Medicine. 5 p.m. DN 2002 and via Zoom.

Feb. 25: Teamwork, Leadership, and Healthcare with Mike Krzyzewski. 5 p.m., in-person only (TBD).

If you missed any of our CGR’s from the past year, all Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

February 12: EP with Cosette Champion and DaMarcus Ingram. Noon, DMP 7E39.

February 14: Antiplatelet Therapy with Jimmy Tcheng. Noon, Zoom.

February 19: HF/Tx with Husam Salah. Noon, DMP 7E39.

February 21: Heart and Diabetes with Nishant Shah. Noon, Zoom.

February 26: DHP with Nishakala Shivakuma. Noon, DMP 7E39.

February 28: EKG with Neil Freedman. Noon, Zoom.

 

Upcoming Duke Heart CMEs

Tues., Feb. 18: Remote Patient Care: A New Era in Cardiovascular Disease Management; 5:00-7:30 p.m., EST. Zoom. Free. Registration is required. Please visit this link for details and to register.  

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration is not yet open, but stay tuned for additional information.

  • April 26, 2025: Duke Structural Heart Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center in Durham)
  • June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham)
  • October 31, 2025: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center)

The following event is planned for Fall 2025; the date has not yet been set:

  • October: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium (live event, location TBD)

 

SOM Charting New Horizons for Discovery & Translational Science

Monday, Feb. 10, 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. and Tuesday, Feb. 11, 9:00 a.m. – 11 a.m. Great Hall, Trent Semans Center for Health Education.

Join us for this research symposium to celebrate our tapestry of scientific achievements. This event promises to be a cornerstone for fostering innovation and advancing our understanding across various scientific disciplines.

  • Faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend
  • Food and refreshments will be available on both days

This event will be followed by the 2025 Robert J. Lefkowitz, MD, Distinguished Lecture at Noon. Dr. Carl H. June of Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania will deliver the lecture.

 

Women’s Health Symposium – Feb. 21, 2025

A women’s health symposium will be held on Feb. 21, 2025 in the Trent Semans Center’s Great Hall.

Organized by the Duke/NCCU BIRCWH Career Development Program, the Women’s Health Symposium “Scientific Meeting on All Aspects of Women’s Health and the Influence of Sex as a Biological Variable on Health Conditions” will be held on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025 at the Trent Semans Center Great Hall. The featured speakers are Sharonne Hayes, MD, a cardiologist and professor of cardiovascular medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Cynthia Kuhn, PhD, a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at the Duke University School of Medicine.

Featured events include an interactive session on navigating the “bumps” along your research path and a poster session. For more details about the event, or to register and submit your poster topic click here.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

 

February 3 — Karen Alexander

Verywell Health

Cholesterol-Lowering Statins May Reduce Dementia Risk by 63%, Study Says

 

February 7 — Robert Lefkowitz

The New York Times

Trump Administration Cuts Put Medical Progress at Risk, Researchers Say

Duke Heart Pulse — February 2, 2025

Chief’s message:  Awards, Leaders, New Faculty, Duke-UNC and look back at 100 years of AHA and Echo

This past week was a microcosm of the challenges and opportunities we have at Duke with cardiovascular medicine and surgery.  As the country focuses on chronic health issues, our opportunity is to align and determine ways to improve CV health, improve outcomes, and potentially innovations in getting the most effective therapies as close to home as possible for our patients.  The federal spending freeze (that was lifted) has galvanized conversations and ways in which we can lead.

In the pulse below you will see that we continue to be blessed with amazing people doing amazing things.  There is the research award from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for Brittany Zwischenberger, MD, several heart service line winners at the Friends of Nursing celebration this weekend, the announcement of our newest Heart Failure Faculty member and past fellow at Duke – Ben Trichon, MD, the announcement of Marat Fudim, MD  as our CRU director, and a touching tribute and celebration of Joe Kisslo, MD – our long-time leader in echocardiography.  Please note the editorial Joe wrote in circulation on 100 years of AHA and Echocardiography.  In addition, we have stories of our interventional fellows doing outreach with EMS for AMI care, and the important announcement of a Stand Alone Children’s Hospital done in partnership between Duke and UNC.  The clinical services were busy again this week and we wanted to send special thanks to all the faculty, staff, and residents/fellows that stayed extended hours to help ensure we got care to all our patients.

This week also marked the start of Heart Month – with a kickoff in NYC with a go-red for women AHA event that we were lucky enough to attend.  It was hosted by Sharon Stone (pictured) and Damar Hamlin from the Buffalo Bills joined AHA CEO Nancy Brown on stage. (pictured).  And last but no least – the rivalry Saturday had a Duke-UNC basketball game with lots of cheer and good for the dark blue nation — hopefully this momentum continues for the blue devils.

Highlights of the week:

Heart Month

It’s February and American Heart Month – a time to celebrate all we’re doing to advance the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. It’s also a time to promote awareness of heart disease and the overall risk factors leading to its development. Please join us in wearing red on Friday, Feb. 7 – designated as National Wear Red Day to bring greater attention to heart disease as a leading cause of death for Americans.

Submit your team photos to Pulse!

 

Marat Fudim Named Director of Heart Center Clinical Research Unit

Marat Fudim

We are excited to announce that Marat Fudim, MD has been named the Director of the Heart Center Clinical Research Unit (CRU). Marat will work with Krista Camuglia, our research practice manager in the Duke Heart Center CRU, to ensure we continue to improve how we can offer our patients access to the latest research studies. 

Since joining our faculty, Marat has been one of our most driven faculty, constantly working to ensure our patients are offered innovations / studies to improve their health . He has a unique background: often thinking innovatively and what many would call “out of the box.” His career began in the Med-Tech world, from where he moved to academic medicine due to his passion for research and scientific discovery. Marat came to Duke with the set goal to challenge existing paradigms in heart failure. His research focus is on the physiology of heart failure and its intersection with the autonomic nervous system has led to several important projects in our Heart Center.

Marat has been awarded several grants and awards to support his work, and most notably, he was acknowledged with the American College of Cardiology 2021 Douglas Zipes Distinguished Young Investigator Award. Marat has also worked to improve our Device innovation and is also helping lead that in the Heart Innovation Lab space.

As a leader of the CRU he will work with Krista and our teams to ensure across the cardiovascular service line to ensure we continue to build to becoming a leading institution in getting cutting edge therapies to our patients. 

Please join us in welcoming Marat to this new role. Congrats, Marat!

 

Zwischenberger Receives TSF Award at STS 2025

Brittany Zwischenberger, MD was awarded the Thoracic Surgery Foundation Research Award at the STS Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, CA on January 24, 2025.

The award will fund a Nested Registry to study Hybrid revascularization (minimally-invasive CABG LIMA-LAD plus PCI) in women, Black and Hispanic patients with multivessel CAD. The parent study, RECHARGE, is a randomized controlled trial on women, Black and Hispanic patients with multivessel CAD and equipoise for sternotomy, CABG or multivessel PCI. The Hybrid registry and RECHARGE Trial focus on quality of life metrics as well as survival and reintervention to help tailor revascularization strategies to these understudied patient populations.

Congratulations, Brittany!

 

 

 

 

Duke Friends of Nursing Celebration

Duke Health staff and leaders gathered along with family and friends on Feb. 1 for the Annual Duke Friends of Nursing celebration. Pictured here are the Duke Hospital Heart Services winners (L to R: Abby Sanner, Jason Stokes, Jessie Legath, Hannah Reynolds, and Jessica Seabrooks.)

Congratulations to the winners! We are so proud to have you on our Duke Heart team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Dr. Kisslo: A Tribute to 50 Years of Excellence

The following was written for Pulse by Dr. Fawaz Alenezi

Last month, we joyfully celebrated the extraordinary career of Dr. Joseph Kisslo, marking an incredible 50 years at Duke University. For nearly 12 years, I have had the profound privilege of learning from him, and words cannot adequately express how deeply he has impacted my life and career. Dr. Kisslo is not just a mentor; he is a true inspiration and a guiding light in my professional journey.

When I first joined Duke 12 years ago, Dr. Kisslo graciously invited me to his home for an insightful discussion about strain echocardiography—a field that was just beginning to unfold. His passion and enthusiasm ignited a spark in me that has shaped my career over the last decade. That initial encounter opened my eyes to the vast possibilities within cardiology, and with Dr. Kisslo’s encouragement, I felt empowered to follow in his footsteps.

If I attempted to list all of Dr. Kisslo’s achievements, it would take hundreds of pages. However, I will mention a few highlights. He embarked on his remarkable journey in echocardiography in 1966, performing his first echo during medical school. After two years of service as a Navy doctor, he pursued further education at Yale, completing his pediatric cardiology fellowship in 1971 before returning to Duke for his adult cardiology fellowship in 1972. His monumental tenure at Duke included serving as the Cath Attending from 1974 to 1977, during which he developed the groundbreaking 2D phased array ultrasound technique, revolutionizing cardiac imaging and solidifying his legacy as a pioneer in our field.

As the 4th President of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), Dr. Kisslo’s influence extends far beyond our institution; he has touched lives and practices worldwide. Celebrating his 70th birthday in August 2011 was not just a milestone for him; it represented decades of dedication, knowledge, and leadership that he has selflessly shared with all of us.

One of the many things that resonate with me about Dr. Kisslo is his belief that “real change comes from chaos.” This philosophy reveals his passion for fostering a vibrant environment filled with innovation and creativity. His visionary spirit has led to incredible advancements, such as the digital scan converter introduced in 1975 and pioneering work in 3D echocardiography that emerged in the early 1990s.

Dr. Kisslo’s humor and wisdom shine through in his famous “Kisslo Rules” that guide our practice:

  • If you don’t point at it, you can’t see it.
  • If you don’t see it, you can’t diagnose it.
  • It’s not the heart, stupid.

These guiding principles have profoundly shaped my understanding and approach to patient assessments, particularly in congenital cases. Learning from his insights has helped me grow into a more competent practitioner, constantly striving for excellence and navigating my path in echocardiography. Due to his influence, I have taken on increasing responsibilities and challenges, shaping my development into a professional committed to quality and patient care.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, what truly sets Dr. Kisslo apart is his compassionate heart. He has a passion for pageantry and the royals, which adds a unique warmth to his character. He deeply cherishes his relationships with his team, affectionately referring to his sonographers as “stenographers.” This endearing approach has cultivated a family-like atmosphere within our department, where we all feel valued, respected, and loved.

Dr. Kisslo once remarked, “I came to Duke thinking I would have the opportunity to meet and interact with the brightest people in the world. I underestimated Duke.” This statement captures not only his humility but also the profound love he has for Duke and the community he has built here.

As we honor Dr. Kisslo for his unparalleled contributions and unwavering dedication to echocardiography, we also celebrate the deep connections he has forged and the lasting legacy he leaves behind. His spirit continues to inspire those of us who follow in his footsteps, propelling us toward excellence and innovation in our practice.

Thank you, Dr. Kisslo, for being the remarkable person you are. The knowledge and values you have imparted have paved the way for my growth in the field, and your impact on my life and the lives of so many others is immeasurable.

–Fawaz Alenezi, MD

 

ICYMI: Echocardiography, the AHA, and 100 Years

To further celebrate Dr. Kisslo, please see his commentary, Echocardiography, the AHA, and 100 Years, published in Circulation on Dec. 2, 2024: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.066991

 

Please Welcome Ben Trichon, MD to Duke Heart Faculty

Dr. Ben Trichon, a heart failure specialist, has joined our Duke Heart faculty. Trichon was a cardiology fellow at Duke from 2000-2004, during which time he received the Dr. Walter Floyd Award for Clinical Excellence.

Trichon officially joined the Duke Heart team on January 27. His first few weeks will involve attending Duke courses and preparing to see patients. Additional information on templates will be shared soon. He’ll be seeing patients at Duke Cardiology of Raleigh and will round on patients at Duke University Hospital. He joins us from Mission Hospital in Asheville.

Some fun facts about Dr. Trichon:

  • He is married to Jill, and they have 22-year-old twins, Andrew and Gabrielle, who will graduate college this spring.
  • They have a dog named Ginger.
  • Trichon has a love for peanut butter and coffee, often together.
  • The family enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, cycling, and running, and they are big dog lovers.
  • He has lived in Asheville for almost 21 years and is excited to join the Raleigh team.

Dr. Trichon is shown here with his son, Andrew.

Welcome back to Duke, Ben!

 

Person County EMS Continuing Education Update

Dr. Schuyler Jones, Dr. Dennis Narcisse, and Dr. Daniel Loriaux provided education to Person County EMS as part of their continuing education series on January 28th and 30th. This interactive session covered key topics essential to the transfer process for STEMI patients to Duke.

Natalie Horseman, MSN, RN, CNOR is an Associate Clinical Director with the Duke Heart Network. She works closely with Drs. Christopher Granger and Schuyler Jones on regional STEMI collaboration. She worked closely with Dr. Jones on planning this event.  

The agenda included:

  • General ECG Education – Cardiology-focused topics, including 12-lead ECG interpretation
  • Case Studies on Recent STEMI Activations – Review of ECGs and patient outcomes from activation to hospital discharge
  • Expectations & Communication – Best practices during STEMI consults and activations
  • Terminology Review – Understanding and applying Code STEMI protocols

This session reinforced critical skills and strengthened collaboration between EMS providers and Duke’s cardiology team to improve patient outcomes and we received great feedback from the attendees. 

Nicely done, team!

 

UNC Health, Duke Health Partner to Build NC’s First Stand-alone Children’s Hospital

UNC Health and Duke Health, two of the world’s top academic health systems, are uniting to create a new children’s health system in North Carolina, featuring the state’s first freestanding hospital dedicated to caring for kids.

The two institutions filed articles of incorporation on Jan. 28, 2025, with the State of North Carolina to establish NC Children’s, a private, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Plans for NC Children’s feature a 500-bed children’s hospital, a children’s outpatient care center, and a children’s behavioral health center.

A freestanding children’s hospital in North Carolina has been a decade-long goal for both institutions. An initial $320 million investment into N.C. Children’s made by the state of North Carolina in early 2024 advanced discussions for a collaboration between both entities.

The comprehensive children’s health campus will be located at a yet-to-be-identified site in the Triangle and will include a robust research and education enterprise backed by the medical schools of both universities.

The partnership aims to provide a higher volume of highly specialized pediatric care, enabling families from across the state to remain in North Carolina when seeking complex care.

“This is an unprecedented partnership between UNC Health and Duke Health, aimed at elevating the care that’s available for all children in North Carolina,” said Wesley Burks, MD, CEO of UNC Health and dean of the UNC School of Medicine. “I’m delighted to work with our colleagues at Duke to create something that will make all North Carolinians proud and change lives for generations to come.”

“Children are the heart of our future, and families across North Carolina deserve access to the most comprehensive, highest quality care for their children,” said Craig Albanese, MD, CEO of Duke University Health System. “This is a tremendous and unique opportunity to work together to reimagine how we deliver life-changing care to our region’s most vulnerable and we are grateful for the support of our state’s legislature.”

“This dedicated children’s hospital will reflect our commitment to providing the best possible care for children – not only now but for generations to come,” said Mary E. Klotman, MD, executive vice president for Health Affairs at Duke University, chief academic officer of Duke Health and dean of Duke University School of Medicine.

“It will foster groundbreaking pediatric research and first-class education and training for health care professionals,” Klotman said. “By uniting our institutions and disciplines, we can give children the healthy lives they deserve, achieve remarkable breakthroughs, and nurture the future leaders of health care.”

The partnership between both health systems will allow each of the clinical teams to expand their existing children’s clinical programs and research portfolios. The combined organization will create a destination for top pediatric subspecialists, researchers, residents, and fellows.

“There is a great deal of mutual respect between our institutions, and we both want the same thing for the children of North Carolina – the best care, close to home,” Burks said.

The partners plan to break ground together on the new NC Children’s campus by 2027, with construction of the campus expected to take approximately six years.

NC Children’s Facts

  • Campus: NC Children’s will include 100+ acre campus in the Triangle, anchored by a ~500-bed hospital along with an ambulatory surgical center, medical office building, and behavioral health hospital. The campus will include play areas and rehabilitation facilities, translational research capabilities with a dedicated innovation/collaboration zone, and a mixed-use infrastructure including the potential for hotels, retail, dining, etc.  
  • Organization: NC Children’s is a North Carolina private, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.
  • Services: UNC Health and Duke University Health System will transfer all pediatric-related clinical services, programs & operations to NC Children’s.
  • Pediatric Research and Education: Pediatric research and education functions will remain with the UNC School of Medicine and Duke School of Medicine for the foreseeable future, although they may be conducted at NC Children’s once operational, particularly clinical teaching and research.
  • Affiliations: NC Children’s will have perpetual academic affiliations with the Duke and UNC schools of medicine, serving as both organizations’ pediatric teaching hospital. 
  • Practice Model: NC Children’s will develop a practice model for providers from both Duke and UNC, allowing them to retain their existing academic appointments. NC Children’s will have an open medical staff, meaning that qualified providers may apply for privileges, even if they are not affiliated with either school.
  • Timeline: The hospital is expected to open in the early 2030s. Other core services such as the children’s behavioral health hospital, ambulatory surgical center, or medical office building may open several years earlier. 

 

2025 Robert J. Lefkowitz, MD, Distinguished Lecture, Feb. 11

The 2025 Robert J. Lefkowitz, MD, Distinguished Lecture will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at Noon in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center for Health Education. Carl H. June, MD, the Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy and Director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at Perelman School of Medicine will deliver the lecture, The Long and Winding Road Traveled by CAR T Cells.

The event is being held in conjunction with the Duke School of Medicine’s Charting New Horizons for Discovery & Translational Science event. To learn more, please visit: https://duke.is/4/wryg.

 

Duke Heart Grows Again!

Please join us in congratulating cardiology physician assistant Kelsey Rouse and her family on the arrival of Archie “AJ” Rouse last week. Rouse is a PA at our Cary Clinic. All are doing well!

 

Tier 2 Visitor Restrictions

Respiratory illnesses throughout our community remain high. We remain in Tier 2 Visitor Restrictions.

 

Duke Health Leadership Response to White House Executive Orders

Following the signing of executive orders by the new White House Administration, the Duke Health Leadership team stated the following reminder of our key principles:

  • We will continue to honor our culture commitment to put people first. We are steadfast in our commitment to make Duke Health a place where all are seen, heard, and valued – where every person feels respected and that they belong.
  • Our missions call on us to serve those who depend on us with compassion and excellence. We will continue to provide the highest quality care to all who come to us for hope, health, and healing, regardless of background.
  • We have existing policies, procedures, and protocols to inform our operational decision-making. Please guide your team members to continue our process to follow our policies, procedures, and protocols.
  • As always, we will continue to abide by state and federal law, ensuring that we meet regulatory requirements for healthcare delivery.
  • As leaders, our team members are counting on us to guide our teams through unsettling moments. We are grateful to each of you for modeling respect, inclusivity, and empathy for all.

Remember the resources available to help you and our team members if you need them: Personal Assistance Service (PAS), Duke Employee Access Clinic, and Caring for Each Other. As always, you can also seek support from your Human Resources representative.

As additional information becomes available on if and how the executive orders will impact our teams, it will be shared with team members.

Thank you for all that you do for our team members and those we serve.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

  • February is American Heart Month and Black History Month.
  • National Wear Red Day is Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Feb. 24: Transforming HFpEF Management in the Age of Precision Medicine with Dr. Sanjiv Shah of the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Medicine. 5 p.m. DN 2002 and via Zoom.

Feb. 25: Teamwork, Leadership, and Healthcare with Mike Krzyzewski. 5 p.m., in-person only (TBD).

If you missed any of our CGR’s from the past year, all Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

February 5: Ventilator Management with Willard Applefeld. Noon, DMP 7E39.

February 7: Nuclear Cardiology with Olga James. Noon, Zoom.

February 12: EP with Cosette Champion and DaMarcus Ingram. Noon, DMP 7E39.

February 14: Antiplatelet Therapy with Jimmy Tcheng. Noon, Zoom.

February 19: HF/Tx with Husam Salah. Noon, DMP 7E39.

February 21: Heart and Diabetes with Nishant Shah. Noon, Zoom.

February 26: DHP with Nishakala Shivakuma. Noon, DMP 7E39.

February 28: EKG with Neil Freedman. Noon, Zoom.

 

Upcoming Duke Heart CMEs

Tues., Feb. 18: Remote Patient Care: A New Era in Cardiovascular Disease Management; 5:00-7:30 p.m., EST. Zoom. Free. Registration is required. Please visit this link for details and to register. 

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration is not yet open, but stay tuned for additional information.

  • April 26, 2025: Duke Structural Heart Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center in Durham)
  • June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham)
  • October 31, 2025: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center)

The following event is planned for Fall 2025; the date has not yet been set:

  • October: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium (live event, location TBD)

 

SOM Charting New Horizons for Discovery & Translational Science

Monday, Feb. 10, 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. and Tuesday, Feb. 11, 9:00 a.m. – 11 a.m. Great Hall, Trent Semans Center for Health Education.

Join us for this research symposium to celebrate our tapestry of scientific achievements. This event promises to be a cornerstone for fostering innovation and advancing our understanding across various scientific disciplines.

  • Faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend
  • Food and refreshments will be available on both days

This event will be followed by the 2025 Robert J. Lefkowitz, MD, Distinguished Lecture at Noon. Dr. Carl H. June of Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania will deliver the lecture.

 

Women’s Health Symposium – Feb. 21, 2025

A women’s health symposium will be held on Feb. 21, 2025, in the Trent Semans Center’s Great Hall.

Organized by the Duke/NCCU BIRCWH Career Development Program, the Women’s Health Symposium “Scientific Meeting on All Aspects of Women’s Health and the Influence of Sex as a Biological Variable on Health Conditions” will be held on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, at the Trent Semans Center Great Hall. The featured speakers are Sharonne Hayes, MD, a cardiologist and professor of cardiovascular medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Cynthia Kuhn, PhD, a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at the Duke University School of Medicine.

Featured events include an interactive session on navigating the “bumps” along your research path and a poster session. For more details about the event, or to register and submit your poster topic click here.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

January 17 — Jonathan Piccini

Medical Product Outsourcing

Medtronic Announces Primary Results from the DEFINE AFib Clinical Study of the LINQ Family

January 17 — Jonathan Piccini

Cardiovascular Business

Medtronic heart rhythm technologies on full display at AF Symposium 2025

January 21 — John Alexander

Street Insider

Humacyte (HUMA) Announces Planned IND Filing in 2025 to Support First-In-Human Clinical Study of Small-Diameter ATEV™ for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

January 22 — Manesh Patel

SF Gate

Why ‘cough CPR’ is not the lifesaver it’s made out to be

*this story also appeared in the Herald-Sun, Houston Chronicle, and other McClatchy news outlets

January 23 — Duke Health

Becker’s Hospital Review

Top-ranked hospitals for stent placement, by state

January 23 — Audrey Blewer (Family Medicine & Comm Health)

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

You’re unlikely to survive cardiac arrest. How Tarrant County wants to change that

January 29 — Jonathan Piccini

Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology

Study Shows Medtronic ICM Accurately Predicts Risk Thresholds for AFib Patients Using AI

January 30 — Adrian Hernandez

tctMD

Early Actions by Trump Administration Sow Uncertainty for CV Research

Duke Heart Pulse — January 26, 2025

Chief’s message:  Coach K to give CV Grand Rounds February 25th in Heart Month:

We are excited to announce that Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K) will give cardiovascular grand rounds on February 25th from 5-6pm at Duke Hospital.  Coach will give a talk on Leadership, Teamwork, and Healthcare.  This will be an opportunity for our heart and vascular teams to interact and hear from Coach K on the importance of our teams with an opportunity for questions near the end of the talk. I have included a slide I use from some talks that highlights the commitment of long-standing learning.    We appreciate Coach K for his willingness to join us and look forward to the grand rounds.

 

Highlights of the week:

Duke EP Hits Record

We learned this week that our Duke Electrophysiology team surpassed 1000 atrial fibrillation ablations in the calendar year 2024 (the exact number was 1069)!

“This is a huge milestone for our program,” says Jonathan Piccini, MD, Duke’s Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology. “It’s an incredible accomplishment from an incredible team of staff, nurses, clinicians, and patients!”

We could not agree more — congratulations to the entire EP team. Way to go!

 

61st STS Annual Meeting Held in Los Angeles

The 2025 annual meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons has been taking place this weekend, Jan. 24-26, in Los Angeles. We have several faculty and care providers serving as moderators and presenters, including:

Edward P. Chen, MD, served as a moderator for a session on Inherited Aortic Disease.

Lynn McGugan and Melissa Burkett invited speakers who co-presented a session called APP Continuity of Care in Aortic Surgery.

Thomas D’Amico, MD, presented A Need for Ethics Education: A Chair’s Perspective and moderated a session on Surgery for Stage IV Lung Cancer: Getting Surgeons in the Game for Advanced Disease.

Brittany Zwischenberger, MD, presented Quality Improvement Initiatives to Improve Outcomes in Women: Translating Scientific Findings into Clinical Practice and RECHARGE Hybrid: Revascularization of Underrepresented Groups with minimally-invasive CABG plus PCI – for which she earned a Thoracic Surgery Foundation Award for her research. She also moderated a session on Top Adult Cardiac Surgery Abstracts.

Kamrouz Ghadimi, MD, debated during a session on Inhaled Nitric Oxide vs. Prostacyclin – (arguing Pro Prostacyclin).

Matt Hartwig, MD, moderated a session called Modernized Solutions for Lung Failure, From Bench to Bedside.

Well done, all!

 

Vizient Webinar Held; Patel a Featured Presenter

On Thursday, Jan. 23, Manesh Patel, MD was the featured presenter for a Vizient Cardiovascular Service Line webinar. He presented on Interesting Science from the AHA 2024. The event, held virtually and recorded, is part of the Vizient Network Cardiovascular Service Line Committee series.

Jill Engel is in her second year serving as the Chair of the Vizient Cardiovascular Service Line Committee and says she has already heard great feedback from the network members on the presentation.

Thanks, Manesh, for representing Duke Heart & Vascular!

 

Candidates Sought for Zhu Lab, CVRC

Two positions are currently available in the laboratory of Dr. Ching Zhu, a newly recruited cardiac electrophysiologist and physician-scientist in the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center. Zhu’s team is seeking a postdoctoral associate and a research technician.  

The Zhu Lab pursues interdisciplinary research centered on unraveling the mechanisms by which the sympathetic nervous system controls susceptibility to lethal cardiac arrhythmias. Postgraduate trainees or premedical students interested in dedicating 1-2 years to full-time basic/translational research are encouraged to apply. 

More details on the positions and Dr. Zhu’s research can be found here: https://duke.is/5/uyut.

 

Tier 2 Visitor Restrictions

Respiratory illnesses throughout our community remain high. We remain in Tier 2 Visitor Restrictions.

Remember:

  • Masking is strongly recommended throughout patient care areas and continues to be required in some areas.
  • Masks should be worn properly. Cover your nose and mouth at all times, and do not wear masks around your chin, neck, or on your forehead.
  • Duke Health staff members throughout hospitals, the schools of medicine and nursing, and all health care units must wear their Duke ID prominently on outer clothing between shoulder and waist with the photo side facing out.
  • Visiting hours are from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
  • A maximum of two visitors at a time are allowed per patient.
  • Visitors must check in at the hospital information desk to receive a visitor badge to enter inpatient areas.
  • All visitors must be age 12+. (Visitors in some clinical areas must be age 18+.)
  • Minors are required to be attended by an adult age 18+ at all times.
  • Visitors must check out upon departure at a kiosk or with information desk staff.
  • Visitors with fever, cough, or other flu-like symptoms should not visit.

Please note: Additional visitation and masking precautions may apply to certain patient populations, including without limitation, COVID-19/Special Airborne Contact, oncology, end-of-life, and overnight visitors. Please follow all unit guidelines. Exceptions to visitation restrictions may be granted based on special circumstances, including without limitation, to permit Compassionate Care Visitors.

Thanks for all you do to keep our patients and team members safe!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Save The Date! National Wear Red Day is Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Jan. 28: Whole Genome Sequencing for Gene Elusive Cardiovascular Disease with Dr. Sara Coles. 5 p.m., via Zoom.

Feb. 24: Transforming HFpEF Management in the Age of Precision Medicine with Dr. Sanjiv Shah of the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Medicine. 5 p.m. DN 2002 and via Zoom.

Feb. 25: Teamwork, Leadership, and Healthcare with Mike Krzyzewski. 5 p.m., in-person only (TBD).

If you missed any of our CGR’s from the past year, all Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

January 29: EP presentation with Joshua Sink. Noon, DMP 7E39.

January 31: PAD-Aorta with Jennifer Rymer. Noon, Zoom.

 

DCRI Research Forum to Feature Cook – Jan. 28

We hope you’ll join us for the next event in the DCRI Research Forum series, featuring Nakela L. Cook, MD, MPH, the Executive Director for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), who will join us for a fireside chat from Noon-1 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28. Cook will share insights from her career journey, discuss her vision and priorities for PCORI, and how the organization is fostering innovation in clinical research.

What: DCRI Research Forum: A Fireside Chat with Nakela L. Cook, MD, MPH, Executive Director for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)

When: Noon-1 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025

Where: Zoom

 

Giving Opportunity for Western NC Extended Through January 31

Please consider a contribution as part of the Duke Department of Medicine’s effort to support the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) in Asheville, NC, for its 2024 Holiday Fundraiser.

So far, the effort has received 53 gifts for a fundraising total of $13,960. The need remains great, so additional gifts in any amount are welcome. Thanks to all who have already donated!

The donation website will remain open for the rest of January 2025 for anyone who may still want to contribute. To donate online, visit https://duke.is/9/g2gr or send a check payable to “MAHEC” to:

MAHEC Department of Philanthropy

121 Hendersonville Road Asheville, NC 28803

Memo: Duke

MAHEC has been a lifeline for Western North Carolina, delivering health care and training the next generation of providers who serve its rural and underserved communities. Some learners were forced to relocate to continue their education while visiting medical students scheduled to train in the area had to be turned away.

For some perspective on the needs there and to read about the effort please see the full story here.

 

Upcoming Duke Heart CMEs

Tues., Feb. 18: Remote Patient Care: A New Era in Cardiovascular Disease Management; 5:00-7:30 p.m., EST. Zoom. Free. Registration, now open, is required. Please visit this link for details and to register. 

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration is not yet open, but stay tuned for additional information.

  • April 26, 2025: Duke Structural Heart Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center in Durham)
  • June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham)
  • October 31, 2025: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center)

The following event is planned for Fall 2025; the date has not yet been set:

  • October: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium (live event, location TBD)

 

Women’s Health Symposium – Feb. 21, 2025

A women’s health symposium will be held on Feb. 21, 2025, in the Trent Semans Center’s Great Hall.

Organized by the Duke/NCCU BIRCWH Career Development Program, the Women’s Health Symposium “Scientific Meeting on All Aspects of Women’s Health and the Influence of Sex as a Biological Variable on Health Conditions” will be held on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, at the Trent Semans Center Great Hall. The featured speakers are Sharonne Hayes, MD, a cardiologist and professor of cardiovascular medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Cynthia Kuhn, PhD, a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at the Duke University School of Medicine.

Featured events include an interactive session on navigating the “bumps” along your research path and a poster session. For more details about the event, or to register and submit your poster topic click here.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

January 17 — Jonathan Piccini

Medical Product Outsourcing

Medtronic Announces Primary Results from the DEFINE AFib Clinical Study of the LINQ Family

January 17 — Jonathan Piccini

Cardiovascular Business

Medtronic heart rhythm technologies on full display at AF Symposium 2025

January 21 — John Alexander

Street Insider

Humacyte (HUMA) Announces Planned IND Filing in 2025 to Support First-In-Human Clinical Study of Small-Diameter ATEV™ for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

January 22 — Manesh Patel

SF Gate

Why ‘cough CPR’ is not the lifesaver it’s made out to be

*this story also appeared in the Houston Chronicle

January 23 — Duke Health

Becker’s Hospital Review

Top-ranked hospitals for stent placement, by state

January 23 — Audrey Blewer (Family Medicine & Comm Health)

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

You’re unlikely to survive cardiac arrest. How Tarrant County wants to change that

Duke Heart Pulse — January 19, 2025

Chief’s message:

Hopefully you all have had a good weekend staying warm. 

This week marks the long weekend celebrating the incredible life and work of  Martin Luther King Jr.   We are reminded this weekend of his statement  “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?”  Below in the pulse we have a list of some of the events celebrating his life and work, and continuing a legacy of serving our community. Our mission continues through our teams at Duke Heart that work to improve the health of all in our community.

This week the pulse below highlights some of the continued work we are doing to support the busy clinical services, innovate with education and new CME offerings on remote HF monitoring, and continue to lead in getting some of the discoveries for heart and vascular health in front of our patients. 

We also had the start of some celebrations for Mike Sketch – a long standing pillar and faculty in the Duke Cardiology group – with over 30 years of leadership and service in our cath lab, clinics, and wards to our faculty, fellows, and patients.  The Duke Heart Physicians group (DHP) had a celebration with Mike and Beth Sketch (see some of the photos below).  We are aware that the cath lab faculty will also be have a celebration in the spring and we will share more as we thank Mike for the many years of clinical care, teaching, and dedication to our community.  Congratulations Mike – on a life of impact at Duke Cardiology.

 

Highlights of the week:

Long Weekend

It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend — Duke University & Health System events are listed below under Upcoming Events & Opportunities. We hope you will find a way to honor the legacy of Dr. King this weekend either by participating in one of these opportunities or by finding your own way to do so. Enjoy the weekend!

Shout-out to Duke North Echo Lab!

A big shout-out to the Duke University Hospital’s Echo Lab team. We heard they wrapped up Friday, Jan. 17 with what may be a record of 21 procedures completed in a single day. Way to go!

What an incredible day! A special shout-out to our fellow, Dr. Tess Allan, who is the true champion of the day. Thank you, Anna Lisa Chamis, for recruiting such a fantastic fellow. I absolutely loved working with her and will do my best to drag her over to imaging next time!

I also want to extend my gratitude to our nursing staff – you were absolutely amazing, as always.

The anesthesia team was phenomenal, Dr. Alina Nicoara (thank you!), and the sonographers were outstanding.

Honestly, everyone involved played a crucial role in making today such a success. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication!

Have a great weekend.” — Fawaz Alenezi, MD, MSc, FAHA, FACC, FASE, Associate Professor of Medicine in Cardiology

A hat tip to all!

New AUC Published on ICD, CRT, and Pacing

The latest appropriate use criteria (AUC) regarding implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, cardiac resynchronization therapy, and pacing have been published. The new report was published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology on January 9. 

Our very own Jonathan Piccini, MD, electrophysiologist and professor of medicine in cardiology Jon Piccini, MD, served as a member of the writing group.

The AUC can be found here: ACC/AHA/ASE/HFSA/HRS/SCAI/SCCT/SCMR 2025 appropriate use criteria for implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, cardiac resynchronization therapy, and pacing: a report of the American College of Cardiology Solution Set Oversight Committee, American Heart Association, American Society of Echocardiography, Heart Failure Society of America, Heart Rhythm Society, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, and the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance.

Congrats to Jon and all members of the writing team!

 

Coaxum Joins Duke Heart as New GME CCE Program Coordinator

We welcomed a new program coordinator in cardiology last month. Please join us in welcoming Robbi Coaxum as the new program coordinator for the Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology fellowship. In her new role, Robbi will also provide support to Brianna Small for the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship.

Originally from Columbia, SC, Robbi has only been here in Durham for about six weeks. She holds two Master’s degrees—one in Public Health and one in Health Education—as well as a Doctorate in Healthcare Administration. In her free time, she enjoys crafting, gardening, and playing the piano and violin.

Please give her a warm welcome when  you meet her. She’s excited to meet everyone and to be part of the team!

 

Feb. 18 CME Registration Now Open!

Please join us on Tuesday, Feb. 18 for Remote Patient Care: A New Era in Cardiovascular Disease Management. The CME activity will be held via Zoom from 5-7:30 p.m., EST. Course directors are cardiologist Dr. Marat Fudim of Duke and Dr. Theodore Feldman, cardiologist with Florida  International University’s Wertheim College of Medicine and Baptist Health. The event is free. To learn more and to register, please visit https://duke.is/6/ne6b.

 

 

 

Save the Date: Coach K to Deliver Grand Rounds Feb. 25

Tuesday, Feb. 25; 5-6 p.m. — in person only. Location TBD.

Former Duke MBB Coach Mike Krzyzewski will present grand rounds discussing teamwork, leadership, and healthcare – with a question and answer period near the end. Details to come. We look forward to this special event and hope you can join us!

 

Post-Holiday Pics!

The Duke University Hospital CDU celebrated a very successful year with a post-holiday celebration!

 

Our team enjoys spending time with each other in a non-work setting at this party every year. Thank you, especially, to our leadership (Dr. Sreek Vemulapali) for a wonderful night.” –  Emily Schanze, cardiac sonographer, CDU & 2K

Great pics!

 

Candidates Sought for Zhu Lab, CVRC

Two positions are currently available in the laboratory of Dr. Ching Zhu, a newly recruited cardiac electrophysiologist and physician-scientist in the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center. Zhu’s team is seeking a postdoctoral associate and a research technician.  

The Zhu Lab pursues interdisciplinary research centered on unraveling the mechanisms by which the sympathetic nervous system controls susceptibility to lethal cardiac arrhythmias. Postgraduate trainees or premedical students interested in dedicating 1-2 years to full-time basic/translational research are encouraged to apply. 

More details on the positions and Dr. Zhu’s research can be found here: https://duke.is/5/uyut.

 

Tier 2 Visitor Restrictions

Respiratory illnesses throughout our community remains high. We remain in Tier 2 Visitor Restrictions.

Remember:

  • Masking is strongly recommended throughout patient care areas, and continues to be required in some areas.
  • Masks should be worn properly. Cover your nose and mouth at all times, do not wear masks around your chin, neck, or on your forehead.
  • Visiting hours are from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
  • A maximum of two visitors at a time are allowed per patient at a time.
  • Visitors must check in at the hospital information desk to receive a visitor badge to enter inpatient areas.
  • All visitors must be age 12+. (Visitors in some clinical areas must be age 18+.)
  • Minors are required to be attended by an adult age 18+ at all times.
  • Visitors must check out upon departure at a kiosk or with information desk staff.
  • Visitors with fever, cough, or other flu-like systems should not visit.

Please note: Additional visitation and masking precautions may apply to certain patient populations, including without limitation, COVID-19/Special Airborne Contact, oncology, end-of-life, and overnight visitors. Please follow all unit guidelines. Exceptions to visitation restrictions may be granted based on special circumstances, including without limitation, to permit Compassionate Care Visitors.

Thanks for all you do to keep our patients and team members safe!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Save The Date! 

National Wear Red Day is Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. 

 

 

 

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Jan. 21 – Feb. 18: No CCR.

Feb. 24: Transforming HFpEF Management in the Age of Precision Medicine with Dr. Sanjiv Shah of the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Medicine. 5 p.m. DN 2002 and via Zoom.

Feb. 25: Teamwork, Leadership, and Healthcare with Mike Krzyzewski. 5 p.m., in-person only (TBD).

If you missed any of our CGR’s from the past year, all Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

January 22: HF/TX presentation with Hubert Haywood. Noon, DMP 7W70

January 24: Right heart cath interpretation with Imran Aslam. Noon, Zoom.

January 29: EP presentation with Joshua Sink. Noon, DMP 7E39.

January 31: PAD-Aorta with Jennifer Rymer. Noon, Zoom.

 

MLK Celebrations

Jan. 19: Duke University MLK Commemoration Keynote Address, 3 p.m.

The Hon. Jerry Blackwell, a member of the prosecution team that won a murder conviction for the killing of George Floyd, will deliver the keynote talk at Duke University’s annual MLK Commemoration at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19 in Duke Chapel. The theme of this year’s event, which is free and open to the public, is “Hope Powered by Community: Protecting King’s Dream through Determination and Unity.”

Read more at Duke Today. A livestream will be available.

 

Jan. 22: Duke Health MLK Commemoration & Humanitarian Award Ceremony, Noon-2 p.m.

Join us Wednesday, January 22 from 12 – 2 p.m. in the Trent Semans Great Hall as we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

LeVelle Moton, a President’s Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient and men’s head basketball coach at North Carolina Central University, will give our keynote address. The event will also celebrate the recipients of the Duke MLK Humanitarian Award.

Doors open at 11:30 a.m. The deadline to register is Tuesday, January 14. Register here.

 

DCRI Research Forum to Feature Cook

We hope you’ll join us for the next event in the DCRI Research Forum series, featuring Nakela L. Cook, MD, MPH, the Executive Director for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), who will join us for a fireside chat from Noon-1 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28. Cook will share insights from her career journey, discuss her vision and priorities for PCORI, and how the organization is fostering innovation in clinical research.

What: DCRI Research Forum: A Fireside Chat with Nakela L. Cook, MD, MPH, Executive Director for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)

When: Noon-1 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025

Where: Zoom

 

Giving Opportunity for Western NC Extended Through January 31

Please consider a contribution as part of the Duke Department of Medicine’s effort to support the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) in Asheville, NC, for its 2024 Holiday Fundraiser.

So far, the effort has received 53 gifts for a fundraising total of $13,960. The need remains great, so additional gifts in any amount are welcome. Thanks to all who have already donated!

The donation website will remain open for the rest of January 2025 for anyone who may still want to contribute. To donate online, visit https://duke.is/9/g2gr or send a check payable to “MAHEC” to:

MAHEC Department of Philanthropy

121 Hendersonville Road Asheville, NC 28803

Memo: Duke

MAHEC has been a lifeline for Western North Carolina, delivering health care and training the next generation of providers who serve its rural and underserved communities. Some learners were forced to relocate to continue their education while visiting medical students scheduled to train in the area had to be turned away.

For some perspective on the needs there and to read about the effort please see the full story here.

 

2025 Upcoming Duke Heart CMEs

Tues., Feb. 18: Remote Patient Care: A New Era in Cardiovascular Disease Management; 5:00-7:30 p.m., EST. Zoom. Free. Registration, now open, is required. Please visit this link for details and to register.  

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration is not yet open, but stay tuned for additional information.

  • April 26, 2025: Duke Structural Heart Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center in Durham)
  • June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham)
  • October 31, 2025: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center)

The following event is being planned for Fall 2025; date has not yet been set:

  • October: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium (live event, location TBD)

 

Women’s Health Symposium – Feb. 21, 2025

A women’s health symposium will be held on Feb. 21, 2025 in the Trent Semans Center’s Great Hall.

Organized by the Duke/NCCU BIRCWH Career Development Program, the Women’s Health Symposium “Scientific Meeting on All Aspects of Women’s Health and the Influence of Sex as a Biological Variable on Health Conditions” will be held on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025 at the Trent Semans Center Great Hall. The featured speakers are Sharonne Hayes, MD, a cardiologist and professor of cardiovascular medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Cynthia Kuhn, PhD, a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at the Duke University School of Medicine.

Featured events include an interactive session on navigating the “bumps” along your research path and a poster session. For more details about the event, or to register and submit your poster topic click here.

 

2025 Duke Safety & Quality Conference

The Duke Safety & Quality Conference will be held on April 17, 2025. The abstract deadline was extended until today, Sunday, January 12, by 5 p.m.

Click here to learn more and to review the submission criteria.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

January 8 — Jonathan Piccini

tctMD

J&J Halts Varipulse Pulsed-Field Ablation Cases in the US

January 13 — Harry Severance

MSN/MedPage Today

Economic ‘Shrinkflation’ Strikes Healthcare

January 17 — Jonathan Piccini

Cardiac Rhythm News

LINQ family of AI-supported insertable cardiac monitors accurately predicts risk thresholds for AF patients

 

Duke Heart Pulse — January 12, 2025

Highlights of the week:

Duke Heart Receives ACHA Reaccreditation

Congrats to our adult congenital heart team! They have achieved 5-year reaccreditation as an Adult Congenital Heart Disease Comprehensive Care Center by the Adult Congenital Heart Association.

We have an incredibly dedicated and hardworking adult congenital team, and accreditation underscores this for our patients and their families.

Way to go!

Tier 2 Visitor Restrictions

Due to the increase in respiratory illness throughout our communities and after consultation with Duke’s Infectious Disease and Infection Prevention experts, updated visitation restrictions were set in place on January 6, 2025.

  • Masking is strongly recommended throughout patient care areas and continues to be required in some areas.
  • Reminder, masks should be worn properly. Cover your nose and mouth at all times, and do not wear masks around your chin, neck, or on your forehead.
  • Visiting hours are from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
  • A maximum of two visitors at a time are allowed per patient.
  • Visitors must check in at the hospital information desk to receive a visitor badge to enter inpatient areas.
  • All visitors must be age 12+. (Visitors in some clinical areas must be age 18+.)
  • Minors are required to be attended by an adult age 18+ at all times.
  • Visitors must check out upon departure at a kiosk or with information desk staff.
  • Visitors with fever, cough, or other flu-like symptoms should not visit.

Please note: Additional visitation and masking precautions may apply to certain patient populations, including without limitation, COVID-19/Special Airborne Contact, oncology, end-of-life, and overnight visitors. Please follow all unit guidelines. Exceptions to visitation restrictions may be granted based on special circumstances, including without limitation, to permit Compassionate Care Visitors.

Thanks for all you do to keep our patients and team members safe!

 

Shout-out to Araba Ofosu!

Araba Ofosu-Somuah

Duke Primary Care at Maria Parham extended a shout-out to Dr. Araba Ofosu (Cardiology):

While visiting the practice this week, the entire group praised the care coordination they have with Dr. Ofosu who was recruited in partnership with Duke Cardiology. They indicated their patients “love her”.  

The above shout-out appeared in the Jan. 10 issue of The Maria Parham Minute, the internal newsletter for Maria Parham Health, part of Duke LifePoint Healthcare. It was shared with us by Schuyler Jones.

Great job, Araba!

 

 

 

 

Duke Heart Welcomes New Family Members!

We are thrilled to share that we have added new family members! Please join us in welcoming and celebrating the arrival of:

Cardiology fellow Joshua Rushakoff and his wife Samantha welcomed their son, Louis, on Dec. 18. Samantha and baby Louis are doing well, and their daughter Noa is enjoying getting to know her new brother. Welcome, Louis!

Louis and Noa
Arya and dad
Arya
Arya and Mom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cardiology fellow Manasi Tannu and her husband welcomed daughter Arya on Jan. 1. Manasi says, “She is a bundle of joy and has brought so much light to our lives.”

Congratulations to all and we look forward to meeting your cuties!

 

 

 

 

 

Candidates Sought for Zhu Lab, CVRC

Two positions are currently available in the laboratory of Dr. Ching Zhu, a newly recruited cardiac electrophysiologist and physician-scientist in the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center. Zhu’s team is seeking a postdoctoral associate and a research technician.  

The Zhu Lab pursues interdisciplinary research centered on unraveling the mechanisms by which the sympathetic nervous system controls susceptibility to lethal cardiac arrhythmias. Postgraduate trainees or premedical students interested in dedicating 1-2 years to full-time basic/translational research are encouraged to apply. 

More details on the positions and Dr. Zhu’s research can be found here: https://duke.is/5/uyut.

 

Post-Holiday Pics!

Our Cardiology APP Stepdown team wanted to help spread Holiday cheer on Christmas Day. The team dressed up in “Ugly” Christmas Sweaters and shared a potluck meal.

Shown here are members of our Christmas Day crew: Mike Towery, Troy Piorkowski, Sydney Ness, Henry Delgado-Avila, Tara Wilson, Allison Lindgren, Nicolena D’Sola, and Sasmrita Belbase.

And we have a few photos from Mike Sketch’s last day of clinic celebration in December. Shown here are Drs. Cary Ward, Mike Sketch, Sarah Snow, and Melissa Daubert.

In this shot, (Front, L-R) are Fran Reda, Ann Lin, Heather Wyatt, and Kiki Osude. Back row, Mike Sketch, Sarah Snow, and Melissa Daubert.

Great pics, everyone!

 

Giving Opportunity for Western NC Extended Through January 31

Please consider a contribution as part of the Duke Department of Medicine’s effort to support the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) in Asheville, NC, for its 2024 Holiday Fundraiser.

So far, the effort has received 53 gifts for a fundraising total of $13,960. The need remains great, so additional gifts in any amount are welcome. Thanks to all who have already donated!

The donation website will remain open for the rest of January 2025 for anyone who may still want to contribute. To donate online, visit https://duke.is/9/g2gr or send a check payable to “MAHEC” to:

MAHEC Department of Philanthropy

121 Hendersonville Road Asheville, NC 28803

Memo: Duke

MAHEC has been a lifeline for Western North Carolina, delivering health care and training the next generation of providers who serve its rural and underserved communities. Some learners were forced to relocate to continue their education while visiting medical students scheduled to train in the area had to be turned away.

For some perspective on the needs there and to read about the effort please see the full story here.

 

Duke Health Leadership Announcement, Oncology

Duke University Hospital President and DUHS Group President Greg Pauly announced last week that, following a national search, Mara Bloom, JD, MS, has been appointed Vice President of Oncology Services for Duke University Health System.

“Mara is a transformational healthcare leader with nearly 30 years of experience in healthcare clinical operations, business development, strategic planning, and financial management,” Pauly said. “She has a proven track record of driving organizational alignment, interdisciplinary team building, and quality patient care.”

She will report to Pauly and will join the health system on February 4, 2025.

Mara will join us from Massachusetts General Hospital, where she most recently served as a Senior Vice President of the Cancer Center, Radiation Oncology, and Dermatology. In that role, she oversaw the entire cancer clinical and research enterprise, as well as the regional cancer network and international affairs.  

In her new position, Mara will oversee the administrative aspects of oncology operations throughout the health system. She will work closely with Dr. Peter Allen, Vice President of Clinical Services, and Dr. Ted Alyea, Chief Medical Officer of the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI). She will also collaborate with Dr. Michael Kastan, Executive Director of the DCI, to advance strategic and operational success in clinical care, research, and education across the health system.

Pauly extended his appreciation to Jennifer Kennedy-Stovall for her outstanding leadership during the interim period. He noted that her dedication, commitment, and vision have been critical in maintaining our focus on our patients and ensuring that we continue to serve our community in the exceptional way that only Duke can.

Please join us in welcoming Mara to Duke Health!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Jan. 14: AHA Recap with Kristin Newby and Sana Al-Khatib. 5 p.m., via Zoom.

If you missed any of our CGR’s from the past calendar year, all Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. CGRs for 2025 will be posted starting this week. To access recordings please visit:

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

MLK Celebrations

Jan. 19: Duke University MLK Commemoration Keynote Address, 3 p.m.

The Hon. Jerry Blackwell, a member of the prosecution team that won a murder conviction for the killing of George Floyd, will deliver the keynote talk at Duke University’s annual MLK Commemoration at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19 in Duke Chapel. The theme of this year’s event, which is free and open to the public, is “Hope Powered by Community: Protecting King’s Dream through Determination and Unity.”

Read more at Duke Today. A livestream will be available.

 

Jan. 22: Duke Health MLK Commemoration & Humanitarian Award Ceremony, Noon-2 p.m.

Join us Wednesday, January 22 from 12 – 2 p.m. in the Trent Semans Great Hall as we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

LeVelle Moton, a President’s Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient and men’s head basketball coach at North Carolina Central University, will give our keynote address. The event will also celebrate the recipients of the Duke MLK Humanitarian Award.

Doors open at 11:30 a.m. The deadline to register is Tuesday, January 14. Register here.

 

Save The Date!

National Wear Red Day: Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.

 

2025 Upcoming Duke Heart CMEs

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration is not yet open, but stay tuned for additional information.

  • February 18, 2025: Remote Patient Care: A New Era in Cardiovascular Disease Management; 5:00-7:30 pm Eastern on Zoom; will be free
  • April 26, 2025: Duke Structural Heart Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center in Durham)
  • June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham)
  • October 31, 2025: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center)

The following event is being planned for Fall 2025; date has not yet been set:

  • October: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium (live event, location TBD)

 

Final Reflect and Connect Session

The holiday season can be busy, stressful, and isolating for many. Duke Personal Assistance Service (PAS) is hosting three “Reflection and Connection” sessions that will use storytelling as a means of reducing stress and creating a stronger sense of connection with yourself and others.

The sessions will be held remotely via Zoom. Participants will be guided through practices of a mini-mental makeover and expressive writing to reflect and nurture empathy and a sense of meaning in response to stress – whether personal, professional, or related to current events or the stress and pressures (and joys) of the holiday season.

Writing exercises are for the sole use and benefit of participants, who are not required to share anything they write. Registration is required. You can attend any/all of the sessions offered.

Remaining date:

  • Tuesday, January 14, from 4–5 p.m.

Register Here  

 

Women’s Health Symposium – Feb. 21, 2025

A women’s health symposium will be held on Feb. 21, 2025, in the Trent Semans Center’s Great Hall.

Organized by the Duke/NCCU BIRCWH Career Development Program, the Women’s Health Symposium “Scientific Meeting on All Aspects of Women’s Health and the Influence of Sex as a Biological Variable on Health Conditions” will be held on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, at the Trent Semans Center Great Hall. The featured speakers are Sharonne Hayes, MD, a cardiologist and professor of cardiovascular medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Cynthia Kuhn, PhD, a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at the Duke University School of Medicine.

Featured events include an interactive session on navigating the “bumps” along your research path and a poster session. For more details about the event, or to register and submit your poster topic click here.

 

2025 Duke Safety & Quality Conference

The Duke Safety & Quality Conference will be held on April 17, 2025. The abstract deadline was extended until today, Sunday, January 12, by 5 p.m.

Click here to learn more and to review the submission criteria.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may interest our team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

December 18 — Leanna Ross

Peloton-The Output

This Is How Long It Takes to Lose Muscle Gains During a Fitness Break

December 25 — Duke University Hospital

The Daily Galaxy

From Sci-Fi to Reality: World’s First ‘Titanium Heart’ Transplant Saved a Man’s Life

December 26 — Manesh Patel and Jonathan Piccini

Medscape (Portugal)

Qual o futuro dos inibidores do fator XI na fibrilação atrial?

December 26 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live

HCPLive Year in Review: Top Podcasts & Shows for 2024

December 26 — Harry Severance

Becker’s Physician Leadership

An emerging fear among physicians

December 31 — Harry Severance

Becker’s ASC Review

2024: The year of the physician union

January 3 — Alexandra Thomas (oncology)

Everyday Health

Heart Disease Is Tied to an Increased Risk of Advanced Breast Cancer

January 6 — Schuyler Jones

Med Central

The Cardiac Care Crisis in Our Midst

January 6 — Nishant Shah

WRAL.com

Cardiologists warn: Cold weather in the Triangle increases heart attack risks

January 6 — Nishant Shah

WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)

Cardiac concerns after cold weather, respiratory illnesses

January 7 — Nishant Shah

WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)

Heart attack risk during cold weather exertion

January 7 — Nishant Shah

News Minimalist

Cardiologists in North Carolina warn cold weather raises heart attack risks

January 7 — Nishant Shah

WILM-TV (Wilmington, NC)

Paying attention to cardiac concerns during cold weather

January 8 — Harry Severance

Medpage Today

Opinion: Economic ‘Shrinkflation’ Strikes Healthcare

January 9 — Nishant Shah

Everyday Health

Drinking Coffee Only in the Morning May Offer the Most Heart-Health Benefits

January 9 — Duke Health (#11)

Medpage Today

These Are the Largest Academic Medical Centers in the U.S.

 

 

Duke Heart Pulse: January 5th 2025

Chief’s Message:

Hopefully you all had some time over the holidays to get some time to reflect, relax, and come back rejuvenated to help us with our mission of improving the cardiovascular health of our community and country in 2025. Thanks to all of you that helped care for our patients and deal with unexpected challenges that our system faced with the brief ED closure.

Over the first few weeks of 2025 – we will spend a little time just highlighting a number of the amazing accomplishments and people we have in Duke Heart.  Today we will highlight some of the people and awards over the last year.  This is not an exhaustive list but one we thought would represent the accomplishments of so many.  In the upcoming weeks we will highlight key research work with publications/findings and ongoing studies.  Thank you all for the support and we look forward to continuing our work in 2025!

 

 

2024 Comes to a Close and 2025 Begins

2024 Began with a kick-off celebration of the Centennial for Duke University. The event included Duke Health faculty members Dr. Joseph Turek and Dr. Louise Markert who appeared as part of a special segment featuring the story of Easton Sinnamon, the now 3-year-old boy who received the world’s first combination heart transplant-thymus procedure here at Duke in 2021.

In January, we learned that St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has invested nearly $13 million toward a new collaboration with researchers at Duke, Columbia, and Stanford Universities to expand the understanding of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR), vital proteins that have been linked to more than 100 human diseases and disorders. The GPCR Collaborative is led by Scott Blanchard, PhD, and M. Madan Babu, PhD, of St. Jude’s. The two are partnering with Jonathan Javitch, MD, PhD, of Columbia University; Georgios Skiniotis, PhD, and Alice Ting, PhD, of Stanford University, and Robert J. Lefkowitz, MD, of Duke University School of Medicine and Duke Cardiovascular Research Center.

We had a number of faculty take on new roles and appointments in 2024, including:

Jacob N. Schroder, MD, was named Surgical Director for Advanced Heart Failure of Duke Health’s Heart and Vascular Service line and the Duke Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.

Jeffrey Gaca, MD, was appointed section chief for Adult Cardiac Surgery

Camille Frazier-Mills, MD was named Vice Chief for Clinical Services for Cardiology. Camille Frazier-Mills did an amazing job representing Duke Health as our Triangle Women of Impact nominee for 2024

Schuyler Jones, MD, director of Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories at Duke was named the Endowed Kent and Siri Rawson Director for Advanced Coronary Artery Disease in Duke Heart Center. Separately, he was also named director of our Invasive labs across Duke University Health System.

Chad Hughes, MD, Professor of Surgery, was appointed the inaugural Chief for the Section of Aortic Surgery, a new section housed jointly within the Divisions of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. Hughes will also serve as co-director, with vascular surgeon Chandler Long, MD, of the Duke Center for Aortic Disease.

Svati Shah, MD, MS, MHS, was named Vice Chief for Research in the Division of Cardiology. She currently also serves as the Associate Dean for Translational Research and Director of the Precision Genomics Collaboratory and Center for Precision Health.  She was also named associate dean for translational research for Duke School of Medicine/

Anita Kelsey, MD was named Vice Chief for Faculty Affairs and Operations in Cardiology.

Jeffrey Keenan, MD, assistant professor of surgery at Duke, was named Surgical Director, Mechanical Circulatory Support.

Deepak Voora, MD, was appointed Executive Director for the Veterans Affairs National Pharmacogenomics Program.

 

Awards & Recognition

Thomas Bashore, MD, professor of medicine in cardiology, received the Triangle Business Journal’s 2024 Health Care Leadership Lifetime Achievement Award.

Adam Williams, MD received the Thoracic Surgery Foundation (TSF) Every Heartbeat Matters Award for medical outreach in Honduras via our Duke Heart for Honduras program.

Senthil Selvaraj, MD was been selected as a recipient of an American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) 2024 Young Physician-Scientist Award (YPSA).

Kevin Cox was named to the 2024 Great 100 Nurses of North Carolina.

Duke cardiologist and rehabilitation specialist, William Kraus, MD, was selected as an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Citation Award winner for 2024. The prestigious Citation Award recognizes distinguished individuals who have made significant contributions to sports medicine and/or to the exercise sciences.

Perfusionist Scott Snider Received the 2024 AmSECT Award of Excellence

Kevin Thomas, MD, professor of medicine in cardiology and vice dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Duke School of Medicine, was selected by the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) to receive it’s 2024 James H. Youngblood Excellence in Leadership Award.

Pamela Douglas, MD, was one of four Department of Medicine faculty members to receive the 2024 Department of Medicine Career Achievement Award recognizing their extraordinary impact on one of the department’s three core missions: education, research, and clinical medicine.

Zak Loring, MD was awarded an AHA VISN 6 Career Development Award

Dennis Narcisse, MD, was selected for 2024 ACC Career Development Award

Duke’s Heart team received the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s (SCCM) “Family-Centered Care Innovation Award” for Duke University Hospital.

The Duke Perfusion team recently earned its second Pillar Award for Perfusion Excellence from the American Society of Extracorporeal Technology (AmSECT).

Duke’s Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Specialist Team achieved – for the very first time — 100 percent ELSO Adult ECMO Practitioner Certification (E-AEC) for our experienced ECMO Specialists.

We earned a Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award for the fifth year in a row. Duke is one of only 22 mitral repair centers recognized by the Mitral Foundation as having the volume and outcomes needed to qualify for the honor.

The American Heart Association’s (AHA) Council on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research (QCOR) Council presented Adrian Hernandez, MD, with their Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award during the AHA Scientific Sessions in November.

 

National Professional Society Leadership:

Below is a list of the national organizations in which our faculty serve on the national board or executive role

  • American Association of Heart Failure Nurses: Steph Barnes – Board Director
  • Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) 2024-2025: Mike Felker as President
  • Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention (SCAI) – Board Trustee: Raj Swaminathan
  • Heart Rhythm Society (HRS): Board Trustee: Jon Piccini, Program Chair for Sessions: Sana Al Khatib
  • American Heart Association (AHA): National Board: Svati Shah, Manesh Patel
  • American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS): National board: Thomas A. D’Amico

 

School of Medicine Faculty awards:

The cardiovascular team was blessed to have several members recognized at the School of Medicine Faculty Awards for 2024.

  • Adrian Hernandez, MD, professor of medicine in cardiology received an Excellence in Professionalism Award
  • Christopher Holley, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine in cardiology received a Research Mentoring Award
  • Anita Kelsey, MD, MBA, professor of medicine in cardiology received the Master Clinician/Teacher Award
  • Neha Pagidipati, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine in cardiology received a Research Mentoring Award
  • Madhav Swaminathan, MBBS, professor of anesthesiology, cardiothoracic anesthesiology/ critical care, received the Master Clinician/Teacher Award
  • Annemarie Thompson, MD, professor of anesthesiology, pediatric cardiothoracic anesthesiology, received a Leonard Palumbo Jr., MD Faculty Achievement Award

 

Firsts & milestones

1st Barostim Device was implanted in January. Barostim is an implantable device now being used in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction.

In February we celebrated our record 161 heart transplants completed in 2023 and the 2000 Heart transplant milestone. Later that month, we implanted our 1500th Durable VAD.

In March, Duke became the first enroller for the Pulmonary Artery DenerVation Clinical Study Using the Gradient Denervation System in Heart Failure Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension Group 2 (PreVail-PH2 Study), an early feasibility, device study enrolling heart failure patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH).

Last summer, the Duke heart transplant team helped pioneer a new generation of Total Artificial Heart — A young Graham, NC, father became the second person in the world to receive a BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart (TAH) as a bridge to transplant, living with the device for 10 days before undergoing a heart transplant at Duke University Hospital.

Our first TriClip procedures were performed at DUH in September. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the TriClip transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) system in April. The TriClip TEER procedure, performed in the cath lab, offers a minimally invasive approach designed to repair severe tricuspid regurgitation, or a leaky tricuspid valve, in patients with severe symptoms.

Forsyth County, NC became the first county in the state to sign on for a partnership with Duke for feasibility testing of AED drone delivery to cardiac arrest bystanders.

 

Philanthropic Success!

1.5M legacy gift from an anonymous family to support Duke Heart Transplant patients, and a gift from HCLC member Bob Keegan, who kicked off fundraising for the Duke Heart Precision and Innovation Collaboratory with a gift of $1.5 million toward the $10 million fundraising goal.

 

Additionally, NC Walk for Victory and AHA Triangle Heart Walk were both big successess and we look forward to supporting both events again this year

The cardiology fellows named Paula Rambarat, MD as chief cardiology fellow for 2024-2025.

We welcomed new family members:  Rocky Matthew Davis, Patrick Tulp, Beck Allen Kusner, and Aspen Andreae.

We also mourned the passing of Aslan Turer, MD; Richard Everely “Rip” Waters, II, MD; Kristine Arges, RN; and HCLC member Scott Braswell.

And we wished Drs. Tom Bashore, Mike Sketch, Harry Phillips, and long-time team member Corey Miller all the best as they embarked on retirement.

We matched an incredible team of cardiology fellows for our incoming class of 2025!

 

Here’s to additional success and celebrations in the coming year!

Duke Heart Pulse — December 22, 2024

Chief’s message:  Holiday coverage and reflections on the year

As we come to the last two weeks of the year – it is a time for our teams in Duke Heart to hopefully get some time with loved ones, family, and friends.  This leads to reflections from the last year and the thoughts of the year to come.  As we prepare for continued challenges in ensuring we can help our community and country improve our cardiovascular health – we will spend an upcoming special Pulse to reflect on our year in review. 

This last week we have had quite busy clinical services often with extra faculty and fellows being asked to help care of patients in many of our areas across Duke Heart.  We wanted to send a special thanks to all of you that are spending some of the upcoming weeks ensuring we continue to help those in need in our community.  This episode of the pulse also has several shout outs for the tremendous teamwork across Duke Heart to care of patients in need in the last few weeks.

Finally, the work is done with thanks and joy – and we are including a picture of the elf on the shelf that showed up in the cath lab.

Wishing you all a happy holiday season and healthy new year.

Highlights of the week:

Happy Holidays!

As we wrap up the year and keep up with the seasonal festivities already underway, we want to express our gratitude for all you have done this past year. We are so glad to have a wonderful team of colleagues and friends within the Duke Heart & Vascular team!

We hope everyone has a safe, happy, and healthy holiday and that you can take some time to step away from work to be with your loved ones, take time for yourself, and reflect on what matters most to you.

Please get some well-deserved rest and get ready for 2025! Enjoy the holidays — Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa — and Happy New Year.

Pulse returns on Jan. 12, 2025.

A Holiday Message from Dean Klotman

and from DUHS Leadership

 

Campus Holiday Celebrations:

Gratitude Meal at Duke Hospital

Anyone working on the Duke University Hospital campus on Wednesday, December 25 is invited to enjoy a complimentary holiday meal in recognition of the season. Our leadership team is grateful for the opportunity to express their special appreciation for team members who will be working to care for our patients, enabling their colleagues to spend time with their families and friends.

Dec. 25: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Atrium Cafe

Dec. 25: 6 – 9 p.m., Atrium Cafe

Guidelines:

  • Staff must present a valid Duke badge for entry.
  • Managers and team members may pick up meals for others (maximum of 10 meals).
  • One meal per team member working on December 25; this is to ensure everyone is served.
  • We encourage you to return to your preferred work area to enjoy your meal.

Details, including a department meal pick-up schedule, can be found on the DUH SharePoint celebration page: https://prodduke.sharepoint.com/sites/DUH-Intranet/SitePages/DUH-Holiday-Celebrations-2024.aspx

 

Hanukkah with President Price and Coach Scheyer (virtual)

Jewish Life at Duke, in partnership with the Duke Jewish Alumni Network, is hosting a virtual Hanukkah candle lighting on Sun, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. ET with Duke’s Campus Rabbi and Jewish Chaplain Elana Friedman, President Price, and Coach Jon Scheyer.

Duke students, alumni, parents and families, faculty, staff, and friends of all religious/cultural identities are welcome. Folks need to register in advance to receive the Zoom link.

For a full event description and the registration link, please visit: Hanukkah 2024.

 

Shout-out to Best & Thompson of CT Anesthesiology

We received the following note this week from Schuyler Jones, MD:

“Drs. Ryan Best (CT Anesthesiology fellow) and Anne Marie Thompson (CT Anesthesiology attending) assisted our cath lab team in a post-operative patient who had ST elevation MI. They provided really excellent management of a critically ill patient in the cath lab and helped our team tremendously.”Schuyler Jones, MD

Way to go, Ryan and Anne Marie! Thanks for all you do!

 

Shout-out to the Cath Staff, Nurses & ECMO Team!

We received the following note of recognition from Rob Harrison, MD this weekend regarding outstanding care provided to a patient last week. The message highlights the exceptional teamwork done by our team and our capabilities as a Heart Center.

“Last week in one of the evenings, we had a patient arrive hypotensive to the CICU from the cath lab after PCI for a STEMI. Our fellows did a rapid bedside ultrasound that showed a large effusion with tamponade and the patient had to immediately go back to the cath lab for a pericardial drain. The patient returned around shift change with the drain in place and initially was improving but the drain continued to have brisk output. The patient went into multi-pressor shock, required emergency transfusion, intubation, and rapid transport back to the lab, and also required new access with PIVs and a fellow-placed central line.

The fellows involved in the care of this patient included Jonathan Hanna, Vince Delgado, Aarti Thakkar, and Seamus Hughes.  They worked incredibly hard to help diagnose and stabilize the patient.

The nursing care of this patient was phenomenal. The second round of profound shock came as a surprise but without delay, there were at least 6 or 7 nurses in the room all performing independent tasks in parallel (titrating pressors, getting additional pressors and pushes, drawing labs, obtaining access, calling RT and 115 for emergency airway, grabbing airway supplies, ordering emergency release blood, etc.).

The Cath lab staff were also excellent in their care of the patient who ultimately required ECMO cannulation and then the OR for washout and a coronary repair. I don’t know the names of all the cath lab staff who were present, but the providers included fellows Dennis Narcisse and Dan Loriaux, attendings Manesh Patel and Imran Aslam. Adam Williams and the ECMO team were prompt in their arrival to the cath lab and quickly got our patient to the OR after ECMO cannulation, as well as Willard Applefeld who provided echo imaging in the cath lab.

The patient is alive, on ECMO, and hopefully going for chest closure soon.

Cases like this highlight why I am incredibly proud to be a Duke cardiologist and CICU attending.” — Rob Harrison, MD

 

Additional messages from faculty regarding this case include:

“Really great work across the board.” – Schuyler Jones, MD

“This highlights the incredible teamwork and skills across Heart. – Kristin Newby, MD

“Thanks Rob to you the fellows and the great team helping care for this patient.” – Manesh Patel, MD

Amazing work, team!

 

Boyer Receives DAISY Award

Congratulations to the Daisy Award Winner, 7W RN Alexander Boyer who was nominated by a family member of a 7W CTICU patient for the extraordinary care he provided. 

Nurses every day go above and beyond to not only provide patients and families with excellence in clinical care but also compassion. At The DAISY Foundation, we aim to honor them by showing our profound gratitude for all that they do. The DAISY Award is a recognition program to celebrate and recognize nurses by collecting nominations from patients, families, and co-workers. It is run by our partners as a way to thank nurses for the care and kindness they provide.

Way to go, Alexander!

 

DUH and Supply Chain Update

In a message from Hospital leadership to DUH team members on Friday, Dec. 20, the following update was provided:

Team, Over the past several weeks, we have become increasingly aware of the challenges our team is experiencing with our hospital supply chain. Safety, quality, and our team are our highest priorities, and we understand the extra work, concern, and stress these challenges place on our team in our very busy environment. We are committed to improving our performance.

Despite heroic efforts to address the causes of these issues, we have not been able to fully address the concerns. Over the upcoming weeks, Hospital Operations and Supply Chain will take a series of significant steps to investigate issues and resolve problems. More communication of these next steps will be forthcoming.

Beginning Saturday, December 21, all staff and providers should complete the following steps to ensure we identify and manage any safety concerns related to supplies during the upcoming holidays:

  • Call the STAT room at 919-385-1600 if there are items needed urgently (within 30 minutes). We are working to add staff to support these needs.
  • Utilize our daily management system and Tiered Huddles to report supply concerns that might impact patient safety. Please use your Tier 1 huddle to report concerns, including any urgent needs supported by the STAT room. If you are unable to attend, please escalate to the charge nurse or area leadership.
  • Leaders will receive the supply escalations during our Tier 2 huddles and log the information in a centralized spreadsheet. Here is the link for Tier 2 leaders: supply chain tracking log
  • Issues will be assigned to supply chain and operations leaders for immediate resolution.
  • This list will be monitored by our hospital senior leadership and supply chain leadership during Tier 3 to ensure completion.

We appreciate your partnership as we address near-term supply needs. We will work diligently to address these problems and solve the larger systemic issues.

(signed by Greg Pauley, Mary Martin, Chantal Howard, Lisa Goodlett, and William Trofi)

 

Governor-elect Stein Names Sangvai as Cabinet Appointee

Governor-elect Josh Stein announced his cabinet appointees last week to lead key state agencies and departments, including Devdutta Sangvai, MD, former president of Duke Regional Hospital, as head of NC Health and Human Services.

The appointees include a range of individuals from across state and federal government, the private sector, and several veteran state government leaders appointed by current Governor Roy Cooper. The nominees will be subject to confirmation by the NC Senate next year.

Sangvai currently serves as vice president for population health management at Duke University Health System and is a professor of family medicine, pediatrics, and psychiatry at the Duke University School of Medicine.

Congrats, Dev!

 

Giving Opportunity for Western NC, Through Dec. 31

Please consider a contribution as part of the Duke Department of Medicine’s effort to support the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) in Asheville, NC, for its 2024 Holiday Fundraiser. So far, 23 faculty and three trainees have donated more than $3,400. With more than 2,000 faculty, staff, and trainees, if everyone gave at least $1, we could make a difference in supporting those affected by Hurricane Helene. No contribution is too small!

MAHEC has been a lifeline for Western North Carolina, delivering health care and training the next generation of providers who serve its rural and underserved communities. Some learners were forced to relocate to continue their education while visiting medical students scheduled to train in the area had to be turned away.

For some perspective on the needs there and to read about the effort (and to donate if you can!) please see the full story here.

 

GME Office Holiday Hours

In observance of the Christmas Holiday, the GME Office will close at noon on December 24th and will remain closed until December 29th. For urgent issues, please contact Dr. Catherine Kuhn at (919) 970-2226. The one exception during this time is December 24 when Dr. Staples will be covering at (919) 970-7367.

In observance of the New Year Holiday, the GME office will close at noon on December 31st and will remain closed through January 1st. Please contact Dr. Betty Staples at (919) 970-7367 for urgent issues.

 

ICYMI: Duke Arts Staff Offers Must-Watch Movies for Holiday Season

In preparation for the winter holidays, the Duke Arts staff members were asked to share their favorite movies to watch during the holiday season. This list includes classic films like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and The Polar Express. But beyond these beloved picks, our team also shared some unique favorites that feel just right for this time of year. From animated adventures to visually stunning dramas, and even a dark twist on Santa Claus lore, these picks offer something a little different for your holiday watchlist. Check out the list here.

 

Pulse Holiday Break

Please note that Pulse will not be published on Sunday, Dec. 29 or Sunday, Jan. 5.  We may send a year in review blog with start of the year.

We will return in full on Sunday, Jan. 12. Enjoy the season!

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

If you missed any of our CGR’s from the past calendar year, all Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

2025 Duke Heart CMEs – Save the Dates!

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration is not yet open, but stay tuned for additional information.

  • February 18, 2025: Remote Patient Care: A New Era in Cardiovascular Disease Management; 5:00-7:30 pm Eastern on Zoom; will be free
  • April 26, 2025: Duke Structural Heart Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center in Durham)
  • June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham)
  • October 31, 2025: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center)

The following event is being planned for Fall 2025; date has not yet been set:

  • October: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium (live event, location TBD)

 

Reflect and Connect During the Holiday Season

The holiday season can be a busy, stressful, and isolating time for many. Duke Personal Assistance Service (PAS) is hosting three “Reflection and Connection” sessions that will use storytelling as a means of reducing stress and creating a stronger sense of connection with yourself and others.

The sessions will be held remotely via Zoom. Participants will be guided through practices of a mini-mental makeover and expressive writing to reflect and nurture empathy and a sense of meaning in response to stress – whether personal, professional, or related to current events or the stress and pressures (and joys) of the holiday season.

Writing exercises are for the sole use and benefit of participants, who are not required to share anything they write. Registration is required. You can attend any/all of the sessions offered.

Remaining date:

  • Tuesday, 14, from 4–5 p.m.

Register Here  

Women’s Health Symposium – Feb. 21, 2025

Save the date! A women’s health symposium will be held on Feb. 21, 2025, in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center.

Organized by the Duke/NCCU BIRCWH Career Development Program, the Women’s Health Symposium “Scientific Meeting on All Aspects of Women’s Health and the Influence of Sex as a Biological Variable on Health Conditions” will be held on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, at the Trent Semans Center Great Hall. The featured speakers are Sharonne Hayes, MD, a cardiologist and professor of cardiovascular medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Cynthia Kuhn, PhD, a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at the Duke University School of Medicine.

Featured events include an interactive session on navigating the “bumps” along your research path and a poster session. For more details about the event, or to register and submit your poster topic click here.

2025 Duke Safety & Quality Conference

The Duke Safety & Quality Conference will be held on April 17, 2025. Abstracts are due Sunday, January 5, by 5 p.m.

Click here to learn more and to review the submission criteria.

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

Duke Heart in the News: 

December 12 — Kristin Newby and Laurie Sanders (neurology)

Parkinson’s News Today

NIH consortium to explore gut-brain connection in Parkinson’s

December 13 — Jennifer Green (endocrinology)

HCP Live

Jennifer B. Green, MD: Implementation of Evidence-Based Therapies for T2D

December 14 — Nishant Shah

Spectrum News Charlotte

Doctor explains why winter brings higher risk of heart attacks

December 15 — Robert Lefkowitz

News & Observer

Why a Duke professor joined fellow Nobel laureates to oppose RFK Jr.’s DHHS nomination

(subscription required)

December 16 — Harry Severance

Emergency Physicians Monthly

The ‘Oppositional’ Conundrum Disrupting our Current Healthcare System

December 16 — Devdutta Sangvai

NCmedsoc.org

Former North Carolina Medical Society President Dr. Devdutta Sangvai Tapped by Governor-Elect Josh Stein to Lead NC DHHS

December 17 — Devdutta Sangvai

Triangle Business Journal

Stein taps Duke executive for North Carolina’s top health care post

December 17 — Duke Clinical Research Institute

WPTF-AM (Raleigh, NC)

Bystander CPR Less Likely for Women; Improves with 911 Guidance

December 17 — Harry Severance

Becker’s ASC Review

‘Unchecked violence’ the biggest threat to physicians: Viewpoint

December 18 — Duke University Hospital

BioSpace

BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart Successfully Implanted in Five Patients as Part of FDA Early Feasibility Study; FDA Greenlights Expansion of the EFS

December 18 — Duke University Hospital

Investors Hangout

BiVACOR’s Artificial Heart Shows Promising Results in Trials

December 19 — Duke University Hospital

Cardiovascular News

First phase of BiVACOR early feasibility study completed

December 19 — Duke University Hospital

Medical Device Network

FDA expands BiVACOR artificial heart study after successful first implants

December 19 — Mitchell Krucoff

tctMD

All Eyes on PCI—Should Patients’ Family Members Watch Cases?

December 19 — Manesh Patel

Triangle Business Journal

A look ahead to progress, improved treatment after a century of heart health

(subscription required)

December 19 — Nishant Shah

WTVD-TV (Durham, NC)

Analyzing risk of heart attacks during the holiday season

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Duke Heart Pulse — December 15, 2024

Chief’s message: Duke Expands and gets a Proton Center:

Hope you are all gearing up for some holiday time with family and friends.  This week Duke had several exciting announcements.  Duke announced a plan to expand to Lake Norman Medical center near Charlotte – 123 bed hospital in Mooresville NC.  This will be the first Duke Health location near Charlotte and we will have details to discuss how we can partner to help patients and that community in upcoming weeks.

Additionally, we are grateful for a historic 50 Million dollar gift that will make the Duke Proton Center –  a place to get innovative cancer care in a one of kind location in North Carolina.  Both stories are below and highlight a busy week at Duke and with Duke Heart. 

Finally, we will have our last issue of the Pulse for this year next week – so we will try to have some year end highlights and also any other stories you would like us to highlight.

Highlights of the week:

Be The Match Event, Dec. 16

Tomorrow, Dec. 16, please stop by our Be The Match event from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Duke University Hospital outside the Atrium Cafeteria. The event is to drive awareness and registrations of new bone marrow/stem cell donors for the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP).

This event has been planned by our colleague, Dayana Ramos, one of our amazing critical care nurse practitioners (and a newly minted DNP, as of May!) and a leukemia survivor.

“As a leukemia survivor who received a life-saving stem cell transplant from an anonymous donor, I know firsthand the power of this simple act,” says Ramos. “It is a cause that’s deeply personal to me and together we can make a difference. Please help me spread the word!”

Did you know that 70 percent of patients needing a blood stem cell transplant don’t have a fully matched donor in their family? They depend on the NMDP for help. Questions? Please contact Amanda Cooley at acooley2@nmdp.org.

If you can’t attend the drive, Dayana has registration kits available. The process is quick and easy, taking only about 5 minutes. She is willing to meet up with potential donors to complete the registration. Attached is more information.

What’s Involved?

  • Age: 18-40 to join registry
  • Cost: Free!
  • Commitment: Willingness to donate to any patient worldwide

Donation Methods:

  • Peripheral Stem Cells (most common)
  • Bone Marrow (less common)

By joining the registry, you could be the match someone desperately needs. Let’s help make a difference!

 

Duke Health Updates:

Historic Gift will Bring Proton Beam Therapy to Duke Health

Thanks to a $50 million gift from an anonymous donor, patients throughout our region will soon be able to get proton therapy at Duke.  The gift is the largest philanthropic gift ever received by Duke University Health System and will be used to create the Duke Proton Center. 

“This is a historic gift, both for Duke and for the state of North Carolina,” said Vincent E. Price, PhD, president of Duke University. “The Duke Proton Center will have a profound impact on cancer care in our region, and we are very grateful for the generous donor support that is making these advances possible.”

The gift was announced on Wednesday. Read more here. And here.

 

Duke Health Expands to Lake Norman

On Wednesday, Duke Health signed an agreement to acquire Lake Normal Regional Hospital, a 123-bed hospital located near Charlotte in Mooresville, NC. This is an extraordinary opportunity to extend the expert care and innovation of Duke Health to more patients, in more ways, across more communities.

Our leaders are excited to share more details as the process unfolds over the coming months. This is an exciting time to be a part of Duke Health, and we hope you’ll share our excitement and pride. Learn more about the plan in this video message from Dr. Mary Klotman and Dr. Craig Albanese.

This achievement would not be possible without the dedication of all our team members to our mission of providing hope, health, and healing to our patients, their loved ones, and each other. Learn more here.

 

Mathis-Harris Named Sr. Director of Nursing for DUH

Miranda Mathis-Harris, BSN, RN, MBA, CNML, has been appointed as the new Senior Director of Nursing for Duke University Hospital. In this role, she will be responsible for Patient Flow & Transfer Center, Life Flight, and ED Nursing. Miranda brings more than three decades of dedicated service to Duke Health and an impressive record of leadership and innovation in nursing operations and patient flow management.

The announcement was made on Dec. 9 by Kristie Baraszu, Associate Chief Operating Officer, at Duke University Hospital. Congratulations, Miranda!

 

Campus Holiday Celebrations:

Gratitude Meal at Duke Hospital

Anyone working on the Duke University Hospital campus on Wednesday, December 25 is invited to enjoy a complimentary holiday meal in recognition of the season. Our leadership team is grateful for the opportunity to express their special appreciation for team members who will be working to care for our patients, enabling their colleagues to spend time with their families and friends.

Guidelines:

  • Staff must present a valid Duke badge for entry.
  • Managers and team members may pick up meals for others (maximum of 10 meals).
  • One meal per team member working on December 25; this is to ensure everyone is served.
  • We encourage you to return to your preferred work area to enjoy your meal.

 

Hanukkah with President Price and Coach Scheyer (virtual)

Jewish Life at Duke, in partnership with the Duke Jewish Alumni Network, is hosting a virtual Hanukkah candle lighting on Sun, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. ET with Duke’s Campus Rabbi and Jewish Chaplain Elana Friedman, President Price, and Coach Jon Scheyer.

Duke students, alumni, parents and families, faculty, staff, and friends of all religious/cultural identities are welcome. Folks need to register in advance to receive the Zoom link.

For a full event description and the registration link, please visit Hanukkah 2024.

 

GME: December Education Grand Rounds

December 18: Facing the Unseen: The Struggle to Center Mental Health in Medicine with Damon Tweedy, MD, Professor, Duke Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Noon – 1 p.m.

Objectives:

  • Identify at least two ways that the traditional divide between physical health and mental health is detrimental to patients
  • Examine the role of race in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions
  • Discuss at least two methods to improve the centering of mental health within medical education and practice

Register Here

 

HFSA Seminar: What You Need to Know STAT! HF Stats

December 19, 2024 | 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM ET | Virtual Livestream; OnDemand to follow

Gary Michael Felker

Join the HFSA for an informative (free!) seminar, HFSA Heart Failure Seminar: What You Need to Know STAT! HF Stats, where leading experts delve into the latest trends and statistics on heart failure. This session is designed to provide recent insights on heart failure incidence, mortality, hospitalizations, and treatment. Attendees will also gain a comprehensive understanding of the strategies HFSA is employing to address these trends and close critical gaps in care.

Mike Felker, MD will be a featured speaker! To learn more, please visit: https://hfsa.org/heart-failure-seminar-what-you-need-know-stat-hf-stats

 

 

 

 

Pulse Holiday Break

It’s hard to believe, but our last issue of Pulse for 2024 will be next week. We’ll be taking a publishing break and will return on Sunday, Jan. 12. If you’d like anything published next weekend, please be sure to send it to us by Wednesday, Dec. 18.

Enjoy the season!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Please join us this week for our final CGR of 2024!

Dec. 17: Contemporary Lipid Management: What is New and What Does the Future Hold? with Nishant Shah. 5 p.m., DN2002 or via Zoom.

All Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

December 18: DHP Conference with Hannah Schwennesen. Noon, DMP 7W70

December 20: HF/TXP with Seamus Hughes. Noon, Zoom only.

 

2025 Duke Heart CMEs – Save the Dates!

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration is not yet open, but stay tuned for additional information.

  • February 18, 2025: Remote Patient Care: A New Era in Cardiovascular Disease Management; 5:00-7:30pm Eastern on Zoom; will be free
  • April 26, 2025: Duke Structural Heart Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center in Durham)
  • June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham)

These events are currently being planned for late 2025; dates have not yet been set:

  • October: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium (live event, location TBD)
  • November: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event, location TBD)

 

Reflect and Connect During the Holiday Season

The holiday season can be a busy, stressful, and isolating time for many. Duke Personal Assistance Service (PAS) is hosting three “Reflection and Connection” sessions that will use storytelling to reduce stress and create a stronger sense of connection with yourself and others.

The sessions will be held remotely via Zoom. Participants will be guided through a mini-mental makeover and expressive writing practices to reflect and nurture empathy and a sense of meaning in response to stress – whether personal, professional, or related to current events or the stress and pressures (and joys) of the holiday season.

Writing exercises are for the sole use and benefit of participants, who are not required to share anything they write. Registration is required. You can attend any/all of the sessions offered.

Dates:

  • Tuesday, December 17, from 4–5 p.m.
  • Tuesday, January 14, from 4–5 p.m.

Register Here  

 

Women’s Health Symposium – Feb. 21, 2025

Save the date! A women’s health symposium will be held on Feb. 21, 2025 in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center.

Organized by the Duke/NCCU BIRCWH Career Development Program, the Women’s Health Symposium “Scientific Meeting on All Aspects of Women’s Health and the Influence of Sex as a Biological Variable on Health Conditions” will be held on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025 at the Trent Semans Center Great Hall. The featured speakers are Sharonne Hayes, MD, a cardiologist and professor of cardiovascular medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Cynthia Kuhn, PhD, a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at the Duke University School of Medicine.

Featured events include an interactive session on navigating the “bumps” along your research path and a poster session. For more details about the event, or to register and submit your poster topic click here.

 

2025 Duke Safety & Quality Conference

The Duke Safety & Quality Conference will be held on April 17, 2025. Abstracts are due Sunday, January 5, by 5 p.m.

Click here to learn more and to review the submission criteria.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

December 9: Nishant Shah

Medical Xpress

Who gets obesity drugs covered by insurance? In North Carolina, it helps if you’re on Medicaid

December 10: Carmelo Milano, Jacob Schroder, and Donavon Harbison

Black Doctor

A Young Father Made Heart History and Saved His Life

December 11: Nishant Shah

El Sol Latino

Desafío: medicamentos antiobesidad para todos

December 11: Jonathan Piccini

Medscape

What Now for Factor XI Inhibitors in AF?

Duke Heart Pulse — December 8, 2024

Chief’s message:  Fellows Match and Holiday Gatherings

This last week we had our cardiology fellow match and were excited to welcome our new star fellows to our Cardiology group. We matched 10 amazing people from around the country and we are excited for them to join our group.  We also had a few holiday celebrations that included the ability to take a moment to recognize the work of the year, the tremendous people we get to work with, and the mission we continue to advance on discovering and caring for our community to improve cardiovascular health.  As we spend the next few weeks getting ready for the holidays – I want to thank all of our team members that will be covering holiday shifts and ensuring we keep our community well.

Some photos of the heart center Holiday Party included here (one from the photo booth)

 

Highlights of the week:

2025 Incoming Fellows Announced

We are delighted to share our 10 cardiovascular disease fellowship matches with you! The following class of trainees will join us in July 2025.

 

 

Harriet Akunor, MD — residency at Albert Einstein. 

Krunal Amin, MD — residency at Duke.

Verda Arshad, MD — residency at the University of Cincinnati

Dorothy Avoke, MD — residency at Johns Hopkins

Alex Gunn, MD — residency at Duke.

Yoo Jin Kim, MD — residency at Johns Hopkins

Chad Kloefkorn, MD — residency at Baylor

Rebecca Steinberg, MD — residency at Emory

Jonathan Taylor-Fishwick, MD — residency at the University of Colorado

Marcus Threadcraft, MD — residency at Vanderbilt

 

 

Thank you to our faculty and fellows for recruiting this fantastic class of trainees!

The following fellowship programs will also welcome their newest trainees in July 2025:

Advanced Heart Failure fellowship:

  • Aubrie Carroll, MD — transitioning from Duke CVD fellowship
  • Merna Hussien, MD — joining us from MedStar Health/Georgetown 
  • Mark Kittipibul, MD — transitioning from Duke CVD Research Pathway

Interventional Cardiology fellowship:

  • Nathan Goodwin, MD — transitioning from CVD fellowship
  • Priya Roy, MD — joining us from Ohio State
  • Manasi Tannu, MD — transitioning from CVD Research Pathway

Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology fellowship:

  • Andrew Andreae, MD
  • Sara Coles, MD
  • Anthony Lin, MD
  • Belal Suleiman, MD

Each of the above is moving into CCE fellowship from our CVD fellowship program.

Merna Hussien, MD
Priya Roy, MD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please join us in congratulating all of our trainees and in welcoming those who will be new to Duke!

 

Kudos to Champion and Narcisse!

Anna Lisa Chamis, MD received the following message this week regarding our fellows, Drs. Cosette Champion and Dennis Narcisse:

“In the spirit of gratitude, I would like to thank two of your fellows for going above and beyond to help patients this evening.

Dr. Cosette Champion came immediately to evaluate a patient I was concerned about and was thoughtful in her recommendations.

Dr. Dennis Narcisse came in from home to assist with a situation that was not necessarily his responsibility but he did the right thing for the patient.

I am grateful for them and they deserve to know it!” —  Suchita Shah Sata, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Duke Hospital Medicine Programs

Way to go, Cosette and Dennis!!!

 

CV Research Symposium Held in NYC

We reached out to Maria Price Rapoza, PhD regarding the Cardiovascular Research Symposium held Dec. 3-4 at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Cardiovascular Research Institute in New York City this past week. 

“The Symposium was terrific,” Rapoza says. “Our colleagues at Cornell (led by Duke Cardiology faculty alums Geoff Pitt and Bob Harrington, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine and Provost for Medical Affairs of Cornell University) did a great job and it was good to hear the excellent science from more than 40 cardiovascular researchers based at Duke, Stanford, UPenn, and Cornell.

Our Duke CVRC contingent represented Duke Cardiology very well, including our newest faculty member Ching Zhu. It was also a real highlight of the event to hear Dr. Anthony Fauci’s talk; it was similar in content to the one he did at Duke a few months ago, but still a wonderful experience.”

Rapoza also noted that it was unsettling to see how many security guards he requires when he is in public. Shown here is a view of NYC from the Helmsley Medical Tower. Speaker photos and event details can be found on the event website.

Next year’s symposium will be hosted by the Perelman School of Medicine and Penn Cardiovascular Institute in Philadelphia. When details become available, we will post them here in Pulse.

 

Holiday Gathering Held at Heritage Clinic

Many thanks to Maitreya Thakkar, MD for sharing photos of the Heritage Clinic cardiology team as they gathered for a holiday celebration this week!

We anticipate sharing additional holiday gathering photos from across our Duke Heart teams next weekend. If you’re hosting or attending a gathering, please consider sharing your photos with our Pulse readers!

 

Be The Match Event, Dec. 16

Please stop by our Be The Match event on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Duke University Hospital outside the Atrium Cafeteria. The event is to drive awareness and registry recruitment for the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP).

Did you know that 70 percent of patients needing a blood stem cell transplant don’t have a fully matched donor in their family? They depend on the NMDP for help. Questions? Please contact Amanda Cooley at acooley2@nmdp.org.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

All Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

December 11: EP Conference with Vincent Delgado and Hubie Haywood. Noon, DMP 2W91.

December 13: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy with Andrew Wang. Noon, Zoom only.

December 18: DHP Conference with Hannah Schwennesen. Noon, DMP 7W70

December 20: HF/TXP with Seamus Hughes. Noon, Zoom only.

HFSA Seminar: What You Need to Know STAT! HF Stats

December 19, 2024 | 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM ET | Virtual Livestream; OnDemand to follow

Join the HFSA for an informative (free!) seminar, HFSA Heart Failure Seminar: What You Need to Know STAT! HF Stats, where leading experts delve into the latest trends and statistics on heart failure. This session is designed to provide the recent insights on heart failure incidence, mortality, hospitalizations, and treatment. Attendees will also gain a comprehensive understanding of the strategies HFSA is employing to address these trends and close critical gaps in care.

Mike Felker, MD will be a featured speaker! To learn more, please visit: https://hfsa.org/heart-failure-seminar-what-you-need-know-stat-hf-stats

2025 Duke Heart CMEs – Save the Dates!

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration is not yet open, but stay tuned for additional information.

  • February 18, 2025: Remote Patient Care: A New Era in Cardiovascular Disease Management; 5:00-7:30pm Eastern on Zoom; will be free
  • April 26, 2025: Duke Structural Heart Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center in Durham)
  • June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham)

These events are currently being planned for late 2025; dates have not yet been set:

  • October: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium (live event, location TBD)
  • November: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event, location TBD)

 

Reflect and Connect During the Holiday Season

The holiday season can be a busy, stressful, and isolating time for many. Duke Personal Assistance Service (PAS) is hosting three “Reflection and Connection” sessions that will use storytelling as a means of reducing stress and creating a stronger sense of connection with yourself and others.

The sessions will be held remotely via Zoom. Participants will be guided through practices of a mini-mental makeover and expressive writing to reflect and nurture empathy and a sense of meaning in response to stress – whether personal, professional, or related to current events or the stress and pressures (and joys) of the holiday season.

Writing exercises are for the sole use and benefit of participants, who are not required to share anything they write. Registration is required. You can attend any/all of the sessions offered.

Dates:

  • Tuesday, Dec. 17, from 4–5 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Jan. 14, from 4–5 p.m.

Register Here  

 

Women’s Health Symposium – Feb. 21, 2025

Save the date! A women’s health symposium will be held on Feb. 21, 2025 in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center.

Organized by the Duke/NCCU BIRCWH Career Development Program, the Women’s Health Symposium “Scientific Meeting on All Aspects of Women’s Health and the Influence of Sex as a Biological Variable on Health Conditions” will be held on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025 at the Trent Semans Center Great Hall. The featured speakers are Sharonne Hayes, MD, a cardiologist and professor of cardiovascular medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Cynthia Kuhn, PhD, a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at the Duke University School of Medicine.

Featured events include an interactive session on navigating the “bumps” along your research path and a poster session. For more details about the event, or to register and submit your poster topic click here.

2025 Duke Safety & Quality Conference Date Announced

The Duke Safety & Quality Conference will be held on April 17, 2025. Abstracts are due Sunday, January 5, by 5 p.m.

Click here to learn more and to review the submission criteria.

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

Duke Heart in the News: 

November 27 — Duke University Hospital (& Mani Daneshmand of Emory)

WAGA-TV (Fox/Atlanta)

Emory doctors first in U.S. to successfully perform new ‘experimental’ heart pump surgery

November 28 — Nishant Shah

NBC News

Who gets weight loss drugs covered by insurance? In North Carolina, being on Medicaid helps

November 29 — Joseph Turek & the Monroe family

WMC-TV (NBC/Memphis, TN)

Newborn Thriving After Breakthrough Surgery

November 30 — Manesh Patel

WPTF-AM (Raleigh)

Total Artificial Heart Breakthrough in Our Area

December 3 — Nishant Shah

Physician’s Weekly

Who Gets Obesity Drugs Covered by Insurance? In North Carolina, It Helps If You’re on Medicaid

December 4 — Nishant Shah

El Planeta

¿Podrían los nuevos medicamentos para bajar de peso estar disponibles para todos?

December 5 — Duke University Health System

Becker’s Hospital Review

46 hospitals, health systems land on Forbes’ dream employers list

December 4 — Latin-19

NC Health News

Saving hearts — and farmworker lives — in the fields

December 4 — DCRI/COMET-HF

Yahoo Finance

Cytokinetics Initiates Confirmatory Study on Heart Failure Drug

December 5 — Michael Felker

tctMD

Palliative Care in HF: Practical Advice From the HFSA

December 5 — Nishant Shah

Impacto Latino

Desafío: medicamentos antiobesidad para todos