The Pulse – Powered by Duke Heart

Chief’s Message: This is the Moment – transitions, partnerships and lessons from summer reading.

This week we had another busy week at Duke Heart as we prepared for our new fellows and residents to join us while we continued our celebrations of the fellows finishing their training.  Find some photos of our interventional fellow graduation dinner here – where we are lucky to continue to train the next generation of cardiovascular leaders – in this case in the field of interventional cardiology.  The dinner and celebration were a testament to our faculty and the leadership that helps train and support these fellows education.  We are excited to see their next steps in their career.

Additionally, we welcomed colleagues from Red Cell Partners to help us consider and build the future of CV care and beyond as we work to imagine systems to bring data to life for our patients. We had a robust meeting with our health system leaders and the Red Cell to envision how we can work to bring AI and transformative access to therapies to improve the workflow and operations of our practice and improve cardiovascular health of our community, state, and country.  The speed of change in the way data and information will be brought to our clinicians is quite substantial and we are lucky to have the commitment of such an important partner and a health system looking to innovate.   A photo from that meeting is included here.  The next 12 months provide us with a clear moment and opportunity to help transform the CV health care and research enterprise as we lean in and learn how to better deliver CV care and discover the next therapies in a sustainable model.  Over the coming weeks we hope to crystalize this opportunity and come back to our entire community to engage in working to innovate care and research.

Dean Klotman also gave her state of the union speech this week for the school of medicine.  As always it was impressive how many in the school and health system have stepped up to meet these challenging times by increasing ways in which we collaborate, develop new ways to do research, and develop systems to support our trainees and faculty.  The talk especially highlighted our administrative professionals and leaders that have helped moved the school, departments, and divisions quickly to meet this need.  Perhaps most encouraging from the discussion was the numerous examples (with several in heart) of teams innovating and making an impact through discovery of new ways to do things to improve health.

 

 

Finally, I provide the next summer reading review – “Healing Children: A Surgeon’s Stories from the Frontiers of Pediatric Medicine” by Dr. Kurt Newman.  I was lucky enough to meet Kurt as we kicked off our Made for This philanthropy campaign – and he was nice enough to give me a copy of his book.  The lessons from the book, a compelling and quick read, seem even more timely this time of year.

The book opens with Kurt sharing a story from 40 years ago working as a third year medical student in Nobel Prize winner and Duke Cardiology Faculty member Dr. Bob Lefkowitz’s lab.  He shares how he felt a thyroid mass while looking in a microscope and knew that he had thyroid cancer – and through his care at Duke as a medical student – resolved to become a surgeon.  He shares the stories of his care and observations as a patient going through the system then and as a physician caring for children for years to come.

In fact, “Healing Children” is a compelling narrative that offers an insider’s perspective into the world of pediatric surgery from the viewpoint of Kurt – even questioning and sharing a heartfelt exploration of the challenges and triumphs in treating young patients and their families. It is both a memoir and a manifesto advocating for the importance of specialized pediatric care at many points throughout the book.  Even more pertinent to our times, Kurt presents the strength of mentoring from Dr. Randolph early in his career, the lessons of system and quality improvement by looking standardize the operative care, and multiple stories and lessons on the strength of multi-disciplinary care in the outcomes of pediatric patients.

Through many of these narratives, he highlights the unique medical, emotional, and ethical challenges faced when treating children. He seamlessly weaves his personal experiences with broader discussions on healthcare policy and the need for dedicated pediatric resources.  At a time that Duke and UNC are working to build the Children’s Hospital of North Carolina – this is a timely memoir on the work at Children’s National Hospital.

Key Themes:

The Unique Nature of Pediatric Care: Kurt Newman emphasizes that children are not just small adults; they require specialized care tailored to their physical and emotional development. He argues for the necessity of pediatric-trained surgeons and facilities, underscoring how such specialization leads to better outcomes.

The Emotional Impact of Pediatric Surgery: The book delves into the emotional roller coaster experienced by both families and healthcare providers. He shares poignant stories of hope, despair, and resilience, giving readers a glimpse into the human side of medicine.

Advocacy for Pediatric Healthcare: A significant portion of the book is dedicated to advocating for better healthcare policies and funding for pediatric research. He calls for systemic changes to ensure that children receive the best possible care, highlighting the disparities that exist in access to pediatric specialists.

The Interdisciplinary Nature of Pediatric Medicine: As noted through various anecdotes, he illustrates the collaborative nature of pediatric care, involving surgeons, nurses, therapists, and families. He stresses the importance of teamwork in achieving successful outcomes for young patients.

Impact of Philanthropy and Leadership.  Dr. Newman shares how he learned from a key donor who had a child cared for by their team.  He is pushed to move this vision forward and learns how to effect change and eventually become CEO and lead Children’s Hospital of Washington.

My Take Home Message:

This is an engaging and meaningful read to see and hear the stories of specific patients that Dr. Newman cared for and how it impacted his thoughts and actions to lead a multi-disciplinary team at Children’s Hospital of Washington.  There are many analogies to the care we provide for cardiovascular patients – and his lessons on how to improve and move towards the community from a surgical center are quite relevant today.  I personally found his voice, the stories, and ability to translate those to larger lessons in health care both impactful and important for our health care work today.  If you get a chance – you can take a bit of time and hopefully find some meaning in this book from a past Duke Medical Student.

Chief Message: Summer Reading Program

Hope you are all well.  Our Duke Heart Pulse may look different over the next 3 -4 weeks.

The reason for this is that some of you may know that Tracey Koepke, communications director for Duke Heart, was diagnosed with breast cancer in November. She has an excellent care team at DCI, has done well through the first phase of her treatment, and is recovering from the next phase – a surgery.  She has been amazing in supporting our teams – and we are supporting her and making sure she knows our thoughts are with her as she works to recover.  She is comfortable with my sharing of this information – so keep her in your thoughts and if you get a chance send her a brief note.

While she is out of office (anticipated from till mid July), I have been thinking how to share more with our community.  Given the summer time – my sense was to share detailed but concise reviews of things that I am reading – scientific and otherwise, a “summer reading list” if you will.  The intention is to provide some thoughts and hopefully stir discussion amongst our community on topics of interest.  This weekend I have been on call for our cath lab – so as with several cases and the energy of working with our teams and fellows near the end of their year of training – I wanted to share some thoughts on a book I recently read.

So first – the book that I wish to have you all consider is Super Agers by Eric Topol.  As with everything Eric Topol does – it is a factual, easy to read, and informative book on some key themes that I believe will play a bigger role in all of medicine.

First, Eric Topol is a well known cardiologist (with many ties to Duke Faculty) and a history of working on some of our initial clinical trials in cardiovascular medicine, coronary revascularization – as I contemplate where we are with acute MI care this weekend and work with our team at Duke to carry out many of the lessons that Drs. Topol, Califf, Stack, Phillips, Granger, Ohman, Newby, Mark, and countless others have taught us.  He is currently the founder and directly of the Scripps Research Translational Institute and still practices cardiology.   He is also know as a digital health expert and broad thinker. He was previously also Director of the Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular Institute.

The concept for Super Agers he notes came from a study he performed on a cohort of 80 year old and above people with no medications and no signs of systemic disease.  They did whole genome sequencing looking for the key genomics as their first hypothesis on what will be different for these people.  And found that they are mostly healthy based on a serious of environmental and behavioral findings – and there was nothing in the genome sequences they could find to distinguish these peoples good aging.

These “Super Agers”—individuals who not only live longer but also maintain remarkable cognitive abilities, physical health, and emotional resilience well into their later years seem to have several findings.  As noted – the answer is not in their genes.  In fact, many had family members with many more clinical issues.

Fundamentally, Topal notes the big three (Cardiovascular disease, Cancer, and Neurodegenerative disease) are the keys to work on achieve Super Aging.  In fact, he notes that all of these conditions often “inclubate” for 10- 20 years before clinically manifesting.  Herein lies the greates opportunity with new science, technology – when added to routine daily behaviors.

Some Key Themes from the book:

1. Defining Super Agers:
   • Topol defines Super Agers as those who exhibit exceptional cognitive abilities and emotional well-being in their later years (above 80). They often outperform their peers in memory tests and maintain strong social connections.
2. Biological and Environmental Factors:
   • The book explores the interplay between genetics, lifestyle choices, and environmental influences on aging. Topol emphasizes the importance of diet, exercise, social interaction, and mental stimulation in promoting healthy aging.
3. The Role of Technology:
   • Topol is a strong advocate for the integration of technology in healthcare. He discusses how digital health tools, such as wearable devices and telemedicine, can empower individuals to take charge of their health and monitor their well-being.
   • He highlights how the confluence of AI, omics, Lifestyle +plus (resistance / muscle training / diet / GLP-1), cells, and drugs and vaccines will lead to many more super agers.
4. Neuroscience of Aging:
   • The author examines advances in neuroscience that shed light on how the brain changes with age. He discusses neuroplasticity and the potential for the brain to adapt and grow, even in older adults.
5. Real-life Examples:
   • The book is enriched with stories of Super Agers and insights from researchers in the field of gerontology. Many of these story serve to help understand the work.  Importantly – many of the chapters have great tables and all have references.
   • Topol provides actionable recommendations for readers to enhance their cognitive and physical health. This includes adopting a Mediterranean diet, engaging in regular physical activity, maintaining social relationships, and pursuing lifelong learning.

Key Biologic Insights:

As is often the case with Eric Topol – he has summarized an amazing amount of information.  He covers the GLP-1 and Gut-Brain axis, the biology of aging and three peaks for proteins that work to age, he covers gene editing and beyond, and ends with providing the overall impact of high computational biology and Agentic AI.  These parts of the book provide what is likely the processes that we all will see explored to make breakthrough or continue those in diagnosis, immune reprogramming, and measures of biologic age.  The book provides over 300 references.

My Take Home Message:

This is one of the next big frontiers for us to consider and conquer in how we move from caring for patients with existing and clinical disease to true prevention of cardiovascular, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease. Many of the process and underpinnings are similar, the technology and data for individual personalization are upon us.  Hopefully we can all play a part in building trust in the scientific community and process to ensure these breakthrough reach all in our community.

The book is worth a read if you have the time and interest.   Now for me –  back to call with our great interventional fellow and team to ensure we can help those with urgent needs while we strive for a better world of prediction and care.  Hope you all have a good week and I am open to any other summer reading suggestions from our Duke Heart Community.

Chief’s message: Fellow Graduation and Happy Father’s Day!

Dear Duke Heart Community: We hope you all got to spend time with family celebrating father’s day.  We also hope all the fathers and father figures on our team are having a wonderful day today, especially all those who are celebrating for the first time.

This weekend we also celebrated the general fellows graduation.  We were able to have a fun gathering celebrating all the amazing fellows who have gone through our fellowship, their supportive families, and the village of people including faculty, staff and colleagues who help us train the next generation. We are especially appreciative at this time of those in our communities that support our fellowship – and we had the pleasure of having Malbert and Alisa Smith join us.  Their Academic Cardiology Excellence award and support joins our other awards and support that include the Greenfield award, the Cassel-Saperstein Award, and the Brandt and Belinda Louie award.  All of these and other support is much appreciated as we continue to work to keep the fellowship program the best we can make in the country.  Please find some photos from the evening included

 

DCRI Welcomes New Co-Chief Fellows & Incoming Fellows

The Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) Fellowship Program leadership team has announced that Allison “Allie” Levin, MD, MSc (Cardiology) and Henry Foote, MD (Pediatrics) will be the co-chief fellows during the 2025-2026 academic year. Beginning this July, they will step into the positions currently filled by co-chief fellows Mark Kittipibul, MD, and Annette Roberts, MD. Both Levin and Foote bring a wealth of experience and a passion for advancing medical research and patient care.

“I really look forward to working with Allie and Henry in the upcoming academic year,” said Sana Al-Khatib, MD, professor of medicine in cardiology at Duke and DCRI Fellowship Program Director. “As co-chief fellows, they will undoubtedly be committed to supporting their peers and to taking our program to new heights.”

Henry Foote, MD

Henry Foote grew up outside of Boston before attending Yale University for undergraduate training, where he majored in mechanical engineering and molecular biophysics and biochemistry. He earned his medical degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine while conducting cell biology research at Duke University. Foote then returned to Duke for residency, where he completed his combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics training. Foote is currently pursuing his fellowship training as a Pediatric Cardiologist and Pediatric Critical Care Medicine fellow. He is also working on his master’s in clinical research degree through Duke’s Clinical Research Training Program. His research interest is in improving outcomes in critically ill children.

 

Allie Levin, MD, MSc

Levin grew up in northern New Jersey and earned her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Columbia University. She went on to pursue a master’s degree in biostatistics at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health while concurrently serving as the research coordinator for the institution’s mechanical circulatory support program. Levin subsequently earned her medical degree from Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. She was also selected by faculty to receive the Janeway Award, presented to the graduating student with the highest achievement and abilities in the graduating class.

Following her many years in New York, Levin completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She is now a third-year Duke general cardiology fellow and in the first of two years of the Duke Clinical Research Institute Fellowship Program. She plans to pursue an advanced fellowship in Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology, with a special interest in the intersection of heart failure and adult congenital heart disease.

Congratulations, Allie and Henry!

The incoming DCRI fellows from cardiology for 2025-2026 are Jonathan Hanna, Seamus Hughes, Anthony Lin, Joshua Rushakoff, Husam Salah, and Aarti Thakkar. Their fellowships begin on July 1. Continuing fellows include Allison Levin and Paula Rambarat.

 

From Data to Decisions: A Model for Returning Individual Results to Research Participants

Returning individual research results to clinical study participants has not historically been the norm, even for participants with abnormal findings. The paradigm, though, is shifting, with return of results becoming not only a scientific responsibility but also an ethical imperative. However, best practices haven’t been established yet.

A team of Duke researchers led by Svati  H. Shah, MD, MS, Ursula Geller Distinguished Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases, and Neha Pagidipati, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine in cardiology, have developed a model using the Project Baseline Health Study (PBHS) for how to effectively communicate results to patients and help empower them towards their health and medical choices. The study also detailed the large number of abnormal results that were returned to participants, highlighting the need to consider these processes early in study design. Results were published in the American Journal of Medicine Open.

As scientific research shifts to emphasize transparency, participant empowerment, and the democratization of data, this model demonstrates the feasibility and value of a comprehensive, systematic approach to returning clinically significant findings in a research context.

Project Baseline launched in 2017 to create a comprehensive reference point, or “baseline,” of good health and to build a robust data platform for studying how health transitions to disease. Over 2,500 participants across three sites, including Duke and Stanford, enrolled and completed assessments conducted by the study team that included a wide range of health data, like clinical, genetic, behavioral, and environmental information, through baseline eye, heart and lung imaging and annual visits, wearable devices, surveys, and biospecimen collection.

Among the 2,002 participants analyzed, nearly 40% would receive at least one result that required immediate or urgent attention. In some cases, individuals received as many as eight separate findings, again highlighting the need to return results to study participants to help them manage and be in control of their health choices. The participants had abnormal results returned to them for a variety of conditions, including vital signs, clinical laboratory testing, chest CT scans and X-rays, electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, and ophthalmologic assessments.

To accomplish this task, a Return of Results (RoR) Committee was established early in the study to oversee the return of findings. They developed a systematic, ethical, and clinically informed process for returning individual-level urgent and emergent results to participants and detailed determination for what types of results should be returned and within what time period.

Some results were more pertinent to get to participants faster than others, given potential clinical implications of the abnormal findings, so the team developed a color-coded flag system to prioritize and categorize results:

Red flag: Emergent, requiring immediate clinical attention

Orange flag: Urgent, but less time-sensitive

Yellow flag: Actionable or uncertain results

Green flag: Within expected clinical range

Participants had their results returned to them by site principal investigators — practicing physicians — or their designees.

However, with that many results to return, there is also a strong need for a streamlined process to alleviate the burden placed on health care professionals. So, the Project Baseline team also developed a predictive model using widely available clinical and demographic variables, like age, sex, body mass index, blood pressure, smoking status, and history of chronic conditions, which helped identify which participants were most likely to have actionable results.

As the research community continues to evolve its approach to participant engagement, the Project Baseline study offers a robust framework for returning results ethically and effectively. It also raises important questions for future studies, such as how to define “urgent” findings and how to balance return policies with participant preferences, and the need to consider design and funding for return of results prior to study initiation.

Project Baseline is a groundbreaking initiative between Duke University, Stanford University and Verily Life Sciences. The Duke Clinical Research Institute serves as the coordinating center. Story by Alissa Kocer for Duke School of Medicine.

 

IM Resident Works to Raise Awareness of ‘Resi-teering’ Opportunities

Victor Ayeni, MD, a PGY-1 Duke Internal Medicine Resident who is currently interning with electrophysiologist Camille Frazier-Mills, MD, is working to raise awareness of community engagement opportunities throughout Durham for Duke IM residents (and others) who might have time to volunteer with organizations that need some support.

His latest ‘resi-teering’ outreach message:

This is Victor again with more community engagement opportunities for June! Many thanks to people who came out last month, especially those who came and danced with the kiddos of Bull City Fit. As a reminder, the goal of these events is to help people know and love the Durham community for as long as we’re here and hopefully create a lot of fun activities that let residents bond with each other too!

 

 

Here’s what we have for the coming month:

Root Causes: Fresh Produce Program

Take a driving tour of Durham and help Root Causes, a Duke organization fighting food insecurity in Durham, by driving groceries to families around the city! They’re in desperate need of help, especially during the summer months. Volunteers are also needed to help pack groceries.

Time: Every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (for packing) or 10 a.m. to Noon (drivers)

Location: Uncle Harry’s General Store (1925 Yearby Avenue)

Sign-Up: select a time slot at this link

Contact: Scott Brummel (419-708-4569, scott.brummel@duke.edu)

 

Durham Refugee Day

Come and celebrate Durham’s refugee and immigrant communities at Durham Refugee Day 2025!

Time: Saturday, June 21 from 3-6 p.m.

Location: Durham Central Park

Sign-Up: You can just drop by and celebrate, but they’re also in need of volunteers and you can sign up for that here!

Contact: None but please let Victor Ayeni– 678-894-5948, victor.ayeni@duke.edu know if you plan to attend so he can get a group together!

 

Duke Memorial Mobile Market

This opportunity courtesy of Matt Wood, husband of Jenny Van Kirk, MD. Join one of many local groups fighting food insecurity in Durham as you load and organize food for distribute to our neighbors in Durham.

Time: Saturday, June 20 from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. (but happens every third Saturday)

Location: Duke Memorial (504 W Chapel Hill St)

Sign-Up:  Here (there are multiple sign-up times with various tasks to choose from!)

Contact: Matt Wood at 828-301-9703

 

Finally, for those who can’t make it to these events but want to help out, the group we’ve chosen to highlight for donations this month is CWS Durham. In the spirit of celebrating Durham’s rich refugee and immigrant community, CWS is a major organization in Durham for helping refugee families get resettled. The group helps incoming families with everything from finding housing to getting jobs to providing legal aid. Even more, under the “Get Involved” tab of their site, they have concrete action steps to advocate for refugee populations asynchronously, which hopefully empowers those who want to make a change but don’t know where to start.

As always, these events are either suggested or led by members of the IM residency. If you have any ideas at all about community volunteering events, or about happenings in Durham that could help others get to know the city better, reach out to victor.ayeni@duke.edu to get it added to the next email.

Way to go, Victor! Special thanks to Camille for sharing this with us. We love highlighting the excellent work being done by members of the Duke team members in support of our Durham community!

 

AAHFN 2025 Update

The American Association of Heart Failure Nurses annual meeting was held June 11-14 at the Westin Savannah Harbor in Savannah, Georgia.

Duke was well-represented with presentations from Stephanie Barnes, Midge Bowers, Mike Felker, Steve Greene, Rob Mentz, and Ashlee Davis, as well as a poster presentation by Johana Fajardo.

Allison Fox and Krystan Coble developed and facilitated a simulation session for physical examination of the heart failure patient. Laura Blue moderated the Mechanical Circulatory Support pre-conference. 

Duke had representation from patients, as well! 

Heart failure care is multidisciplinary and the role of nurses from bedside through advanced practice and nursing research was highlighted throughout the meeting.

Kudos to all!

 

DUHS Leadership & Campus Updates:

Duke Health Breaks Ground on Cary Expansion

Duke Health broke ground on a new facility on Thursday, June 12, that adds hospital services at its existing Duke Health Cary location, providing access to health care closer to the homes and workplaces of the community’s rapidly growing population.

The new facility will include phase one of a new inpatient hospital campus, including an emergency department, surgical services, imaging, and a small number of inpatient beds, as well as gastro-intestinal endoscopy, cancer care, and other infusion services in the same building. The building housing these services is expected to be completed in 2027.

“At Duke Health, we strive to provide hope, health, and healing by bringing high-quality care closer to where our patients live and work,” said Craig Albanese, MD, chief executive officer of Duke University Health System. “Cary, and the broader Wake County community, is one of the fastest-growing areas in North Carolina. We want to grow together by providing greater access to the world-class care Duke Health is known for.”

The new hospital services are part of a broader plan for the 85-acre campus at Duke Health Cary. The health system has already received state approval for 40 hospital beds at the location. When fully built, the Cary hospital campus is projected to employ about 1,600 people.

“In 2022, we were excited to open Duke Health Cary with several clinics including primary care, pediatric care, and urgent care,“ said Morgan Jones, chief strategy officer for Duke University Health System. “This next phase of the campus provides a convenient option for emergency and inpatient care. We envision adding more specialized services in the future to round out the needs of the local community. As a live-work-play-care campus, Duke Health Cary will provide high quality, convenient healthcare in a vibrant, mixed-use community and drive further economic development.”

For Cary residents needing hospital services and emergency care, these new services will reduce travel time, which studies show saves lives. Providing Cary residents with convenient, accessible care is aligned with Duke University Health System’s goals for our patients, including:

• Improved adherence: Reduced travel time can enhance patients’ ability to adhere to treatment schedules.
• Lower financial burden: Decreased travel expenses can alleviate the financial strain on patients and their families.
• Enhanced quality of life: Less time spent traveling allows patients more time for rest and recovery, potentially improving overall health.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

June is Men’s Health Awareness Month and Pride Month

June 19 is Juneteenth

Cardiology Grand Rounds

June 17:  Updates from HRS 2025: What does the cardiology community need to know? with Jonathan Piccini, MD. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

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:

• 2025 CGR Recordings
• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

June 18: Board Review with Paula Rambarat and Nishant Shah. Noon, Hybrid: DMP 7E39 and Zoom.

June 20: No conference

June 25: TBD.

June 27: Returning Fellows Orientation with Anna Lisa Chamis. Noon, Zoom.       

Upcoming Duke Heart CMEs

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration is coming soon.

• October 4, 2025: Duke Cardiac Sonography Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center)
• October 31, 2025: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center)

 

DCRI Research Forum

The Duke Clinical Research Institute will welcome Durham Mayor Leo Williams as their guest for the final DCRI Research Forum of the 2024-25 season. We hope you’ll join us for this fireside chat from Noon-1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24. 

What: DCRI Research Forum: A Fireside Chat with Durham Mayor Leo Williams

When: Noon-1 p.m., Tuesday, June 24.

Where: Zoom: https://duke.zoom.us/j/99974125544?pwd=UvTBQn3QOeF2JYXfwQJ4QmfU89XMpf.1

Webinar ID: 999 7412 5544

Duke School of Medicine Events

State of the School Address

Thursday, June 26, 12 p.m. — 12:45 p.m.; Great Hall, Trent Semans Center for Health Education

More information

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please 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: 

June 1 — Harry Severance

Emergency Physicians Monthly

Add Another Year to Physician Residency Training?

June 6 — Craig Albanese

Triangle Business Journal

Battling Bed Shortage

June 6 — Duke University Hospital

HIT Consultant

Avant-garde Health Reveals the Top 13 Research Hospitals in the U.S.

June 6 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live/Podcast

Don’t Miss a Beat: CONFIDENCE Trial and Combination T2D, CKD Therapy at Heart in Diabetes 2025

June 7 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live

Contemporary Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy Underused in Heart Failure

June 7 — Neha Pagidipati

HCP Live

Improving Evidence-Based Cardiometabolic Care, with Neha Pagidipati, MD, MPH

June 8 — Robert Califf

HCP Live

Confronting Cardiology’s Data Accessibility Problem, with Robert Califf, MD

June 9 — Adrian Hernandez

NBC News

As ivermectin goes over the counter, some pharmacists worry about a lack of guidance

June 10 — Scott Gibson

Duke Chronicle

How the School of Medicine plans to cut $125 million by next year

June 12 — Duke University & Duke CTSI

NC Newsline

HHS budget cuts threaten America’s health and innovation—including in NC

 

 

Highlights of the week:

Dzau Awarded Order of the Rising Sun by Emperor of Japan

The government of Japan announced in April that Victor J. Dzau, MD, Chancellor Emeritus and James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Duke, and president of the National Academy of Medicine, has been awarded one of its highest honors — the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon — bestowed by the Emperor of Japan for his contributions to the promotion of academic exchange, global health and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States.

The Order of the Rising Sun was founded in 1875 by Emperor Meiji and is bestowed on foreigners for significant contributions to Japan.

Dzau, a cardiologist and principal-investigator with the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center, has made a significant impact on medicine through his seminal research in cardiovascular medicine and genetics and his leadership in healthcare innovation. His work on the renin angiotensin system (RAS) paved the way for the contemporary understanding of RAS in cardiovascular disease and the development of RAS inhibitors as widely used lifesaving drugs. He also pioneered gene therapy for vascular disease, and his work on stem cell paracrine mechanisms and the use of microRNA in direct reprogramming has provided insight into stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Dzau has actively contributed to the G20 Health Task Force during his presidency at NAM, and has co-led the Japan-U.S. Global Health Dialogue, which brings together government officials, academics, and industry leaders from the fields of international health in Japan and the U.S.  He is also a member of the prestigious Japan Academy, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science’s Program Committee of the Japan World Premier International Research Center Initiative. The initiative brings together global university presidents, Nobel laureates, industry experts, and other prominent leaders to steer Japan’s efforts to become a world-class research center.

“I am proud to contribute to efforts to advance excellence in Japan’s scientific and medical enterprise and help it build lasting connections with the global health community,” said Dzau.  “I am honored to receive this recognition from the Japanese government and look forward to continuing this important work of mutual benefit to both Japan and the U.S.”

Other spring 2025 recipients of the award include the former Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsieh Loong, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, and U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty, former U.S. ambassador to Japan.

Congratulations, Dr. Dzau!

 

DCRI Fellowship Program Graduates Eight Researchers, Recognizes Excellence

On May 8, the Duke Clinical Research Institute hosted a celebration at the University Club in Durham to honor eight graduates of the DCRI Fellowship Program.

The event gathered fellows, mentors, leaders, and family members to recognize the accomplishments of the 2025 graduates of the fellowship program.

Sana Al-Khatib, the program director, along with associate directors Neha Pagidipati and Adam Goode, presented awards and shared personal congratulations with the fellows.

“To our remarkable fellows, you have consistently impressed us with your commitment to this program and your passion for advancing patient care,” Al-Khatib said. “We are immensely proud of all you have accomplished during your time with us and excited to see the impact you will continue to make in your careers.”

Rachel Greenberg received the Robert M. Califf Award for Outstanding Mentorship. This award recognizes a DCRI faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in mentorship activities for DCRI research fellows. Current DCRI fellows select the award through nominations, discussion, and voting.

Veraprapas “Mark” Kittipibul, 2024-2025 co-chief fellow, was presented with this year’s Robert A. Harrington Excellence in Fellowship Award, which recognizes a graduating DCRI research fellow who has contributed the most to the program during his or her tenure. It recognizes excellence in academic accomplishment, participation in clinical research operations, and peer-to-peer mentoring.

The Karen S. Pieper Teaching and Fellowship Support Award was awarded to Jenny Jackman in recognition of a non-faculty colleague at the DCRI who a consistent contributor to the education of fellows and a strong supporter of the fellowship program has been.

 

This year, two Eric D. Peterson Manuscript Awards were presented, one to Andrew Andreae and the other to Jeeyon “Grace” Rim. This honor is awarded to a graduating DCRI research fellow whose writing excellence is demonstrated in an impactful and novel article, as well as for their superior writing skills and potential impact on the field.

This year’s DCRI Fellowship Citizenship Award recipient is 2024-2025 co-chief fellow Annette Roberts. Awardees are graduating DCRI fellows chosen for their strong character and leadership, devoted service to the institution, acceptance of responsibilities and duties, and positive attitude towards peers, the DCRI, and the medical community. The recipients of this award are also recognized for demonstrating an eagerness to learn, showing care for others, and helping when needed.

 

Congratulations to this year’s awards recipients and the following 2025 graduating fellows:

Andrew Andreae, MD, specialty: cardiology, mentor: Jonathan Piccini

Benjamin Catanese, MD, specialty: nephrology, mentor: Daniel Edmonston

Pishoy Gouda, MB, BCH, BAO, MSC, specialty: cardiology, mentor: Schuyler Jones

Veraprapas “Mark” Kittipibul, MD, Co-Chief Fellow, specialty: cardiology, mentors: Robert Mentz, Marat Fudim

Nkiru “KiKi” Osude, MD, MS, specialty: cardiology, mentor: Neha Pagidipati

Jeeyon “Grace” Rim, MD, specialty: pulmonary/critical care, mentors: Jamie Todd, Scott Palmer

Annette Roberts, MD, MPH, Co-Chief Fellow, specialty: pediatrics/gastroenterology, mentors: Rachel Greenberg, Brian Smith

Manasi Tannu, MD, MPH, specialty: cardiology, mentor: Schuyler Jones

 

Heart Failure Symposium Held

Duke Heart held its annual Duke Heart Failure Symposium yesterday, June 7, 2025, at the Durham Convention Center. It was a resounding success – our largest so far with more than 255 registrants and 25+ industry sponsors. This year’s theme was Leading Edge in Medical Management.

We had broad representation from across NC and SC, making this a truly regional conference. We also had external speakers, including former Duke fellow Josephine Harrington, MD who joined us from Colorado, and Carlos Santos Gallegos who joined us from NYC.

A special shout out to Christy Darnell, who did a tremendous job both in planning and execution of the symposium, as well as Anthony Doll who ensured excellence with audio and visual presentations.

Congratulations to the entire Duke Heart Failure team – keep up the amazing work!

 

Cardiac MRI Reaccredited by IAC

Duke Heart’s Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging team has received renewed three-year Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) accreditation for demonstrating excellence and documenting quality care in the field of Cardiovascular MRI.

IAC accreditation is a means by which MRI facilities can evaluate and demonstrate the level of patient care they provide.

Congratulations to the entire cMRI team and thank you for your skill and dedication to ensuring this distinction of quality for all Duke Health patients!

 

Moore Reaches Career Milestone!

Congratulations to Annette Moore, Health Center Administrator for cardiology at Duke Health Center Arringdon who is celebrating 40 YEARS with Duke! This is an amazing achievement and a tremendously important career milestone. We are grateful for her support, commitment, and unwavering leadership throughout her time at Duke Health. She is a leader that people trust and follow, and she has truly left her mark on Duke Heart. 

Annette, congrats on 40 years of making a difference to our patients and to your teammates, and for directly impacting so many people!

 

Teves Appointed NM, Operations 7100, Effective June 9

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Melissa Teves, BSN, RN, CCRN, as Nurse Manager of Operations for the Cardiology Stepdown Unit 7100 at Duke University Hospital, effective June 9th. We also acknowledge the significant contributions Ashley Frazier made to Duke Heart patients and staff during her service as the 7100 Nurse Manager. We wish her well with her future endeavors!

Melissa earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Hawaii Pacific University in 2001. She began her nursing career in Hawaii as a GenMed/MICU nurse before joining Duke Health in March 2003. Her first role at Duke was in the Trauma/Surgical Stepdown Unit (formerly 2300, now 6DCT), and she soon transitioned to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (6W), where she served as an Assistant Nurse Manager.

While in the SICU, Melissa played a pivotal role in advancing safety, quality, and educational initiatives. Notably, she co-created and presented the SICU Core Classes and participated in a range of leadership activities both within her unit and across the broader nursing community. During this time, she also became a Clinical Ladder Advisor.

In January 2023, Melissa transitioned into hospital administration as an Operations Administrator. In this role, she continued to demonstrate her leadership through active participation in the Schedule, Standard Work, and Orientation Committee. She has also been a contributor to the Workplace Violence Committee and the Behavior Concern Flag Oversight Committee.

Melissa’s leadership extends beyond Duke. She is actively engaged in the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), serving in local and national roles. Most recently, she served as co-president of the Triangle Chapter and as a national Beacon Reviewer. She also completed a three-year term as Chapter Advisor (CAT) for Region 5, covering North and South Carolina. Through her work with AACN, Melissa has become an enthusiastic advocate for Healthy Work Environments and a commitment to wellness and excellence.

Please join us in congratulating Melissa on her new role!

 

Quote of the Week

“The Pacers have a really fast-paced game, but I think Jalen Brunson’s the real deal. My prediction is the Knicks in six.” — Sunil Rao, director of interventional cardiology, NYU Langone. (Quoted in The New Yorker article “Knicks in Six? Ask Fran Lebowitz, Alison Roman, and Spike Lee”)

 

Save the Dates: Upcoming SOM Events

Two notable events for Duke School of Medicine are scheduled for this month. Please save the dates and consider attending.

June 10: School of Medicine Leadership Town Hall: Financial and Operational Strategy Updates

12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. via Zoom.

 

June 26: School of Medicine State of the School Address

12 p.m. — 12:45 p.m.; Great Hall, Trent Semans Center for Health Education

More information

 

DUHS Leadership & Campus Updates:

June is Pride Month

As we enter the month of June, we take the opportunity to recognize Pride Month and celebrate the strength, resilience, and contributions of the LGBTQ+ community – both within our organization and beyond.

At Duke Health, we are deeply committed to fostering an environment where every individual is safe, respected, and valued. We believe that delivering exceptional care, groundbreaking research, and top-notch education requires us to stand for values and actions that promote health for all communities.

Pride Month is not only a time of celebration, but also a time for reflection and continued commitment to lead with compassion, cultural humility, and a steadfast dedication to treating all people with dignity and respect.

We take pride in each other – this month and every month. Thank you for being part of a community that champions dignity, humanity, and respect for all.

 

Register Now for the 2025 Duke Health Juneteenth Celebration

Everyone is invited to attend the 2025 Duke Health Juneteenth Celebration on Tuesday, June 17 from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. The hybrid event will take place in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center (registration is full) and virtually.

The guest speaker will be Christopher Wolfe, a West Point graduate and Bronze Star recipient. He served in the U.S. Army before earning an MBA from Duke. He later pursued an MFA at Columbia University, where he was selected as the inaugural Artist-in-Residence at the Eric H. Holder Jr. Initiative for Civil and Political Rights, teaching creative writing at Columbia and at Rikers Island through the university’s Justice-in-Education Initiative.

 

The Duke Children’s Health Center Turns 25!

The Duke Children’s Health Center (CHC) is celebrating 25 years since its doors first opened. To celebrate, CHC team members gathered for remarks from Clinical Operations Director, Kristen Ammon who spoke on the history of CHC and recognized team members who have been with the CHC from the beginning. Frozen treats followed and to ensure everyone could celebrate, Kristen Ammon, Heather Harrison, and Kristin Parker delivered treats and commemorative pens to each floor of the CHC.

Congratulations on this milestone, Duke CHC!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

June is Men’s Health Awareness Month and Pride Month

June 9-15: Men’s Health Week

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

June 10: Revascularization for Ischemic Cardiomyopathy: Disproving the 45-year-old Concept of Hibernating Myocardium with Aman Kansal, MD. 5 p.m., Zoom only.

June 17: Updates from HRS 2025: What Does the Cardiology Community Need to Know? with Jonathan Piccini, MD. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

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:

• 2025 CGR Recordings
• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

June 11: DHP with Mugdha Joshi. Noon, DMP 7E39.

June 13: Annual Duke Cardiovascular Disease fellowship program review with Anna Lisa Chamis. Noon, Zoom.

June 18: Board Review with Paula Rambarat and Nishant Shah. Noon, Hybrid: DMP 7E39 and Zoom.

June 20: No conference

June 25: TBD.

June 27: Returning Fellows Orientation with Anna Lisa Chamis. Noon, Zoom.        

 

Upcoming Duke Heart CMEs

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration is coming soon.

• October 4, 2025: Duke Cardiac Sonography Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center)
• October 31, 2025: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center)

 

2025 Duke Health Juneteenth Celebration

Everyone is invited to attend the 2025 Duke Health Juneteenth Celebration on Tuesday, June 17 from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. This in-person event will take place in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center. Team members can also attend virtually.

The guest speaker will be Christopher Wolfe, a West Point graduate and Bronze Star recipient. He served in the U.S. Army before earning an MBA from Duke. He later pursued an MFA at Columbia University, where he was selected as the inaugural Artist-in-Residence at the Eric H. Holder Jr. Initiative for Civil and Political Rights, teaching creative writing at Columbia and at Rikers Island through the university’s Justice-in-Education Initiative.

 

2025 Duke Caregiver Community Event – Register Now!

The annual Duke Caregiver Community Event provides education, support, and valuable resources for those who are navigating the complex journey of caring for others. Attend informative presentations from experts in caregiving and wellness and visit our exhibit hall to connect with representatives from more than 100 organizations to discover tools that can assist in every aspect of caregiving.

The event will be held on September 3 and 4 from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Durham. You can attend one or both days. Learn more and register here.

 

Duke School of Medicine Events

Leadership Town Hall: Financial and Operational Strategy Updates

Tuesday, June 10, 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. via Zoom.

 

State of the School Address

Thursday, June 26, 12 p.m. — 12:45 p.m.; Great Hall, Trent Semans Center for Health Education

More information

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please 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: 

May 31 — Dawn Coleman

Vascular Specialist

Taking the lead: The vascular surgeon in the pediatric vascular surgical space

June 2 — Duke University Hospital

Cardiovascular Business

The top 25 heart hospitals in the United States (#15)

June 2 — Susan Faye Dent (formerly DCI)

Pharmacy Times

ASCO 2025: Expert Insights on Endocrine, Cardiac, Ocular, and Dermatologic Toxicities in Breast Cancer Care

June 3 — Mitch Krucoff

tctMD

Words of Wisdom for Early-Career Interventional Cardiologists

June 3 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live

Cardiology Month in Review: 2025

June 4 — Bradi Granger and Anna Tharakan (formerly with Bass Connections)

American Hospital Association Advancing Health Podcast

How Duke University Is Fighting Hypertension Through Community Collaboration

June 4 — Adrian Hernandez

Newsweek

Can Trump Tackle US ‘Chronic Disease Crisis’? Experts Weigh In

June 5 — Stephen Greene and Robert Califf

Healio/Endocrinology

What not to miss at the upcoming Heart in Diabetes meeting

June 6 — Joseph Turek

The Charlotte Observer

After mystery staph infection, heart surgery, Charlotte girl is back on her feet

Chief’s message:  End of Year events and looking back to see the future

Hopefully you all are having a wonderful weekend.  This month marks the end of the school year and full spring in North Carolina.  We will have our end of year fellow events and see our graduates off into the world of cardiovascular medicine – charged with the skills, will, and drive to improve cardiovascular health in our communities and those they practice in around the world.  We will highlight those events in the upcoming weeks.  There were also high school and college graduations in the last weeks.  For those of you with graduates – congratulations – the time, love and energy to get to these moments is amazing and worth celebrating.

Finally, we are also rely on our own past, culture, and work to see how we can move forward to continue to improve and change science and health.  Perhaps no one has been as much a part of that culture in Duke Cardiology and Duke Heart as Rob Califf, for whom there was a celebration this weekend.  We will share more photos as they become available – but Rob was remembered by colleagues near and far (including collaborators, trainees, and many of our own cardiovascular team members) that came to the Granger’s Farm to celebrate Rob. The evening was filled with funny stories, memories, and most of all a testament to the culture and commitment to science, truth, data, and patient care that Rob Califf has instilled over 40 years at Duke.  Whatever the challenges we face to improve the lives of people with cardiovascular disease, we are blessed by the people, teams and culture of discovery and excellence in care over the years. 

 

Congratulations to Rob and we look forward to his continued leadership and direction on our journey of continual improvement in CV health.

 

Highlights of the week:

Adult Cardiac STS Results Through December 2024

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) has released analyzed results for Harvest 1 2025, which include the three-year period from January 2022 through December 2024. The data are from the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD) and announced by STS as part of their public reporting initiative.

Duke received 3-star (Better than Expected) ratings for isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures, isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgery, and isolated mitral valve replacement or repair (MVRR) surgery; and 2-star (As Expected) ratings for AVR+CABG and MVRR+CABG.

A new Multiprocedural Overall rating has been added to the latest analysis by STS, and we are pleased to announce Duke received a 3-star rating in that category. The Multiprocedural cases include CABG, AVR, AVR+CABG, MVRR, MVRR+CABG, AVR+MVRR, and AVR+MVRR+CABG.

The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in health care, rating the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs in the U.S. Star ratings are calculated using a combination of quality measures for specific procedures performed by an STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD) participant.

Great job, everyone!

 

Mobile Cath Lab Opens at Duke Raleigh

The Duke Raleigh Hospital’s cardiac catheterization team has opened a temporary mobile cath lab space while their Cath Lab Room 1 is being upgraded. The mobile unit was placed in April and several weeks were spent securing and equipping the space for approval by the NC Division of Health Service Regulation (DHSR).

The team shut down Cath Room 1 on May 22 and moved into the new mobile space. Their first cath patient was in the mobile unit the next day.

 

Construction to Room 1 is expected to last about six months. The newly upgraded space should be operational in November.

Julie Yamadi, director of Heart and Procedural Services for Duke Raleigh expressed, “special thanks to Kyarra Rogers from hospital operations; the Facility, Planning, Design and Construction team; Materials Management — especially Kevin Lawson, the supply chain team lead; to J.P., our cath lab nurse manager and to the entire cath team, and Dr. James Mills, who is supportive of everything we do.”

Great progress, Raleigh team!

 

McDermott Named VAD Team Lead, Effective July 1

We are excited to share that Jaime McDermott, DNP, will become the Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Team Leader starting July 1. Jaime has been with our VAD team since 2024 and previously was a valuable member of the Cardiology Advanced Practice Provider team at Duke University Hospital.

Jaime is well respected by her peers and colleagues. Her passion for supporting teams and the patient experience, coupled with her past involvement in VAD program development and quality and process improvement, make her a wonderful choice for this role.

Congratulations, Jaime!

 

 

 

Leadership Changes within Cardiology APP Team, Effective July 1

Allison Lindgren, PA-C, will be stepping down from her role as Co-Team Leader of the Cardiology APP team at the end of June. While her leadership in this capacity will be missed, we are pleased that she will continue to be with the APP team as a provider.

“I want to take a moment to sincerely thank Allison for her dedication, hard work, and the thoughtful leadership she brought to her role,” said Diane Sauro, director, Advanced Practice for Duke Heart. “Her contributions have made a lasting impact, and her commitment to excellence has helped shape the strong, collaborative team we are today. Please join me in expressing our heartfelt appreciation to Allison for all she has done, and in looking forward to the continued opportunity to work alongside her.”

 

Nicolena D’Sola, APRN, NP-C, will step into the role of Co-Team Leader for the Cardiology APP team on July 1. She will join the current Co-Team Leader Faith Williams. Nicolena has been a dedicated provider on the Cardiology APP team for the past four years.

“Throughout her time with us, she has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to our patients and a genuine passion for supporting her colleagues,” Sauro said. “Her calm composure, thoughtful approach, and ability to foster positive relationships have made her a trusted and respected member of our team. Nicolena is a passionate advocate for our team’s well-being and success, and we are confident that her leadership will bring continued strength and unity to our group.

Congratulations, Nicolena and thank you, Allison!

 

 

 

Shout-out to Champion!

We received a wonderful compliment this week about cardiology fellow Cosette Champion, MD.

“I just wanted to put in a shout-out to what an incredible doctor Cosette is. I have been on echo with her for several days over the past few weeks and she always goes above and beyond for patient care (including escorting a chest wall patient to the bathroom; going to check on a gen med patient with endocarditis to make sure they were well enough for the floor; always knowing patient histories thoroughly). A truly empathetic and caring doctor!” — Svati Shah, MD, MHS

Way to go, Cosette!

 

Boyd Named to Chron15 List

Congratulations to Thoracic Surgery resident Rebekah Boyd, MD! She was named this week to the 2024-2025 Chron15: Duke’s icons, leaders, pioneers list by the Duke Chronicle. At the end of each academic year, The Chronicle names five icons, five leaders and five pioneers. Boyd made the ‘Icons’ list along with Cooper Flagg, Manny Diaz, Ed Sheeran, and Luis Alonso Juárez.

Nominated by Chronicle readers and selected by a committee of Chronicle staff, this year’s Chron15 members are both individuals and groups who have built community and rallied around a cause. The article states, “They’re people who have dedicated themselves to making the Duke community a more welcoming place to be. They are people who have inspired us all, and they are people who make Duke, Duke.”

Read all about it here. Congratulations, Rebekah!

 

Tannu Presented CGR on May 27

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Tuesday evening last week for Cardiology Grand Rounds. If you missed this CGR, Manasi Tannu’s presentation, Post MI Inflammation and Trials of Emerging Therapies, can be found in Warpwire: https://warpwire.duke.edu/w/I-AIAA/

 

This Week: CGR Presenter will be Andrew Andreae, MD

Please join us on Tuesday, June 3 at 5 p.m. for Cardiology Grand Rounds with Andrew Andreae, MD. He will present Leadless Pacemakers: Are We Ready to Cut the Cord? The location will be DN 2002, or you can join via Zoom. See your calendar invitation for the link.

 

Save the Dates: Upcoming SOM Events

Two notable events for Duke School of Medicine are scheduled for this month. Please save the dates and consider attending.

June 10: School of Medicine Leadership Town Hall: Financial and Operational Strategy Updates. 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. via Zoom.

June 26: School of Medicine State of the School Address. 12 p.m. — 12:45 p.m.; Great Hall, Trent Semans Center for Health Education. More information

 

Submissions for Pulse, June 16-July 11

Please send any news content for Pulse directly to Manesh Patel from June 16 – July 11. Our communications director will be on leave during this time. Thank you!

 

DUHS Leadership & Campus Updates:

Thomas Appointed Chief FEOO

Robin Thomas has been appointed Chief Facilities, Engineering & Operations Officer, Medical Center & Duke Health, effective immediately. The news was announced on Thursday by Tom Owens, MD, executive vice president and chief operating officer of DUHS, and Scott Gibson, executive dean for administration of the Duke SOM.

Many of you have had the opportunity to work with Robin over the past several years in her role as Executive Director of Engineering & Operations for Duke Health. In that time, she has demonstrated exceptional leadership, integrity, and a deep commitment to our teams and facilities. Her ability to drive meaningful transformation while building strong, collaborative relationships has positioned her as a trusted and respected partner across our health system.

In her new role, Robin will provide strategic and operating leadership for the Engineering & Operations (E&O), Facility, Planning, Design & Construction (FPDC), and Occupational & Environmental Safety Office (OESO) teams who support our Duke Health facilities, including Duke University Health System hospitals and clinics, and the Duke University Schools of Medicine and Nursing. 

Robin is a certified general contractor, has a PMP certificate, LEED AP BD+C, EIT Certification, and has completed Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training. She will work closely with leaders across DUHS, SOM, SON, and Duke University to support our long-term strategic priorities and ensure our physical environment continues to serve as a strong foundation for discovery, healing, and learning.

Congratulations, Robin!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

June is Men’s Health Awareness Month

June 9-15: Men’s Health Week

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

June 3:  Leadless Pacemakers: Are We Ready to Cut the Cord with Andrew Andreae, MD. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

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:

• 2025 CGR Recordings
• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

June 4: HF/Tx with Aubrie Carroll. Noon, DMP 7E39.

June 6: EP Case Presentation with Hannah Schwennesen and Jemi Galani. Noon, Zoom.

June 11: DHP with Mugdha Joshi. Noon, DMP 7E39.

June 13: Program Review with Anna Lisa Chamis. Noon, Zoom.

June 18: Board Review with Paula Rambarat and Nishant Shah. Noon, Hybrid: DMP 7E39 and Zoom.

June 20: No conference

June 25: TBD.

June 27: Returning Fellows Orientation with Anna Lisa Chamis. Noon, Zoom.        

 

Upcoming Duke Heart CMEs

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration coming soon; now open for June 7^th symposia.

• June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham). Registration is required.
• October 4, 2025: Duke Cardiac Sonography Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center)
• October 31, 2025: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center)

 

Duke School of Medicine Events

Leadership Town Hall: Financial and Operational Strategy Updates

Tuesday, June 10, 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. via Zoom.

 

 

 

 

State of the School Address

Thursday, June 26, 12 p.m. — 12:45 p.m.; Great Hall, Trent Semans Center for Health Education

More information

 

 

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please 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: 

May 25 — Duke University Hospital

The Signal (Santa Clarita Valley, CA)

Ventura family in SCV awaits life-saving transplant for newborn

May 28 — Robert Califf

Spectrum News Central NC

Changes on COVID vaccine recommendations – how do agencies interact on health policy?

May 28 — Adjoa Boateng Evans (Anesthesiology)

Woman’s World

Broken Heart Syndrome Symptoms Can Mimic a Heart Attack—What You Need to Know to Stay Safe

Chief’s message:

Happy Memorial Day weekend

We appreciate all of you in our armed forces and those who have supported our troops and families through the years. We take a moment to reflect, remember, and honor those who have made the sacrifices and served our country.

Highlights of the week:

Bloomfield, Frazier-Mills & Landstrom Receive 2025 SOM Faculty Awards

The School of Medicine 2025 Faculty Awards were presented on Monday, May 19th at a reception held in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center. The faculty awards honor outstanding contributions in teaching, research, clinical care, professionalism, and service, celebrating the excellence and dedication of faculty members who embody the School’s mission and values. We are thrilled to share the following Duke Heart awardees:

Gerald Bloomfield, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine in cardiology, received a Research Mentoring Award for Mentoring Excellence in Health Services Research. This award recognizes excellence in mentoring across clinical, translational, population health, and basic sciences. Bloomfield is associate director for research at Duke Global Health Institute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Camille Frazier-Mills, MD, professor of medicine in cardiology, was awarded a Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, which honors faculty who demonstrate compassion, clinical excellence, and respect in patient care. Frazier-Mills is an electrophysiologist and serves as vice-chief in the division of cardiology.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew Landstrom, MD, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics in cardiology, received the Ruth and A. Morris Williams Jr. Faculty Research Prize, which honors faculty who demonstrate compassion, clinical excellence, and respect in patient care. Landstrom is a principal investigator in the Duke Cardiovascular Research Institute and serves as director of the Duke Pediatric Research Scholars Program for Physician-Scientist Development.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a full list of awardees, please visit: https://duke.is/9/4t8v

Congratulations, Camille, Jerry, and Andrew, on these well-deserved awards!

 

Study Suggests Dosing of Heart Failure Medication Can Be Safely Simplified

An estimated 32 million people globally have heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, a condition where the lower left chamber of the heart does a poor job of pumping blood to the rest of the body.

While there are approved medications for the condition, not all providers escalate patient doses to target levels, increasing the risk of adverse events, hospitalizations and death.

In a study led by a Duke scientist – presented at a late-breaking research session on May 17 at the 2025 European Society of Cardiology conference and to be published May 20 in the European Journal of Heart Failure – researchers found patients could safely start vericiguat (a medication for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction) at a dose of 5 mg instead of the conventional 2.5 mg starting dose, streamlining the process to reach target dosing from three steps to two. 

The study was funded by Bayer AG and Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. Both companies are makers of vericiguat.

Stephen Greene, MD, is the corresponding author of the study and associate professor of medicine in cardiology in the Duke University School of Medicine. He said reducing the steps to target dosing could help overcome clinical inertia.

“In real-world practice, most patients never achieve the target doses of recommended heart failure medications,” Greene said. “Despite clinic visit after clinic visit, medication changes are relatively rare. If titration of heart failure medications is rare in clinical practice, then it stands to reason that reducing the number of titration steps would give our patients a better chance to ultimately achieve target dosing.”

The study enrolled 106 patients across seven countries who started the 5 mg dose of vericiguat over the course of two weeks. The researchers compared safety and tolerability of the higher dose group with those of study participants receiving the current dosing standard. The study found safety measures for both groups to be comparable, with more than 9 out of 10 patients safely tolerating initiation of vericiguat at the higher 5 mg starting dose.

“I think simplicity is the key when we talk about implementation of heart failure medications in clinical practice,” Greene said. “Real-world settings come with logistical challenges, and oftentimes clinics are very busy with limited appointment availability and limited available time per patient. These factors unfortunately set a stage for clinical inertia and for patients to go without important medication changes. Simplifying the way that we initiate and titrate heart failure medications may help overcome this and improve the quality of care our patients receive.”

In addition to Greene, study authors include Stefano Corda, Ciaran J. McMullan, Giovanni Palombo, Christina Schooss, Vanja Vlajnic, Katrin Walkamp, and Michele Senni.

 

Patel Interviewed by Dean Klotman on Role of Philanthropy

Dean Klotman recently spent time interviewing Manesh Patel, MD for a School of Medicine video related to how philanthropy has helped to support cardiovascular research and care throughout Duke Heart. Check it out here!

 

CRU Celebrates Clinical Research Day & Launches List of Studies

The Heart Center Clinical Research Unit (CRU) celebrated Clinical Trials Day on May 20th.  Clinical Trials Day is an opportunity to pause in reflection, recognition, and admiration of all that has been accomplished thanks to clinical trials and the people behind them. We are grateful for and appreciate all the hard work done to give our patients the opportunity to participate in clinical trials at Duke.

 

 

 

Additionally, the Heart Center CRU has created a Currently Enrolling Research Studies list to deliver providers with the most up-to-date information about research studies in the Heart Center. Arranged primarily by therapeutic area, providers can click in that area and see a list of all currently enrolling studies with a short description, the principal investigator, and upcoming studies. Descriptions will eventually include key inclusion/exclusion criteria listed as well as the primary coordinator’s name and contact information.

We hope this will provide more enrollment opportunities for patients, in addition to ensuring our Heart Center providers know all the research clinical trial options available. You can access the list by scanning the following QR code or following this link. Providers will soon start seeing this QR code in patient care areas.

The Heart CRU team is excited to share this information with everyone in order to increase our research opportunities. If you have any questions, please reach out to Krista Camuglia.

 

Annette Winkler Retiring Effective May 30

After 33 years of service at Duke Health, Annette Winkler has announced her plans to retire at the end of May. Annette first joined the Duke Cardiology Intensive Care Unit in 1992 after moving from Michigan. She provided top-notch clinical care, established herself as a leader, and won the Friends of Nursing Award in 2005. She has given presentations at the Premier Health Care Conference, American Heart Association Get With the Guidelines Conference, Duke Quality & Safety Conference, National Cardiovascular Data Registry National Conference, and American College of Cardiology STEMI Simulation.

Since 2007, Annette has worked with the Center of Excellence as the STEMI coordinator and Transcatheter Valve Therapy database manager. She has served as a Team Lead, building knowledge and serving as a resource across all heart registries. She has been a driving force in our STEMI processes and has overseen TAVR data since the beginning of the program in 2012.

As Dr. Chris Granger recently said at Annette’s last STEMI committee meeting, “Annette has led collaborative, constructive, interdisciplinary quality improvement around an opportunity to save lives.”

She has brought professionalism and humor to all her efforts. When you pass by the stained glass art near the 7^th floor elevators at Duke North, take a moment to think of Annette who helped craft the piece.

We thank Annette for all her contributions and will truly miss her!

 

Kudos to Cath Lab Early Start Teams!

Kudos to our Cath Lab team at Duke Hospital! Over the past several months, a number of team members have volunteered to come in for “Early Start” days in order to complete cases ahead of the usual shift. We recognize that team members are going above and beyond in order to care for patients and help with the case load — many of these instances occurring in addition to our Saturday Caths pilot program.

We are deeply appreciative of the many staff members and attendings who have participated to support exceptional and timely patient care and we are proud of the team and how they work together. A very special hat tip to Tony Van for coordinating care across rooms — no easy feat. Thank you, all!

 

Thomas Presents at Duke Health Leadership Summit

Dr. Kevin Thomas served as a presenter on May 19, 2025 at the LeadForward Summit for Duke Health leaders titled Our Duke Health Pledge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nenadic Wood wins EP Course Jeopardy

Ivan Nenadic Wood, one of our second-year cardiovascular disease fellows, attended an EP mapping course in Minneapolis, MN last weekend. He learned a lot and shared that there was a Jeopardy competition at the end. Ivan’s team ended up winning with a question Ivan answered correctly about a chest x-ray of a patient with persistent left SVC syndrome and a pacemaker.

He attributes getting the correct answer because he saw a similar case in clinic with Kevin Jackson.

Way to go Ivan!

 

Yamanaka, Osude Presented CGRs

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Monday and Tuesday evening last week for Cardiology Grand Rounds. We had two excellent presentations!

Monday’s presenter was Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, senior investigator at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease and the L.K. Whittier Foundation Investigator in Stem Cell Biology at the University of California, San Francisco. He presented on Recent Progress in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS) Cell Research and Application. Tuesday’s presenter was Duke cardiovascular fellow Nkiru Osude, MD, who presented All Hands on Deck: The Necessary Path Toward Improving Quality in Healthcare.

Thanks for the excellent presentations!

 

This Week: CGR Presenter will be Manasi Tannu, MD

Please join us on Tuesday, May 27 at 5 p.m. for Cardiology Grand Rounds with Manasi Tannu, MD. Her topic is Post MI Inflammation and Emerging Therapies.

 

DUHS Leadership & Campus Updates:

Carter Appointed President, COO, of Duke Regional

Jason Carter has been named President and Chief Operating Officer of Duke Regional Hospital (DRH), effective immediately. The announcement was made on May 19th by Greg Pauly, MHA, Group President, Duke University Health System and President of Duke University Hospital.

“Jason has served as interim president and COO of Duke Regional for the past six months and done so with tremendous steadiness, focus, and care,” Pauly said. “His thoughtful, people-first leadership and clear operational insight have helped guide DRH forward, and I’m excited he’ll continue in this role permanently.”

Carter joined Duke Health in November 2023 as COO of DRH and quickly became an integral part of the leadership team. He brings 20 years of health care leadership experience and a deep understanding of what it takes to lead high-performing teams in complex systems. He’s passionate about creating an environment where every team member feels supported, valued, and equipped to deliver outstanding care.

“Stepping into this role permanently is both a humbling and inspiring moment for me.” Carter shared. “Every day, I’m reminded of the strength, heart, and resilience of our DRH teams, and I’m energized by the opportunity to shape our future together. As we enter a new chapter together, my vision is to build on what we’ve achieved and stay rooted in the values that define us: collaboration, innovation, and unwavering service to our community.”

Congratulations, Jason!

 

Page Retiring; Perrier Named AVP HR

On Friday, May 23, Greg Pauly, president of Duke University Hospital announced that Deborah Page, chief human resources officer for DUH, will retire effective June 30. Deborah has been a vital leader and an unwavering champion of compassionate care within our hospital for more than 25 years. Her dedication, insight, and steadfast commitment have left a lasting impact on our community and culture. Deborah will be deeply missed by colleagues and friends alike. Please join us in wishing her all the best as she embarks on this exciting new chapter of her life.

Anita Perrier will be joining Duke University Hospital as the associate vice president of human resources, effective June 1. In this vital leadership role, Anita will strategically organize and lead the delivery of HR services across DUH operations, providing critical support that empowers our leaders to put our people first and provide an exceptional team member experience. She will work in close collaboration with our DUH HR business partners, entity HR leaders, and DUH senior leadership to help align HR solutions with key business initiatives—supporting volume growth, building culture, and developing our team members. She is joining us from Mass General Brigham, where she most recently served as their vice president of human resources, patient care services & operational excellence.

Please join us in congratulating Deborah on her well-earned retirement and in warmly welcoming Anita to Duke University Hospital and the Duke Health team. We look forward to the leadership, insight, and collaborative spirit Anita will bring as we continue to advance excellence in patient care, research and education.

 

Campus Road and Utility Projects, Summer 2025

Ongoing utility and building projects will bring adjustments for pedestrians, motorists and Duke Transit this summer. Much of the work is related to upgrades and renovations to decades-old buildings funded largely through philanthropic donations. Here’s a look at the road and utility work Duke Facilities Management will oversee this summer and how it will affect vehicular and pedestrian traffic on campus: Duke Today story. 

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

May is: American Stroke Month, Jewish Heritage Month, and National Asian Pacific American Month

May is also: Celebrating Each Other month at Duke

June is Men’s Health Awareness Month

June 9-15: Men’s Health Week

Cardiology Grand Rounds

May 27: Post MI Inflammation and Emerging Therapies with Manasi Tannu, MD. 5 p.m., Zoom only.

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:

• 2025 CGR Recordings
• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

May 28 & 30: No Core Curriculum Conferences will be held.

June 4: HF/Tx with Aubrie Carroll. Noon, DMP 7E39.

June 6: EP Case Presentation with Hannah Schwennesen and Jemi Galani. Noon, Zoom.

June 11: DHP with Mugdha Joshi. Noon, DMP 7E39.

June 13: Program Review with Anna Lisa Chamis. Noon, Zoom.

June 18: Board Review with Paula Rambarat and Nishant Shah. Noon, Hybrid: DMP 7E39 and Zoom.

June 20: No conference

June 25: TBD.

June 27: Returning Fellows Orientation with Anna Lisa Chamis. Noon, Zoom.        

 

Upcoming Duke Heart CMEs

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration coming soon; now open for June 7^th symposia.

• June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham). Registration is required.
• October 4, 2025: Duke Cardiac Sonography Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center)
• October 31, 2025: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center)

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please 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: 

 

May 16 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live/Don’t Miss a Beat podcast (Apple podcasts)

Navigating the ATTR-CM Care Landscape, with Ahmad Masri, MD

 

May 16 — Junjie Yao (Biomedical Engineering)

AOL.com

New light-activated heart tissue revolutionizes heart repair

 

May 17 — Audrey Blewer (Family Medicine/Community Health)

EMS1

CPR confidence fills in the missing link in cardiac arrest survival

 

May 19 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live

Vutrisiran Lowers Cardiovascular Events, Mortality in HELIOS-B Analysis

 

May 20 — Duke Health

Becker’s Hospital Review

The 25 most human health system brands (#14)

 

May 20 — Harry Severance

Medpage Today

The UnitedHealth CEO Is Resigning. That Won’t Fix Patient Outrage.

 

May 20 — Taylor Pennigar (Nursing) and Marissa Pentico (OESO)

WFLB 96.5 (Laurinburg, NC)

Too Much Sitting Tied to Heart Disease and Muscle Loss, Studies Find

 

May 21 — Duke University Hospital

Becker’s ASC Review

The top 1% cardiology research hospitals in US: Avant-garde

 

May 21 — Stephen Greene

tctMD

TITRATE-HF: Use of GDMT for HF Is Getting Better but Still Not Ideal

 

May 22 — Radha Kachhy

Tyla.com

Little-known heart attack symptom common among women that might be completely ignored

 

May 22 — Nishant Shah

Cosmopolitan

Beta Blockers Can Calm Your Nerves Before a Big Event—Here’s What You Need to Know

 

Highlights of the week:

Duke Heart Earns 6^th MVRR Center Award

We are thrilled to announce that our mitral valve program has earned the 2025 Mitral Valve Repair Reference (MVRR) Center Award  — it is the sixth consecutive year for this recognition from the Mitral Foundation.

Mitral valve repair is one of the most challenging heart operations, but the results for patients with degenerative mitral valve disease can be outstanding, with improved survival and few long-term complications. The recommended treatment for degenerative mitral valve disease is mitral valve reconstruction, as opposed to valve replacement with a bioprosthetic or mechanical valve because valve repair is associated with improved survival and fewer long-term complications. Many patients who would benefit from repair receive replacement valves, with higher rates of death or complications within five years after surgery. 

Based on 2024 data (the 2025 list is not yet publicly available), Duke was one of only 22 centers in the U.S. recognized by the Mitral Foundation as having the volume and outcomes needed to qualify as an MVRR Center.

The MVRR Center designation recognizes those centers that have a demonstrated record of superior clinical outcomes, as well as an ongoing commitment to reporting and measuring quality and outcome metrics specific to mitral valve repairs. It also serves to promote the availability of such MVRR Centers to improve geographic access for patients across the U.S.

Congratulations to our extraordinary mitral valve team and Drs. Don Glower, Jeff Gaca, Brittany Zwischenberger, Andrew Wang, and our MitraClip team for the outstanding work they are doing for all of our mitral patients!

 

Blazing Receives Clinical Excellence Award

Congratulations to Mike Blazing, MD, associate professor of medicine in cardiology! Blazing is one of seven Department of Medicine (DOM) faculty members selected as 2025 inductees to the DOM’s Clinical Excellence Society.

Annually, the DOM recognizes faculty who exemplify exceptional dedication to patient care, innovation in clinical practice, and the training of future physicians. Membership in the Department’s Clinical Excellence Society honors individuals who have demonstrated outstanding clinical skill, leadership, and commitment to advancing the practice of medicine. These clinicians are selected for their impact on patient outcomes, contributions to clinical innovation, and efforts to mentor and support the next generation of healthcare providers.

Blazing was nominated by cardiology division chief Manesh Patel, MD, who wrote “Dr. Blazing is not just reserved for the many faculty members who seek him out as their doctor, but open to any patient with a cardiac problem. He has modeled his professional practice as the standard, always taking on the hardest patients and toughest assignments in the best interest of patients and Duke’s cardiology practice. His communication with patients is effortless, and he always finds a way to connect with his patients, focusing on their needs, allowing him to direct them to optimal, evidence-based care.”

Congratulations, Mike! Well-deserved!

 

New Cardiovascular Funding Awards, April 2025

Congratulations to the following faculty members in the Division of Cardiology who received new funding award notifications in April:

Sponsored research:

• Robert McGarrah III has received a sub-award (1OT2HL156812-01) through the DCRI-Duke-Site for a project entitled “RECOVER-ENERGIZE.”

Industry Sponsored Clinical Trials:

• James Daubert has received an award from Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Ltd for a project entitled “The Natural History of Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy with Pathogenic PKP2 Variants (PKP2-ACM): An observational cohort study.” Total funding will be $201,026.
• Marat Fudim has received an award from AstraZeneca AB for a project entitled “A Phase III, Randomised, Double-blind Study to Evaluate the Effect of Balcinrenone/Dapagliflozin, Compared with Dapagliflozin, on the Risk of Heart Failure Events and Cardiovascular Death in Patients with Heart Failure and Impaired Kidney Function.” Total funding will be $232,815.
• Christopher Granger has received an award from Alnylam Pharmaceuticals for a project entitled “KARDIA-6 CVOT SUA.” Total funding will be $17,952,477.
• Schuyler Jones has received an award from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation for a project entitled “V-Intervention.” Total funding will be $41,317,740.
• Michel Khouri has received an award from Moleculin Biotech, Inc. for a project entitled “MB-108 (Core Lab).” Total funding will be $2,029,841.
• Daniel Mark has received an award from Cytokinetics, Inc. for a project entitled “Comet-HF Health Economics.” Total funding will be $1,407,475.
• Andrew Wang has received an award from Lexicon Pharmaceuticals for a project entitled “SONATA-HCM A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Parallel-group, Multicenter Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of SOtaglifloziN in symptomATic obstructive And non-obstructive Hypertrophic CardioMyopathy (SONATA-HCM).” Total funding will be $207,376.

Congratulations to all!

 

Duke Heart EKG Team Competes in DUH “Feud”

Congratulations to Duke Heart’s EKG Support Unit for sending a team to compete in Duke Hospital’s “Team Feud” on May 8, 2025! Team Feud is one of many events taking place across Duke this month and is modeled after the television game show “Family Feud.” The competition took place in Duke South Amphitheater and was hosted by emcee Jonathan Bae, MD, associate professor of medicine and a hospitalist at Duke.

The Five Heart Beats included EKG Support Unit team members Lyka Woods; Bernice Whitaker; Kimberly Starkey; Russ Burnett, and Denita Green (shown L-R, above).

“I am so thankful that my team and I got to participate in Team Feud during Celebrating Each Other month,” said Starkey, clinical operations supervisor of the EKG Support Unit at Duke University Hospital. “Times like this allow us to step away from our busy daily tasks to enjoy some fun. We had an amazing time, we won our round and we can’t wait to do it again!”

The Five Heart Beats competed against the Divine Interventions, a group of staff members from Duke Hospital’s Chaplain Services and Education team, and our Duke Heart EKG specialists won the round.

Solid work!

 

Senthil Selvaraj, MD: Improving HF Outcomes Through Metabolic Research

For Senthil Selvaraj, MD, a heart failure physician-scientist in the Duke Heart Center, and an assistant professor of medicine in the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute and the Division of Cardiology, the path to improving care for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) starts with a deceptively simple question: what does the heart and skeletal muscle actually use for fuel—and can we change that? 

HFpEF affects more than half of all people with heart failure and is notoriously difficult to treat. These patients retain normal pumping function but still experience debilitating symptoms like shortness of breath and reduced ability to exercise. 

“HFpEF is a systemic problem,” Dr. Selvaraj explains. “It’s not just the heart. It’s also skeletal muscle, blood vessels, and the body’s metabolism.”

Recent studies have shown that failing hearts rely more heavily on ketones, a type of energy source the body normally produces in small amounts during fasting or metabolic stress. Inspired by that discovery, Dr. Selvaraj began testing whether raising ketone levels on purpose—through exogenous ketone drinks—could help HFpEF patients function better.

He recently led a clinical trial known as “KETO-HFpEF”, published in JACC: Heart Failure, which tested the effects of a single dose of ketone therapy vs. placebo in patients with HFpEF. The study did not show improvements in exercise performance, but the treatment led to several potentially beneficial physiologic changes, such as lower heart pressures, shifts in metabolism away from carbohydrate utilization, and increased heart rate during exercise.

“These findings were intriguing,” he says. “We didn’t see a direct improvement in exercise capacity, but we saw a lot of changes that may be relevant.”

From Proof-of-Concept to Longer-Term Impact

Selvaraj is now preparing to launch a new trial to test whether longer-term ketone supplementation might do what a single dose could not. The upcoming study, supported by a Swann Lee Award through the Duke School of Medicine, will follow 20 HFpEF patients over an eight-week period using a crossover, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. Participants will receive a commercially available ketone drink, (R)-1,3-butanediol (KetoneIQ), and undergo testing to evaluate changes in exercise capacity, cardiac function, metabolic health, and vascular stiffness. This research team includes Heart Center faculty Drs. Svati Shah, Robert Mentz, and Neha Pagidipati.

“Exercise intolerance in heart failure is driven by multiple overlapping issues,” he says. “That’s why we’re investigating ketone therapy—which has the potential to address several pathophysiologies at once.”

Selvaraj also studies how the heart consumes fuel in real time. In a translational research project at Duke, he and his colleagues collect paired blood samples from the arteries and veins of the heart to measure what nutrients the heart consumes. This work, done in collaboration with Drs. Marat Fudim, Imran Islam, Zach Loring, and Dan Friedman, helps map the heart’s metabolic profile across the spectrum of cardiovascular health.

Research with a Broader Purpose

Selvaraj traces his interest in heart failure back to his third year of medical school, when he first began working in the field. His early work focused on large-scale clinical trial data, but he has since shifted toward leading his own investigator-initiated studies—smaller in scale, but rich in mechanistic insight.

He credits much of his growth as a researcher to the mentorship of Dr. Svati Shah and sees his current work as part of a broader effort to redefine how metabolic therapies are used in cardiovascular disease.

“Ketones are a natural substrate, something our bodies already make,” he says. “If we can harness that safely and effectively, we may be able to offer patients a new option—one that works across systems, not just on the heart alone.” Beyond ketone therapy, altering metabolism with other therapies (i.e. SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists) has already underscored the relevance of this line of inquiry.

(This story was published May 7 by the Dept. of Medicine.)

 

Hernandez, Spaeder Present PTC Grand Rounds

On Friday, May 16, Adrian Hernandez, MD, MHS professor of medicine in cardiology and executive director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, joined Jeffrey Spaeder, MD, MBA, chief medical and scientific officer at IQVIA, to present the NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory’s (PTC) Rethinking Clinical Trials Grand Rounds lecture. Their presentation was entitled, “Pivoting Clinical Trials Into a New and Evolving World.”

Hernandez serves as co–principal investigator of the NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory Coordinating Center.

 

This Week: CGRs on Monday with Yamanaka, Tuesday with Osude

Don’t forget to join us for a special Cardiology Grand Rounds session on Monday evening, May 19^th. Our guest will be Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, senior investigator at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease and the L.K. Whittier Foundation Investigator in Stem Cell Biology at the University of California, San Francisco. His CGR topic is Recent Progress in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS) Cell Research and Application.

Yamanaka is a co-recipient of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering that mature cells can be reprogrammed into a stem cell state, offering a way to generate pluripotent stem cells without using embryos. He shared the prize with Sir John B. Gurdon of the Gurdon Institute at the University of Cambridge.

On Tuesday evening, May 20, we’ll hear from Duke cardiovascular fellow Nkiru Osude, MD, who will present The Solution: Quality in Healthcare. 

Both sessions begin at 5 p.m. More details under Upcoming Events, below.

 

 

 

 

New NIH Public Access Policy Effective July 1, 2025

Researchers holding federal funding should be aware of critical updates to the NIH Public Access Policy that will take effect on July 1, 2025.

Originally scheduled to go into effect on December 31, 2025, these changes have been expedited by the federal government, and it is imperative that researchers understand and comply with the new requirements to avoid jeopardizing their current and future funding opportunities.

Key Changes to Note:

• Immediate Submission to PubMed Central: Researchers must submit their Author Accepted Manuscripts to PubMed Central without delay. This ensures that research is accessible to the public as soon as possible.
• No Embargo Period: There will no longer be an embargo period for journals. Full-text must be made publicly available in PubMed Central upon publication.
• Impact on Funding: Non-compliance with these new requirements could affect current and future funding opportunities, including grant renewals. It is crucial to adhere to these guidelines to maintain funding status.
• No Cost to Authors: Authors can submit their manuscript files to PubMed Central at no cost, regardless of whether they have published open access or not.

Researchers with NIH funding are encouraged to take this matter seriously and make the necessary preparations to make sure their manuscripts accepted for publication on or after July 1, 2025 comply with the new NIH Public Access Policy.

For more information on the NIH Public Access Policy compliance submission process, please see Duke Medical Center Library & Archives’ NIH Public Access Policy Guide. If you have any questions or need assistance, do not hesitate to reach out to the NIH Public Access Policy team at the Medical Center Library (nihpublicaccesscompliance@duke.edu).

 

DUHS Updates:

Padilla Appointed DUHS CNSBOO

Blanca “Iris” Padilla, PhD, MBA, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP has been appointed as the new Chief Nursing Strategic Business Operations Officer (CNSBOO) at Duke University Health System.

In this role, Padilla will be pivotal in shaping the strategic direction of nursing services, ensuring alignment with economic, financial and business objectives and driving innovation in transforming models of patient care, workforce management, and financial sustainability.

Padilla is an Associate Professor at the Duke University School of Nursing with extensive experience in trauma-critical care, emergency department, and primary care. Her education includes a PhD from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, a postdoctoral fellowship from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from Elon University.

Congratulations, Iris!

 

Empowerment Through Innovations Launched by DUHS NPCS

DUHS Nursing and Patient Care Services (NPCS) is excited to launch Empowerment Through Innovations — a new systemwide initiative created to spark real change from the frontlines. All nursing and patient care services teams are invited to share ideas that can improve how we deliver care, support our teams, and solve everyday challenges. The program recognizes the everyday innovators across Duke Health, one idea at a time. It embodies our commitment to Put People First by listening and seeking out new ideas. It also reflects our pledge to Be Clear and Empower by trusting the values and perspectives of those closest to the work and turning ideas into action.

Do you see something that could be better? Visit the Empowerment Through Innovations intranet site to learn more and submit your ideas.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

May is: American Stroke Month, Jewish Heritage Month, and National Asian Pacific American Month

May is also: Celebrating Each Other month at Duke

  

Cardiology Grand Rounds

 May 19: Recent Progress in iPS Cell Research and Application with Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka of the Gladstone Institute for Cardiovascular Disease; the University of California, San Francisco, and Kyoto University. 5 p.m. DN 2002 or via Zoom.

 May 20: The Solution: Quality in Healthcare with Nkiru Osude. 5 p.m., Zoom only.

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:

• 2025 CGR Recordings
• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

May 21: HF/Tx with Cosette Champion. Noon. In-person. DN 2001

May 23: EKG with Neil Freedman. Noon. Zoom only.

May 28: EP with Hannah Schwennesen and Jemi Galani. Noon, in person. DMP 7E39.

May 30: TBD  

           

Upcoming Duke Heart CMEs

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration coming soon; now open for June 7^th symposia.

• June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham). Registration is required.
• October 4, 2025: Duke Cardiac Sonography Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center)
• October 31, 2025: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center)

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please 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: 

May 9 — Duke Health

WFMY News 2 (Greensboro, NC)

Branson’s mission: Filling Duke’s treasure box with hope and joy

May 9 — Stephen Greene

Espanol News

Los beneficios de los inhibidores de SGLT2 para HF afirmados en un estudio grande en el mundo real

May 12 — Audrey Blewer

The Kansas City Star

Fast action from bystanders can improve cardiac arrest survival. Many don’t know what to do

May 13 — Sean Pokorney

Medscape

Self-Administered Etripamil Cuts Emergency Department Visits for Paroxysma

May 13 — Duke University Hospital/Duke Raleigh Hospital

Becker’s Hospital Review

377 top hospitals for patient experience: Healthgrades

May 13 — Duke University Health System

Winston Salem Journal

Three major healthcare providers vying to build hospital in

Alamance. Residents can offer their thoughts on June 18.

May 14 — Duke Heart Network

WHKY

Frye Regional Celebrates 50th Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

May 14 — Robert Califf

Cath Lab Digest

Robert M. Califf, MD, Shares His SCAI 2025 Keynote Summary

May 15 — Marat Fudim and Joanna Kipnes (hospitalist & PRMO)

Cardiovascular Business

Duke specialists to detail the benefits of treating heart failure with Barostim

May 16 — Manesh Patel

Daily Herald (Chicago)

‘Cough CPR’ is a social media myth

 

Chief’s message:

Happy Mother’s Day & Graduation Season Begins

  

To all the moms and mom-figures throughout our team, we wish you a very happy Mother’s Day, and to any of our team members with graduates in their midst – it’s the start of graduation season (this weekend is Duke University’s)–  so congratulations to all!

 

In Memoriam: Robert A. Waugh, MD, Associate Professor Emeritus of Medicine in Cardiology

We are saddened to share that our dear friend and colleague, associate professor emeritus of medicine in cardiology, Dr. Robert Andrew Waugh died yesterday, May 10, 2025, at Hillcrest Convalescent Center in Durham where he had been residing. He was 85.

Waugh’s work while at Duke included the use of patient simulation and computers in medical student and graduate medical education, the use of noninvasive technologies in the evaluation of patients with heart disease, and the role of stress and behavior modification in the care and evaluation of patients with known or suspected heart disease. He assisted Joe Kisslo in establishing echocardiography at Duke, along with the Cardiac Diagnostic Unit.

He had a number of collaborations during his time at Duke, including one with the University of Miami School of Medicine’s Medical Training and Simulation Laboratory to advance and further the use of patient simulators, including Harvey (the cardiopulmonary patient simulator, shown left) and computer modeling in medical training. He served on a multicenter consortium of educators and physicians to develop and evaluate multimedia teaching programs specifically for cardiovascular disease, and later across a variety of medical sub-specialties. He also partnered with Dr. James Blumenthal’s Behavioral Medicine Laboratory at Duke as a collaborator on clinical trials centering around the relationships between exercise, weight loss, and blood pressure, and the role of mental stress and ischemia in patients with known coronary artery disease.

“Bob had just completed his fellowship when I came to Duke in 1972 — he was in the same fellowship class as Galen Wagner and a year behind Bob Rosati,” said Joseph Kisslo, MD, professor of medicine in cardiology at Duke. “Shortly thereafter, Bob went into the Navy and was stationed at Bethesda. He tried private practice for a year in Virginia after the Navy and then returned to Duke when Galen Wagner served as the acting chief of cardiology while Andy Wallace was on sabbatical.

“He was the supreme clinician and cared dearly about teaching our medical students about heart disease,” Kisslo added. “Bob was very instrumental in the beginning of the original stress echo and Holter monitoring lab and he was a big help to me in establishing echo at Duke, and then the Cardiac Diagnostic Unit. Without Bob, the cooperative entity of the CDU would have never worked — he was the ultimate “team player”. One of the saddest days I’ve ever had was when Bob told me he was stopping clinical practice because he just couldn’t manage anymore.”

Born on Christmas Day, 1939 (the very same day as Galen Wagner!), Waugh would earn his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1966. His survivors include his wife, Carol Ann; their daughter, Dianna Joseph of Georgia, and a grandson, William.

We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and former colleagues.

We are grateful to the following faculty members for sharing their thoughts and memories of Dr. Waugh with us:

“Bob Waugh was a great guy and excellent cardiologist. One of my favorites. I interviewed with Bob for Cardiology Fellowship. It just so happened that at the time I was the resident on the cardiology consult service and he was the Attending. So I showed up with my suit and folio ready for an interview. He looked at me and said ‘Let’s go round’ and we saw all the consult patients that afternoon.” — Sunil Rao, MD, Director of Interventional Cardiology at NYU Langone

“Bob was unique among us. Great laugh and very skilled as a clinician and an educator. I was in need of an echo tech and Bob pitched a guy that he had worked with in the Navy. I thought, ‘Just what I need… an old drinking buddy of Bob’s.’ But, of course, Roger [Harsh] was one of the best hires ever.” — Ken Morris, MD

“He was so much fun to have around. Loved his laugh.” — Mark Donahue, MD

“A great educator! He was so fun to read echos with.” — Mike Sketch, MD

“He was one of the greats.” — Tom Povsic, MD

“Dr. Waugh was a gifted educator, beloved by everyone who interacted with him. He taught generations of medical students, residents and fellows EKGs and physical exam using Harvey, the cardiology patient simulator. He taught, inspired and mentored me to pursue a career as a cardiology clinician- educator. I will be forever grateful.” — Anna Lisa Chamis, MD

“Another of the founders of the Duke Cardiology Division has passed. Bob Waugh was the consummate clinician and teacher at Duke. He loved teaching so much that he helped develop a manikin named “Harvey” in an effort to educate everyone from med students to faculty on how to properly perform a physical exam. Named after Proctor Harvey of Georgetown fame, the Duke cardiology manikin was located on the seventh floor. Pulsations and apical movements were incorporated along with the auscultatory heart sounds heard at differing locations on the torso. One could select the murmurs associated with any structural heart ailment. His passion for teaching and his devotion to the housestaff and fellows were boundless, even though he began his career at Duke as a basic scientist. His office was the story of legends, as he was a hoarder of first magnitude- books and magazines were stacked sky-high everywhere. Despite that, he always knew where everything was, and everyone was always welcome to come and chat about just about anything at any time. He was a wonderful listener, a friend to all, and had opinions on everything. Bob was truly one of the giants in cardiology that built the Duke program. His kindness, humor, teaching prowess, and clinical competence made him one-of-a-kind. He was the best. He will be greatly missed by all of us who benefited from his presence and influence..” – Tom Bashore, MD

“I first saw Bob Waugh on a video as a medical student at Emory – introducing the Harvey training manikin. When I met him, it became clear that Bob was a caring clinical role model for all of use who had to privilege of knowing him.  Duke Cardiology and Duke Medicine benefited from his love of teaching, easy going style, and most importantly dedication to being a great clinician.  Despite having his  desk piled high with articles and books, he would always make time to listen to a case or just provide advise. He will be missed.”  Manesh Patel, MD

Reminder: Culture Pulse Survey!

Please take part in the (very quick!) Culture Pulse Survey which runs through tomorrow, May 12. You can access the survey here. By participating, you can help system leadership to better understand the current culture here at Duke Health. Your voice matters, so please participate – it’s quick, confidential, and will go a long way in helping leadership pave the way for an even stronger Health System.

With participation, you may even win a great prize! Five team members across the health system who complete the Culture Pulse survey will be randomly selected to win a pair of Duke men’s basketball tickets, a pair of tickets to a DPAC production, or four tickets for a Durham Bulls baseball game!

Please visit the Culture Pulse page to learn more.

Thank you!

 

AATS 2025 Duke Highlights

The 105th annual meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) was held May 2-5, 2025 at the Seattle Convention Center in Seattle, WA.

Thomas D’Amico, MD, the Gary Hock Distinguished Professor of Surgery and Section Chief for General Thoracic Surgery at Duke along with Maral Ouzounian, MD of Toronto General Hospital were the Program Directors for the AATS — well done, Tommy! Several faculty members served on program committees for this year’s event, including Carmelo Milano, MD (Adult Cardiac Program Committee); Joseph Turek, MD (Congenital Program Committee), and Betty Tong, MD (Thoracic Program Committee).

Highlights from Duke presenters included:

• A presentation on optimal strategies for neuroprotection during aortic surgeries which require circulatory arrest, given by Edward P. Chen, MD;
• Publication of outcomes of children undergoing partial heart transplant, co-authors included Joe Turek, MD; and a
• Presentation on the Duke Donation After Circulatory Death (DCD) heart transplant outcomes, given by cardiothoracic surgical resident, Abigail Benkert, MD

We are especially delighted to share that surgical research fellow, Dr. Krish Dewan, won the prestigious C. Walton Lillehei Resident Forum prize for cardiac gene therapy work conducted in the laboratory of Dawn Bowles, PhD, assistant professor in surgery.

The Lillehei award is named for C. Walton Lillehei, MD, PhD, known as the father of open heart surgery. Lillehei forever changed the face of cardiac surgery through his research, groundbreaking developments and innovative techniques. In 1952, Lillehei participated in the world’s first successful open heart surgery at the University of Minnesota, and in 1954, he headed the first successful open heart surgery using cross-circulation. Lillehei himself was well decorated, having received such honors as the Bronze Star for World War II service in Italy, the 1955 Lasker Award, the Order of Health Merit Jose Fernandez Madrid by the government of Colombia in 1959, the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement in 1968, induction in 1993 into the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame, and the 1996 Harvey Prize in Science and Technology. The AATS honors his legacy and contributions by selecting a resident researcher each year as the recipient of his namesake award for their own cutting-edge breakthroughs and research efforts.

Congratulations to all!

 

Made for This Campaign

As we mentioned last weekend, the Made for This campaign for philanthropic support of Duke’s missions was held last weekend with board members from across Duke and Duke Health. The capstone event of the weekend was a discussion that took place on Saturday with former men’s basketball coach, Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski. We were able to get some photos of him with Manesh Patel, MD and Craig Albanese, MD from their panel discussion on leadership, innovation and advances at Duke Health.

 

 

Upadhya Receives Excellence in Education Award

Congratulations to Bharathi Upadhya, MBBS, associate professor of medicine in cardiology! She is one of thirteen Department of Medicine faculty members to receive the 2025 Excellence in Education Award. The DOM recognizes and appreciates the hard work and dedication of its outstanding faculty and their enduring commitment to the education of its fellows, residents, and students. The annual Excellence in Education Award recognizes a faculty member in each division for excellent teaching and commitment to the education and professional development of Duke trainees.

Dr. Upadhya is recognized as an outstanding teacher and committed educator of trainees giving high-yield lectures to cardiology fellows, sonographers, and sonography students. Additionally, she is a gifted bedside clinician-educator.

Congratulations, Bharathi! Well-deserved!

 

 

Neha Pagidipati, MD: Diminishing Fragmented Care & Shaping New Leaders in Research

Neha Pagidipati, MD, MPH, associate professor in the Division of Cardiology, is working to improve care fragmentation and inspire the next generation of researchers.  She’s a cardiovascular prevention specialist dedicated to finding therapies that work for all patients through her combined interests of public health and clinical medicine.

“Obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol are just some of the factors that contribute to heart disease, and I enjoy helping people manage those aspects on an individual basis by lifestyle modification and using effective medications. But I also really enjoy thinking about how to improve those risk factors on a population level,” Dr. Pagidipati said. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.

She is one of several providers that treats patients through Duke’s Cardiometabolic Prevention Clinic. “It’s a multidisciplinary clinic that aims to provide coordinated care to the highest risk and most complex patients in the health system,” Dr. Pagidipati said. The team is comprised of cardiologists, endocrinologists, hepatologists, and nephrologists.

“This is practicing medicine the way all of us want to practice medicine. We get to work together with other clinicians and take care of patients in the best way possible,” she said. They refer and coordinate with each other often to prevent vulnerable patients from being overlooked. “Patients who have multiple cardiometabolic issues tend to see many different providers, and that care can be very fragmented, which is worse quality care,” Dr. Pagidipati said. But it also poses a problem for patients themselves.

“They’re just one person trying to manage all of their issues. But they’re going to many different clinicians who may or may not be telling them the same thing,” she said.

Dr. Pagidipati helped build the program which patients have been able to access through a variety of Duke clinics, including the South Durham Clinic, for the last eight years. “Having providers practice in different clinics is helpful because some locations are more convenient for patients than others,” she said.

“I think I always knew I wanted to be a physician,” Dr. Pagidipati said. Both her parents were doctors, and that exposed her to medicine early. She briefly considered other career paths, but a trip to India during her sophomore year in college confirmed her decision to pursue medicine.

“After doing public health work there and studying cardiovascular disease prevention in women, I realized health care was something that I was meant to do,” she said.

Dr. Pagidipati fell in love with cardiology as a fourth-year medical student at Harvard University School of Medicine after doing a cardiology critical care unit rotation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “It was the first time in my life that I remember thinking, ‘I would actually pay to be allowed to work every day in the CCU,” Dr. Pagidipati said.

It’s also where her interest in women’s health broadened and her desire to improve maternal health outcomes deepened. “Women are at just as much as risk of cardiovascular disease as men. Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in women, just as it is in men, yet heart disease in women tends to be under-recognized and undertreated,” Dr. Pagidipati said.

Addressing that disparity is another part of what drives her to improve care for her patients.

“There are aspects to women’s cardiovascular health that are different from the cardiovascular health in men that need additional focus and research,” Dr. Pagidipati said. “Unfortunately, women are not included in many cardiovascular trials and have largely been underrepresented in them for a long time, and I don’t think that has served anyone well,” she said.

After graduating from medical school, she completed Brigham and Women’s Hospital Internal Medicine Residency and Global Women’s Health Fellowship Program’s and earned a Master of Public Health from Harvard University.

Dr. Pagidipati has remained at Duke’s School of Medicine since completing a cardiology fellowship in 2017. “A critical piece of staying in an academic center is growing the next generation of investigators and clinicians,” she said. While mentorship isn’t something she set out to do, it’s become a large part of her life.

“The single most rewarding thing about being a doctor is taking care of patients. It’s an integral part of who I am, but I absolutely love and value the research and education aspects as well,” Dr. Pagidipati said. She was selected as an Associate Program Director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute Fellowship Program in 2018.

“It’s becoming increasingly harder to become a researcher, and we need people going into research because our medical enterprise doesn’t work without them,” she said. “I enjoy fostering that interest and teaching trainees that it can be done successfully and in a way that gives them a balance in their lives and clinical work.”

(This story was published April 14 by the Dept. of Medicine)

 

McGuire Presents CGR on GLP-1 Receptor Agonists

We had an excellent Cardiology Grand Rounds on Tuesday evening with former Duke cardiology trainee Darren McGuire, MD of UT Southwestern. He presented, “Getting to the heart of the matter: GLP-1 receptor agonists and CV disease” — if you missed it, you can check it out here: https://warpwire.duke.edu/w/HdgIAA/ (Duke NET ID is required). 

 

 

 

 

 

Avery Ongman Featured by SOM

Congratulations to Avery Ongman, a student in our Cardiac Ultrasound Certificate Program — she is one of 14 students from across the School of Medicine’s education and training programs highlighted in their 2025 Student Graduation Profiles series.

Avery was recently named one of the 2025 Waggoner scholarship award winners by the American Society of Echocardiography. You can find her profile here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DUHS Updates:

Construction in Parking Garage 2 (PG2)

Construction began on level two of Duke University Hospital’s Parking Garage 2 last week. Travel lanes will remain open for motorists, but you may encounter minor changes in traffic patterns. This work will continue for approximately six weeks. Please maintain a safe speed and watch for workers and pedestrians as you drive through the garage. Please do not remove the barriers in these areas.

Please allow additional time for your commute morning, as delays are anticipated and may impact your arrival.

 

Leadership Changes

Joanna Lowery has been promoted to Vice President of Support Services. With over 15 years of leadership experience—including the past eight in healthcare—Joanna is known for her strategic vision and operational excellence. In her most recent past experience, Joanna served as a leader at Aramark, an industry leader in hospitality management. As AVP at Duke, she has streamlined many processes and engaged other departments to improve turn-around times and solutions to expedite throughput.  In early 2025, she led DUH to its first-ever compliant inspection on the initial attempt, earning recognition from the Fire Marshal. Her results-driven leadership continues to strengthen our support services.

Bryan Mallory, Vice President for Medicine, Surgery, Critical Care and Dialysis (MSCC) will be responsible for Emergency Services at DUH. In his expanded role, Bryan will be responsible for strategic planning, day-to-day operations, financial and resource management of the Emergency Department, Clinical Evaluation Unit, and Emergency Preparedness. He will continue to partner and collaborate with providers, nursing, and support teams across the hospital.  Bryan has more than 15 years of healthcare experience across several organizations and specialty areas. Since returning to Duke in 2017, he has served as a vice president for several service lines, including Ambulatory, Children’s, and MSCC. Bryan began his career in healthcare as an EMT and volunteer rescue squad member. 

Congratulations, Joanna and Bryan!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

May 6-12: National Nurses Week

May 12: International Nurses Day

May is: American Stroke Month, Jewish Heritage Month, and National Asian Pacific American Month

May is also: Celebrating Each Other month at Duke

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

May 13: Somatic Mutations and Cardiovascular Disease with Jess Regan. 5 p.m. DN 2002 or via Zoom.

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:

• 2025 CGR Recordings
• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

May 14: DHP with Tess Allan. Noon. In-person. DMP 7E39.

May 16: Pericardial Disease with Nishant Shah. Noon. Zoom only.

May 21: HF/Tx with Cosette Champion. Noon. In-person. DN 2001

May 23: EKG with Neil Freedman. Noon. Zoom only.

May 28: EP with Hannah Schwennesen and Jemi Galani. Noon, in person. DMP 7E39.

May 30: TBD  

           

2025 Joseph C. Greenfield Visiting Professor of Medicine Lecture Series

May 9: Medicine and Mindset: Exploring New Targets and Re-Imagining the Clinical Encounter with Lidia Schapira, MD, FASCO, Professor of Medicine, Oncology with Stanford Medicine. 8 a.m., DN 2002.

July 25: Topic TBD with Amy S. Oxentenko, MD, Professor of Medicine with Mayo Clinic. 8 a.m., DN 2002.

 

Upcoming Duke Heart CMEs

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration coming soon; now open for June 7^th symposia.

• June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham). Registration is required.
• October 4, 2025: Duke Cardiac Sonography Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center)
• October 31, 2025: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center)

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please 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: 

May 5 — Jonathan Piccini

tctMD

Studies Spotlight Safety Concerns With Pulsed-Field Ablation for AF

May 5 — Audrey Blewer (Family Med/Community Health)

Public Good News

Bystanders can improve cardiac arrest survival. Here’s how.

May 6 — Emily D’Agostino (Population Health)

The Carolinian News

Meeting Patients Where They Are: NC Mobile Medicine in rural NC

May 6 — Adrian Hernandez

WRAL

NC House OKs bill expanding access to ivermectin despite lack of hard evidence

May 8 — Stephen Greene

tctMD

STRONG-HF Analysis Quantifies Gains From Rapid Uptake of GDMT

May 8 — DUH CTICU

Healthcare Purchasing News

AACN’s Healthy Work Environment Standards Implemented at Duke University Hospital’s CTICU

Chief’s message:  Made for This – Duke Campaign Kick off and planning for our future

Another busy spring week as we had a DHIP leadership summit with a room of some of our health system and physician/clinician leaders and teams working on our future strategies.  The meeting was led by Matt Barber and Simon Curtis and we will work to ensure we that presentation to all of our Cardiovascular Service Line faculty.  Included is a picture from the summit where they highlight the importance of new patient visits over several years and impact on some of the cardiovascular growth metrics.

Additionally, this week we had our heart center leadership councils spring meeting – led by our Council Chair – Bob Keegan.  I was able to have a fireside chat with Adrian Hernandez and discuss the ways to make research and knowledge to practice more widespread.  We have a story below on that.  We also had the kick off the Duke Campaign for philanthropic support for our missions – entitled Made For This.  We had several events including a Friday night dinner and Saturday Discussion with Coach K that was the capstone of the weekend.  It was great to see so many parts of our health system/school of medicine working together to improve health from discover to delivery.  We will have more on this work in the upcoming months.

Ravi Karra also gave medicine Grand Rounds on the multi-specialty and team based care we provide those with sarcoidosis at Duke.

Finally – our some of our CT surgical colleagues were at the ATS meeting this weekend and we will hear about that in upcoming weeks.  We are excited to announce below Betty Tong as our Section Chief for General Thoracic Surgery.

Highlights of the week:

Tong Named Section Chief, General Thoracic Surgery Effective July 1

We are pleased to share that, following an extensive national search, Betty Tong, MD has been promoted to the position of Section Chief for General Thoracic Surgery effective July 1, 2025. She will take over this position from Thomas D’Amico, MD, who will begin a sabbatical in July.

Dr. Tong completed her undergraduate education at Georgia Tech University with a degree in mechanical engineering. She then completed medical school at Duke University and general surgery training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. She returned to Duke for her residency training in CT Surgery and also received a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2009. In 2008, she was brought on as an Assistant Professor in the CT Surgery Division here at Duke University. She has developed a tremendous practice in surgical treatments for lung cancer and minimally invasive approaches to thoracic surgery. She has spearheaded our lung cancer screening program and served as the Director of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Quality Review of the General Thoracic Program. In 2020, she was promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure.

Dr. Tong has demonstrated great academic productivity with more than 130 publications. In addition, she serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and the Annals of Thoracic Surgery. She is a member of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. In addition, Dr. Tong brings important leadership experience as she also serves as the Cardiothoracic Residency Program Director. She has been a champion for the promotion of women in thoracic surgery, both within our own training program and through her involvement in national societies. Acknowledging this, she was named the inaugural recipient of the Extraordinary Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Award in 2023; this award is co-sponsored by the STS and Women in Thoracic Surgery (WTS) to recognize outstanding women surgeons specializing in the CT space.

In summary, Betty is an outstanding member of the section and will now assume leadership as the Section Chief. Please join us in welcoming Betty to this important role and congratulating her on this achievement.

 

Celebrating Nurses!

National Nursing Week launches on Tuesday, May 6, and runs through May 12. It’s a time to recognize our entire team of Duke Health nurses for their many professional accomplishments and contributions to the care of our patients.

Our Duke Heart & Vascular nurses are foundational to providing best-in-class care to our cardiovascular, vascular, and thoracic patients. Thank you for all you do to care for patients, partner in advancing research, drive excellence across our quality and safety measures, and provide support for daily demands as they arise.

We have an incredible team of nurses throughout Duke Heart & Vascular. Happy Nurses Week!

 

Thakkar Receives Young Investigator Award

Congratulations to Duke Cardiology fellow Aarti Thakkar! We learned this week that she is the recipient of the NewAmsterdam Pharma Young Researcher Award for her project, Reshaping the Curve: Health-System Interventions to Improve Disparities in Lipid Management. This project leverages a remote lipid monitoring system to identify and treat high-risk individuals with elevated LDL cholesterol within the Duke Health System.

The Young Researcher Award was created by NewAmsterdam Pharma Medical Affairs to provide young investigators with the means to explore research in metabolic diseases. It will provide $50,000 per year for up to two years of project support. Thakkar’s primary mentors are Nishant Shah and Neha Pagidipati.

Way to go, Aarti!

 

Heart Team Demos Heart Dissections at DA

A team from Duke Heart was invited to teach cardiac anatomy and perform pig heart dissections to 7^th graders at Durham Academy this week. The team included several Duke cardiac sonographers (Danny Rivera, Dallas Gardner, Eddy Sandoval, Melissa Lefevre, Ashlee Davis, Emily Schanze), several cardiology fellows (Jessica Regan, Jonathan Hanna, Jawan Abdulrahim) and cardiology attendings (Svati Shah, Nishant Shah, Willard Applefeld).

The team reports that the experience was really fun and the students were excited and grateful to get to see their first real heart!

Nicely done, team!

 

Reminder: Culture Pulse Survey, Now through May 12

Please take part in the (very quick!) Culture Pulse Survey which launched this week and runs through May 12. By participating, you can help system leadership to better understand the current culture here at Duke Health. Your voice matters, so please participate – it’s quick, confidential, and will go a long way in helping leadership pave the way for an even stronger Health System.

The survey, which can be accessed on any computer or mobile device, will make it easier than ever to share your feedback. Look for an email (dated April 28) with your survey link; you can also visit the Culture Pulse page to learn more.

Thank you!

 

Celebrating Each Other Month

Craig Albanese kicked off DUHS’s first Celebrating Each Other Month with an appreciation message and video to all team members:

Hi team,

Every day, your hard work, and the service that you provide to those who come to us for hope, health, and healing inspires me and countless others.

While our appreciation extends beyond any special day, week, or month, May at Duke University Health System is Celebrating Each Other Month. This is a special time to recognize you and reaffirm our culture of putting people first. 

Click here for a video message and to learn more about ways we can celebrate one another.

Please know how proud we are of you and the great joy it gives us to celebrate you —today, throughout this month and in every moment you bring our mission to life.

With gratitude,

Craig Albanese, MD, MBA

Chief Executive Officer

Duke University Health System

 

Spring HCLC meeting held

The Spring meeting of the Duke Heart Center Leadership Council (HCLC) was held Friday morning, May 2 at the J.B. Duke Hotel and Conference Center ahead of an all-School of Medicine and Duke Health Boards and Councils afternoon of programming.

The HCLC heard updates from Manesh Patel, Carmelo Milano, and Jill Engel, as well as Adrian Hernandez who provided updates from the Duke Clinical Research Institute, and from Jacob Klapper and Brittany Zwischenberger, who updated the HCLC on Duke CT Surgery’s robotics program.

 

Karra Delivered MGR

Ravi Karra delivered Medicine Grand Rounds on Friday, May 2. His topic was Sarcoidosis@Duke: A Granular View. The recording was not yet available this weekend, but will appear here once ready.

 

Structural Heart Disease Symposium Held

The Duke Heart Structural Heart Disease Symposium was held on April 26, 2025, at the Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Center. We had more than 115 people registered as well as solid industry support from Abbot, Edwards Lifesciences, and Medtronic. Topics covered included TAVR, SAVR, asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis, assessment of RV function and tricuspid regurgitation, TEER for primary MV regurgitation, and many others.

Speakers included Kevin Harrison, Amit Vora, Chad Hughes, Adam Williams, Fawaz Alenezi, Brittany Zwischenberger, Zachary Wegermann, Andrew Vekstein, Rich Krasuski, Andres Pineda Maldonado, Sreekanth Vemulapalli, Andrew Wang, and several former Duke fellows including Sharif Halim, Adam Banks, Angela Lowenstern and Ezequiel Munoz Gonzalez.

Great work, all!

 

DUHS Updates:

Duke Hospitals Earn ‘Straight A’ Grades for Patient Safety in Leapfrog Survey

Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, and Duke Raleigh Hospital, a campus of Duke University Hospital, have again received top scores for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit organization led by the nation’s leading employers and private health care experts.

The “A” scores for Leapfrog’s spring 2025 survey are part of the group’s Hospital Safety Grades Assessment, issued to hospitals every six months. This is the only hospital ratings program focused exclusively on preventable medical errors, infections, and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day nationally. Hospitals earn the elite “Straight A” distinction after achieving an “A” safety grade in at least five consecutive cycles.

“Earning a ‘Straight A’ from Leapfrog is a powerful endorsement of our unwavering commitment to patient safety and excellence across all three Duke Health hospitals in the Triangle,” said Thomas Owens, MD, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Duke University Health System. “This recognition reflects the dedication of our clinicians, staff, and volunteers, whose hard work ensures that our patients receive the highest level of care in a safe environment. We are proud of their efforts and grateful that Leapfrog continues to recognize Duke Health as a national leader in patient safety.”

Duke Health’s hospitals were among nearly 3,000 hospitals surveyed across the country. Fewer than 32% of hospitals nationwide received an “A” hospital safety grade for spring 2025. In North Carolina, Duke University Health System hospitals in the Triangle were among 35 hospitals to achieve the grade.

Twice each year, The Leapfrog Group collects and analyzes data based on more than 30 national performance measures of errors, accidents, injuries, and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm. The letter grades assigned to hospitals help people make informed decisions to protect themselves and their families.

Comparisons of hospital scores locally and nationally are available at www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.

 

Duke Moves Forward with Strategic Realignment and Cost Reduction Program

In a proactive move to support its research, clinical care, and teaching missions, Duke launched a university-wide strategic realignment and cost reduction program in March. During a university-wide webinar held Wednesday, April 30, university leaders shared a progress update with Duke faculty and staff. 

“To assure we are best positioned to continue to support our missions, we believe it is critical to take appropriate actions sooner rather than later to lower costs and strategically realign our operations against lower federal funding levels going forward,” said Daniel Ennis, Duke’s executive vice president.

By mid-April, Duke had already taken steps to reduce spending by prioritizing cost reductions in administrative operations. In addition, Duke has suspended all capital spending on new buildings, renovations, and other capital projects that are not fully funded or deemed essential. Duke is also carefully reviewing administrative programs that serve the entire university, including technology adoption, off-campus real estate, and on-campus space consolidation.

A study is also underway to assess how certain changes to the university’s benefits may generate savings while protecting the program’s strong competitive position. Ennis made clear, however, that Duke will roll out its regular fiscal year-end performance review and salary merit increase program and that it does not have plans to change the university’s Children’s Tuition Grant.

During Wednesday’s webinar, Ennis and Antwan Lofton, vice president for human resources, shared an update on the types of employment-related actions Duke is and will be taking in the coming weeks.

While the university is assessing changes to programs and operations in a proactive and values-driven way, Ennis said, he added it is impossible to address the scope of threats to the university’s federal funding without making changes to staffing levels.

The university is pursuing several employment actions now in hopes of reducing the scale of involuntary separations later this summer. The measures include a staff hiring freeze and elimination of vacant positions, and a voluntary separation incentive program. Deans, vice presidents, and vice provosts are working with managers to determine which staff will be eligible for the voluntary separation program.

“We understand that these decisions are difficult, and we are fully aware of the stress that uncertainty can have within our community,” Lofton said. “We are working closely with our leaders to make these decisions about staffing as quickly as possible as we continue to move Duke forward.”

Duke faculty and staff can find more information on these measures at updates.duke.edu. Additional information and resources are available for Duke Health faculty and staff here.

“This is an incredibly hard moment,” Ennis said after the webinar. “But each decision is being made with input and discussion about how to best address these challenges while ensuring we continue the standard of excellence that has defined this institution for the last 100 years and will define what we accomplish for the next 100 years.”

 

Celebrating Jewish Heritage and Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage in May

Jewish Heritage Month is a time for learning, reflection, and connection. It reminds us of the profound impact Jewish individuals and communities have had on every facet of society – from the arts and sciences to leadership and education. Duke has a strong and active Jewish community with support available through the Freeman Center for Jewish Life. 

This month, we also recognize and celebrate the more than 6,800 Asian American and Pacific Islanders who work at Duke and make valuable contributions to our missions every day. There are events and activities being held throughout the month to foster greater cultural awareness and understanding, including installation of an AAPI mural in Room 218 of Perkins Library that was created by Duke employees.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

May 1-7: Perfusion Week

May 6: Nurses Day

May 6-12: National Nurses Week

May 12: International Nurses Day

May is: American Stroke Month, Jewish Heritage Month, and National Asian Pacific American Month

May is also: Celebrating Each Other month at Duke

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

May 6: The Nuts and Bolts of Evidence-based Preventive Cardiometabolic Care with Darren McGuire. 5 p.m. DN 2002 or via Zoom.

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:

• 2025 CGR Recordings
• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

May 7: Intro to MRI with Han Kim. Noon. In-person. DMP 7E39                             

May 9: VAD Education and Emergency Response Update for Cardiology Fellows with Stephanie Barnes. Noon. Hybrid — Zoom and DMP 2W91

May 14: DHP with Tess Allan. Noon. In-person. DMP 7E39.

May 16: Pericardial Disease with Nishant Shah. Noon. Zoom only.

May 21: HF/Tx with Cosette Champion. Noon. In-person. DN 2001

May 23: EKG with Neil Freedman. Noon. Zoom only.

May 28: EP with Hannah Schwennesen and Jemi Galani. Noon, in person. DMP 7E39.

May 30: TBD  

           

2025 Joseph C. Greenfield Visiting Professor of Medicine Lecture Series

May 9: Medicine and Mindset: Exploring New Targets and Re-Imagining the Clinical Encounter with Lidia Schapira, MD, FASCO, Professor of Medicine, Oncology with Stanford Medicine. 8 a.m., DN 2002           

 

Upcoming Duke Heart CMEs

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration coming soon; now open for June 7^th symposia.

• June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham). Registration is required.
• October 4, 2025: Duke Cardiac Sonography Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center)
• October 31, 2025: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center)

 

CTSI Research Symposium to Focus on Strengthening Rural Health

May 8: Strengthening Rural Health: Research, Access to Care, and Community Collaboration. 12:30 to 2 p.m., Chesterfield Building, 701 W. Main St., Durham, NC.

Panelists will offer in-depth discussion about the importance of including rural communities in research, as well as strategies to overcome barriers to participation. Topics will include social drivers of mental health and the role of faith communities in addressing maternal mental health in rural communities.

To learn more and to register, please visit https://ctsi.duke.edu/news/ctsi-research-symposium-focus-strengthening-rural-health.

 

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: 

April 28 — Audrey Blewer (Family Medicine & Comm. Health)

The Washington Post

What to know to save a life: The key to heart attack survival

April 28 — Theresa McDonnell (SVP, Chief Nursing Exec)

ICT & Health

We see our nurses as architects for the future of healthcare

April 29 — Brian Mac Grory (neurology)

AHA Newsroom

$1M awarded to research link between cardiovascular risk reduction, GLP-1 use

April 29 — Sean Pokorney

HCP Live

Self-Administered Etripamil Nasal Spray Treats Tachycardia, Study Suggests

April 29 — Robert Califf

Bloomberg Television/The Close

FDA Layoffs & Food Safety (Part 1)

April 29 — Robert Califf

Bloomberg Television/The Close

FDA Layoffs & Food Safety (Part 2)

April 30 — Audrey Blewer

KFF Health News

Fast Action From Bystanders Can Improve Cardiac Arrest Survival. Many Don’t Know What To Do.

April 30 — Duke University & Health System

Indy Week

Duke University Aims to Cut 10 Percent of Budget in Response to Federal Funding Threats

May 1 — Duke University & Health System

News & Observer

Duke University to begin employee buyouts as federal funding cuts loom

Chief’s message:

As spring is fully upon us, hopefully many of you got to spend sometime outside with family and friends.  We are getting ready for the official launch of Duke Health Campaign to help raise funds for our missions next week/weekend.  We will have our Heart Center Leadership Council meeting friday and Health Campaign events for all the boards this Friday and Saturday.  We are lucky to have Coach K join us Saturday morning for a conversation around Heart Care. 
This weekend we had the joy of celebrating Mike Sketch’s 20 years as our interventional program director from 1999-2019.  We had over 50 past faculty/fellows join us to share in stories and impact that Mike had on their lives.  Congratulations Mike.  We hope to continue the legacy and training program that has had such an impact on the field. Some pictures included here.

Highlights of the week:

Duke Heart Sponsors NC Walk for Victory, Held April 26

Duke Heart and the Duke Center for Aortic Disease were again the annual sponsors of the 2025 North Carolina Walk for Victory held yesterday, April 26 at Laurel Hills Park in Raleigh. The event has grown steadily over the years and continues to be a fun way to gather patients with Marfan Syndrome and related connective tissue disorders along with their friends and family members for camaraderie and celebration.

The event is also a way to raise valuable funds to support research into these disorders. More than 300 participants attended the NC event, which is planned by The Marfan Foundation and was led by Chad Hughes, MD, section chief for Aortic Surgery at Duke, who served as the medical director for the event. Melissa Burkett, APP Team Lead for the Aortic Center, was vital in helping champion the event again this year and helping keep the team on track with fundraising.

 

Overall, $97,000 was raised by volunteer teams and family members, exceeding their $90K goal and nearly doubling fundraising efforts from 2024 — Wow!!!

Great job!

 

Cardiac Ultrasound Students Named ASE Award Winners

We are pleased to announce that three of our current Cardiac Ultrasound Certificate Program students have been named award winners by the American Society of Echocardiography Foundation.

Avery Ongman and Madison Dowdy have each been named a 2025 Alan D. Waggoner Sonographer Student Scholarship Award winner. They will receive $1000 toward program tuition expenses, complimentary student registration and $1000 travel grant to attend the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) 2025 Scientific Sessions in Nashville, TN, which is scheduled for Sept. 5-7, 2025.

The Alan D. Waggoner Student Scholarship Award is given to sonography students enrolled in CAAHEP accredited educational programs who exhibit a passion for the discipline of echocardiography and demonstrate leadership abilities.

Keishawn Roye, an international student from the Bahamas, is one of two award winners of ASE’s distinguished Aaron S. White Grant; the award will enable him to attend the 2025 ASE Conference by covering registration, accommodation and transportation costs. Currently pursuing advanced studies in cardiac sonography, Roye demonstrates exceptional dedication to improving cardiovascular healthcare in the Bahamas. His commitment to excellence and his passion for advancing cardiac care aligns perfectly with the values championed by the Aaron S. White grant program, according to the award announcement.

This travel opportunity will allow Roye to engage with leading cardiology experts, access cutting-edge research, and develop valuable professional connections that will enhance his ability to serve patients in the future. His selection for this grant reflects both his academic merit and his vision for contributing to cardiovascular healthcare in his home country.

Please join us in congratulating Avery, Madison, and Keishawn on their achievements!

 

 

 

 

Camuglia Featured on DCRI Podcast

The Duke Heart Center Clinical Research Unit’s own Krista Camuglia was recently featured on the latest episode of DCRI’s “Beyond the Endpoint” podcast. In a conversation with co-host Dr. Manesh Patel, Krista’s shares valuable insights on why patients may choose to participate in clinical trials. Together, they address common misconceptions about the research process and highlight the extensive safety protocols that protect our participants. This episode builds on a previous conversation with a stage 4 ocular melanoma patient who shares her personal experience participating in research.

About the Podcast: “Beyond the Endpoint” is DCRI’s biweekly podcast that demystifies clinical research and healthcare through conversations with renowned clinicians and scientists. New episodes are released every other Wednesday and are available on major streaming platforms. View all episodes here.

 

Culture Pulse Survey, April 28-May 12

Please help us by taking a quick survey to help us understand the current culture here at Duke Health. The Culture Pulse Survey starts tomorrow and runs through May 12. Please participate – it’s quick, confidential, and will go a long way in helping leadership pave the way for an even stronger Health System. Watch for it in your inbox!

 

Perfusion Week is May 1-7

Perfusion Week starts Thursday – it’s a time to recognize the incredible efforts of perfusionists across the U.S., and especially the ones right here at Duke!

Our Perfusion team are two-time recipients of the Pillar Award for Perfusion Excellence given by the American Society of Extracorporeal Technology (AmSECT). Their first was awarded in 2021; the second in 2024. The AmSECT Pillar Award is a designation for individual perfusion departments that demonstrate excellence as displayed in several key areas including organized orientation and training, QA/QI process, continuing education and performance evaluation, development of institutional protocols and adherence to AmSECT Standards and Guidelines, employee education and commitment to the field of perfusion.

Did you know? Duke has one of the largest and most highly-skilled perfusion teams in the U.S.! Each member of the team is certified by the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion, licensed by the North Carolina Medical Board, and most team members hold advanced degrees and credentials.

In addition to proficiency in cardiopulmonary bypass (operating the heart-lung machine during cardiothoracic surgery), Duke perfusionists become further specialized to support a variety of needs across the hospital. We have a dedicated team of pediatric perfusionists, a specialty team for Duke Regional Hospital, an Extra-Corporeal Life Support (ECLS) team that assists with cannulating and retrieving patients from referring hospitals, a team that provides apheresis in the OR, and a team trained in use of the Transmedics Organ Care System.

Be sure to thank our perfusionists when you see them!

 

SOM Leadership Town Hall Recording Available

Thank you to everyone who attended Thursday’s School of Medicine Leadership Town Hall. For those who were unable to join the live event, the recording of the webinar is now available for viewing.

 

DUHS Leadership Update:  

Barazsu Named President, COO for Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital

Greg Pauly, Group President, Duke University Health System, announced on Monday, April 21 that Kristie Barazsu has been appointed President and Chief Operating Officer for Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital (DHLN), effective immediately.

Barazsu will be responsible for the overall management and operational performance of DHLN and will work collaboratively with DUHS leaders to develop and implement strategies that enhance patient care, improve operational efficiency, and support team members. She will also continue in her health system role in leading patient flow, supporting the integration of a shared system throughout our acute care locations.

 

 

Relf Named Dean, DUSON

Michael V. Relf has been appointed dean of the Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON) effective May 1, Provost Alec D. Gallimore announced April 15. 

Relf, the Mary T. Champagne Distinguished Professor of Nursing and a research professor in the Duke Global Health Institute, has served as interim dean since 2023. He will continue in his role as associate chief nurse executive for academic innovation and partnership for the Duke University Health System. He is a globally recognized expert on the psychosocial aspects of HIV, particularly focusing on intimate partner violence, HIV-related stigma and interventions to promote engagement in HIV-oriented primary medical care.

Relf succeeds Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, who stepped down in October 2023 to become executive director of the Institute for Policy Solutions at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.

 

Congratulations to both!

 

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

May 1-7: Perfusion Week

May 6: Nurses Day

May 6-12: National Nurses Week

May 12: International Nurses Day

 

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

April 29: Application for Cardiac Computed Tomography: What a Cardiologist Needs to Know with Lonnie Sullivan. 5 p.m. Zoom only.

May 6: The Nuts and Bolts of Evidence-based Preventive Cardiometabolic Care with Darren McGuire. 5 p.m. DN 2002 or via Zoom.

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:

• 2025 CGR Recordings
• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

April 30: EP with Jawan Abdulrahim and Aarti Thakkar. Noon, DMP 7E39.

May 2: EKG Review with Michelle Kelsey. Noon. Zoom only.                      

May 7: Intro to MRI with Han Kim. Noon. In-person. DMP 7E39                             

May 9: VAD Education and Emergency Response Update for Cardiology Fellows with Stephanie Barnes. Noon. Hybrid — Zoom and DMP 2W91

May 14: DHP with Tess Allan. Noon. In-person. DMP 7E39.

May 16: Pericardial Disease with Nishant Shah. Noon. Zoom only.

May 21: HF/Tx with Cosette Champion. Noon. In-person. DN 2001

May 23: EKG with Neil Freedman. Noon. Zoom only.

May 28: EP with Hannah Schwennesen and Jemi Galani. Noon, in person. DMP 7E39.

May 30: TBD  

                       

Upcoming Duke Heart CMEs

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration coming soon; now open for June 7^th symposia.

• June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham). Registration is required.
• October 4, 2025: Duke Cardiac Sonography Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center)
• October 31, 2025: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center)

 

CTSI Research Symposium to Focus on Strengthening Rural Health

May 8: Strengthening Rural Health: Research, Access to Care, and Community Collaboration. 12:30 to 2 p.m., Chesterfield Building, 701 W. Main St., Durham, NC.

Panelists will offer in-depth discussion about the importance of including rural communities in research, as well as strategies to overcome barriers to participation. Topics will include social drivers of mental health and the role of faith communities in addressing maternal mental health in rural communities.

To learn more and to register, please visit https://ctsi.duke.edu/news/ctsi-research-symposium-focus-strengthening-rural-health.

 

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: 

April 18 — Sean Pokorney

Medical Dialogues

Nasal Etripamil Nearly Twice as Effective as Placebo in Halting PSVT Episodes, Trial Finds

 

April 23 — Robert Califf

CNN

Former FDA commissioner reacts to RFK Jr.’s plans to phase out artificial food dyes

 

April 24 — Craig Albanese

Modern Healthcare

Hospital competition heats up as capacity wanes

 

April 24 — Harry Severance

Becker’s Physician Leadership

What’s disrupting the physician-patient relationship?