The Pulse – Powered by Duke Heart

Highlights of the week:

AHA Scientific Sessions & Duke Annual Reception

The American Heart Association 2025 Scientific Sessions is taking place this weekend in New Orleans. Our annual Duke reception was held last night at the New Orleans Marriott in the Warehouse Arts District.  We had several facutly and fellows presenting across a broad range of topics and commenting on Late Breaking Clinical science.  The big science coming out of the meeting we will review in upcoming weeks – many advances in cardiometabolic health, atrial fibrillation and anti-thrombotic treatment, heart failure including a first in-man gene study presented by Marat, and some new data on lifestyle changes and caffeine.  Please see some pictures from the conference including standing room only of Neha’s presentation in the cardiometabolic LBS session, some pictures around the conference.  Also some shots of the presidential session with Stacey Rosen from Northwell Health and the Northwell Health Nurses Choir.  Special shout out’s to our fellows Allie Levin who had two posters on causes of death in Congenital heart disease patients and outcomes in Fontan patients, and Hubie Haywood had a poster in heart failure.  

 

Memorial Service for Estes Announced

A memorial service for E. Harvey Estes, Jr., MD, will take place from 1-2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Few Chapel in Croasdaile Village, 2600 Croasdaile Parkway, Durham, NC.

Estes, a former Duke cardiologist who died on October 16, was highlighted by The Duke Chronicle in a news piece last week. To read that story, please click here or see below, under News.

 

 

 

 

What Happens to the Body in Space?

As humans prepare for longer missions to the moon and Mars, scientists are trying to understand how space affects the human body. One of the biggest concerns is space radiation — high-energy particles from the sun and distant galaxies that can pass through spacecraft and into bodies.

Unlike Earth, which is protected by a magnetic field and atmosphere, space is not. This means astronauts are exposed to radiation that could harm their health during and long after their missions end.

Dawn Bowles, PhD, assistant professor in surgery at Duke, is collaborating with NASA to study how space radiation affects the heart. Bowles is co-director, along with Carmelo Milano, MD, of the Duke Human Heart Repository.

Originally trained as a virologist, Bowles was among nine principal investigators recruited by NASA into its Space Radiation Element program to mitigate the harmful effects of space radiation on astronauts’ health.

Her team conducts its research at a unique facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, home to the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory.

“It’s a really neat, nifty, unique thing that NASA has developed,” she said. “They actually can simulate as closely as possible what the radiation environment looks like in space here on Earth.”

Trying to understand the cardiovascular risk of space radiation exposure from astronaut data has been challenging due to the lack of data. Only 24 Apollo lunar astronauts have traveled beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) into the complex space radiation environment. Of those individuals who have traveled further, the amount of time spent there has been less than 50 days.

Bowles explained: “Astronauts who are going to be traveling to Mars or who are going to be living on the moon are going to be continually hit, bombarded with this kind of radiation. It is a serious risk for human health.”

Although astronauts have spent extended periods of time in space aboard the International Space Station, they remain within the protective environment of a magnetic field, known as the magnetosphere, and are not exposed to significant amounts of radiation.

As a result, other studies that have examined the cardiovascular effects of space radiation on astronauts have been unable to generate firm conclusions.

Studies in animals have shown that radiation can lead to stiffening of the arteries, damage to the heart’s structure, and changes in how the heart beats.

“We’ve identified that there might definitely be a problem, at least in animal models,” said Bowles. “We’re doing additional studies to understand the mechanisms behind this problem and whether we can remedy it.”

Clues from the Lab and from Space

Bowles and her team use advanced tools to study how radiation affects tissues at the molecular level. “We do a lot of very advanced molecular omics — genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics,” she said, referring to the study of DNA, RNA, and proteins. “We try to look at the tissues or cells very holistically.”

In addition to exploring ways to protect astronauts from radiation damage, Bowles’ team is investigating whether existing medications could help. “We have a paper under review where we analyzed our data to see if there were any drugs that could be repurposed,” she said. “NASA’s just looking at ways to do this as economically as possible. If something already exists, why not use it?”

While her team hasn’t yet studied dietary changes, she believes their data could be used to explore that too.

“NASA really invests in these deep characterizations because these data sets go into their repository,” she said. “There’s a whole group of scientists at NASA doing data mining to gain new insights.” That information, Bowles noted, can be made available for other scientists to evaluate.

Though the research is focused on space, it could also benefit people on Earth. “There’s personnel in the medical field, like interventional cardiologists, who are exposed to low levels of radiation over time, who might develop similar cardiovascular effects,” Bowles noted. “Maybe we can find something protective for the heart for a patient undergoing cancer treatment. There is potential for saving human lives.”

Does Radiation Affect People Differently?

There’s still much to learn, especially about how radiation affects different sexes and species. “Most early studies were done with male mice,” Bowles said. “Now we’re doing studies with both sexes to see if there are differences.”

She added that they are also adding another component to the study — microgravity or weightlessness to better mimic the full space environment.

Bowles’ research, until now, has been funded by NASA. Despite funding uncertainties, Bowles remains optimistic.

“I’m very blessed to be able to work in an exciting field like this,” she said. “We’re uncovering biological mechanisms and responses that no one’s really looked at before. It’s all new ground and it’s very exciting.”

*this story was written for Duke Today and published on Nov. 4, 2025.

 

17^th Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium Held

Our 17th annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium was held on Oct. 31. We welcomed just over 130 CME provider-attendees, and 30 patients and their guests who attended the “Patient Day” part of the symposium. The Patient Day session ran concurrent to the provider-based CME and was specifically designed for patients, family members and other caregivers so they could learn more on topics such as understanding pulmonary hypertension; existing non-medical therapies and testing expectations; how to navigate insurance, medications, and patient-assistance resources, and how to get and remain active while living with PH.

Course directors were Terry Fortin, MD, and Jimmy Ford, MD, of UNC-Chapel Hill, and presenters from Duke included Sudar Rajagopal, MD, Benjamin Trichon, MD, Willard Applefeld, MD, Richard Krasuski, MD, and Jordan Whitson, MD. A full list of presenters and their topics can be found here.

 

Heart Team Members Conduct Teaching Session on PAD

Several members of our Duke Heart team were invited to speak at a men’s group that is part of Morehead Avenue Baptist Church in Durham’s West End this past week. The men’s group had asked for providers to speak with them on a health topic, and our team chose peripheral artery disease (PAD). Providers included Victor Ayeni, MD; cardiology fellow DaMarcus Ingram, MD, and cardiologist Dennis Narcisse, MD.

According to Ayeni, a PG-2 Duke internal medicine resident who has been interning with electrophysiologist Camille Frazier-Mills, MD, the event ended up as a round-table discussion about not just PAD but cardiovascular health and wellness overall. He let us know that Narcisse even accepted one of attendees as a new patient!

The men’s group is interested in having Ayeni, Ingram, and Narcisse speak with them again, and would welcome other providers as well.

The event, Ayeni says, “was really heart-warming for both sides, and one of the community members specifically said that it meant a lot that we came to them, talked to them bidirectionally (rather than just lectured), and presented ourselves as part of the bigger Durham community.”

Way to go, Victor, Dennis, and DaMarcus! The world needs more of this.

 

DUH Earns Healthgrades Award for Cardiac Surgery

Congratulations to our CT Surgery team!!! We learned this week that Healthgrades selected Duke University Hospital for their latest America’s 50 best Hospitals for Cardiac Surgery Award!

What a terrific accomplishment and well-deserved recognition for our team. Great work, everyone!

 

Duke Heart Grows Again

Congratulations to cardiology fellow Cosette Champion, MD, and her husband, Brian!

They welcomed their daughter, Madeline, on October 7. She weighed in at 7 lbs, 11 oz., and is just gorgeous. We are so excited for them!

 

2026 Duke Heart CMEs Announced

The dates for the following 2026 Duke Heart symposia have been set. We will announce others as they are added.

• Duke Heart Failure Symposium – Saturday, June 6, 2026. Course directors are Marat Fudim, Rob Mentz, Richa Agarwal, and Stephanie Barnes. Location: Durham Convention Center, Durham, NC.
• 18^th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium – Friday, October 30, 2026. Course directors are Terry Fortin, Sudar Rajagopal, and Jimmy Ford. Location: Durham Convention Center, Durham, NC.

Please save the dates!

 

Veteran’s Day is Tuesday, Nov. 11

Please join Duke in honoring service members at its Veterans Day Ceremony on Nov. 11. Duke University will recognize the service and sacrifice of its roughly 2,200 employees and 450 students who are military veterans during the annual Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. on November 11 in Duke Chapel.

The event will feature remarks from President Vincent E. Price, Vice President for Human Resources Antwan Lofton, and Chapel Dean Luke Powery, with a keynote by Maj. Ryan Allen of the U.S. Air Force and a wreath-laying ceremony in the Memorial Garden.

 

Karra Lab of CVRC Launches Food Drive

Ravi Karra, MD, and his lab team in the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center are hosting a food drive to support the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC.

Any donation of non-perishable food items would be appreciated. The most in-demand food items are peanut butter and jam (in large plastic containers); chicken, tuna, or salmon (in either pouches or pop-top cans); canned fruit and vegetables; soup, ravioli, and other ready-to-eat meals (pop-top cans preferred). Many people in crisis may not have access to manual or electric can openers!

A donation box has been set up on the first floor of the CARL building, as well as in CARL 247. Please plan to bring in donations by Friday, November 21.

If you have any questions, please contact Lauren Parker (lep52@duke.edu), Duke School of Medicine MD/PhD candidate, Karra Lab.

 

Supporting Each Other During Times of Need

Health System leadership issued a statement this week related to the temporary shut-down of federal food-assistance programs. Please share this information with your team. The resource information below has been vetted and confirmed so you can feel confident in sharing it with others.

“The recent federal shutdown temporarily suspended federal food assistance programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), impacting individuals and families across our community. At Duke University Health System, we remain committed to Putting People First and connecting those in need with meaningful support.

Please find below verified resources to help team members, patients, and families navigate this challenging time. Whether you’re seeking assistance or looking for ways to help, we hope you find these resources valuable.

We know this is a difficult time for many. Let’s continue to lead with compassion, dignity, and respect as we support one another. Share these resources, check on neighbors, and stay connected. If you have questions, please reach out to your leadership or send an email to caringforeachother@duke.edu.”

Resources for Those in Need of Assistance

• Food Finder Tools: Locate nearby food assistance through the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC and Second Harvest Metrolina.
• Case Management Support: Patients and team members can be referred to Community Health Worker Navigation or Care Management to access help related to financial insecurity (ex. food, housing, transportation).
• Caring for Each Other Peer Support Program: Speak confidentially with a Duke colleague about personal or professional stressors.
• Personal Assistance Service (PAS): Free counseling and referrals are available at no cost to team members. Call 919-416-1727 to make an appointment.
• Financial Resources: The Earned Wage Access program allows team members to access already earned wages while the Caring for Each Other Fund* provides emergency financial support for team members.

Resources for Those Looking to Assist

• Emergency Relief Fund through Duke Doing Good: Team member contributions support local nonprofits focused on education, health, housing, and disaster relief.
• Root Causes Fund: (Donation link) Root Causes is a student-led initiative addressing food insecurity in Durham and among patients.
• Green Family Student Emergency Fund: (Donation link) Provides grocery gift cards to medical students facing emergencies.
• Duke Healthy Lifestyles Food Market: An in-clinic pantry serving patients through a partnership among Duke Children’s, Internal Medicine, and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.
• Caring for Each Other Fund*: (Donation link) Provides emergency financial aid for DUHS team members experiencing short-term crises. *Please note the Caring for Each Other Fund cannot be used to replace SNAP or WIC benefits but can support other immediate needs.
• Family Meal Trays Program: (Donation link) Offers meals to hospitalized children and families experiencing food insecurity.

 

New Duke CTSI Pilot Funding Opportunities: 2025–2027 IMPaCTS Challenge Awards

The Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) is pleased to announce two new pilot funding opportunities through the Improving Clinical and Translational Science (IMPaCTS) Challenge, designed to accelerate the advancement of scientific discoveries into real-world health solutions.

Each award provides $25,000–$50,000 in direct costs for up to one-year projects. The opportunities are open to investigators from Duke University and partner institutions (North Carolina Central University, Durham Tech, Lincoln Community Health Center, and others).

Funding Opportunities:

1. The Duke IMPaCTS Challenge: General Pilot Awards program supports projects that develop scalable solutions to overcome common bottlenecks in the translational research process—from basic discovery to clinical and community implementation.
2. The Duke IMPaCTS Challenge: Enhancing the Participant Experience Awards program focuses on improving research participation, engagement, and trust through innovations that make research more inclusive, efficient, and participant-centered.

Key Dates:

• Virtual Information Session: November 13, 2025, 2:00–3:00 p.m. ET. Register to attend.
• Letter of Intent (mandatory) deadline: December 5, 2025
• Full Application Deadline: January 15, 2026
• Award Notifications:March 2026

Funding Period Start Dates:

• April 1, 2026
• August 1, 2026

Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with the CTSI Pilot Program Team before submission to ensure alignment with program goals.

Learn more about these opportunities and application instructions on the Duke CTSI Funding website or contact Eman Ghanem (ctsifunding@duke.edu) with questions.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

November 9-15: National Nurse Practitioner Week & Perioperative Nurses Week.

November 18: Deadline for flu vaccination compliance.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Nov. 11: Perioperative atrial fibrillation after noncardiac surgery with Michael Wang. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Nov. 12: DHP Case Presentation with Krunal Amin. Noon, DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Nov. 14: Fellows’ Forum with Anthony Lin. Noon. Zoom only.

Nov. 19: EP Case Presention with Alex Gunn and Yoo Jin Kim. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Nov. 21: Adult Congenital, part 2 with Rich Krasuski. Noon. Zoom only.

Nov. 26: No conference/holiday

Nov. 28: No conference/holiday

Dec. 3: Match Day Review with Anna Lisa Chamis. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 5: SVT with Jon Piccini. Noon. Zoom only.

Dec. 10: EP Case Presentation with Mugdha Joshi and Chad Kloefkorn. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 12: Board review with Nishant Shah and Anthony Lin. Noon, via Zoom.        

Dec. 17: DHP Case Presentation with Verda Arshad. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 19: DHP Case Presentation with Harriet Akunor. Noon, Zoom only.

Friday 14-Nov 12:00 Virtual Fellows’ Forum Anthony Lin, APDs
Wednesday

Nov. 19: EP Case Presention with Alex Gunn and Yoo Jin Kim. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Nov. 21: Adult Congenital, part 2 with Rich Krasuski. Noon. Zoom only.

Nov. 26: No conference/holiday

Nov. 28: No conference/holiday

Dec. 3: MATCH DAY REVIEW with Anna Lisa Chamis. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 5: SVT with Jon Piccini. Noon. Zoom only.

Dec. 10: EP Case Presentation with Mugdha Joshi and Chad Kloefkorn. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 12: Board review with Nishant Shah and Anthony Lin. Noon, via Zoom.

Dec. 17: DHP Case Presentation with Verda Arshad. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 19: DHP Case Presentation with Harriet Akunor. Noon, Zoom only.

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Nov. 13: Topic TBD with Jemi Gelani

Nov. 20: Multi-Modality Imaging for LVH with Mugdha Joshi

Nov. 27: NO CONFERENCE (Thanksgiving)

Dec. 4: Echo Imaging to Optimize Cardiac Resynchronization Pacing with Josh Sink

Dec. 11: RV Failure or Pericardial Disease TBD with Cosette Champion

Dec. 18: TBD with Vincent Delgado

Dec. 25: NO CONFERENCE (Christmas)

 

Upcoming CME Activities:

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here. 

 

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 me with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

November 3 — Sreekanth Vemulapalli

American Heart Association Newsroom

New effort launched to support earlier diagnosis, treatment of aortic stenosis

 

November 3 — Mary Klotman, Justine Strand de Oliveira, and Howard Eisenson

The Duke Chronicle

‘Transcended his own era’: E. Harvey Estes remembered for pioneering community-centered health care

November 3 — Nishant Shah

Newz 9

Is Your Year-Long Supplement Routine Harming Your Heart? Discover the Surprising Truth

November 3 — Nishant Shah

NBC News*

What taking melatonin could reveal about your heart health

*carried by affiliates nationally

November 3 — Nishant Shah

America Zeit

El uso crónico de suplementos de melatonina puede aumentar el riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular

November 4 — Renato Lopes

Medical Dialogues

Positive results revealed from first prospective trial in heart failure due to Chagas disease

November 4 — Nishant Shah

Newsmax TV/American Agenda

Discussion : Melatonin & Your Health

November 4 — Robert Califf

tctMD

What Makes MedTech Great—or Not—and Envisioning Its Future

November 5 — Sujay Kansagra

New York Times

Is Melatonin Bad for Your Heart? Here’s What to Know.

November 5 — Nishant Shah

Juta Medical Brief

Regular melatonin use could indicate heart issues – US study

Highlights of the week:

AHA Scientific Sessions & Duke Annual Reception Next Weekend

The American Heart Association 2025 Scientific Sessions is taking place later this week (Nov. 7-10) in New Orleans. This year’s theme is The Future of Cardiovascular Science Starts Here. We know a lot of you are going and we’re looking forward to seeing you there – don’t forget to join us at the annual Duke reception on Sat., Nov. 8!

We have more than 100 presentations, panels, posters, and sessions moderated by Duke faculty and fellows coming up next weekend. It promises to be a great weekend to get together, network, and celebrate the research and clinical advances made not only at Duke but throughout the cardiovascular space.

 

Coleman Inducted into ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators

Dawn Coleman, MD, professor of surgery and chief, Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Duke, has been inducted into the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Academy of Master Surgeon Educators.

Coleman is among a group of 103 esteemed surgeon educators who received this honor on Sept. 19, 2025, in Chicago. This is the eighth cohort of members inducted into the Academy.

A dedicated surgeon educator and mentor, Coleman previously served as interim Program Director for the Duke Vascular Surgery Integrated Residency Program and as Program Director for the Integrated Vascular Surgery Residency and Fellowship at the University of Michigan. 

Coleman additionally holds leadership positions in several professional societies and associations. She is currently the 2024-2025 President for the Association of Program Directors in Vascular Surgery, Secretary for the Vascular and Endovascular Surgical Society, Vice-Chair of the Program Committee for the Society of Vascular Surgery and is a member of the Society of University Surgeons and the Excelsior Surgical Society, among others.

“I’m honored to be inducted into the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators and grateful to join a community so deeply committed to advancing surgical education,” says Dr. Coleman. “Throughout my career, I’ve been inspired by the educators, trainees, and colleagues who elevate our field through mentorship, innovation, and collaboration. I look forward to contributing to the Academy’s mission and helping shape the future of surgical training.”

The ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators works to advance the science and practice of education across all surgical specialties. Individuals are selected as Members, Associate Members, or Affiliate Members following a stringent peer review process.

Once inducted, Academy members actively engage in advancing the Academy’s programs and goals, which are to advance the science and practice of innovative lifelong surgical education, training, and scholarship in the changing milieu of health care; foster the exchange of creative ideas and collaboration; support the development and recognition of faculty; underscore the importance of lifelong surgical education and training; positively impact quality and patient safety through lifelong surgical education and training disseminate advances in education and training to all surgeons; and offer mentorship to surgeon educators throughout their professional careers.

Congratulations, Dawn!

 

LT Team Celebrated by Pauly

Greg Pauly, president of Duke University Hospital, this week celebrated our lung transplant team in his monthly letter to team members. His message, sent Thursday, reads:

I want to recognize an exceptional accomplishment by our Lung Transplant Team who recently performed nine lung transplants in just one week – and a total of 20 for the month. This remarkable feat reflects not only the extraordinary skill of our transplant teams but their deep compassion and commitment to our patients. Dr. Jacob Klapper, Surgical Director of Lung Transplantation, shared,  

“In order for us, as the surgical team, to bring nine patients to transplant, we rely on the unwavering dedication of our anesthesiologists, nurses, critical care teams, and transplant pulmonologists. Everyone involved in the care of these patients has a shared vision for what needs to be done. This spirit has always defined our institution. As the surgical director, I am immensely grateful to all who helped us care for these individuals over the last seven days. It was a special week.”

Duke’s Transplant Program is recognized for having some of the shortest wait times and highest survival rates in the country. When the national median wait for a lung transplant is 58 days, at Duke it is 15 days. This milestone is especially meaningful as we observe Healthy Lung Month.

To every member of the Transplant Program, thank you. Your work embodies the very best of Duke Health: Excellence, teamwork, and a profound commitment to hope, health and healing.

Way to go!

 

May Named Exec Director of Development for MSCC

Congratulations to our major gifts officer, Jessica Baga May! Following a national search, she has been selected as the Executive Director of Development for Medicine, Surgery, and Clinical Care (MSCC), effective immediately.

In this role, Jessica will lead the MSCC fundraising team supporting the Division of Cardiology and Duke Heart Center; the Departments of Medicine, Ophthalmology, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Head and Neck Surgery and Communication Sciences (HNSCS), Dermatology, and Orthopedic Surgery; Duke Transplant Center; Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, and the Duke Eye Center. Her deep familiarity with Duke Health and her collaborative approach will be a great asset as she transitions into this expanded leadership role. In addition to leading the MSCC team, Jessica will continue to serve as our lead development officer for Heart services.

Congratulations, Jessica — well deserved!

 

Bashore Collection Celebrated

We were delighted to see several faculty members at last week’s celebration and grand opening of the Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection at the Rubenstein Library on Duke University’s west campus on Wednesday afternoon.

Bashore, with his trademark humor, delivered an excellent and informative lecture on the history of medicine and medical devices. Many thanks to all who joined us, including the Kelsey’s, Sketch’s, Califf’s, Dr. Harvey Cohen, Blue Dean, and numerous other friends.

Congratulations, Dr. Bashore!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

November 18: Deadline for flu vaccination compliance.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Nov. 4: Building a sustainable acute cardiovascular care program in western Kenya, the journey and lessons learned with Felix Ayub Barasa. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.  

Nov. 11: Perioperative atrial fibrillation after noncardiac surgery with Michael Wang. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Nov. 5: EP Case Presentation with Verda Arshad and Rebecca Steinberg. Noon, DMP 6E39 or via Zoom.

Nov. 7: EKG Review with Neil Freedman. Noon. Zoom.

 

2025 Victor J. Dzau Lecture Seminar Series

Nov. 5: Mechanisms of sarcomere assembly and local translation in cardiomyocytes with Nicole Dubois, PhD, associate professor, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Mount Sinai. Noon-1 p.m., Nanaline Duke Bldg, Room 147. Sponsored by The Mandel Center for Hypertension and Atherosclerosis.

 

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Nov. 6: Multi-Modality Imaging for Infiltrative Disease with Hubie Haywood

Nov. 13: Topic TBD with Jemi Gelani

Nov. 20: Multi-Modality Imaging for LVH with Mugdha Joshi

Nov. 27: NO CONFERENCE (Thanksgiving)

Dec. 4: Echo Imaging to Optimize Cardiac Resynchronization Pacing with Josh Sink

Dec. 11: RV Failure or Pericardial Disease TBD with Cosette Champion

Dec. 18: TBD with Vincent Delgado

Dec. 25: NO CONFERENCE (Christmas)

 

Upcoming CME Activities:

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here. 

 

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 me 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: 

October 28 — Jennifer Rymer

The Healthy

Does Daylight Saving Time Cause Heart Attacks? Not So Fast, Says New Study

October 29 — DCRI/RACE-CARS

The Richmond Observer

Improving Emergency Response: Richmond County deputies now equipped with AEDs

Chief’s message:

Hope you all are having a good weekend.  As we get near the end of the year – this week we saw many continued events that point towards our future care.  We were able to present some of our innovations and work to the Duke Board of Visitors group, we had faculty and fellows presenting at the TCT (Trans-Catheter-Therapeutics) meeting, and our teams have continued to work on areas where we can improve care with quality rounds and innovations in the procedures we do.

Updates and Highlights of the week:

Innovation in Duke Heart

We are excited to note that Jeff Gaca and Andrew Wang earlier this week accomplished the first percutaneous tricuspid valve replacement at Duke. The patient has recovered uneventful. These two individuals along with the entire structural heart team including our heart center staff, nurses, and administrative leaders have driven innovation in the transcatheter valve space.  This work serves as an example of the type of innovation we are excited foster and committed to across the entire cardiovascular service line.

In Memoriam: E. Harvey Estes, Jr., MD

Harvey Estes, Jr., MD, a pioneering physician, educator, and leader whose contributions to Duke have left an enduring legacy, passed away on October 16, 2025, after having celebrated his 100th birthday this past May.

Estes joined Duke’s faculty as a cardiologist in 1956 and served for a decade in the Department of Medicine before being named the founding chair of the newly created Department of Community Health Sciences. Under his leadership, the department (later renamed Community and Family Medicine, then Family Medicine and Community Health) became a national model for interdisciplinary care and community-focused health initiatives. In 1967, he assumed responsibility for the Physician Assistant Program — founded by his mentor Eugene Stead, MD, helping to shape a profession that has transformed healthcare delivery across the country.

“Estes was instrumental in shaping the history and identity of the Duke University School of Medicine. His vision and leadership helped define Duke’s commitment to community-based care, interdisciplinary education, and innovation in health professions training,” said Mary E. Klotman, MD, executive vice president for health affairs at Duke University and dean of the Duke University School of Medicine, in an announcement on Tuesday.

Estes was deeply passionate about family medicine and preventive care. In the 1970s, he turned his focus to creating a family medicine residency program and building coalitions to place family physicians, PAs, and nurse practitioners in underserved communities. Even after stepping down as department chair in 1985, he continued to lead the family medicine and geriatrics divisions until his retirement in 1990.

Estes’s influence also extended far beyond Duke. He authored more than 100 scientific articles and co-authored a book, and he later served as the founding director of the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) Foundation’s Community Practitioner Program. He held leadership roles in the NCMS and the NC Institute of Medicine, and he served nationally as chair of the American Medical Association’s Council on Scientific Affairs, president of the Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine, and chair of the Institute of Medicine’s Steering Committee for Primary Health Care Workforce Policy.

A full obituary for Dr. Estes can be found on the Hall Wynne site. Our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved him.

In lieu of flowers, his family has requested donations in his memory be made to Duke University in honor of the PA Program General Scholarship Fund.

 

Lung Transplant Team Has Milestone Week

Congratulations to our entire lung transplant team at Duke! The team recently completed nine lung transplants in seven days – a program record – and all patients are doing well.

“This represents an incredible devotion to our patients, said Carmelo Milano, MD, Joseph and Dorothy Beard Professor of Surgery and division chief of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Duke. “There are few institutions in the world that can achieve such a volume. Please congratulate the members of this team when you see them.”

Duke surgeons have performed more than 2,700 lung transplants since our program launched in 1992, making ours one of the largest programs in the U.S. Additionally, our multidisciplinary faculty researchers have made significant contributions to the field of lung transplantation, notably our understanding of risk factors for chronic rejection, the impact of cytomegalovirus infection and gastroesophageal reflux on lung transplant outcomes, and the various forms of chronic lung allograft dysfunction.

“Nine transplants in one week is only possible through the dedication of nursing, anesthesia, critical care, transplant pulmonology and surgery,” said Jacob Klapper, MD, associate professor of surgery and lung transplant surgeon. “This collective spirit has always made Duke special in the past and continues to this day.”

Incredible work!

 

Celebrating Respiratory Therapists

National Respiratory Care Week was celebrated this past week (Oct. 19-25) with a number of activities across Duke to help recognize our respiratory care staff. Our RCS team is an amazing and vital part of the care we provide throughout Duke Heart & Vascular services!

Shown here are two awards that were presented at Duke University Hospital this week – Paul Robbins, RRT, RCP was awarded the Huston R. Anderson Award in Leadership Excellence and Misty Swanger, BSRT, RRT, RCP was awarded Adult Respiratory Care Services Respiratory Therapist of the Year Award.

Also shown are team members prepping treats for our RCS staff. Congratulations, Paul and Misty!

 

Celebrating Annette Moore; Retiring Nov. 4

With deep gratitude, we announce the retirement of Annette Moore, HCA/NM, a dedicated and skilled registered nurse and manager, who has been an integral part of the Duke team for 40 years. Annette’s commitment to excellence and her unwavering dedication to patient care have made a significant impact on our organization.

Annette began her career with us in 1985 after earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Over the years, she has held various roles in Cardiology, including Staff Nurse, Charge Nurse, Nurse Manager, and Health Center Administrator demonstrating exceptional leadership and management skills. Her contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Friends of Nursing Award and the Nan and Hugh Cullman Heart Center Award for Excellence in Nursing.

Throughout her career at Duke, Annette’s caring demeanor and patient first focus have truly been her most influential accomplishment.  She has been instrumental in the development and implementation of clinical services, staff training, and care design. She has managed multiple teams, ensuring the highest standards of patient care and compliance with regulatory requirements.

As Annette embarks on this new chapter of her life, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for her years of service and wish her all the best in her retirement. Her presence will be greatly missed, but her legacy will continue to inspire us all.

Annette, thank you for all your efforts, kindness, and mentorship over the years!

Please join us in celebrating Annette’s remarkable career and wishing her a happy and fulfilling retirement! Her last day with us will be November 3^rd.

 

Kudos to Kelly!

Joe Kelly, director of Duke Heart & Vascular Informatics and Center of Excellence, received a Kudos this week for his efforts in helping the team at Lake Norman during their go-live.

“Joe shared a URL for MAP4 this morning that is a complete game-changer for Case Management and Utilization Management at DHLN. We were in a pickle where we needed MAP4 documentation to be able to plan discharges and the app had disappeared off of our CHS Citrix. He saved the day. Thank you, Joseph!” – Megan Warren

Jill Engel, service line VP for Heart & Vascular added, “I have heard from numerous people you have been invaluable during their go live. Thanks for everything you do for our patients and teams!”

Way to go, Joe!

 

Shout-out to Rivera and Goodwin

We received a terrific shout-out this week for Danny Rivera, RCS, ACS, echocardiographer, and for Nate Goodwin, interventional cardiology fellow, this week from Schuyler Jones as well as Sreekanth Vemulapalli regarding a challenging case they were on.

“Danny Rivera and Nate Goodwin did such an incredibly good job of echo imaging, planning/communication, and echo-guided pericardiocentesis in the MICU room. I was really impressed-which doesn’t happen that much. Wanted to give kudos to them both.” — Schuyler Jones, MD

“A good example of great teamwork between a great interventional attending, a great interventional fellow, and a great sonographer…” — Sreekanth Vemulapalli, MD

Excellent work, Danny and Nate!

 

Duke Heart & Vascular Welcomes Newest Family Member

Congratulations to Aarti Thakkar, MD and Eric Xie, MD, two of our cardiovascular disease fellows, on the birth of their daughter, Asha! She arrived just after Noon on Oct. 21, weighing in at 7 lbs 13 oz. We are so happy for you!

 

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

November 18: Deadline for flu vaccination compliance.

 

AHA.25 Duke Annual Reception

The annual Duke reception at the upcoming American Heart Association Annual Scientific Sessions will be held on Nov. 8. (Please see email from DCRI for your official invitation.)

The upcoming Sessions will be held Nov. 7-10, 2025, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. This year’s theme is The Future of Cardiovascular Science Starts Here.

We look forward to seeing you!

Reminder: Please let Tracey Koepke know if you are making a presentation at Sessions so that she can plan to include your findings in Pulse. Thank you!

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Oct. 28: The Duke STRONGER Prehabilitation and Rehabilitation Service: The Future of Personalized Prehab/Rehab for the Cardiac and Transplant Patient with Paul Wischmeyer. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and.

Nov. 4: Building a sustainable acute cardiovascular care program in western Kenya, the journey and lessons learned with Felix Ayub Barasa. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

 

Medicine Grand Rounds

Oct. 31: Contemporary Issues in Transplant Allocation and Procurement with Chet Patel, Adam DeVore, Matt Ellis, John Reynolds, Lindsay King. 8 a.m., Duke South Amphitheater or via Zoom.

 

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Oct. 30: Cardiovascular Imaging in Pregnancy with Nish Shivakumar

Nov. 6: Multi-Modality Imaging for Infiltrative Disease with Hubie Haywood

Nov. 13: Topic TBD with Jemi Gelani

Nov. 20: Multi-Modality Imaging for LVH with Mugdha Joshi

Nov. 27: NO CONFERENCE (Thanksgiving)

Dec. 4: Echo Imaging to Optimize Cardiac Resynchronization Pacing with Josh Sink

Dec. 11: RV Failure or Pericardial Disease TBD with Cosette Champion

Dec. 18: TBD with Vincent Delgado

Dec. 25: NO CONFERENCE (Christmas)

 

CME Activities:

17th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium — October 31

This symposium will explore optimal diagnostic strategies for treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, treatment selection, and timely referrals to specialized PH centers. Clinically challenging presentations, including CTD-PAH, CPPC PH, CTEPH, PH associated with ILD, COPD, portopulmonary hypertension, and PH in end-stage renal disease, will be addressed — with a focus on frontline providers — through interactive lectures and robust case-based discussions. Durham Convention Center. Register here.

 

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here.

 

Community Events:

Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection Opening – October 29

The collection opening celebration is scheduled for October 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the Holsti Anderson Family Assembly Room, Room 153, Rubenstein Library, Duke University, West Campus.

 

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 me 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: 

October 17 — Duke University Hospital

tctMD

Cardiac Transplant in Midst of ‘Revolution,’ but Public Trust Is Fragile

 

October 20 — Marat Fudim

Cardio Care Today

SCD-PROTECT: Wearable Defibrillators Key in First Months After Heart Failure Diagnosis

 

October 21 — Kristie Barazsu

Becker’s Health IT

GE HealthCare collaborates with 2 health systems on AI

 

October 22 — Renato Lopes

NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory

Rethinking Clinical Trials GR–Studying Neglected Diseases: Insights From the PARACHUTE-HF Trial

 

October 23 — Jennifer Rymer

Medscape

Understanding the Real Impact of Time Changes

 

October 23 — Duke Health

Popwire

The 10 Medical Breakthroughs You’ll See In the Next 15 Years (#6)

Chief’s Message:

Hope you are all having a good weekend.  We are nearing the last few meetings for cardiovascular medicine this year with TCT and the AHA.  We will be sure to give you updates in the coming weeks.

Highlights of the week:

Happy Diwali

Sending everyone warm wishes for Diwali – we hope this time is filled with love, joy, and prosperity. Happy Diwali!

 

 

 

 

 

Shah Receives Swann Lee Award Funding

Congratulations to Svati Shah! Her team is one of five research teams from Duke University School of Medicine selected to receive a Swann Lee Award from the Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Through the Swann Lee Awards, CTSI is distributing a combined $2 million across the teams to support the development of strategies aimed at reducing chronic disease risk through nutrition-focused approaches.

Shah’s team project is entitled, Dietary Effects and Modifiability of Ectopic Fat Depots and Metabolism in Heart Failure, which will investigate how GLP-1 receptor agonists and dietary ketones impact systemic metabolism in patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF). By integrating AI-assisted imaging and addressing barriers to care access, the study aims to refine therapies for a condition with significant clinical impact and limited treatment options.  The project leader is Jenifer Allen, PhD; Shah is the principal investigator.

The  Swann Lee Awards for Prevention of Chronic Diseases Using Diet and Nutrition are supported by a generous gift to Duke University School of Medicine from the estate of Swann Lee, who specified that these funds be used “solely for nutritional and laboratory research focused solely on preventive care and health maintenance” — not for medical treatment or disease cures.

In addition to funding, the teams receive project management support from CTSI project leaders for the duration of the 24-month funding cycle.  The projects funded exemplify translational innovation, multidisciplinary collaboration, and a strong commitment to healthy lifestyles.

“We are thrilled to support these researchers whose work represents the leading edge of nutrition science and chronic disease prevention,” said Susanna Naggie, MD, MHS, director of the Duke CTSI. “These projects are not only innovative but deeply rooted in the values of health promotion and community engagement.”

Congratulations, Svati!

 

NC Great 100 Celebrated

The 37^th Annual NC Great 100 Gala was held on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at The Maxwell Center in Goldsboro, NC. Our very own Kelly Kester, DMP, senior nursing director with Duke Heart & Vascular, was one of the honorees!

Kester is one of five Duke nurses selected for the NC Great 100 Class of 2025. The others include Melinda Busi and Kathy Sandel with Duke Regional Hospital; Derrick Glymph with Duke School of Nursing; and Blaise Nieve with Duke University Hospital.

Congratulations, Kelly!

 

 

 

Kudos to Curtis

Kudos to Mary Curtis, a financial care counselor in the Duke Heart & Vascular cardiac catheterization lab! Jenn Rymer, MD, says, “Mary always helps the providers in the Cath lab with getting approvals for our patients and answering our questions. She is a wealth of information on financial situations and always an incredible advocate for our patients.”

 

Thank you for your hard work, kindness, and advocacy, Mary!

 

Shout-out to Vekstein

Lisa Clark Pickett, MD, sent a wonderful note regarding Andrew Vekstein, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon.

“Good morning, Andrew. I wanted to reach out and thank you for the compassionate and skilled care you delivered to a recent patient we shared. Despite the surgical complexity and her extreme illness, you beautifully managed her surgical care with a remarkable focus on her as a person.  Her husband was grateful for your frequent and clear communication, and it made a difference to their family at this difficult time. Your clinical excellence and humanity are clear and appreciated.” — Very best wishes, Lisa Clark Pickett MD, assistant professor of surgery, Division of Trauma, Acute and Critical Care Surgery; assistant professor of medicine, Palliative Care

Great work, Andrew!

 

 

Kudos to Gardin

We received a terrific note this week from Mihai Podgoreanu, chief of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology and Critical Care, regarding Taylor Gardin, a critical care nurse with the Duke Heart CTICU.

 

“I wanted to take a moment and recognize Taylor Gardin for her exceptional leadership and dedication in the CTICU. Always proactive in coordinating complex care, supporting the team through high-acuity situations, maintaining a calm and compassionate presence, and being an asset under fire. Complemented by great communication, a desire to learn, and a focus on staff well-being – from mentoring to bringing snacks. We have some awesome charge nurses in the CTICU, and Taylor is an invaluable one.” — With great appreciation, Mihai Podgoreanu, MD, Chief, Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology and Critical Care

“Taylor, thank you for your leadership presence creating a calm atmosphere in a complex environment. We appreciate everything you do for our patients and team.” — Mary Lindsay, DNP, Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Duke Heart & Vascular

“Taylor, thank you for all you do each day to make Duke Heart such a great place for our patients, their families and our teams!” –Best, Jill R. Engel, DNP, Service Line Vice President – Heart & Vascular

 

 APP Transplant Symposium Held at Duke

The Duke Transplant Advanced Practice Provider Symposium was held last weekend on Sunday, Oct. 12 at the Duke University School of Nursing. Jade Clausen and Courtney Young – two of our amazing Heart & Vascular APPs – were part of the presentation team.

Way to go, Jade and Courtney!

 

Did you know? Tidbits about Duke’s Impact on Durham

Duke University pays for all city water usage through two master meters and has implemented innovative sustainability measures, including the reuse of 70 million gallons of stormwater via Duke Pond for campus cooling.

Additionally, Duke independently owns and manages more than 34 miles of water and sewer infrastructure across its campus, saving the City of Durham an estimated $10 million annually in maintenance and operational costs!

Go Duke!

 

DUHS Updates:

COVID vaccine update:

Resources related to the anticipated go-live date for the next phase of COVID-19 vaccine administration across ambulatory practices have been posted to Sharepoint. The updated DUHS Ambulatory COVID-19  Vaccine Administration for Patients Standing Order has been finalized and approved and is now accessible on the Policy Center.

Masking Guidance:

Starting on Wednesday, October 15, masking will be strongly recommended throughout all clinical areas in addition to the areas with year-round mandatory masking. Find more details about masking at DUHS in addition to epidemiology updates, testing, treatment, and employee health guidance for team members in the 2025-2026 Respiratory Virus Season Toolkit.

Leadership changes:

John Yeatts, MD, MPH, will be stepping down from his Population Health Management Office (PHMO) leadership position and leaving Duke Health on November 2, 2025, after serving for more than 13 years. In the interim, Daniel Costello, PHMO’s Chief Operating Officer, will assume primary operating responsibilities and report directly to Matthew Barber, MD, MHS, Senior Vice President, Ambulatory Services and Physician Practices, DUHS.

Diane Reidy-Lagunes, MD has been appointed Physician Vice President, Cancer Services for Duke University Health System, effective November 1, 2025. She will also maintain her current role as Chief of the Division of Medical Oncology for the Duke Department of Medicine. In this expanded leadership role, Dr. Reidy-Lagunes will serve as the physician executive for the cancer service line, responsible for shaping the clinical vision and advancing strategic priorities across all cancer services. She will oversee program development, research integration, and patient-centered care across Durham, Wake, Charlotte, and new markets.

Finally, reminders:

Open Enrollment is underway through October 24. Please review your 2026 elections for medical, dental, vision, and reimbursement accounts. Duke’s annual flu vaccination campaign is also underway. The deadline for compliance is Nov. 18.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

October 6-24: Open Enrollment period for 2026 medical benefits

October 19-25: National Healthcare Quality Week

AHA.25 Duke Annual Reception

The annual Duke reception at the upcoming American Heart Association Annual Scientific Sessions will be held on Nov. 8. (Please see email from DCRI for your official invitation.)

The upcoming Sessions will be held Nov. 7-10, 2025, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. This year’s theme is The Future of Cardiovascular Science Starts Here.

We look forward to seeing you!

Reminder: Please let Tracey Koepke know if you are making a presentation at Sessions so that she can plan to include your findings in Pulse. Thank you!

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Oct. 21: Bridging the gap between physician and patient: a view from the other side with Christopher Kontos. 5 p.m. DN 2002 and via Zoom.

Nov. 4: Building a sustainable acute cardiovascular care program in western Kenya, the journey and lessons learned with Felix Ayub Barasa. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Oct. 23 Topic TBD with Tess Allan

Oct. 30: Cardiovascular Imaging in Pregnancy with Nish Shivakumar

CME Activities:

17th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium — October 31

This symposium will explore optimal diagnostic strategies for treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, treatment selection, and timely referrals to specialized PH centers. Clinically challenging presentations, including CTD-PAH, CPPC PH, CTEPH, PH associated with ILD, COPD, portopulmonary hypertension, and PH in end-stage renal disease, will be addressed — with a focus on frontline providers — through interactive lectures and robust case-based discussions. Durham Convention Center. Register here.

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here.

 

Community Events:

Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection Opening – October 29

The collection opening celebration is scheduled for October 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the Holsti Anderson Family Assembly Room, Room 153, Rubenstein Library, Duke University, West Campus.

 

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 me 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: 

October 10 — Duke Health/CHAI

Becker’s Health IT

Tensions rise over health AI oversight and regulation

October 12 — Robert Mentz

The Economic Times

Are eggs on your plate damaging your heart health? Study claims higher consumption of eggs may lead to early death; here’s what you need to know

October 15 — Neha Pagidipati

Green Me

Heart attacks and strokes: major global study reveals that 99% of cases are linked to these 4 risk factors (all 4 modifiable)

October 16 — Duke Health (partial heart tx)

Bluewin/Swisscom

Novel heart transplant applied in Europe for the first time

Chief’s Message:
It was great to see so many of the Duke Health and Duke Heart team our yesterday morning for the AHA Heart Walk.  See the pictures and note below.  The impact we make in our community and in our patients lives was on full display and hopefully you all will get a chance to see some of that in the stories we share about patient care, research, and training our fellows, residents, and community members in CPR and heart healthy lifestyles.  You will also see HTN champions work at the Lincoln clinic and multiple different groups working with our AHA and Duke Teams to raise awareness around cardiovascular disease.

We also had the cardiac imaging symposium last weekend with great turnout.  Again we provided relevant and engaging cases based discussions with advanced and routine cardiovascular imaging in ways that our local groups of patients and clinicians can appreciate.

Highlights of the week:

Triangle Heart Walk Held Yesterday

The 2025 Triangle Heart Walk took place yesterday, October 11 at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, NC. Thank you to all who joined us! We are so proud of each of our entity leaders, team captains, and walkers who committed time to work on behalf of raising these important funds. Combined, Duke Health’s teams raised  $120,074  as of this morning for the American Heart Association and was the leading Health system and the #2 company behind Xylem,Inc. in the areas for fundraising for the AHA – great work, everyone! A special thanks to Katie Norcross and Stephanie Galloway of Duke Health marketing for arranging our activation tent, a “reflections experience” that dovetailed nicely with the launch of our new marketing campaign this past week!

 

 

Cardiac Imaging Symposium Success!

The Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium was held Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, at the Trent Semans Center. We had more than 150 people register to join us — nearly double from last year! Twelve companies exhibited, and we had a wide range of learners – cardiac sonographers, MDs, PAs, nurses, NPs, fellows, residents, and students. The annual symposium is dedicated to exploring the latest advancements and techniques in echocardiography through engaging presentations, interactive discussions, and hands-on learning opportunities.

The agenda and a full list of all the speakers can be found on the event website. A big shout-out to Sreek Vemulapalli, Anita Kelsey, Richie Palma, Ashlee Davis, Alicia Armour, and Christy Darnell for working to plan a very successful CME event!

 

Burkett, McGugan Presenters at Piedmont PA Conference

Melissa Burkett, PA-C, Team Leader of the Duke Aortic Center APPs and Lynn McGugan, NP in the CTICU 7W presented at the Piedmont Association of Physician Assistants Annual Fall Seminar on Saturday, Oct. 11. The duo shared their expertise on how APPs provide continuity of care for aortic surgery patients. The conference was held at Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center in Winston Salem, NC.

Way to go!

 

 

 

Arringdon Service Access Lead Wins Impact Award

Congratulations to Tevin Wilson, Service Access Team Lead at Duke Cardiology Arringdon! Wilson is a co-winner of the 2025 Sharon L. Davis Vision Award as part of the Impact Awards given annually by the Duke Patient Revenue Management Organization (PRMO). Wilson was nominated by Sergio Membreno. His co-winner is Alison Ervin.

This year’s awards were presented on September 25, during a ceremony at Trent Semans Hall. The awards celebrate the extraordinary achievements of individuals and teams aligning with Duke Patient Revenue Management Organization’s (PRMO) focus areas and demonstrating Duke’s values.

More than 115 people were nominated for the 2025 awards, and the top three finalists from each category were invited to the event with their nominators. Keith Stover, Vice President, Finance and Chief Revenue Cycle Officer for PRMO, kicked off the program by welcoming guests. Tom Owens, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, DUHS, joined to give the keynote address, highlighting the vital role PRMO team members play in shaping the patient experience at Duke Health.

Guests were also welcomed by Christie Bowes, Director of Hospital Billing & Collections and Executive Champion of the awards committee, along with emcees Paula Allard, Director, Professional Coding, and Todd Beedy, Manager, Coding Operations.

Tevin is shown here with Keith Stover.

A full list of winners can be found on the Duke Sharepoint site at this link.

Congratulations, Tevin!!!

 

Did you know? Tidbits about Duke’s Impact on Durham

Over the past two decades, Duke University and Health System has helped create more than 1,000 affordable homes and units and invested more than $22 million with trusted local financial institutions such as Latino Community Credit Union, Mechanics and Farmers Bank, and Self-Help to provide capital for affordable housing developers and local small businesses.

By working at Duke Health, you make a difference not only in the health of people we treat, but with a collective impact throughout our community. Go Duke!

 

DUHS Updates:

Reminders: Open Enrollment is underway through October 24. Please review your 2026 elections for medical, dental, vision, and reimbursement accounts. Duke’s annual flu vaccination campaign is also underway. The deadline for compliance is Nov. 18. Thank you!

 

Mitchell Named Health System Operations Center Director

As of Oct. 1, Diane Mitchell, MHA, BSN, RN, has been named Health System Operations Center Director. In this new role, Diane will oversee the team of operations administrators and coordinators across all Duke Health acute care hospitals. This transition is part of a broader DUHS initiative to centralize and unify patient flow link operations across all entities and their respective operations centers. 

Since joining Duke Raleigh in 1996, Diane has held a variety of key positions—starting as a bedside nurse and progressing to her current role as director of operations administration. Join us in congratulating Diane on this leadership role expansion and thanking her for her almost three decades of service at Duke Health.

Congratulations, Diane!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

September 15-October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

October 6-24: Open Enrollment period for 2026 medical benefits

October 9: Flu vaccination season launch

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Oct. 21: Bridging the gap between physician and patient: a view from the other side with Christopher Kontos. 5 p.m. DN 2002 or via Zoom.

 

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Oct. 16: Quality in the Echo Lab with Ashlee Davis

Oct. 23 Topic TBD with Tess Allan

Oct. 30: Cardiovascular Imaging in Pregnancy with Nish Shivakumar

 

AHA.25 Duke Annual Reception

The annual Duke reception at the upcoming American Heart Association Annual Scientific Sessions will be held on Nov. 8. (Please see email from DCRI for your official invitation.)

The upcoming Sessions will be held Nov. 7-10, 2025, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. This year’s theme is The Future of Cardiovascular Science Starts Here.

We look forward to seeing you!

Reminder: Please let Tracey Koepke know if you are making a presentation at Sessions so that she can plan to include your findings in Pulse. Thank you!

 

CME Activities:

17th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium — October 31

This symposium will explore optimal diagnostic strategies for treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, treatment selection, and timely referrals to specialized PH centers. Clinically challenging presentations, including CTD-PAH, CPPC PH, CTEPH, PH associated with ILD, COPD, portopulmonary hypertension, and PH in end-stage renal disease, will be addressed — with a focus on frontline providers — through interactive lectures and robust case-based discussions. Durham Convention Center. Register here.

 

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here. 

 

Community Events:

Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection Opening – October 29

The collection opening celebration is scheduled for October 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the Holsti Anderson Family Assembly Room, Room 153, Rubenstein Library, Duke University, West Campus.

 

 

 

 

 

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 me 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: 

October 3 — Stephen Greene

Consultant Live

Expert Perspectives: Top News in Heart Failure from HFSA Annual Scientific Meeting 2025

October 6 — Stephen Greene

AJMC/Commentary

Aggressive Therapy Recommendations Following the STRONG-HF Trials: Stephen J. Greene, MD

October 6 — Duke Health (Duke Children’s #3)

Cardiovascular Business

The best children’s heart hospitals in the US

October 7 — Neha Pagidipati

AARP

99 Percent of Heart Attacks and Strokes Are Linked to Modifiable Risk Factors

October 9 — Robert Califf

tctmd

What’s Going to Be Hot at TCT 2025

October 10 — Neha Pagidipati

Medscape

Considering Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Are There Fewer SMuRF-less Patients Than We Thought?

Highlights of the week:

To Those Observing Recent Holidays

We hope all who observed Yom Kippur this past week had a meaningful and peaceful fast. A belated happy new year to all who celebrated Rosh Hashana Sept. 22-24. May this season foster renewal, peace and rejuvenation within you and your family.

 

 

 

Duke Health, Trase Systems Partner to Develop AI Health Care Tools

Duke Health and Trase Systems have entered a strategic partnership to create advanced AI agents aimed at reshaping health care delivery.

Trase Systems is a developer of agentic artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, a type of AI that can that make choices and act on its own to reach goals. Duke Health and Trase Systems plan to build a comprehensive AI-powered ecosystem that integrates automation ensuring data is brought to action for clinical care to improve outcomes and reduce cost.

The aim of the agentic AI technology is to streamline administrative assignments and optimize the allocation of resources, while also enhancing clinical functions such as patient scheduling requests, care coordination, and access to clinical studies.

Duke Heart staff will co-develop and test agentic AI products with Trase Systems aimed at enhancing clinician workflows, elevating the patient care experience, and improving health outcomes. The first phase of development will begin at the Duke Heart Center, which treats more than 65,000 people with heart disease every year.

“At Duke Health and Duke Heart, we are committed to advancing health care through innovation and research,” said Manesh R. Patel, MD, Chief of the Division of Cardiology at the Duke University School of Medicine.

“AI has the potential to help our doctors, nurses, and researchers maximize the use of information to personalize cardiovascular care for our patients,” said Patel. “We strive to develop proven and trusted tools that will improve health outcomes and create a better experience for patients and care teams alike.”

Clinical leaders will be working to see whether integrating AI into everyday workflows will allow care teams to better understand each patient’s unique health history, lifestyle, and biology and lead to more personalized care.

In addition to more personalized care, the AI-powered ecosystem aims to reduce administrative burden. In a recent survey by the American Medical Association, 75% of physicians said AI could make their work more efficient, and more than half believed AI could help with stress and burnout.

“AI holds enormous potential to transform health care—whether by automating time-intensive administrative tasks, improving patient care and outcomes, or streamlining hospital workflows—yet industry-wide adoption has been slow,” said Grant Verstandig, CEO of Red Cell Partners (incubator of Trase systems), and co-founder and CEO of Trase Systems. “By collaborating directly with the doctors, nurses, and administrators of Duke Health, we’ll be rapidly developing the agents they want and that deliver the highest value. We are excited to be pushing the boundaries of what AI can achieve so we can get that much closer to realizing its transformative impact on health care.”

 

ICYMI: SOM Leadership Town Hall Recording

Dean Klotman hosted a School of Medicine Town Hall: Financial and Operational Strategy Updates on Tuesday, Sept. 30. If you were unable to join us you can view the recording right here.

 

More from HFSA

We received more great photos from Heart Failure Society of America attendees this week, enjoy!

Above, left, Haya Aziz, MD, former AHFTC fellow, now AHFTC cardiologist at McGill University, presented a poster on a project she worked on with Karen Flores Rosario, MD. They are joined by Benjamin Trichon, MD, in the next photo, above right. 

Above left, Jacob Schroder presenting to HFSA attendees; above center and right, Duke team members connecting! Photos courtesy of Stephanie Barnes and Karen Flores Rosario.

 

Campaign Launching this Week

As mentioned last month, Duke Health will launch an Access Campaign this week with three commercial spots – two of them dedicated to orthopedic and cardiovascular care. You can see the spots here: General Access; Heart, and Ortho.

 

AHA.25 Duke Annual Reception

The annual Duke reception at the upcoming American Heart Association Annual Scientific Sessions will be held on Nov. 8. (Please see email from DCRI for your official invitation.)

The upcoming Sessions will be held Nov. 7-10, 2025, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. This year’s theme is The Future of Cardiovascular Science Starts Here.

We look forward to seeing you!

Reminder: Please let Tracey Koepke know if you are making a presentation at Sessions so that she can plan to include your findings in Pulse. Thank you!

 

DUHS Updates:

Agreement reached with Aetna

On Friday, Duke Health and Aetna®, a CVS Health company, announced a new multi-year agreement that provides Aetna Commercial and Medicare Advantage members continued in-network access to high-quality, affordable care at Duke Health. This agreement includes all Duke Health locations and providers and reflects a shared commitment to putting patients and members first. 

“Throughout this negotiation, we have remained committed to our nonprofit mission of serving the best interests of our patients and community,” said Thomas A. Owens, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Duke University Health System.  “We came to the table together to reach an agreement that covers the cost of care. Our agreement with Aetna prioritizes efficiency, promotes high-quality care, and helps drive down health care costs.” 

“Duke Health is a valued partner in delivering high-quality, convenient care to Aetna members in North Carolina,” said Amelia Lee, Aetna Vice President of Network, Southeast Region. “We look forward to continuing to work together to meet the needs of our shared members and patients.” 

With this new agreement, both organizations look forward to continuing their partnership to provide high-quality health care while exploring new, innovative opportunities that focus on population health, value-based care, and other areas to benefit the health of members and patients in North Carolina. 

“We came together to do what is best for patients and worked together to make this positive outcome possible,” said Owens. “Patients and families will continue to have access to the Duke Health doctors and care teams they know and trust.”

Patients who may have rescheduled or canceled any appointments are encouraged to call their provider’s office to resume care.

 

Pencina Heading to UnitedHealthcare

Dean Mary Klotman announced this week that Michael J. Pencina, PhD, chief data scientist for Duke Health and vice dean for data science, director of Duke AI Health, and professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics at the Duke University School of Medicine, will be leaving Duke to take a position with UnitedHealthcare as their chief AI scientist.

Pencina joined the Duke faculty in 2013. He co-founded and co-chaired Duke Health’s Algorithm-Based Clinical Decision Support (ABCDS) Oversight Committee and served as co-director of Duke’s Collaborative to Advance Clinical Health Equity (CACHE). He spearheaded Duke’s role as a founding partner of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), whose mission is to increase trustworthiness of AI by developing guidelines to drive high-quality health care through the adoption of credible, fair, and transparent health AI systems.

We wish him all the best in his new role – he will be missed here at Duke!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

September 15-October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

October 6-24: Open Enrollment period for 2026 medical benefits

October 9: Flu vaccination season launch

 

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Oct. 9: RV Guidelines with Fawaz Alenezi

Oct. 16: Quality in the Echo Lab with Ashlee Davis

Oct. 23 Topic TBD with Tess Allan

Oct. 30: Cardiovascular Imaging in Pregnancy with Nish Shivakumar

 

CME Activities:

17th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium — October 31

This symposium will explore optimal diagnostic strategies for treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, treatment selection, and timely referrals to specialized PH centers. Clinically challenging presentations, including CTD-PAH, CPPC PH, CTEPH, PH associated with ILD, COPD, portopulmonary hypertension, and PH in end-stage renal disease, will be addressed — with a focus on frontline providers — through interactive lectures and robust case-based discussions. Durham Convention Center. Register here.

 

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here. 

 

Community Events:

2025 Triangle Heart Walk – October 11 at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, 3801 Rock Quarry Rd, Raleigh, NC 27610. Festivities begin at 7:30 a.m.; Duke Health Team Photo will be at 8:15! The welcome program will begin at 8:45 a.m. with the Walk immediately following. The event venue will be open through 11 a.m.

 

Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection Opening – October 29

The collection opening celebration is scheduled for October 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the Holsti Anderson Family Assembly Room, Room 153, Rubenstein Library, Duke University, West Campus.

 

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 me 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: 

September 28 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live/Don’t Miss a Beat podcast

Don’t Miss a Beat: Debating Oral Diuretic Intensification as an Endpoint in Heart Failure Trials

September 28 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live

Understanding Residual Risk and Hyperkalemia in Heart Failure, With Steve Greene, MD

September 29 — Neha Pagidipati

STAT News

Warning: Serious cardiovascular events don’t come out of the blue

September 29 — Sreekanth Vemulapalli

The Cardiology Advisor

Idorsia Collaborates With Stanford, Duke to Update Difficult-to-Treat Hypertension Care

September 30 — Adam DeVore

Becker’s Health IT

Digital health boosts medication adherence: Duke study

September 30 — Duke Health

Medpage Today

Constipation and CVD; Lp(a) Testing Still Rare; New Echocardiography Guideline

September 30 — Duke Heart

Becker’s Health IT

Duke Health developing agentic AI tools

September 30 — Manesh Patel

Healthcare Innovation

Venture Capitalists See Big Opportunity for Agentic AI in Healthcare

October 1 — Jennifer Rymer

European Medical Journal

ACS Unplugged: PCI and Antiplatelet Therapy

October 2 — Monique Starks, Christopher Granger, and Lisa Monk

The Clemmons Courier

Drone AED Delivery Program gains traction; Clemmons leads rural initiative of improving response times and survival from cardiac arrest

October 2 — Michael Pencina

Stat News

UnitedHealth taps Duke scientist to lead AI efforts

October 3 — Stephen Greene

Medscape

Reduced Mortality May Offset Hyperkalemia Risk With Optimal RAS Inhibitor, MRA Therapy for Heart Failure

Chief’s message:  Heart Failure Society Meeting with HFDA Presidential Address from Mike Felker

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  For those of you not watching the Ryder Cup or other sporting events – this weekend also marked the Heart Failure Society of America Meeting with several key cardiovascular faculty and fellows presenting.  Perhaps the most notable was Mike Felker – President of HFSA giving the presidential address on 5 trends in Heart Failure and cardiovascular care.  He highlighted many of the trends we have discussed around personalization, importance of emerging therapies based on these features, and the increasing ability to remotely monitor our patients and manage their health.  Rob Mentz joined as Editor of JCF and provided some insights from his perspective.  Below you will see other Science that was lead by our teams including Adam DeVore.  Included are some pictures courtsey of people at the meeting that included a standing room only session on Devices and heart Failure that Marat Fudim was an integral part of.  We will have more in upcoming weeks but congratulations to all who continue to help us improve the science around our HF patients.

Highlights of the week:

HFSA: Remote Health Care Helps Heart Failure Patients Get the Right Medications Faster

For millions of Americans living with heart failure, getting the right medications at the right doses can be a slow and frustrating process, which can lead to delayed treatment adjustments, undertreatment and risks for worsening symptoms.

A new study led by Duke Health shows that a remote digital program may offer a safe, faster way for heart failure patients to get the care they need from home.

The study, presented as a late-breaker at the Heart Failure Society of America’s Annual Scientific Meeting, highlights a critical issue in heart care access. Nearly half of U.S. counties don’t have a cardiologist, leaving many patients without expert guidance.

“We need scalable tools to reach people where they are,” said Adam DeVore, MD, associate professor of medicine in cardiology at the Duke University School of Medicine and the study’s lead author. “If you look across the roughly 3,100 counties in the United States, 46% don’t have a cardiologist.”

“People who live in areas without that access experience more heart disease and are more likely to die from heart problems,” DeVore said. “Add to that, appointments for medication titration are a real challenge in heart failure care. There are a lot of real-world barriers that make it really difficult.”

The research was funded by Innovaccer Inc., which developed Story Health, the digital care platform evaluated in the trial.

The study found patients who used the remote program to connect with care for the management of heart failure medications saw greater improvements in their regimens compared to those receiving usual care, and no increase in hospitalizations or emergency visits.

The multicenter randomized clinical trial, coordinated by the Duke Heart Center, enrolled 178 patients across seven U.S. health systems. Participants used blood pressure cuffs and scales that connected to their mobile device to track their health daily.

Their data was sent to clinicians through the secure digital platform, which also provided personalized medication recommendations. Health coaches helped patients navigate logistics like lab tests and pharmacy access, making it easier to adjust medications without needing frequent in-person visits.

The digital program improved medication use across all four foundational therapies for heart failure. Patients were more likely to reach target doses of key drugs that help manage heart failure and reduce hospitalizations (beta-blockers, ARNI, MRA and SGLT2 inhibitors.)

Dr. DeVore believes the findings offer a promising new option for clinicians and health systems looking to improve care for heart failure patients.

“A remote platform offers a scalable option for both clinicians and health systems to try to improve the care we’re already providing to patients with heart failure,” DeVore said.

“If we can get people on the right doses and the right number of medicines sooner,” DeVore said, “they have the possibility of living longer and staying out of the hospital more.”

In addition to DeVore, study authors include Cynthia L. Green, Nancy M. Albert, Amir R. Haghighat, Sunit-Preet Chaudhry, Hirak Shah, Mosi K. Bennett, Tom Stanis, Ashul Govil, Trejeeve Martyn, Jaime McDermott, Mirza S. Khan, and Andrew J. Sauer.

 

Kunal Patel, MD, Receives NIH K01 Research Scientist Development Award

Kunal Patel, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, has been granted a K01 Research Scientist Development Award from the National Institutes of Health for his project titled, The Post-Lung Transplant Impact of Alveolar Macrophage Senescence in Aged Donor Lungs.

The purpose of the K01 award program is to provide support and protected time for an intensive, supervised career development experience in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences leading to research independence.

Patel’s project will determine the role of senescent alveolar macrophages in allograft failure and the poor outcomes associated with aged donor lungs, which will provide the field with clinically relevant, therapeutic targets to increase the utility and viability of aged donor lungs for lung transplant.

Congratulations, Kunal!

 

 

Reminder: SOM Leadership Town Hall on Tuesday

Dean Klotman will host a School of Medicine Town Hall: Financial and Operational Strategy Updates on September 30 at 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. All faculty, staff, students, and residents are invited to attend. 

Speakers include:
• Host: Mary Klotman, MD, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, Duke University; Dean, Duke University School of Medicine; Chief Academic Officer, Duke Health
• Panelist: Colin Duckett, PhD, Executive Vice Dean for Basic and Preclinical Science, Duke University School of Medicine
• Panelist: Heather Hamby, MPH, Executive Vice Dean for Administration, Duke University School of Medicine
• Panelist: Geeta Swamy, MD, Associate Vice President for Research, Duke University; Executive Vice Dean for Clinical Sciences and Research Administration, Duke University School of Medicine
• Panelist: Scott Elengold, JD, Associate University Counsel, Duke University
• Panelist: Catherine Liao, MSPH, Vice President for Government Relations, Duke Health

Join the Zoom webinar here. A copy of the recording will be available on the SOM website the next day.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

September 15-October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

October 6-24: Open Enrollment period for 2026 medical benefits

October 9: Flu vaccination season launch

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Sept. 30: ESC Update (Session 2) with Jennifer Rymer. 5 p.m. DN 2002 or via Zoom.

 

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Oct. 2: Aortic Stenosis with Bharathi Upadhya

Oct. 9: RV Guidelines with Fawaz Alenezi

Oct. 16: Quality in the Echo Lab with Ashlee Davis

Oct. 23 Topic TBD with Tess Allan

Oct. 30: Cardiovascular Imaging in Pregnancy with Nish Shivakumar

 

CME Activities:

Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium — October 4

This year’s symposium is designed to address emerging clinical questions in echocardiography, updated guideline recommendations, and new imaging modalities through case-based learning and practical applications. The 2025 agenda features expert-led sessions on updated ASE guidelines, coronary artery disease evaluation, strain imaging in cardiomyopathies, tricuspid valve disease, cardiac POCUS, and technical skills development through hands-on breakout sessions. Trent Semans Center, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

To register, please visit https://duke.is/b/vd87.

 

17th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium — October 31

This symposium will explore optimal diagnostic strategies for treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, treatment selection, and timely referrals to specialized PH centers. Clinically challenging presentations, including CTD-PAH, CPPC PH, CTEPH, PH associated with ILD, COPD, portopulmonary hypertension, and PH in end-stage renal disease, will be addressed — with a focus on frontline providers — through interactive lectures and robust case-based discussions. Durham Convention Center. Register here.

 

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here. 

 

Community Events:

2025 Triangle Heart Walk – October 11

Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, 3801 Rock Quarry Rd, Raleigh, NC 27610. Festivities begin at 7:30 a.m.; our Duke Health Team Photo will be at 8:15! The AHA welcome program will begin at 8:45 a.m. with the Walk immediately following. The event venue will be open through 11 a.m.

 

Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection Opening – October 29

The collection opening celebration is scheduled for October 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the Holsti Anderson Family Assembly Room, Room 153, Rubenstein Library, Duke University, West Campus.

 

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 me 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: 

September 23 — Harry Severance

Becker’s ASC Review

How Stark law could be keeping physicians from leadership

 

September 25 — Duke Clinical Research Institute (Rymer)

Diabetes.co.uk

Seasonal changing of the clocks not linked to increased heart attack risk

Chief’s message:  Information, Data, AI and information Networks

 The fall is starting to come to North Carolina and this time of year is one of the more beautiful times in our area. Hopefully, you all are getting to spend sometime outside over the next few weeks.  This week Duke Heart continues to work to accomplish our missions in an ever evolving world.  We were able to collaborate on some important projects in the last week and had some clear examples of where our teams can make a difference.  We are in full swing for recruiting fellows in cardiology and faculty for the upcoming years.  Please take a look at some of the upcoming events including a launch of advertising for Duke Heart, the AHA Heart Walk, and APP week upcoming.

Additionally, in keeping with our reading list – if you have the chance – I would recommend consider reading the novel Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari. The book traverses a vast timeline, examining how humans have communicated and shared information from ancient times to the modern era, culminating in the age of artificial intelligence. The book is structured chronologically, beginning with the earliest forms of communication in the Stone Age, such as cave paintings and oral traditions. It progresses through significant historical developments, including the invention of writing, the printing press, and the telegraph, highlighting how each innovation transformed societal structures and information dissemination.As the narrative advances, Harari delves into the digital age, discussing the rise of the internet, social media, and the burgeoning influence of AI on information networks. Each chapter is rich with historical anecdotes, technological insights, and analyses of the societal impacts of these networks. The author successfully illustrates the interconnectedness of communication advancements and societal change, the role of humans in shaping and changing stories and information – making the book both enlightening and thought-provoking. His exploration of AI’s role in modern information networks is particularly relevant and timely, given current technological trends.  As we continue to work on getting scientific and medical information out to our communities – this book provides an interesting and important perspective for our health systems.

These themes will help us with our work to communicate our focus on aligning our clinical growth with our research missions in cardiovascular health.

 

Highlights of the week:

Heart Access Advertising Campaign to Launch Oct. 6

We are pleased to announce the pending launch of an advertising campaign designed to feature the accessibility of Duke Heart services throughout our area.

Marketing research of patients in our community has found that more than half of respondents prioritize ease and accessibility when choosing specialty health care. While Duke Heart already offers same-day and next-day appointments, over the past year our team has worked to expand access through online scheduling, template changes, and new hires.

As a result of these efforts, a new multi-channel, consumer-facing marketing campaign will be launched on October 6 to highlight Duke Health’s 48-hour access to specialty care — focusing on our heart and orthopedic service lines, albeit in dedicated ads.

The campaign will run throughout our primary market through June 2026. Ads will appear at various times across an assortment of platforms, including:

• Television commercials (digital and cable), including one specifically for heart services.
• Digital ads
• Radio ads (digital and traditional)
• Outdoor advertisements in Wake county — including billboards, bus ads, and display ads in outdoor malls.
• Ads in Raleigh-Durham International Airport
• Triangle Heart Walk (Oct. 11) tie-in via the Duke Health team shirts and an ‘activation’ tent in the walker activities area.

This Access initiative aligns with Duke Health’s strategic pillars of people, access, and growth, and reflects our commitment to meeting patients where they are—both geographically and in their healthcare journey.

We know patients value efficiency and flexibility. Our marketing campaign will emphasize ease of scheduling and timely access to care across Duke Heart locations.

Thank you for the exceptional care you provide every day. Your work continues to place patients and their families at the center of everything we do. We are excited about this campaign and we appreciate your help and attention to ensuring our patients can be seen quickly throughout our clinical areas.

 

Celebrating APPs

This week (Sept. 22-26) is National Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Week, a celebration and awareness week honoring the contributions of Physician Assistants/Associates, Nurse Practitioners, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Certified Nurse Midwives, and Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants. The theme this year is “Racing Toward the Future: Celebrating APPs.”

We recognize and celebrate providers who are certified and licensed to assess, diagnose, treat, and manage illnesses, prescribe medications, perform clinical procedures, and conduct clinical research in the management of our patients. This important group of providers throughout Duke Health and the U.S. elevates the fields of medicine and nursing to ensure our patients and communities receive safe, high-quality, evidence-based care.

The Duke Heart APP team is filled with amazing, supportive, terrific colleagues, so be sure to thank an APP this week!

 

Relocation of Duke North 3300 to Duke North 6300 Completed

Duke North 3300 relocated to 6300 (31-bed unit) on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025.  There is no change in the patient population on this unit. 6300 was specifically chosen as the move location because of the proximity to both of our other CT step-down Units (6100 and 6E).  

Thanks to everyone who helped ensure a smooth transition!

 

Service Line Leadership Strategic Meeting Held

The Duke Heart service line gathered our operational leaders on Friday, Sept. 19, for a strategic meeting to discuss year-end performance and an overview of our strategic growth plan. Jill Engel and Manesh Patel led the presentation.

Many thanks to our Center of Excellence team for hosting the meeting in their space!

 

AI at Duke Newsletter

Are you interested in learning more about how Duke is shaping the future of AI in research, teaching, and learning? AI at Duke has launched a monthly newsletter, which will share highlights about the interdisciplinary AI work happening across Duke and updates on the university’s evolving strategic framework around AI.

The first edition can be viewed here, which provides a recap of AI stories from this summer. If you would like to subscribe, click here.

As information regarding Duke Heart’s projects in AI becomes available, we may share information with the AI at Duke team for their newsletter consideration.  We have several projects working with partners and will be sharing in upcoming weeks.

 

System Updates:

TJC Visit: DUH received a full accreditation award letter from The Joint Commission this week. Congratulations to all!

Use of Patient Transport Elevators (DUH): Please remind your teams to refrain from using patient transport elevators. New signage has been installed to indicate which elevators in DN and the DCT are designated for patient transport only and should not be used by staff for non-patient transport activities. Your support is appreciated as we work to efficiently care for each patient.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

September: National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month

September 15-October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

October 6-24: Open Enrollment period for 2026 medical benefits

October 9: Flu vaccination season launch

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Sept. 23: ESC Update (Session 1) with Manesh Patel. 5 p.m., 2002 DN or via Zoom.

Sept. 30: ESC Update (Session 2) with Jennifer Rymer. 5 p.m. DN 2002 or via Zoom.

 

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Sept. 25: Mitral Stenosis with Jon Owensby

Oct. 2: Aortic Stenosis with Bharathi Upadhya

Oct. 9: RV Guidelines with Fawaz Alenezi

Oct. 16: Quality in the Echo Lab with Ashlee Davis

Oct. 23 Topic TBD with Tess Allan

Oct. 30: Cardiovascular Imaging in Pregnancy with Nish Shivakumar

 

CME Offerings:

Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium — October 4

This year’s symposium is designed to address emerging clinical questions in echocardiography, updated guideline recommendations, and new imaging modalities through case-based learning and practical applications. The 2025 agenda features expert-led sessions on updated ASE guidelines, coronary artery disease evaluation, strain imaging in cardiomyopathies, tricuspid valve disease, cardiac POCUS, and technical skills development through hands-on breakout sessions. Trent Semans Center, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

To register, please visit https://duke.is/b/vd87.

 

17th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium — October 31

This symposium will explore optimal diagnostic strategies for treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, treatment selection, and timely referrals to specialized PH centers. Clinically challenging presentations, including CTD-PAH, CPPC PH, CTEPH, PH associated with ILD, COPD, portopulmonary hypertension, and PH in end-stage renal disease, will be addressed — with a focus on frontline providers — through interactive lectures and robust case-based discussions. Durham Convention Center. Register here.

 

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here. 

 

Other Events:

SOM Leadership Town Hall – September 30

Dean Klotman will host a School of Medicine Town Hall: Financial and Operational Strategy Updates on September 30 at 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. All faculty, staff, students, and residents are invited to attend. A Zoom link will be available closer to the date of the event.

 

2025 Triangle Heart Walk – October 11

The 2025 Triangle Heart Walk will take place on October 11 at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, 3801 Rock Quarry Rd, Raleigh, NC 27610. Festivities begin at 7:30 a.m.; a brief “Welcome” program will officially open the walk at 8:45 a.m., with the walk immediately following. The event venue will be open through 11 a.m.

 

New Faculty Orientation – October 13

The School of Medicine’s annual Academic New Faculty Orientation will be held Monday, October 13, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center. To learn more and register, please visit https://duke.is/SOM-NFO.

 

Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection Opening – October 29

The opening celebration of the Bashore Collection is scheduled for October 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the Holsti Anderson Family Assembly Room, Room 153, Rubenstein Library, Duke University, West Campus.

 

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, 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 me 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: 

September 14 — Jennifer Rymer

Breaking MED

Daylight Savings Time Not Associated with Heart Attack Rates

September 15 — David D’Alessio

Medscape

Real-World Study Finds Over 50% Stop GLP-1s Within 1 Year

September 15 — Kunal Patel and Kenneth Boccaccio

The Duke Chronicle

‘Extend the lifesaving benefit’: Duke surgeons pioneer robotic bilateral lung transplant

September 15 — Harry Severance

Newsweek

Philips exec: What the U.S. manufacturing push means for health care

September 15 — Robert Califf

The Medical Independent

RCPI meeting to explore ‘healthcare horizons’

September 15 — Dawn Coleman

Vascular News

Dawn Coleman (profile)

September 16 — Duke University Hospital

The Hearty Soul

France Introduces Artificial Heart That Could Last A Lifetime Without Donors

September 17 — Joseph Turek

The Telegraph Online (India)

The Alternative: Partial heart transplants in children and their success rate

Highlights of the week:

Albanese Leaving Duke Health

The University announced this week that Craig Albanese, MD, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Duke University Health System, will be departing Duke on Sept. 30. Albanese will serve as President of Kaiser Permanente, the largest integrated non-profit healthcare delivery system in the United States, headquartered in Oakland, California, effective October 1.

In an announcement to the Duke Health team, Albanese shared the following:

“This was an unexpected, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that came my way — one that I feel called to pursue at this point in my professional journey. Personally, it will bring my wife and me closer to our daughters and their growing families, a first time for our family to be united since they left for college.

It has been an incredible honor to serve alongside you. I will remember not just what we accomplished together, but how we did it—with respect, compassion, and a deep commitment to belonging. You’ve led with extraordinary courage through challenges, supported one another with kindness, and cared for those who come to us for hope, health, and healing with unwavering dedication. Every day, you’ve inspired me with your belief in Duke, in our patients and in each other. I hope you felt that I have, and always will, believe in you and in Duke’s extraordinary missions.

Please know that my admiration and gratitude for this organization and its people are endless. As President Price shared, he and the Board of Directors will guide the transition ahead. I have every confidence in the strength, resilience and talent of this team to continue advancing the important work we have started together. Leadership transitions can be both exciting and unsettling. There will always be unknowns. What I know with certainty, however, is that by focusing on Duke Health’s four critical missions – and living our values and cultural commitments of putting people first, adapting to improve, and being clear to empower – Duke will continue to provide hope, health and healing to one another, our patients and our communities.

While I am moving on to a new chapter, I will always carry Duke and all of you with me. The impact you’ve had on my life is immeasurable, and I will remain one of your biggest champions—forever proud to have been part of this extraordinary community.

Thank you for your trust, your support, and most of all, the privilege of serving alongside you.”

Albanese also shared a video announcement that can be viewed here: https://duke.is/c/aktw

Preparations will commence immediately for a national search for his successor, with details to be announced soon. An interim management structure for DUHS will be implemented until a new CEO is named. During this interim period, Tom Owens, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (EVP/COO) of DUHS, will report to Vincent E. Price, Duke University President. Price will be in close contact and direct coordination with the DUHS senior vice presidents, who will report either to the DUHS EVP/COO or jointly to the DUHS EVP/COO and Mary Klotman, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine. Other senior leaders with dual reporting responsibilities will continue reporting to Mary Klotman, and an interim plan will be established to replace their DUHS CEO reporting line. All leaders affected by these changes will be notified and provided with details in the coming days.

Duke’s leadership is committed to ensuring a smooth leadership transition and a successful search for Craig’s replacement. Please join us in congratulating Craig and his family!

 

Daylight Saving Time May Not Trigger Heart Attacks After All, Study Finds

As most Americans prepare to turn their clocks back one hour on Sunday, Nov. 2, a new study is casting doubt on a long-standing belief: that daylight saving time (DST) disrupts sleep enough to trigger a spike in heart attacks.

In a sweeping analysis of nearly 170,000 patients over a decade, researchers at Duke University School of Medicine found no significant increase in heart attacks during the weeks surrounding DST transitions — in neither spring nor fall.

The findings published Sept. 9 in JAMA Network Open challenge earlier, smaller studies that suggested the spring time change, which robs people of an hour of sleep, could lead to a rise in cardiovascular events.

The only exception in the new study was a spike in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) cases following spring DST in 2020, coinciding with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a period of widespread stress, uncertainty, and disruptions to health care.

“This is the most comprehensive look we’ve had at the relationship between DST and heart health,” said lead study author Jennifer Rymer, MD, an interventional cardiologist at Duke Health and an associate professor of medicine in cardiology at Duke School of Medicine. “And the data simply don’t support the idea that changing the clocks causes a surge in heart attacks.”

The study, published using data from the American College of Cardiology Chest Pain MI Registry, examined cases from 2013 to 2022, with analysis conducted between March 2024 and May 2025.

Daylight saving time is the practice of changing clocks twice a year to take advantage of a longer day in warmer months. Lawmakers continue to debate whether to make DST permanent, or to end it altogether.

Duke, along with colleagues, compared heart attack rates during the week of DST — both spring and fall — with the weeks immediately before and after. In the spring, 28,678 patients (17.0%) were treated for AMI during the DST week, compared to 28,596 (16.9%) the week before and 28,169 (16.7%) the week after.

Fall numbers showed a similar pattern: 27,942 patients (16.5%) during DST week, 27,365 (16.2%) the week prior, and 28,120 (16.7%) the week following.

Patient demographics remained stable throughout the study, with a median age of 65 and women making up about one-third of cases.

Researchers found no meaningful differences in hospital deaths, strokes, or other outcomes tied to daylight saving time.

“Advances in post-heart attack treatment over the past decade may also explain why our study did not find statistically significant changes in outcomes, unlike earlier, smaller studies,” said Rymer, who performs procedures, such as angioplasty and stent placement, to quickly open blocked coronary arteries and stop heart attacks.

The study’s authors suggest that previous findings may have been skewed by smaller sample sizes and limited geographic scope.

The broader scope and inclusion of states like Arizona and Hawaii — where DST is not observed — in the new study helped provide a natural control group and perhaps a more accurate picture.

“There are many reasons why heart attacks might become more common during certain times of the year — like when there’s a spike in flu cases or other respiratory illnesses,” Rymer said. “So, while this study looked at heart attack rates around daylight saving time, it’s important to remember that other seasonal factors could also be playing a role.”

Sleep Still Matters

Still, the researchers caution that sleep remains a critical factor in heart health. Poor sleep and extremes in sleep duration — less than six or more than nine hours — have been consistently linked to increased cardiovascular risk.

One hour of additional sleep, studies show, can reduce the risk of heart attack by as much as 20% in short sleepers.

As work schedules have become more flexible and remote jobs more common since the COVID-19 pandemic, the one-hour shift caused by daylight saving time may no longer disrupt daily routines as much as it once did.

With fewer rigid work-hour boundaries and more digital connectivity, the time change may have less impact on sleep patterns and overall health.

While the new findings may ease fears about heart attacks, other studies have linked the time change to increased risk of stroke, car accidents, and workplace injuries.

Additional Authors include Shung Li, Karen Chiswell, PhD, Aman Kansal, MD, Michael G. Nanna, MD, Jorge Antonio Gutierrez, MD, Dmitriy N Feldman, MD, Sunil V. Rao, MD, and senior author Rajesh V. Swaminathan, MD.

Funding was provided by the American College of Cardiology. This article was written by Shantell Kirkendoll for Duke SOM’s Magnify publication.

 

Duke Heart Team Awarded NHLBI R01

Congratulations to Gerald Bloomfield, Svati Shah (Duke Multi-PIs) and Winstone Nyandiko (Moi University PI)! They have been awarded an R01 from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) for their project entitled: Cardiac function and proteomic biomarkers in individuals with perinatal HIV infection or exposure.

The team will follow a cohort of adolescents and young adults with perinatally-acquired HIV in Kenya to screen for subclinical cardiac dysfunction by echocardiogram, as well as proteomic biomarkers indicative of inflammation and other pathways. By comparing three groups (with HIV, never exposed to HIV, exposed to HIV in utero but without HIV), the team aims to identify the specific contributions of HIV exposure and infection to early cardiac dysfunction in a young cohort. Findings will inform early preventive interventions.

The grant is an R01 mechanism award totaling $4.8M over 5 years.

Way to go, team!

 

Note of Gratitude

We received a lovely note that was originally sent to James Mills regarding care provided by Deepa Upadhyaya and wanted to share it with our Pulse readers:

“Hi Jim, I am writing to share with you my gratitude and appreciation for the care Deepa extended as a care provider for my family member at DRAH. She was thoughtful and knowledgeable and went out of her way to provide amazing professional care. She went well above what was asked of her as a consultant, an old school physician combining the art and science of medicine. Having colleagues such as Deepa is so meaningful.” — All the best, Lynne Koweek, MD

We are lucky to have you on our team, Deepa!

 

 

Duke Heart Adds New Family Member

A belated congratulations to Fran Reda, nurse practitioner at Arringdon, and her husband on the birth of their daughter, Anne Douglas Reda, back on May 22! Anne weighed 8lbs 12oz and was 21 inches at birth. All are doing well!

 

DCRI’s Beyond the Endpoint Season Two

The Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) launched season 2 of the podcast, Beyond the Endpoint, this week with an episode on autism featuring the interim director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Dr. Lauren Franz. The podcast is co-hosted by Manesh Patel and Emily O’Brien (PopHealth).

Beyond the Endpoint launches every other Wednesday on major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Topics planned for the remainder of 2025 include three ‘Beyond the Headlines’ episodes (science-grounded discussions on current headlines); a three-part series on obesity; the use of AI in medicine; colorectal cancer, and behavioral interventions in research. The season will continue through spring of 2026. Guests have been a mix of Duke experts and colleagues from beyond the university.

DUHS & SOM Updates:

Use of Patient Transport Elevators (DUH)

Please remind your teams to refrain from using patient transport elevators. Beginning Tuesday, September 16, new signage will be installed to indicate which elevators in DN and the DCT are designated for patient transport only and should not be used by staff for non-patient transport activities. Your support is appreciated as we work to efficiently care for each patient.

Duke Financial Fitness Week

Each year Duke Human Resources offers a series of free, virtual webinars designed to help you understand your benefits, make smart money moves, and to plan for the future during Duke Financial Fitness Week, Sept. 22-25, 2025. To see the full schedule and RSVP for individual Zoom sessions, please visit: https://hr.duke.edu/benefits/finance/financial-fitness/

These sessions are open to all Duke employees — staff, faculty, and anyone interested in learning more about their benefits. No matter your age or contribution status, there’s something here for you. Questions? Contact the Duke Human Resource Information Center at 919-684-5600 or email hr@duke.edu.

Open Enrollment for 2026

The Open Enrollment period for 2026 medical benefits this fall will be extended to three weeks to provide employees with more time to consider the options that best meet their needs. Open enrollment will be Oct. 6-24, 2025. Changes are coming for 2026, including the move from Aetna to Cigna Healthcare for the administration of all medical plans. To learn more, visit: https://hr.duke.edu/benefits/enrollment/oe/.

Non-Clinician Headshot Day

Huth Photo is planning a Headshot Day for non-clinicians on Sept. 23. Register Here. Appointments are still available! You can email office@huthphoto.com to be added to their distribution list so you don’t miss future headshot day announcements. Clinical provider headshots are taken by DUHS Marketing & Communications. Contact Tracey Koepke for that schedule.

SOM Town Hall

Dean Klotman will host a School of Medicine Town Hall on September 30 at 12 pm. All faculty, staff, students, and residents are invited to attend. A Zoom link will be available closer to the date of the event.

Bass Connections

Bass Connections is now accepting proposals for 2026-2027 projects that engage faculty, undergraduates and graduate/professional students in the interdisciplinary exploration of complex societal challenges. Please see the project proposal guidelines.

Climate and Health Course

Free Duke Coursera course for the Duke community: Climate and Health for Healthcare Professions.

  

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

September: National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness month

October 9: Flu vaccination season launch

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds Begins

Cardiologist Bernard Gersh, MB, ChB, DPhil, adjunct professor in the Duke Department of Medicine, will kick off the Cardiology Grand Rounds on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 5 p.m.

Sept. 16 — Changing Approaches to Risk Stratification in Chronic Coronary Syndromes and Implications for Prevention with Dr. Bernard Gersh. 5 p.m., Duke North 2002 or via Zoom.

 

 

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Stead Tread 5K Run/Walk – September 20

Department of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency Program annual 5K. 9 a.m., at Solite Park in Durham.

The division with the most participants gets a trophy! Register or donate HERE. Sign up by September 1 to guarantee you will get an event T-shirt! Reach out to event planner Victor Ayeni (victor.ayeni@duke.edu) with any questions.

Get that trophy, Duke Cardiology!

 

Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium — October 4

This year’s symposium is designed to address emerging clinical questions in echocardiography, updated guideline recommendations, and new imaging modalities through case-based learning and practical applications. The 2025 agenda features expert-led sessions on updated ASE guidelines, coronary artery disease evaluation, strain imaging in cardiomyopathies, tricuspid valve disease, cardiac POCUS, and technical skills development through hands-on breakout sessions. Trent Semans Center, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

To register, please visit https://duke.is/b/vd87.

 

2025 Triangle Heart Walk – October 11

Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek

3801 Rock Quarry Rd, Raleigh, NC 27610.

Festivities begin at 7:30 a.m.; “Welcome” program will begin at 8:45 a.m. with the Walk immediately following. The event venue will be open through 11 a.m.

 

New Faculty Orientation – October 13

The School of Medicine’s annual Academic New Faculty Orientation will be held Monday, October 13, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center.

To learn more and register, please visit https://duke.is/SOM-NFO.

 

Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection Opening – October 29

The collection opening celebration is scheduled for October 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the Holsti Anderson Family Assembly Room, Room 153, Rubenstein Library, Duke University, West Campus.

 

17th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium — October 31

This symposium will explore optimal diagnostic strategies for treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, treatment selection, and timely referrals to specialized PH centers. Clinically challenging presentations, including CTD-PAH, CPPC PH, CTEPH, PH associated with ILD, COPD, portopulmonary hypertension, and PH in end-stage renal disease, will be addressed — with a focus on frontline providers — through interactive lectures and robust case-based discussions. Durham Convention Center. To register, please visit: https://medicine.duke.edu/17th-annual-north-carolina-research-triangle-pulmonary-hypertension-symposium.

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here. 

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 me 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: 

September 6 — Joseph Turek

Oman Observer via NYT syndicate

Doctors find early success with partial heart transplants

August 29 — Duke Health

Medthority

Health Rounds: Shingles vaccine may lower the risk of heart attack and stroke; Partial heart transplants for children with valve disorders

September 7 — Susan Spratt (Endocrinology)

Khaleej Times via NYT syndicate

Four surprising ways healthy heart habits benefit your whole body

September 7 — Renato Lopes

Eurasia Review

Positive Results Revealed From First Prospective Trial In Heart Failure Due To Chagas Disease

September 7 — Fawaz Alenezi

Conexiant/Cardiology

AI Accurately Flags HCM on Echo

September 8 — Sreekanth Vemulapalli

Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology

Idorsia to Work with Two Academic Medical Centers on Initiative for Managing Difficult-to-Control Hypertension

September 9 — Jennifer Rymer

Medpage Today

Don’t Pin Heart Attacks on Daylight Savings Time, Study Says

September 10 — Robert Lefkowitz

Medical Economics

Could a doctor draft improve physician leadership, research, and U.S. health care?

September 11 — Duke University (Heart study)

Cal Coast Times

New Study Reveals Daylight Saving Time Doesn’t Raise Heart Attack Risk

Highlights of the week:

Applefeld, Narcisse Named Co-Directors, Cardiology Grand Rounds

We are excited to share that Drs. Willard Applefeld and Dennis Narcisse are now serving as our newest co-directors of Cardiology Grand Rounds.

Please let them know if you have suggested topics or speakers you would like them to consider inviting to present to us over the coming year. They can be reached at willard.applefeld@duke.edu and dennis.narcisse@duke.edu.

Congratulations, Willard and Dennis!

 

Bernard Gersh to Present CGR Opener

Cardiologist Bernard Gersh, MB, ChB, DPhil, adjunct professor in the Duke Department of Medicine, will kick off the first cardiology grand rounds of the year on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025.

Gersh is Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and a consultant in cardiovascular diseases and internal medicine. His past positions include the W. Proctor Harvey Teaching Professor of Cardiology and Chief of the Division of Cardiology at Georgetown University Medical Center. Gersh received his MB, ChB, from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

Sept. 16 — Topic TBD with Dr. Bernard Gersh. 5 p.m., Duke North 2002 or via Zoom.

 

Palma Re-Elected to CAAHEP Board

Congratulations to Richie Palma, director of the Duke Cardiac Ultrasound Certificate Program! Palma was recently re-elected to the Board of Directors for the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

Palma is also serving as the President of the North Carolina Ultrasound Society.

Great news, Richie!

 

 

Celebrating the Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection

Many of you know that Professor Emeritus in cardiology, Tom Bashore, MD, is a serious collector of historical medical devices and memorabilia. Upon his retirement last year, he donated the bulk of his collection to Duke University. His collection has been curated for display in the Rubenstein Library, and we are thrilled to announce that a celebration to open the exhibit will be held on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. in the Holsti Anderson Family Assembly Room, Room 153, Rubenstein Library, Duke University, West Campus.

Please join us in celebrating Tom and the Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection!

 

A New Addition to Duke Heart

A belated congratulations to Cara Hoke, MD, on the birth of her daughter, Harper, on June 24th. Both mom and baby are doing well! We send our warmest wishes to Cara and her family and look forward to meeting Harper very soon!

 

 

 

Reminder of Cardiology E-Consent Go-live:

Electronic consents will go-live in September for all of cardiology across all three Duke hospitals. A committee that included clinical providers has worked hard to make electronic consents easy and user-friendly.

Starting on the respective go-live dates, a new cardiology consent tab (“Cardiology e-consent”) will appear in EPIC, similar to the notes and orders tab. A provider can open that tab and create a consent. The only boxes that will need to be filled out are the attending physician performing the procedure and the type of procedure; from there, all the keywording will be filled in, and then signatures can be obtained. Signatures can be obtained on a desktop, phone, or tablet.

Go-live dates will be as follows:

• September 8th — Duke Regional Hospital
• September 15 — Duke Raleigh Hospital
• September 22 — Duke University Hospital

On the go-live date for each hospital, there will be in-person training for the e-consent process as well as videos and a PDF handout. Stacey Brower and Lisa McDonald are taking the lead on training.

 

DOM Annual Year in Review, Sept. 12

Join Department of Medicine Chair Dr. Kathleen Cooney, Vice Chairs Drs. Scott Palmer, and Julius Wilder for the Department of Medicine Annual Year in Review. September 12, 8-9 a.m., Duke South Amphitheater.

 

DUHS Updates:

The Open Enrollment period for 2026 medical benefits this fall will be extended to three weeks to provide employees with more time to consider the options that best meet their needs. Open enrollment will be Oct. 6-24, 2025. Several changes are coming for 2026, including the move to Cigna Healthcare for the administration of all medical plans. To learn more, visit: https://hr.duke.edu/benefits/enrollment/oe/.

Negotiations with Aetna continue as Duke works to protect our patients’ access to Duke Health and to advocate for appropriate reimbursement for the expert, complex care we provide. If Aetna does not agree to a new, fair contract, Duke Health will be out-of-network for patients with Aetna insurance starting Monday, October 20, 2025.

Scheduling Aetna Patients

We hope to have an agreement with Aetna before the termination date, and we are continuing to schedule and deliver care to our Aetna patients. As we approach our potential contract termination date, we are developing plans to prioritize open availability and reschedule patient appointments and procedures to minimize disruption to their care. This work will begin this coming week, and we will share details as plans are finalized.

Please visit Duke Health Now for more information, FAQs, and resources for patients who have questions.

Finally, the updated DUH visitation policy took effect on September 1, with visiting hours starting at 6 a.m.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

September: National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month

October 9: Flu vaccination season launch

 

Stead Tread 5K Run/Walk – September 20

Department of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency Program annual 5K. 9 a.m., at Solite Park in Durham.

The division with the most participants gets a trophy! Register or donate HERE. Sign up by September 1 to guarantee you will get an event T-shirt! Reach out to event planner Victor Ayeni (victor.ayeni@duke.edu) with any questions.

Get that trophy, Duke Cardiology!

 

 

 

Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium — October 4

This year’s symposium is designed to address emerging clinical questions in echocardiography, updated guideline recommendations, and new imaging modalities through case-based learning and practical applications. The 2025 agenda features expert-led sessions on updated ASE guidelines, coronary artery disease evaluation, strain imaging in cardiomyopathies, tricuspid valve disease, cardiac POCUS, and technical skills development through hands-on breakout sessions. Trent Semans Center, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

To register, please visit https://events.duke.edu/DukeCIS2025.

 

2025 Triangle Heart Walk – October 11

Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek

3801 Rock Quarry Rd, Raleigh, NC 27610.

 

Festivities begin at 7:30 a.m.; “Welcome” program will begin at 8:45 a.m. with the Walk immediately following. The event venue will be open through 11 a.m.

 

New Faculty Orientation – October 13

The School of Medicine’s annual Academic New Faculty Orientation will be held Monday, October 13, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center.

To learn more and register, please visit https://duke.is/SOM-NFO.

 

17th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium — October 31

This symposium will explore optimal diagnostic strategies for treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, treatment selection, and timely referrals to specialized PH centers. Clinically challenging presentations, including CTD-PAH, CPPC PH, CTEPH, PH associated with ILD, COPD, portopulmonary hypertension, and PH in end-stage renal disease, will be addressed — with a focus on frontline providers — through interactive lectures and robust case-based discussions. Durham Convention Center. To register, please visit: https://medicine.duke.edu/17th-annual-north-carolina-research-triangle-pulmonary-hypertension-symposium.

 

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here. 

 

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 me 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: 

August 29 — Duke Health

Reuters

Health Rounds: Shingles vaccine may lower the risk of heart attack and stroke; Partial Heart Transplants for Children with Valve Disorders

August 30 — Robert Califf

JAMA Cardiology/Editorial

Evidence About Benefits and Risks of Vaccines: Challenges in Science, Medicine, Public Health, and Culture

August 30 — Gerald Bloomfield

JAMA Cardiology/Editorial

WHO STEPS and the Future of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

September 1 — Renato Lopes

tctMD

AQUATIC: More Than 6 Months After PCI, Don’t Use Aspirin With OAC

September 1 — Renato Lopes

tctMD

PARACHUTE-HF: Sacubitril/Valsartan Effective in Neglected Chagas Cardiomyopathy

September 1 — Christopher Granger

tctMD

HI-PRO: Oral Apixaban for 1 Year Protective, Safe in Provoked VTE Patients

September 2 — Nenad Bursac

WPTF Afternoon News (92.9 FM/680 AM)

Dr. Nenad Bursac Professor of Cell Biology at Duke University

September 2 — Robert Califf

Breaking Med

Cardiovascular Hospitalizations Lower With High-Dose Flu Vaccine, Analysis Suggests

September 3 — Neha Pagidipati

Healio/Cardiology Today

Zilebesiran trial shows no significant impact on BP in high CV risk cohort

September 3 — Joseph Turek

Juta Medical Brief (Africa)

Partial heart transplant shows promise in heart disease – US study

September 4 — Duke Health (Heart)

Becker’s Hospital Review/Cardiology

Value-based care scores of US News’ top 50 heart hospitals

September 4 — Duke University (Heart)

Becker’s Hospital Review

Top 15 universities for cardiology: US News

September 4 — Manesh Patel

HCP Live

Updating the Hypertension Treatment Landscape With Manesh Patel, MD

September 4 — Tazeen Jafar (Duke-NUS Medical School)

tctMD

Home-Based Intervention Drops Blood Pressure in Rural South Africa