Highlights of the week:

Chapel Climb in Honor of Pam Douglas this week!

Some of you may be aware that Pamela Douglas is having health issues and has taken a temporary step back from her duties. To show support for her during this time, Academic Affairs and colleagues at DCRI organized a small fundraiser to benefit causes that are dear to Pam’s heart and indicative of the extraordinary work she pursues here at Duke Heart.

The group held a Duke Chapel Climb Wednesday, Aug. 21 with two teams being led by Kristen Tuminski and Lori Betz.  The group embarked between 8:30-8:45 a.m.  They did a collective 3,346 steps up and 3,346 down for a total of 6,692 steps!  See the great photos included. The Climbers in no particular order included: David Sielaty, Brenda Pattison, Lori Betz, Michael Nanna, Trish Cowper, Eric Peterson, Lori Snyder, Regina McNair, Kathleen Miller, Aurea Gagliardotto, Chiarra Melloni, Ann Brown, Kristen Tuminski, and Geoff (hubby).

The money raised will support one of three funds at Duke:

• Douglas Ginsberg Fund for Gender Equity in Academic Medicine
• Pamela S. Douglas, MD Visiting Scholar in Cardiovascular Imaging
• Pamela S. Douglas, MD Cardiovascular Imaging Research Fund

Speaking with Geoff and Pam this weekend, they are clearly touched by the show of support from this event and all that the Duke Family have done in reaching out to help support them.  Thank you all.  Wishing Pam a speedy recovery.

 

 

 

Nishant Shah Joins Duke Heart

Please join us in welcoming Nishant Shah, MD to the Duke Heart team! Shah officially joined the cardiology faculty on Monday, August 19 as assistant professor in medicine and we are excited for his assistance with our mission to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease in our community.

Shah recently completed his fellowship training at the Cleveland Clinic, where he excelled both clinically and academically. Throughout his training, he worked with leaders in the field of cardiovascular prevention as he pursued his clinical and research interests in genetic hyperlipidemia disorders, complex cholesterol management, and cholesterol biomarkers such as lipoprotein(a). While in Cleveland, he led initiatives to understand the pathogenic mechanisms of lipoprotein(a), as well as its role in diabetes and calcific aortic valve disease.

He says he gravitated to the field of cardiology because it offers the ability to provide comprehensive care to patients with a mix of procedures and imaging, as well as the ability to build long-term relationships with patients.

With Duke Heart, he will continue to advance his clinical and research interests by collaborating across teams within Duke’s CRU and the Duke Clinical Research Institute. Given his background and clinical experience, he will help expand our preventive efforts in both Wake and Durham counties, as he will see patients at Duke Cardiology of Raleigh and Duke Cardiology of South Durham as well as round at both Duke Raleigh Hospital and Duke University Hospital.

Shah earned his MD in 2013 at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He then completed his internal medicine residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital before moving on to his cardiovascular medicine fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. Shah is a 2009 graduate of North Carolina State University (B.S., Biochemistry).

Nishant and wife Nikita are Triangle-area natives, as well as proud parents to Amara, their newborn daughter (4 weeks old this week). They are excited to be back in the area and look forward to raising a family as they start this next adventure with us. Please join us in welcoming him to Duke when you see him!

 

VAD Team Earns Recertification

We are pleased to announce that our Mechanical Circulatory Support Program successfully completed their bi-annual Joint Commission review on August 20. The reviewer stated that is was the first time, ever, that she had zero findings with a program. Congratulations to the full MCS staff and to our multidisciplinary teams who support VAD patients throughout Duke who helped make this such a successful visit! Special thanks to Carmelo Milano, Laura Blue, Stu Russell, Maria Carroll and Jill Engel for their leadership and commitment to the MCS program. Great job, everyone!

 

Kudos to 7300

Stephanie Barnes, co-team leader of our cardiology APPs, sent us a note this week commending the DUH 7300 staff for their exemplary exhibit of teamwork at shift change on Tuesday night. A rapid response had been called for a patient, and the team worked calmly and seamlessly to navigate the RRT. In particular, she noted the teamwork between day and night shifts, and Monica, the nurse manager for 7300, coming down to help. Great job to everyone, especially Emily, Diana, Edna, Erin, Melinda, Marylou and Lindsay, and many thanks to Kelly V. and Sas for coming back to help in this situation. Barnes stated, “It is an honor to get to work with this excellent team.” We concur!

 

Flu Vaccination Drill: Sept. 19; Time to Prep

It is time to start preparing for the 2019 Duke Health Flu Vaccination Campaign. Each year all healthcare team members who perform their duties in a Duke Health facility or a community home-based setting are required to comply with our flu vaccination policies by either being vaccinated annually against the flu or receiving an approved exemption. This is in alignment with our core value of “caring for our patients, their loved ones and each other.”

To help vaccinate our team and comply with this policy, we will hold the 24-hour Mass Vaccination Drill again this year. This year’s drill will begin on Thursday, Sept. 19 and conclude on Friday, Sept. 20. The first step to prepare for the drill is to order your peer-to-peer vaccination supply for your unit (see management email from Aug. 22).  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jason Zivica.

 

Duke’s Lynda.com is Now LinkedIn Learning

Duke’s Office of Information Technology announced this week that Duke has transitioned from LinkedIn’s popular learning site lynda.com to their new platform LinkedIn Learning. To access LinkedIn Learning at Duke, connect here: http://training.oit.duke.edu/lil.

LinkedIn Learning is a great way for staff members to develop and refine skills as well as learn new programs and serves as a supplement to offerings by Duke’s Office of Learning and Organization Development.

If you have saved or shared lynda.com tutorials, please check and update links, as appropriate. A video tutorial on how to use LinkedIn Learning is available online. If you have any questions or concerns, email oit-training@duke.edu.

 

Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:

September 22: Triangle Heart Walk.

Check in starts at 12:30 p.m.; the walk is at 2 p.m. at PNC Arena. Have you registered? Please consider joining us. It is not too late to register as a team captain or to join an already formed team (there are several to join as part of Duke Heart as well as all major DUHS entities) – please visit: https://www2.heart.org/site/TR?company_id=209022&fr_id=4327&pg=company

Consider joining our Heart Center team aimed at partnering to advance cardiovascular health through community engagement (PACE). I am team Captain and walkers that join will have some fun walk day activities with the Patel Clan.  Here is the link (or search for “PACE”): http://www2.heart.org/goto/PACEHeartWalkTeam

DIHI RFA Funding Cycle Open for applications

Duke Institute for Health Innovation has announced the next emerging ideas and innovation funding cycle for demonstration pilots. Proposed innovation projects should address actual and important problems encountered by care providers, patients and their loved ones, and represent urgent health challenges nationally. For the upcoming funding cycle, DIHI is specifically interested in problems and solutions that align with the following thematic areas:

• Novel strategies (care models) to improve value of care delivery
• Enhancing provider and staff experience and well-being
• Enhancing patient engagement and experience
• Accelerating population health solutions and strategies

Please visit www.dihi.org/funding for additional information and instructions. DEADLINE for submitting applications is 6 p.m. Friday, October 4, 2019. All proposals are required to have a DUHS operational lead as a co-sponsor.

If the DIHI team can be of any assistance in the formulation of ideas or connections, please contact Suresh Balu (suresh.balu@duke.edu). We look forward to your innovative solutions.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart 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 Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged.

Duke Heart in the News:

August 19 — Yuichirio Yano (Family Medicine & Community Health)

Reuters Health

African Americans need 24-hour blood pressure checks

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-blood-pressure-blacks/african-americans-need-24-hour-blood-pressure-checks-idUKKCN1V91YG

August 20 — William Yancy (Internal Medicine/Duke Diet & Fitness Center)

The New York Times

The Keto Diet Is Popular, but Is It Good for You?

Highlights of the week:

2000th Duke Lung Transplant Performed

Congratulations to John Haney and team for performing the 2000^th lung transplant at Duke last weekend. Haney was assisted in the surgery by R. Patrick Davis, one of our cardiovascular and thoracic surgery residents. This is an extraordinary milestone. Way to go!

 

 

 

 

 

Good Catch, Sturdevant!

Thank you to Missy Sturdevant, one of our amazing nurses on 3100, for her good catch! She caught that oxycodone discharge instructions were not correct based on the ordered medication. An investigation revealed that the SMART phrase being used by providers in discharge instructions told patient to take 1-3 tablets every 3 hours as needed (Rx was for 5 mg Oxycodone)! The Good Catch Award was presented on Thursday by Judy Milne, DUH patient safety officer, and Tracy Gosselin, DUH chief nursing and patient care services officer.

 

 

 

Safe Choices Held

Our 12^th Safe Choices event was held on Wednesday evening, August 14 in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center. It was an informative evening with excellent discussion. Many thanks to all who joined us as participants and as speakers.  Thanks to the staff, faculty, fellows, and residents that came to the meeting.

 

Softball Season Opens with a Win!

We are delighted to report that our favorite softball team, Number Needed to Harm, won their season opener against Moore & Van Allen, 12-5. The game was held at Valley Springs Park. NNH is part of the Durham Co-Rec Softball league and captained by cardiology fellow, Michael Nanna. Congratulations, everyone!

 

Happy Birthday, August Babies!

We have a number of Duke Heart team members celebrating birthdays in August! Happy birthday to Anna Lisa Crowley (8/11), L. Kristin Newby (8/13), Jill Engel (8/15), Magnus Ohman (8/17), and Brian Costa – all celebrating birthdays in the past week. Earlier this month: Dee Gunn (8/1), Dan Mark (8/1), Tracey Koepke (8/1), Chris Walters (8/1), Tracy Wang (8/3), Carl Chmielewski (8/6), Deepak Voora (8/6), and Joe Kisslo (8/10). Coming up: Mike Sketch (8/21), Ken Morris (8/24) and Tristram Bahnson (8/28).We wish you many, many more!

 

Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:

September 22: Triangle Heart Walk.

Check in starts at 12:30 p.m.; the walk is at 2 p.m. at PNC Arena. Have you registered? Please consider joining us. It is not too late to register as a team captain or to join an already formed team (there are several to join as part of Duke Heart as well as all major DUHS entities) – please visit: https://www2.heart.org/site/TR?company_id=209022&fr_id=4327&pg=company

Consider Joining our Heart Center team aimed at partnering to advance cardiovascular health through community engagement (PACE).

Here is the link for the team or search PACE

http://www2.heart.org/goto/PACEHeartWalkTeam

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart 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 Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

August 12 — Tony Gutierrez

Gizmodo

Can You Laugh to Death?

https://gizmodo.com/can-you-laugh-to-death-1837166366

 

August 14 — Yuichiro Yano (Family Medicine)

Healio/Cardiology Today

Higher daytime, nighttime BP increases CV, mortality risk in black adults

http://tiny.cc/6jyabz

Highlights of the week:

Duke Receives MI Registry Platinum Award

Duke University Hospital has received the American College of Cardiology’s National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2019. Duke is one of only 225 hospitals nationwide to reach this level of performance, which is given to those groups demonstrating sustained achievement for eight consecutive quarters of performance measures in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction patients through the implementation of ACC/American Heart Association Clinical Guideline Recommendations.

Way to go!

Duke Heart Welcomes Visiting Doc from SE Health

We were pleased to have Troy Sterk, DO, visit with us on Friday, August 9. Sterk is with Southeastern Health, our Duke Heart Network affiliate in Lumberton, NC. Sterk was on-site at Duke University Hospital rounding with our cardiology team.

We met up with him in the cath lab where he was observing a case done by James Tcheng. Glad to host you and we hope to see you again soon!

 

 

Duke & CSL Research Acceleration Initiative

CSL Behring is partnering with Duke University to accelerate research and to identify and commercialize promising new technologies with the CSL Research Acceleration Initiative. Representatives from CSL Behring were here on Tuesday to meet with researchers and discuss opportunities; they are particularly interested in offering research grants focused on translational/discovery research, so we are really hoping to drive a number of cardiovascular applications from faculty members within Duke Heart. CSL Behring is a global biotechnology leader and, as many of you know, Pierluigi Tricoci is now serving as CSL Behring’s executive director for their Cardiovascular and Metabolic Therapeutic area. This is a great opportunity if your research interests dovetail with theirs. Deadline to apply is August 30. To access the application and to learn more, please visit: https://researchfunding.duke.edu/duke-and-csl-research-acceleration-initiative.

Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:

September 22: Triangle Heart Walk.

Check in starts at 12:30 p.m.; the walk is at 2 p.m. at PNC Arena. Have you registered? Please consider joining us. It is not too late to register as a team captain or to join an already formed team (there are several to join as part of Duke Heart as well as all major DUHS entities) – please visit: https://www2.heart.org/site/TR?company_id=209022&fr_id=4327&pg=company

Consider Joining my team – PACE (partnership for advancing cardiovscular health through community engagement). 

We are going to have a bunch of fun events – including the day of the walk.  Please considering bringing family, friends, and pets — pictured here are some photos of the heart walk including Bosco who has done the walk with us before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the link for the team or search PACE

http://www2.heart.org/goto/PACEHeartWalkTeam

Call for applications: 2020 ADVANCE-UP Program

ADVANCE-UP: Academic DeVelopment, Advocacy, Networking, Coaching and Education for Underrepresented Populations

The School of Medicine Office for Faculty is now accepting applications for the 2020 ADVANCE-UP Faculty Development Program. This is a year-long program starting in January that will provide in-depth opportunities for academic development, mentoring, and networking for faculty from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds. To learn more and to access the application, please visit: https://medschool.duke.edu/about-us/faculty-resources/faculty-development/our-programs/advance

ICYMI: State Health Plan Update

Late yesterday, the North Carolina State Treasurer issued a statement that the State Health Plan network would include health systems and providers that participate in Blue Option offered by Blue Cross Blue Shield NC. That means Duke Health and PDC providers will be in-network and receive the same reimbursement rates in 2020.

The short-term crisis has been averted for now, but attempts like this by large employers to reduce their health care costs are not going away. Now is the time for us to get serious about reducing the cost of healthcare. We can do this optimally by working together with Duke University Health System to provide greater value for our patients. The statement from the treasurer is available here.

PDC Public Statement on State Health Plan

On behalf of the physicians and providers of the Private Diagnostic Clinic, we appreciate the State Treasurer’s decision to maintain and protect access to health care services for state employees and their families. We stand ready to work with the Treasurer and state leaders to create a long-term plan that focuses on value instead of cost, and is transparent and sustainable for the state of North Carolina, patients, and health care systems and providers.

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart 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 Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

August 2 — Sunil Rao

tctMD/the heart beat

Conversations in Cardiology: The Push for High-Sensitivity Troponin

https://www.tctmd.com/news/conversations-cardiology-push-high-sensitivity-troponin

 

August 5 — Tracy Wang

tctMD/the heart beat

Best Strategy Questioned for NSTE ACS Patients With Prior CABG

https://www.tctmd.com/news/best-strategy-questioned-nste-acs-patients-prior-cabg

 

August 5 — Laura Schanberg (Pediatrics & Duke Clinical Research Institute)

Lupus.org

Study Finds Genetic Connection to Hypertension in People with Childhood-Onset Lupus

https://www.lupus.org/news/study-finds-genetic-connection-to-hypertension-in-people-with-childhoodonset-lupus

 

 

Highlights of the week:

Shah & Douglas Receive $5 Million NIH Grant Award

Congratulations to Svati Shah and Pamela Douglas! They received notification this week that the National Institutes of Health has awarded them a grant of $5 million to study the clinical and molecular epidemiology of vulnerable plaque. The grant will use integrated -omics to identify novel pathways and circulating biomarkers that are associated with vulnerable plaque characteristics and incident cardiovascular events using biospecimens from the PROMISE, ROMICAT, Framingham Heart Study and Jackson Heart Study.

Way to go!

Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:

CVRC to Hold Open House

The Duke Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC) will hold an open house on Friday, September 13 from 5-6:30 p.m. to celebrate their newly renovated space in the Carl Building. Everyone from Duke Heart is welcome to attend. There will be opening remarks from leadership; refreshments, and a tour of the space. We look forward to seeing you there and to celebrating with our CVRC team! So that we may have an accurate head count, please let Cheryl Woodard know by Sept. 9^th if you plan to attend. Her email is cheryl.woodard@duke.edu.

Duke Heart-sponsored CME

Registration is now open for the following Duke Heart-sponsored CME activities:

• September 7^th: 9^th Annual Duke EP Summit, J.B. Duke Hotel
• September 21^st: 2^nd Annual Duke Heart Symposium for APPs, J.B. Duke Hotel
• November 1: 11^th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium, Durham Convention Center.

The following CME activities will take place in 2020, but formal registration is not yet open:

• April 18^th: 7^thAnnual Duke Sports Cardiology & Sudden Death in Athletes Symposium, Trent Semans Center
• May 2^nd: 20^thAnnual Andrew G. Wallace Symposium — Preventive Cardiology: My How Times Have Changed, Washington Duke Inn
• June 4^th – 5^th: Duke/Stanford Cardiovascular Research Symposium, Trent Semans Center

 

Flu Vaccination Blitz to Begin Sept. 19

Duke will kick off our annual flu vaccination campaign with a 24-hour Duke Health Mass Flu Vaccination Blitz on Thursday, September 19. Mass vaccination clinics will be available at each of the hospitals, with peer vaccination available throughout DUHS and the PDC.

 

Following the drill, the annual flu vaccination program will continue providing many additional opportunities to receive the vaccine. A schedule of vaccination clinics will be posted on the employee intranet in early September. This list will be updated throughout the vaccination season. Vaccination is also available at Employee Occupational Health and Wellness (EOHW) offices during business hours.

 

ICYMI: NC Medicaid Open Enrollment

North Carolina is changing the way it offers health insurance coverage for most people eligible for Medicaid. Eligible patients have until September 13, 2019 to choose a health plan offered by one of four managed care companies in our area. These companies are AmeriHealth Caritas, Blue Cross Blue Shield HealthyBlue, UnitedHealthcare, and WellCare. Each plan offers the same basic benefits and services. Duke Health and other health systems are currently finalizing contracts with these four companies and intends to participate in one or more of these managed care health plans.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart 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 Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

August 1 — Anthony Viera (Family Medicine & Community Health)

Consumer Reports/Yahoo News

What to Know About Prediabetes, Prehypertension, and Other Prediseases

https://news.yahoo.com/know-prediabetes-prehypertension-other-prediseases-000815847.html

 

July 29 — Sreekanth Vemulapalli

tctMD/the heart beat

RAS Inhibition After TAVR Gains More Support, but RCT Still Needed

https://www.tctmd.com/news/ras-inhibition-after-tavr-gains-more-support-rct-still-needed