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
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