Home » 2020 » April

Monthly Archives: April 2020

Duke Heart – April 25th 2020 – “Slow Burn and the New Normal”

April 26, 2020 / Leave a comment

Chief’s message:

Slow burn and the getting to a sense of normal

It is hard not to lament the life both in medicine and outside the hospital that we all were living just a few months ago. In fact, in the hospital where despite the entry screening for symptoms, mandatory masks, conversations with scared patient families, there is still somewhat a sense of purpose and normal order to the care we aim to deliver. Much more has been the work our faculty, fellows, and staff have been dealing with around our isolation, the sense of loss of routine, and the upcoming end of the academic year. By now it is clear that we are not at the Peak of COVID-19, rather we have all worked hard to reduce the peak – and hopefully have helped “Flatten the Curve.” We are likely in the important slower longer care process – “Slow Burn” of the long time of learning and adapting to our new way of life in caring for patients, education, and even community commerce. As of writing this, we have as a group moved our entire clinical enterprise to telehealth and in-person urgent / semi urgent care settings. We will need to focus on ensuring our patients feel safe in getting care from us, as we deal with our own realization around the financial uncertainties in health care and the nation. One in six Americans are unemployed and several health systems have started to work to reduce their financial expenditures by furloughing and reducing wages.

It is in this setting, that we are supporting the COVID-19 care at Duke Health System while working to ensure coordinated care across our enterprise. We will be working with all of our colleagues in community to collectively help set the path forward. A path that will likely require persistence, flexibility, effort and characteristic innovation. I personally would like to thank the members of the Duke Heart Community, the Heart Center Leadership Council, the Clinical and Research section leaders, and most importantly our fellows and staff who help make if possible for our organization to pivot so quickly to care for our patients and each other.

Highlights of the week:

Celebrating Perfusion Week, April 27 – May 1

Please join us in recognizing our incredible perfusionists at Duke. Organized by the American Society of Extracorporeal Technology (AmSECT), Perfusion Week is an annual recognition of the positive impact that perfusionists have on the lives of patients. This year’s theme, “Saving Lives Is a Work of Heart,” honors the dedication of this team to improving the lives of patients around the world.

Given the increasing frequency of heart surgery and other cardiac procedures, perfusion is growing in importance in the healthcare community. In the past decade, perfusion has expanded to areas of perioperative blood management, wound healing, ventricular assistance, and advanced uses of extracorporeal circulation.

“Perfusionists are the backbone of open heart surgery and essential in conducting complex heart operations,” said Adam Williams, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon and Medical Director for Perfusion Services. “We are fortunate to have such a talented team of perfusionists at Duke. We thank all of you for your dedication and hard work!”

You may not know, but Duke perfusionist William Scott Snider serves as Treasurer on the national AmSect Board of Directors and pediatric perfusionist Amy Evans has a nice review article in the current issue (March/April 2020) of AmSECTODAY discussing the topic of fresh frozen plasma administration in infant cardiopulmonary bypass. Great work, Amy!

Take some time this week to show appreciation of the amazing work they do each and every day here in Duke Heart. Thank you and have a great #PerfusionWeek!

Administrative Professionals Day

Happy Administrative Professionals Day (officially celebrated on Wednesday, April 22) to all members of the administrative staff – we literally could not keep our offices going without these supportive roles. Thanks for all that you do!

ICYMI: Flags Lowered at Duke in Memory of Dr. Wolfe

All flags were lowered at Duke University earlier this week in memory of Dr. Walter Wolfe, cardiothoracic surgeon, who died on April 13. Duke Today ran the following story: https://today.duke.edu/2020/04/duke-flags-lowered-cardiothoracic-surgeon-walter-wolfe-dies-age-83.

Flags at half mast for the passing of Dr. Walter Wolfe.

Telemedicine Transformation

Reflecting the rapid incorporation of telemedicine across Duke Health and Duke Cardiology related to COVID-19, cardiology fellow Jedrek Wosik and a team of co-authors have described the impact of telehealth so far. Their manuscript “Telehealth Transformation: COVID-19 and the Rise of Virtual Care,” was accepted and published by the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA) in record time — 7 days!

Per the abstract: “Using examples reported by US healthcare organizations including ours, we describe the role telehealth has played in transforming healthcare delivery during the three phases of the US COVID-19 pandemic: 1) Stay-at-Home Outpatient Care; 2) Initial COVID-19 Hospital Surge, and 3) Post-Pandemic Recovery. Within each of these three phases, we examine how people, process and technology work together to support a successful telehealth transformation.” The text, figures and tables describe the rationale for and implementation of telehealth approaches, providing a framework for other enterprises to follow.

Congrats to the full team of authors: Jedrek Wosik, Marat Fudim, Blake Cameron, Ziad Gellad, Alex Cho, Donna Phinney, Simon Curtis, Matthew Roman, Eric Poon, Jeffrey Ferranti, Jason N Katz and James Tcheng. Outstanding work!

Courtney Stierwalt Named Clinical Lead, 3300

We are pleased to announce that Courtney Stierwalt, BSN, RN, PCCN will become Clinical Team Lead for 3300 effective April 27. Courtney started as a new graduate RN on 3300 in July of 2015. Courtney completed her Bachelor’s degree through Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Ohio. Courtney was recently promoted to a Clinical Nurse IV and has held multiple Leadership roles on 3300 serving as a Charge Nurse, Preceptor, and has on-boarded several new hires through her Unit Orientation Committee Chair role. Please join us in congratulating and welcoming Courtney to her new role.

Sonographers Advance to Level III

Congratulations to Cardiac Diagnostic Unit (CDU) cardiac sonographers: Robert “Curtis” Fitzhugh, Jeanne Gentry, Jon Owensby, and Carissa Marsiglio for achieving Level III on the Sonographer Clinical Ladder.

The entire CDU would like to thank them for their commitment and dedication to our patients and the Duke Team. Please take a moment to congratulate them on this great career achievement when you see them.

We know you’ve worked hard. This is well-deserved, Curtis, Jeanne, Jon, and Carissa! We are proud of you!

New Cardiac Sonographer Clinical Leads Appointed

The Cardiac Diagnostic Unit (CDU) leadership is excited to announce we have added three Cardiac Sonographer Clinical Leads to our leadership team. Congratulations to Jose “Danny” Rivera, Jon Owensby, and Brenda Sedberry. Their expertise, management, and mentorship of the cardiac sonographer group will strengthen the CDU and leadership teams.

Danny Rivera, Cardiac Sonographer Level III, attended Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida where he earned a degree in Cardiopulmonary Technology in December 2001. Danny began his career in January 2002 as an entry level cardiac sonographer in the Duke CDU. During his time at Duke, he has demonstrated leadership while being a charge technician, preceptor, Echo Advisor and serving on the TAVR OR and Cath Echo teams. He has taught student cardiac sonographers as well as cardiac and CT anesthesia fellows while performing his regular clinical duties. Danny excelled in learning and teaching new echo technologies through the years, including 3D echo and speckle track strain imaging. Early in his career he enjoyed being faculty and participating in “ECHO in Context” – one of the largest telemedicine broadcasts at the time. He holds RCS and ACS sonographer certifications.

Jon Owensby, Cardiac Sonographer Level III, started his medical career as a Respiratory Therapist at Vidant Health after graduating from Pitt Community College with an Associate of Applied Science: Respiratory Therapy degree in May, 2006. He returned to Pitt Community College and earned a diploma in echocardiology in August of 2007. Jon came to Duke in November of 2007 as a new cardiac sonographer graduate. Jon has grown to be a leader in the CDU. He serves as a charge technician, preceptor, an Echo congenital expert, and as a member of the TAVR OR and Cath Echo teams. He is involved in many research and education projects. Jon is the point sonographer for the Cardiology fellowship program. In 2018 Jon won selected by the cardiology fellows as their recipient of the Fellows Education Mentor award. In February, he received the Advanced Cardiac Sonographer certification, which is a benchmark of seasoned sonographers in the field.

Brenda Sedberry, Cardiac Sonographer Level III, is a 1982 graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Special Education. Prior to her arrival at Duke, Sedberry taught middle school special education, served as a Health and Rehab Protective Investigator for Children’s Services, and worked as a Human Services Counselor in a forensic psychiatric hospital. In 1995 Brenda received an Associate of Science Degree in Cardio-Pulmonary Technology from Santa Fe College and began her career in cardiac sonography at Duke in May of 1996. Brenda is a leader and mentor in the CDU unit. She actively serves on the Continuous Quality Improvement and accreditation teams, is involved in unit research, and is the primary staff scheduler. She has held a Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI) sonographer certification since 1996, and an American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) certification since 1997.

Please join us in congratulating Danny, Jon and Brenda!

McVeigh, Landa Taking New Roles within Duke Heart

Todd McVeigh is taking a position as an APP on the CTICU team starting August 1. He has taken this role to expand his wealth of knowledge as an APP and to expand his clinical role. Todd has been a tremendous asset to the Cardiology team in his APP role and as Co-Team Leader. He will be leaving the Team leader role as of July 1.

Rio Landa, FNP, MSN, has accepted the position of Co-Team Leader for Cardiology. Rio came to Duke in 2014 as a RN in the CTICU until 2017. She received her MSN degree and Family Nurse Practitioner from the Duke University School of Nursing. In October 2018, she joined the Duke Cardiology Team. Please welcome Rio in her new role as Co-Team Lead on the Cardiology team.

Congratulations, Todd and Rio!

Shout-out to Gentile, Cosgrove and Jollis!

We had some great teamwork out at the Southpoint clinic on April 15^th. Kevin Gentile, CDU exercise physiologist, did a stress test on a patient referred from one of our Duke Primary Care practices. Fran Cosgrove was the APP in clinic consenting the patient for stress tests. There was high suspicion the test would be positive, so Fran stayed in the room during the test. Immediately after the test (which was positive), Fran and Kevin called the CDU reader (Jamie Jollis). Jollis recommended next steps (a heart cath) and explained them to the patient via speakerphone. A cath was scheduled for the next day; the patient was found to have a high grade stenosis, and a stent was placed.

The great care this patient received looks a lot like it’s just another “regular” patient care experience here at Duke and in the CDU. Let’s not forget that we provide a level of care that exceeds what is offered elsewhere. This is what makes our team amazing: great skill sets, people who are devoted to patient care, and excellent teamwork! Way to go, Kevin, Fran and Jamie – thank you for all that you and our CDU team are doing to keep patients safe!

Team Spirit & Encouragement from Clinic 2F2G

Everyone is working hard to meet the challenges brought on by the pandemic. Our team in 2F2G is showing their team spirit with a thumbs-up to encourage everyone to keep up your spirits as well as the great camaraderie and teamwork. Have a great week, everyone!

COVID-19 Updates:

All the latest official DUHS information regarding coronavirus/COVID-19 response at the following locations:

Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Cardiology Grand Rounds are cancelled through May, with the exception of internal faculty gatherings to discuss information related to COVID-19. Invitations to those will come via Outlook.

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:

April 17 — Jason Theiling (Duke Surgery/Emergency Medicine)

WRAL.com

Virus fear leads to fewer patients in ERs

https://www.wral.com/coronavirus/Virus-fear-leads-to-fewer-patients-in-ers/19061049/

April 19 — William Kraus

Natural News

Prevent diabetes and heart disease by cutting at least 300 calories every day, regardless of your BMI

https://www.naturalnews.com/2020-04-19-prevent-diabetes-heart-disease-cut-300-calories-per-day.html

April 20 — Adrian Hernandez and Emily O’Brien

American Medical Association

Share your COVID-19 story to improve doctors’ safety, well-being

https://bit.ly/354Pj6E

April 21 — Christopher Granger

Spectrum News 14

4 p.m. Newscast: Calling 911 During A Pandemic

https://bit.ly/3eNubWF

April 21 — Manesh Patel

News & Observer

Fewer people are going to Triangle emergency rooms, and that could be a bad thing

https://bit.ly/3eNubWF

*This story was picked up in 11 other newspapers, including the Charlotte Observer and San Antonio Express-News

April 21 — Michael Dee Gunn and Thomas Denny (Duke Human Vaccine Institute)

WRAL.com

Health experts fear resurgence in coronavirus if NC reopens too quickly

https://bit.ly/3cNktBM

April 21 — Michael Dee Gunn and Thomas Denny (DHVI)

WTVD.com

Duke clinical trial hopeful as it studies plasma from COVID-19 survivors

https://bit.ly/3cNktBM

April 22 – Michael Dee Gunn and Thomas Denny (DHVI)

Spectrum News 14

4 a.m. Newscast: Antibodies, Testing & Contact Tracing for Coronavirus

https://bit.ly/2Kws0ZR

April 22 — DCRI (HERO Registry)

The Star/starfl.com (FL-based newspaper)

UF researchers join national study of COVID-19 impacts on health workers, potential remedies

https://bit.ly/2xKZrFn

April 22 — Michael Dee Gunn

USA Today

Fact Check: Trump says the US coronavirus mortality rate is ‘one of the lowest’ in the world

https://bit.ly/3cLzapg

April 22 — Ann Marie Navar

MedPage Today

Study: Off-Label Use of DOACs Worrisome for LV Thrombi

https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/prevention/86103

Duke Heart Week of April 19th 2020

April 19, 2020 / Leave a comment

In Memoriam: Walter G. Wolfe, MD, Professor of Surgery, Former Chief of Surgery & Cardiac Surgery at Durham VAMC

Walter G. Wolfe, MD, emeritus faculty member and a Duke cardiothoracic surgeon, died on Monday, April 13 at his home in Hillsborough, NC, in the comfort of his family and hospice providers. The cause was amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 83.

Dr. Wolfe’s service to Duke spanned more than four decades during which time he served in a number of leadership roles, including professor of surgery at Duke, associate director of Duke Heart Center (1994-2000), Program Director of the Duke Surgery Thoracic Residency Program (1994-2002) and Chief of Surgery and Cardiac Surgery at the Durham Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC).

Wolfe is widely credited as having led the cardiac surgery program at the VA to crown jewel status within the national VA Health System. Wolfe was appointed to the position by David C. Sabiston, MD, then head of surgery at Duke, at a time when the VA system was struggling. He inherited a program with surgical outcomes that were not as good as they needed to be, and a long waiting list of patients needing procedures. One by one, he addressed every challenge he encountered there.

“Walter took this position extremely seriously and kicked the whole system into shape,” recalled Ken Morris, MD, former head of cardiology at the Durham VAMC. “He scrubbed every case for the first year and managed to work through the entire waiting list with zero mortality. He revamped the program and brought a new esprit de corp to the VA.

“The greatest value was to the patients, of course, because they were receiving much better care and support, but it also opened the door to pursuing research clinical trials,” Morris added. “We worked in great collaboration there and had a great time doing it. He was a one-of-a-kind guy and he’d mess with you, but despite all his non-sense we became very good friends.”

Wolfe, a native of Corry, PA, received his MD from Temple University in 1963. He spent his internship year in surgery at Philadelphia General Hospital, then began training at Duke University Medical Center where he completed residency and began fellowship training. He then pursued a research fellowship at the University of California at San Francisco’s Cardiovascular Institute, where he collaborated with J.B. West, MD, who is widely regarded as the father of pulmonary physiology. Wolfe then returned to Duke and completed his training in General and Thoracic Surgery in 1971. He was invited to join the faculty of Duke University as assistant professor in the Department of General and Thoracic Surgery in 1972 and achieved the rank of professor in 1979.

While at Duke, he studied under Sabiston — a luminary in the field of cardiothoracic surgery –and often served as his go-to partner, particularly on surgeries for the treatment of pulmonary embolism.

“Dr. Wolfe was a surgeon’s surgeon, in all regards, both as a general surgeon and as a cardiothoracic surgeon –this gave him bountiful and wide-ranging experience. His clinical acumen and judgment over the years became one of his finest attributes,” said Peter K. Smith, MD, Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic surgery at Duke. “At the same time, he was completely devoted both to the residents and to his patients. It is really rare to meet somebody where that’s a meaningful statement, and in his case it definitely was. He formed many lasting relationships with residents and fellow faculty members. He was irascible and highly opinionated and he could be demanding, but the demanding aspect of him was always appropriate and he had a moral compass that was directional for everybody around him.”

Wolfe was beloved by his residents and deeply impactful in their lives long beyond their years of training.

“I’ve known him for 40 years. He was my mentor and he taught me how to be a vascular surgeon,” shared Richard McCann, MD, professor of surgery in the division of vascular and endovascular surgery at Duke. “His clinical expertise, dedication, and above all friendship will be missed by all who knew him and especially those who had the privilege of training and working with him.”

Chad Hughes, cardiothoracic surgeon and director of Duke’s Center for Aortic Disease, trained under Wolfe for several years. “He was always one of my main go-to people and he’d never hesitate to help or support me,” said Hughes. “He was a constant source of mentorship and a tremendous person. He saw things to their bare essence and was the model of efficiency – there were no wasted movements or steps on his part, and he had great surgical judgment.”

One of Hughes’ most unforgettable experiences during training was when Wolfe asked him to perform a new technique with him on Wolfe’s patient. “I had just learned how to perform a David procedure during a fellowship year at Penn. It was the first time we performed a valve sparing aortic root replacement at Duke, and it meant a lot to me that he selected me and trusted me to perform this procedure with him.”

Wolfe’s combined research and clinical efforts at Duke contributed to several milestones in cardiothoracic surgery, including the demonstration of preserving the aortic valve by re-suspension, a procedure which prevents the need for a prosthetic valve in patients with aortic dissection and significantly improved patient outcomes. In 2015, Wolfe was honored with the designation “Master Surgeon” by the Duke Department of Surgery.

“Walter wanted to make sure that the number one thing that would happen here at the VA was that veterans would get the best care,” said Sunil Rao, MD, section chief of cardiology at the Durham VA Health System. “He wanted to also make sure the residents were getting appropriate training and the appropriate independence so that, when they finished their training, they would feel confident doing complex surgeries. The VA pays very close attention to surgical outcomes. Any blip toward a negative trend is taken very seriously not just locally, but at the federal level. In that context, Walter established the Durham VA as a flagship cardiac surgery program. He was a really special guy. A lot of the outpouring of affection for him on social media is really well deserved and I think, quite frankly, an underestimation of the impact he had.”

Morris added, “He made a lot of things possible from a research standpoint because we were in a good position to take care of patients. He trained a lot of people and he trained them very well. Most of all, he was a very good partner to me and I appreciated that very much.”

Dr. Wolfe’s obituary can be found on legacy.com. The Wolfe family is in the care of Hall-Wynne; they will hold a memorial service when circumstances allow.

The Duke Department of Surgery has established the Walter G. Wolfe, MD Memorial Fund, which will be used to support resident education. Contributions can be made to this fund in care of Marcy Romary at Duke Health Development, 300 W Morgan Street. Ste. 1200 Durham, NC 27701. Checks should be written to Duke University.

On behalf of the Duke Heart leadership team, we extend our condolences to the Wolfe family and to his many friends and colleagues, as well as to his former residents. His legacy lives on in you.

Mall Elected to AACN Nominating Committee

Anna Mall, clinical lead RN in the adult cardiac catheterization lab, has been elected to Nominating Committee of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). Acting on behalf of AACN members, the Nominating Committee is responsible for maintaining a thoughtful, systematic process to evaluate nominee qualifications that ensures each candidate possesses the required competencies to fulfill the role. The committee will vet and select candidates for the AACN Board of Directors, AACN Certification Corporation Board of Directors and the AACN – AACN Certification Corporation Nominating Committee. They will also evaluate the nomination and election process and educate the community about the process and required competencies.

Mall’s one-year term is effective July 1. Congratulations, Anna! Way to represent Duke Heart!

Nazo Receives CVRC’s Staff Appreciation Award

Nour Nazo, lab manager of the Rajagopal Lab in the Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC), has been named the 2020 recipient of the CVRC Research Staff Appreciation Award.

Nazo, who has worked on Sudarshan Rajagopal’s lab team since 2013, says the award recognition came as a complete surprise to her, especially when so many events have been postponed and priorities have shifted due to the pandemic.

“The announcement really caught me off guard,” said Nazo. “This is a true honor.”

Before joining the CVRC team, Nazo’s research career began with an internship at the National Institute of Environmental and Health Sciences and a job with the Environmental Protection Agency. Since joining the Rajagopal lab, she has developed a range of skills ranging from studies on basic biochemistry and pharmacology to mouse physiology. She is also responsible for training undergraduates on the basics of cell culture, molecular biology experiments including PCR, agarose and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and western blotting.

“Nour was my first hire about seven years ago and she initially served as our lab tech,” said Rajagopal. “Slowly she’s become a real jack of all trades. She’s super helpful and super reliable. She essentially runs the lab from a functional standpoint and makes my life a lot easier.”

Nour is shown here in this 2019 photo of the Rajagopal lab team. She is on the far right, back row.

This is well deserved. Congratulations, Nour!

Birthday Surprise via ICU iPad Project

Our Cardiothoracic ICU enabled a virtual birthday gathering for a patient thanks to our ICU “virtual visitation” iPad project. On Monday, our team collaborated with the family of Lee Moore to gather via FaceTime.

When Kristen Cossaart, one of the ICU nurses, logged onto the platform, she says she was astonished that there were three full video chat pages of loved ones attending the party – guests ranged from his youngest grand baby to his oldest friend. Cossaart counted down from three and the family began to sing “Happy Birthday” as she walked into the patient’s room with the iPad.

“Our patient instantly lit up. While everyone on FaceTime continued to sing, all at different lag times, he could not stop smiling and laughing,” said Cossaart. “He went frame by frame and said hello to all of his loved ones and thanked them for this special moment.” The family continued to chat, sharing words of encouragement and celebrating his recovery progress.

“My iPad partner, Annie Jaeger, Pam Porter, and I were so touched and excited to be a part of this unique opportunity during this COVID-19 pandemic. We hope all nurses are able to have these sweet moments with their patients,” Cossaart added.

Many thanks to Kristen Cossaart and Mollie Kettle of our Cardiothoracic ICU for alerting us to this story, and thanks to our ICU “virtual visitation” iPad project team. Happy belated birthday to Mr. Moore!

Shout-out to EP CRNAs!

A big shout-out to the CRNAs from EP who have been serving on the hospital COVID swab team. We really appreciate their help with COVID patients here at Duke. Shown here is one of our CRNAs getting dressed last weekend (Easter morning) for duty. Do you recognize who it is?

Passings: David E. Miller, MD, cardiologist

Many of you knew Ed Miller, a long-time Durham-based cardiologist whose practice eventually merged with others to become Triangle Heart Associates. Miller, 89, died on Wednesday at Duke University Hospital. Our condolences to his family, friends and many colleagues and former patients. His family has requested that memorial contributions be made in his name to Duke Heart Center. The family is in the care of Hall-Wynne; a private interment is planned at Maplewood Cemetery. To see the full obituary, please visit: https://legcy.co/2XLFpVJ.

COVID-19 Updates:

All the latest official DUHS information regarding coronavirus/COVID-19 response at the following locations:

Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Cardiology Grand Rounds are cancelled through May, with the exception of internal faculty gatherings to discuss information related to COVID-19. Invitations to those will come via Outlook.

2020 NC Walk for Victory

Save the Date: July 6

The NC Walk for Victory, which was to be held this weekend at Laurel Park in Raleigh, has been reconfigured as a virtual walk due to the pandemic. Please consider joining Dr. Chad Hughes, medical chair of the event, and presenting sponsors: the Duke Center for Aortic Disease and Duke Heart in our effort to celebrate and fundraise on behalf of patients with Marfan syndrome. Proceeds benefit the Marfan Foundation.

We invite all Pulse readers and their families and friends to register as members of the Duke Heart team and join with us on Saturday, July 6 as we gather virtually with teams from Boston, New York, Washington, DC, San Francisco, Portland and Michigan for an afternoon of walking and sharing photos via social media. The Marfan Foundation is planning the event and asks that participants post photos to social media using #WalkforVictory and #MyWalkSavesLives.

To register, please visit https://give.marfan.org/event/2020-north-carolina-walk-for-victory/e247519. Adult registration is $20. Kids under 17 register for free.

This should be a fun opportunity to have our Marfan communities from coast to coast come together virtually in support of the mission of the Marfan Foundation. This celebration will also include a virtual dance party featuring DJ Willy Wow, a well-known DJ/entertainer for children. More details can be found on the website.

Have news to share?

Duke Heart in the News:

April 9 — Kyle O’Connor (DCRI) and Eric Velazquez (Yale School of Medicine)

tctMD/the heart beat

CABG Over PCI for Severe HFrEF Patients With Complex CAD: Observational Data

https://www.tctmd.com/news/cabg-over-pci-severe-hfref-patients-complex-cad-observational-data

April 10 — Adrian Hernandez

WFDD.org (88.5 FM/Piedmont Triad)

Duke Leads $50 Million Study On Coronavirus Preventative Drug

https://www.wfdd.org/story/duke-leads-50-million-study-coronavirus-preventative-drug

April 13 — L. Fernando Gonzalez (Neurosurgery)

ABC11.com

Health care workers concerned heart attack, stroke patients may be delaying care in light of COVID-19

https://abc11.com/health/non-covid-19-patients-may-be-delaying-care-officials-say/6100490/

April 13 — Duke Clinical Research Institute

Kansas City Star/kansascity.com

‘Is it effective?’ KU Med needs health care workers to try taking coronavirus drug

https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/health-care/article241969796.html

April 14 — Adam Banks and J. Kevin Harrison

ACC.org/Latest in Cardiology: Important Interventional Trials From CRT.20

Anticoagulation vs. Antiplatelet Therapy After TAVR in Low-Risk Patients

https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2020/04/14/08/42/important-interventional-trials-from-crt20

April 15 — Ashley Choi (med student) and Duke University School of Medicine

MedPage Today

Heart Transplant Waitlist More Risky at Choosy Centers

https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/hearttransplantation/85987

April 15 — Adrian Hernandez

Washington Post

Chaotic search for coronavirus treatments undermines efforts, experts say

https://wapo.st/2XIhFSp

April 16 — M. Dee Gunn

WTVD/ABC11.com

How antibody testing and contact tracing might work for NC to reopen

https://abc11.tv/2XL929D

April 15 — Andrew Landstrom

UNC-TV/Science

A Network Of Doctors Offer Hope To Those With Rare Diseases

http://science.unctv.org/content/video/rarediseases

April 16 — Nishant Shah

ACC.org/Latest in Cardiology

Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Early Diagnosis and Treatment is Key for Cardiovascular Prevention

https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2020/04/16/09/58/familial-hypercholesterolemia

Duke Heart Week ending April 12th 2020

April 12, 2020 / Leave a comment

Chief’s message:

The last few months have pushed our country and healthcare system in many ways. Hopefully, you all had a happy holiday weekend with some time to spend with family and friends. These trying times have increased our appreciation for the opportunities and moments we have together. This time of year is often a time of reflection. The people in the Division of Cardiology and the Heart Center have responded to the crisis with characteristic teamwork, persistence, and creativity. Thank you all for your continued support in carrying for our patients and each other.

Updates of the week:

Meyer Leaving Duke Heart; Heading to Prisma Health

Maggie Meyer, an administrative director with Duke Heart, is heading to Greenville, SC for the next step in her career. Beginning in May, she will join Prisma Health as Director of Executive Projects and will report to their Chief Clinical Officer. Prisma Health is the largest not-for-profit hospital organization in South Carolina.

Meyer has worked on a number of significant projects for Duke Heart, including analyses of bed capacity for Heart Services to ensure our program growth would align with long-term bed allocations as Duke Hospital grows; helping establish the Heart Safe Choices program; assisting with the bundled payment and care redesign efforts across heart services, and helping set up the Duke Heart Incubator in order to create pathways for new ideas to get launched at Duke.

Most recently, she worked to get our Mobile Cardiac Rehab app built and launched (just in time for the COVID-19 pandemic!) and helped institute a program for iPad use in the ICU so that patients could be in touch with loved ones during the pandemic.

Many of you have had the opportunity to work with Maggie over the years and know that she is an extremely caring, conscientious and dedicated person who is always looking for how she can help others.

“Over her time at Duke, she has helped countless people with projects big and small, always with the same willingness to simply make a difference for our teams and our patients,” says Sean Sondej, vice president of Heart Services. “She is someone that you can immediately trust at all levels and she made us better as a team. I couldn’t be more confident that Maggie will continue to make a difference in the lives of the people she works with and for, and that she knows that we’ll all always be here to connect, support, and cheer her on.”

Meyer has been with Duke for seven years. She served as an Administrative Fellow and as a Strategic Services Associate prior to being named an Administrative Director in 2015. Her last day with us will be Friday, April 17.

Please join us in wishing her the very best in her new endeavor! She will be missed. We hope to have a gathering this summer, when she returns for a visit to Duke and the rules for social distancing are hopefully long behind us.

It’s Official! SOM Faculty Awards Announcement

The School of Medicine formally announced their 2020 Spring faculty awards earlier this week. You can read the entire article here. We are so proud of Mike Sketch, Larry Crawford and Tracy Wang for their accomplishments and for this well-deserved recognition.

Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award

Michael Sketch has been named one of the recipients of the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, which is designed to recognize compassion and sensitivity in the delivery of healthcare. This award is presented annually to a faculty member who demonstrates outstanding compassion in the delivery of care; respect for patients, their families, and healthcare colleagues; as well as demonstrated clinical excellence. The Arnold P. Gold Foundation sponsors this annual award for a faculty member from 99 of the nation’s medical schools.

Excellence in Professionalism Award

Lawrence Crawford has been named one of the recipients of the Excellence in Professionalism Award, which recognizes the

importance of promoting ethical and professional behavior within our community. This award is presented to those who exemplify professionalism and personifies Duke’s guiding principles of respect, trustworthiness, diversity, teamwork, and learning.

Research Mentoring Awards

The Research Mentoring Awards recognize faculty members in the School of Medicine for excellence in research mentoring. Excellence can be demonstrated in many ways such as by the accomplishments of individual mentees, by programs implemented by the mentor, or by exceptional creativity in mentoring. This year, the recipient of the Early Career Mentoring Award in Clinical – Population Health Science is Tracy Yu-Ping Wang.

Congratulations to all three of you!

COVID-19 & CVD Algorithm

We want to thank all members of the Duke Heart team who have helped us formulate a management strategy for the cardiovascular complications of patients with COVID-19. We hope this will be a valuable tool to front-line providers, as we prepare for a possible increase in cases in the coming weeks. The full written document will be available to the division soon.Please let Manesh Patel or Rahul Loungani know if you have any questions or feedback.

Shout-out for Meyer, Carroll & ICU iPad Project Team

Hat tip to Maggie Meyer, Maria Carroll, Mollie Kettle, Kelly Kester, Bradi Granger and Allen Cadavero for their work on the ICU “virtual visitation” iPad project in Duke Heart. As you know, Duke University Health System implemented a “no visitor” policy on March 23^rd due to the pandemic. While stepdown and floor unit patients are likely able to access personal devices to communicate with loved ones, ICU and surgical unit patients are unable to access phones and tablets.

The goal is to pilot use of iPads on 7W and 7700 to facilitate non-COVID, non-isolation patient and family communication while a “no visitor” policy is in place. The project could be expanded to other intensive care units within Duke as appropriate. The group has access to iPads purchased by DHTS for use on special projects during the pandemic.

Connection is a very big deal right now for all of us, but especially so for our cardiac patients recovering in the hospital. This is just one of many ways Duke Heart is working to make things easier for our patients and their loved ones while they’re hospitalized. Way to go, team!

Shout-outs to Mall, Loungani, Harrington, Blumer & Arps

We’d like to give a shout-out this weekend to Anna Mall, our clinical lead RN in the adult cardiac catheterization lab. Anna volunteered to be on-call for the STEMI team for the first two events in case we had a STEMI come in that was a rule-out COVID. She came in for two STEMIs within the past week and assisted the team to ensure they had the appropriate equipment, ensure staff was comfortable with the process and with donning and doffing, and assisted with running when necessary. Thank you, Anna, for being such a terrific team member and serving in such a valuable capacity for your Duke Heart teammates. Way to go!

A shout-out to Rahul Loungani, one of our cardiology fellows, who has done a great deal of work in helping to develop care pathways around COVID-19 and cardiovascular complications. The cardiology faculty will get to see the results of this work on Tuesday as we discuss deployment plans around COVID.

And some shout-outs for Josephine Harrington (2x!), Vanessa Blumer and Kelly Arps…

First, this note from Neel Kapadia, Medical Director, Duke University Health System Transfer Center and Assistant Medical Director, Duke Emergency Department, which was shared with us thanks to Jason Katz and Anna Lisa Crowley:

“I just wanted to take a moment to recognize Josephine Harrington, one of your fellows. Yesterday, there was a post-cardiac arrest patient at Granville who they were struggling with managing. I spoke with Josephine to help get the patient transferred and she was very willing to be flexible and helpful in facilitating the transfer. I had the opportunity to meet her yesterday, and thank her personally, but I wanted to share with you as well.”

Second, this note from Rob Harrison to Anna Lisa Crowley and Manesh Patel:

“I want to share some mega kudos for Vanessa Blumer, Kelly Arps, and Joey Harrington on their performance in the CICU this week. We have, as expected, taken on more general MICU type cases this week as other ICUs have taken on more COVID patients or reserved more beds for COVID rule out. All three of the fellows have been extremely receptive to other units sending patients to us, and very willing to take non-cardiac transfers from outside hospitals. They are also providing very high-level medical ICU care and intern/resident teaching – reminding me that our cardiology trainees are already world class internal medicine physicians.”

Indeed, our trainees truly are world-class. Each one of you is a shining example of this profession and we are proud to have all of you as members of our Duke Heart team.

7 East Team Spreads Cheer

Many thanks to the 7 East/CT Surgery Stepdown Unit staff for taking time to gather a bunch of snacks and gifts to share with Duke team members who are caring for COVID-positive patients on other units at Duke University Hospital. The group donated to 3200, 8200, 6E and the emergency department.

“Our nursing staff know just how stressful everything has been lately,” Ciarra Ashley, 7E clinical lead RN shared. “The thing that amazes me about the 7 East staff is that they constantly think of others and realize that in the end we are all in this together.”

Nicely done! Way to represent Duke Heart!!!

ICYMI: Palliative Care & Heart Failure

Congratulations to Shelley Thompson, Cary Ward, Midge Bowers and Tony Galanos for their article, Impact of a Palliative Care Education Module in Patients With Heart Failure, published in the April 9 issue of American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Well done!

ICYMI: AHA EPI/LIFESTYLE 2020 Scientific Sessions

Congratulations to Carolyn Lekavich and Bill Kraus for their abstract, Early Recognition of Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF): Ventricular Elastance as a Predictive Marker for Prevention and Treatment, which was presented last month at the American Heart Association’s EPI/LIFESTYLE 2020 Scientific Sessions. The meeting was held March 3-6 at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix in collaboration with the AHA Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health and the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention. Nice work!

Kids Got Cabin Fever? Maybe YOU Have Cabin Fever…?

The American Heart Association has a suggestion… With students and families across the country adjusting to a new e-learning environment, keeping children physically active and mentally engaged is more important than ever. Enter Kids Heart Challenge Virtual, a 10-day program inviting families to “Kick Cabin Fever to the Curb!” Highlights include engaging in a daily physical activity challenge, practicing kindness and preparing heart-healthy meals together, while continuing to support the American Heart Association. The 10-Day Challenge has been created to help parents keep kids occupied, entertained, and healthy during school closures.

You’ll receive daily challenge emails loaded with quality content for you to engage with your kids. The content within the daily challenge email messages will help prioritize mental and physical health with four key areas of focus:

The physical activity prompts help pass the time with activities such as hide and seek, yoga, gardening, rope jumping tricks or a dance party.
The community skills components allow participants to learn Hands-Only CPR, the warning signs of a stroke, how the heart works and so much more.
The personal growth section asks children to reflect on gratitude and individual goal setting.
The last component brings the entire family together for kid-friendly cooking and meaningful discussion topics such as how heart disease has touched their family.

To learn more, click here and then, search your child’s school to sign up with your school or if you can’t find your school and want to sign up for Kick Cabin Fever to the Curb, type Finn’s Mission into the search box and join Finn’s team!

Note from Tracey and Manesh: if you participate in any of the above, send us some photos for Pulse!

COVID-19 Updates:

All the latest official DUHS information regarding coronavirus/COVID-19 response at the following locations:

Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Cardiology Grand Rounds are cancelled through May, with the exception of internal faculty gatherings to discuss information related to COVID-19. Invitations to those will come via Outlook.

Have news to share?

Duke Heart in the News:

April 3 — John Alexander and Renato Lopes

tctMD/the heart beat

Aspirin Okay for Up to 30 Days in A-fib Patients After ACS or PCI: AUGUSTUS

https://www.tctmd.com/news/aspirin-okay-30-days-fib-patients-after-acs-or-pci-augustus

Duke Heart Week Ending April 5th 2020

April 5, 2020 / Leave a comment

Chief’s Message:

Our faculty, fellows, and staff continue to work to ensure we can deliver and prepare for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the several difficult weeks we have had, there are more coming. It is in these unprecedented times, we are able to see the character of people. We have had people working in remarkable ways to fight the pandemic from managing our clinical practice, organizing research opportunities, to sorting out ways to continue to teach. Perhaps most importantly, I have seen the “all hands on deck” attitude of our entire division across many fronts. Thank you all for your continued effort and commitment to our patients and each other.

Updates of the week:

Melloni Leaving Duke Heart; Heading to IQVIA

After 15 years at Duke, Chiara Melloni, associate professor of medicine, is leaving Duke Heart and the Duke Clinical Research Institute for a new opportunity with IQVIA. Melloni has accepted the role of senior director for IQVIA’s Cardiovascular Center for Excellence. The strategic role will position her to work with sponsors of research clinical trials to understand their needs, help them develop their CV program, work on appropriate site selection, patient selection and help inform clinical trial design.

Melloni says the decision was bittersweet, as she will miss Duke and the people she has come to know so well, but that the opportunity with IQVIA is a terrific one that will allow her to grow professionally and to remain in the Durham area.

“It has been such an honor to be a part of the Duke family for 15 years and I am deeply grateful for the people here who began as colleagues but who have become friends,” Melloni says.

Her experience at Duke has given her great experience in the design and conduct of clinical trials, but she says the new role at IQVIA will give her a lot to learn.

“Through my work with DCRI, I’ve had the opportunity to partner with so many faculty members and this helped me a great deal throughout my fellowship as well as transitioning into becoming a junior faculty member. You find that everyone approaches things just a bit differently and you grow because you’re learning from so many people. I particularly enjoyed working with the international fellows. You make such good friendships through this type of work and get to meet people from all over the world, and we’re all driven by the same ideals around improving patient health.”

She says she has really enjoyed the last few years of working closely with the Duke cardio-oncology team. (To read more about what drove Melloni and her cardio-oncology work, please see: http://dukecancerinstitute.org/donors/your-gifts-at-work/what-does-heart-disease-have-do-cancer)

“Reaching into this area has been an interesting journey, especially working to create a team outside of my therapeutic area; we’ve worked hard to learn how to reduce cardiovascular harms in this patient population. This is one of the areas I think I will miss the most — I really put my heart in every sense into this project. We have done a lot and I’m very proud to have co-chaired the three symposiums we’ve held so far. When you put a lot of work into something and you see it be successful is a great joy.”

Melloni’s last day with us at Duke will be May 10. She hopes to continue collaborating with us in the years to come. Please join us in congratulating and wishing Chiara the very best in her new adventure!

Mobile Cardiac Rehab Program Launched

This week, Duke Heart launched its Mobile Cardiac Rehabilitation program, allowing patients to benefit from a personalized exercise program via mobile app, devices and electronic communication with an exercise physiologist. The need for a remote program was highlighted during the past few weeks as traditional in-person cardiac rehab was no longer possible due to on-site restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many patients face barriers to participation in cardiac rehabilitation programs, including transportation and access in their community, as well as overall costs for rehab, which is often prescribed three times a week for up to 12 weeks. Planning for a mobile program at Duke has been underway for nearly a year and a half, as our cardiac rehab team explored ways to make our program more accessible to our patient population. The mobile planning team first met with Pattern Health, a local app development company, in October of 2018.

Our mobile cardiac rehab program will work to address barriers to participation by providing patients the option of completing the majority of the 36 sessions at home. Thanks to a partnership with Duke’s Population Health Management Office (PHMO), our planning team was able to secure 20 sets of devices that will allow patients to monitor and record biometrics including steps, heart rate, blood pressure, weight, glucose levels and ECG rhythm strips.

As of last week, 11 patients are enrolled in the mobile program and a number of patients have downloaded the app and started their tasks. Patients are required to attend an initial in-person session with an exercise physiologist at Duke’s Cardiac Rehabilitation clinic prior to launching their at-home program.

The internal mobile planning team includes individuals from areas across Duke including Duke Heart, PHMO, and the Digital Strategy Office (DSO). A special thanks to the Duke Heart team members who have worked so hard to get this program off the ground: Karen Craig, Beth Summers, Bill Kraus, Brian Duscha, Maria Carroll and Maggie Meyer.

Great job, everyone! This opportunity will be critical to many of our heart patients over the coming weeks and months.

Wang to Serve on AHA COVID-19 Registry Steering Committee

The American Heart Association (AHA) this week announced a new, free COVID-19 cardiovascular disease registry

powered by their Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) quality improvement program. Tracy Wang, associate professor of medicine in cardiology and member of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, will serve on the registry’s steering committee. The DCRI is the analytic center for the GWTG program.

The AHA is creating the multicenter registry to collect biomarkers, clinical data and cardiovascular outcomes in COVID-19 patients. This novel COVID-19 patient data registry is expected to be made available in May to the roughly 2400 hospitals currently participating in a GWTG quality improvement program. To read more about the effort, please visit: https://bit.ly/2UHMk0i

PCORI Commits $50M to DCRI COVID-19 HERO Trial

On Wednesday, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) announced they will fund up to $50 million to evaluate hydroxychloroquine as a preventive drug for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

A new rapid-response study called the Healthcare Worker Exposure Response and Outcomes (HERO) research program will be designed and led by the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI); the study seeks to engage healthcare workers across the nation to understand the impact of COVID-19 on their health and to evaluate whether hydroxychloroquine can prevent COVID-19 infections in healthcare workers at high risk of contracting this novel coronavirus.

Adrian Hernandez initiated the program and will serve as the administrative principal investigator.

The HERO program will initially consist of two parts, a national registry and a randomized clinical trial. The registry will be led by DCRI’s Emily O’Brien, assistant professor in Duke’s Department of Population Health Sciences, and will seek to rapidly identify and enroll a large community of healthcare workers at high risk for COVID-19 infection. Recruitment for the registry is expected to begin within the next two weeks. The registry will not only support recruitment into the trial, but will enable future trials as well, and seek to understand the wellbeing of healthcare workers on issues such as workforce stress, burnout, and other outcomes.

The second part, the randomized clinical trial HERO-HCQ, will be led by the DCRI’s Susanna Naggie, associate professor of medicine in infectious diseases at Duke. The trial will launch later in April and will identify approximately 15,000 healthcare workers from the registry to participate. The trial will randomize participants to either one month of hydroxychloroquine or one month of placebo and will examine whether hydroxychloroquine is effective in decreasing the rate of COVID-19 infection. In addition to the benefits and risks of using hydroxychloroquine, the study also will explore how well the drug can prevent healthcare workers from unintentionally spreading the virus to others.

The program will engage the powerful PCORI-funded PCORnet®, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, which is an established health research network involving more than 850,000 clinicians and hundreds of health systems across the U.S. The study results will be shared widely with the healthcare community.

To learn more, please visit: https://www.pcori.org/news-release/pcori-funds-registry-study-effectiveness-hydroxychloroquine-prevent-covid-19-healthcare-workers and https://dcri.org/hero-pcori-funding-coronavirus/.

Attain Stability Trial Results Published

Congratulations to Kevin Jackson, Susan Gerstl and the entire team on the Attain Stability trial. This study was just published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology; Jackson was first author. We finished in the top 50 percent of enrolling sites and the study was conducted with favorable finances. Advancing knowledge and improving treatment of heart rhythm disorders is among our top priorities within Duke’s EP team, and it is great to see this group make another significant contribution to the field. Congratulations to everyone on this very important accomplishment!

Advance Care Planning for End of Life Care in HF Patients

Harshaw-Ellis, K. 2020. Commentary nursing issues: Using advance care planning for end-of-life care in heart failure improves outcomes. BMJ Evidence-Based Nursing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ebnurs-2019-103249.

Lifelong Learning Statement for Advanced HF & Transplant Cardiology

Clyde W. Yancy, Mark H. Drazner, Samuel Tristram Coffin, William Cornwell III, Shashank Desai, John P. Erwin III, Mahazarin Ginwalla, Karol S. Harshaw-Ellis, Tamara Horwich, Michelle Kittleson, Anuradha Lala, Sabra C. Lewsey, Joseph E. Marine, Cindy M. Martin, Karen Meehan, David A. Morrow, Kelly Schlendorf, Jason W. Smith and Gerin R. Stevens. 2020, March 17. 2020 ACC/HFSA/ISHLT Lifelong learning statement for advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology specialists. JACC. 75(10) 1212-1230:doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2019.09.030.

Shout-outs to CVRC Labs & Vicky Bryson; Jedrek Wosik & Mike Blazing

Hat tip to Vicky Bryson in the Paul Rosenberg Lab within the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center! After Colin Duckett put out a call within the School of Medicine’s research facilities for PPE supplies that could be donated to Duke University Health System entities, Bryson took the lead on collecting items within the CVRC. Bryson’s efforts yielded many cases of protective gloves in a range of sizes – special thanks to the Rosenberg, Lefkowitz, Shenoy and Stiber labs for their generous donations. Our front-line healthcare workers thank you!!! It’s not too late for CVRC labs to make donations – if you’re interested, send an email to Vicky Bryson or Maria Price Rapoza.

A big shout-out to Jedrek Wosik and Mike Blazing for leading our transition to telehealth visits. You’ve taken on a major project during a stressful time and streamlined it in a way that has been super-palatable to your colleagues – way to go! The Duke Heart team is incredibly grateful and deeply appreciative of the work you’ve done. Many, many thanks!

7 West Partners with Local Restaurant; Helps Others

Amanda Ornell, one of our amazing staff nurses on 7 West, contacted the owners of Travinia, an Italian restaurant and bar in Morrisville that is struggling in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, after hearing they wanted to help local healthcare workers. The restaurant has been working to help the community in any way they can, with the food they currently have on hand, so that nothing goes to waste. Ornell and Philip Parker, one of her nurse managers, set up a lunch for the staff on 7 West, with the understanding that the restaurant would take donations so they could continue to pay it forward and support others in the community. According to Parker, the team was able to raise roughly $500 on Friday, March 27^th, which enabled the restaurant owners to provide 250 meals to local nursing home residents. The pictures here show the meals prior to being delivered and Ornell and Parker receiving the lunch provided to 7W staff. Nice job, team!

COVID-19 Updates:

All the latest official DUHS information regarding coronavirus/COVID-19 response at the following locations:

Self-Care Resources from Your Well-Being Team

Please be good to yourself! Duke Health’s well-being team has developed resources to help all of us deal with anxiety and related issues. Visit the Well-Being Resources page which will be updated each Wednesday with new ideas on how to better care for ourselves and each other.

Remember the basics: Show gratitude for one another. Use huddles and meetings to share ideas on what’s helping your resilience. Take deep breaths and mindful minutes with your team. When you leave work, take a moment to think about three good things that happened in the day, and mentally transition from work to home. A new checklist is available to help you power down, rest and recharge. Many sites are posting this checklist in their work areas. We also encourage everyone (including those working remotely) to print out a copy for themselves, or share via PowerPoint.

If you have well-being ideas or resources that have helped you, or moments of gratitude and awe that you want to share with your colleagues, contact BeWell@Duke.edu.

Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:

AHA Announces COVID-19 Grant Funding; Deadline April 6

The American Heart Association (AHA) invites cardiovascular-focused applications that will contribute to understanding the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention, clinical manifestations, clinical management (including critical care management) and social behaviors which can lead to dissemination, containment, and complications of COVID-19. Because of the urgency of this issue, innovative, highly impactful short-term proposals (9-12 months), which can show progress within the period of this award, are sought.

Grant amounts will be up to $100,000, including up to 10 percent institutional indirect costs. The AHA anticipates funding at least 10 awards and a nationwide Coordinating Center. To learn more, please visit: https://bit.ly/2RcWJyC

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Upcoming Grand Rounds: