Highlights of the week:
Edward P. Chen, MD to Serve as Chief of CT Surgery, Effective Jan. 2021
On Tuesday, Aug. 18, the Duke Section of Surgical Disciplines formally announced the appointment of Edward P. Chen, MD, as the incoming Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. He will join the team in January, 2021.
Dr. Chen is currently serving as the Section Head of Adult Cardiac Surgery and Director of Thoracic Aortic Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine. His other roles there have included Associate Program Director for the Thoracic Surgery Residency, Site Director for Resident Education at Emory St. Joseph’s Hospital and Executive Director of the Emory Healthcare Aortic Center Planning Steering Committee.
“We are excited to have Dr. Chen join us in this critically important role,” said Allan D. Kirk, MD, the David C. Sabiston, Jr. Distinguished Professor and Chair of Surgery, and Surgeon-in-Chief for the Duke University Health System. “Dr. Chen is a caring physician and superb technical surgeon who has always exhibited a personal dedication to his patients. He is revered as a teacher and mentor to a generation of surgical trainees. His work in complex cardiac and aortic reconstruction is unparalleled, and he has been deeply engaged in improving cardiac surgery through his participation in numerous landmark trials. He is an experienced leader who has successfully navigated important local, regional and national administrative roles. Most importantly, he has exceptional maturity and has developed a reputation for respectful and thoughtful engagement in all of his interactions, truly living our institutional values of respect, teamwork and ownership.”
Chen’s research focuses on outcomes in cerebral protection for aortic arch surgery, aortic dissection, aortic valve surgery and aortic root replacement. He has led multiple federally funded grants and prospective clinical trials for more than 14 years.
A 1988 graduate of Stanford University, Chen received his medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine in 1992. He went on to complete his general surgery residency at the University of California, San Francisco in 2000, followed by his cardiothoracic surgery residency at Emory University in 2003 and fellowship in Aortic Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston later that year. Chen is board certified in thoracic surgery and specializes in surgery of the thoracic aorta, including aortic root replacement, aortic aneurysms, high-risk cardiac surgery, minimally invasive valve surgery, and mitral valve repair.
“We are excited to welcome Dr. Chen to the Heart Center as a partner and clearly a leader in the field of cardio-thoracic surgery,” said Manesh Patel, MD, chief of Duke Cardiology and co-director of Duke Heart Center. “His tremendous commitment to education and patient care will serve the Division and Heart Center well for years to come.”
Dr. Chen will take over the reins from Peter K. Smith, MD, Mary and Deryl Hart Professor of Surgery. Smith has served as Division Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery since 1994 as well as a founding co-director of Duke Heart Center – a position that allowed him to grow and shape the strong collaboration between Duke cardiac surgery, cardiology, and cardiac anesthesiology.
Under the leadership of Dr. Smith, the CT Surgery division has become one of the most highly ranked cardiothoracic surgery programs in the country with world-renowned heart and lung transplantation programs as well as top-echelon adult and congenital heart surgery teams. The division’s thoracic surgery residencies and fellowships are some of the most highly reputable and competitive programs in the world.
Duke University
Considered a luminary in the field, Smith is a highly-regarded international leader in cardiothoracic research. He has led the Cardiothoracic Surgery Clinical Trials Network and multiple clinical trials to improve outcomes in coronary artery bypass grafting and mitral valve surgery. He is a nationally recognized expert in bleeding and inflammatory complications, outcomes in cardiac surgery, and coronary artery disease.
Over the years, Dr. Smith has served as a mentor and educator to many leaders in thoracic surgery and cardiovascular care.
“Peter Smith has been a guiding light for the Heart Center and Cardio-Thoracic Surgery,” Patel added. “He has been a role model for me and ‘a north star’ for how we accomplish all of our missions within Heart Services, something that we anticipate he will continue to provide in years to come.”
Dr. Kirk added that no one is more dedicated to Duke Surgery than Smith, and that it would be impossible to capture all he has done for Duke or for the field.
“Dr. Smith continues to be an internationally recognized and impressively productive authority in cardiac surgery,” said Kirk. “He has an exceptional understanding of the challenges facing healthcare more broadly, with dedicated national service as Chair of the American Medical Association’s Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee, the advisory body that establishes the value of essentially all physician services. He also has tirelessly served our veterans as a primary surgeon at the Durham VA Medical Center. I anticipate that this transition will afford Dr. Smith an opportunity to focus his deep and broad subject matter expertise on Departmental and Institutional challenges.”
Dr. Chen says he is looking forward to returning to Durham. As a School of Medicine alum, this is where he began his medical career.
“It will be a true privilege to serve this world-class Division”, says Dr. Chen. “Duke is one of the most storied, accomplished, and visible programs in the entire global landscape of CT Surgery. At Duke is where I first learned to embrace the tripartite academic mission and understood its vital importance to the overall advancement of healthcare. Those early lessons have ultimately served as fundamental core values and guiding principles for me throughout my entire career. I am fully aware of the magnitude and importance of this position and want to thank Dr. Kirk for the confidence he has shown in selecting me for this critically important role.
“I also want to acknowledge the tremendous service and leadership which Dr. Smith has given to Duke during his highly distinguished and accomplished career. It is my full intent to build upon these accomplishments and to keep Duke at the forefront for all the missions of quality, innovation, discovery and education in CT surgery. I am extremely energized by the opportunity to serve the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, its highly accomplished faculty members, support staff, the Department of Surgery and Duke University Medical Center as a whole. I look forward to working collaboratively and collegially with all the institutional stakeholders who are dedicated to the cardiovascular and thoracic service lines to further advance our models of care delivery and quality. I very much look forward to being part of the Duke Team.”
We look forward to welcoming Dr. Chen to the Section of Surgical Disciplines in January 2021, and we look forward to celebrating Dr. Smith over the months to come!
Eric Peterson, MD, MPH, Leaving Duke; Will Lead Clinical Research at UT Southwestern
It is bittersweet to announce that Eric D. Peterson, MD, MPH, the Fred Cobb Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology and former Executive Director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), will leave Duke to become the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) inaugural Vice Provost and Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research, a position that is effective Nov. 1. He also will serve as the Vice President for Health System Research and hold the Adelyn and Edmund M. Hoffman Distinguished Chair in Medical Science.
As you all have experienced since Eric arrived at Duke, 28 years ago, he has affected many of the lives of the cardiologists that we train, the care that we deliver to our patients, and the way in which we think about implementation. His passion and drive to improve how we study, discover, and deliver healthcare has been a driving force for the tremendous expansion in how we perform research and deliver healthcare both at Duke Heart and the DCRI. During his time at Duke Heart, he has continuously excelled at carrying out our mission of patient care, research excellence, and mentorship.
Notably, he was awarded our fellowship mentorship award, has personally overseen our quality work, and excelled at clinical research both in leading the DCRI and in shaping careers of many of our faculty. With over 1,400 peer-reviewed publications, he ranks among the top one percent of published researchers in clinical medicine. He has been recognized with numerous awards including the American Heart Association’s Meritorious Achievement, Distinguished Achievement, and Outstanding Lifetime Achievement in Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Awards.
Beyond these considerable accomplishments, Eric has been a proponent of thinking differently, pushing what is possible, and has been a positive force in our division. He has been magnanimous, has worked to ensure we promote our junior faculty, and continues to provide guidance to many mentees. The position at UTSW will provide him an amazing opportunity to impact health care through clinical research, something that he is uniquely suited to do. Although we will miss his wisdom, perspective, and drive for excellence, we will look forward to new found collaborations.
Please join us in congratulating and wishing him well! We look forward to celebrating with him prior to his departure.
Duke Heart Grows by Two!
We are excited to welcome two new faces to our Duke Heart family. Please join us in congratulating the Snow and Wegermann families on their newest members:
Miles Bessho Snow was born in the morning on August 14th weighing in at 7lbs 13oz. First year cardiology fellow Sarah Snow (and Miles’ mother) report that she, her husband Anson, and baby Miles are doing well!
Ilsa Helen Wegermann, daughter of fourth year cardiology fellow, Zach Wegermann, was born on August 18th. Mom Kara, Dad Zach, and big sister Ingrid are doing well!
DRH, DUH Receive Chest Pain – MI Registry Performance Achievement Awards
Congratulations to our teams at Duke Regional and Duke University Hospital! Duke Regional Hospital (DRH) has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Silver Performance Achievement Award for 2020 and is one of only 124 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.
Duke University Hospital has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2020, one of only 140 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.
The awards recognize Duke’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that our hospitals have reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.
The Center for Disease Control estimates that almost 700,000 Americans suffer a heart attack each year. A heart attack occurs when a blood clot in a coronary artery partially or completely blocks blood flow to the heart muscle. Treatment guidelines include administering aspirin upon arrival and discharge, timely restoration of blood flow to the blocked artery, smoking cessation counseling and cardiac rehabilitation, among others.
WAY TO GO! This is well deserved and so important for the patients in our community.
Shout-out: Duke Regional Cardiology Team
A big shout-out to the cardiology team at Duke Regional Hospital — they received their Echo Lab Accreditation with no improvement recommendations in their findings. We are so proud of the team! Congratulations, everyone!
Mentz, Pagidipati Among Speakers at #HID2020
The 4th annual Heart in Diabetes conference (#HID2020) is running through tomorrow and is, of course, being held virtually due to the pandemic. Faculty speakers include Robert Mentz and Neha Pagidipati. To learn more, visit: https://www.heartindiabetes.com.
Upcoming Opportunities/Save the Date:
Aug. 24, 27, 31 & Sept. 3 – The Building Research Programs: Perspectives from Outstanding Mentors
Updated information from last week! See flyer for registration information.
This is a seminar series forged within the partnership of Aga Khan University (AKU), Duke Heart and Duke Clinical Research Institute; the series will offer the opportunity to study pathways that leaders have taken to develop research capacity around the world. Over the last several decades AKU has been at the forefront of developing researchers from and for the developing world. AKU’s collaborating partner, Duke, has trained many of AKU’s graduates and is a known global powerhouse of research. This seminar series will bring together scientists from both AKU and Duke with established research careers to talk about their journey from early career researchers to established, world renowned experts.
Building Research Programmes_F
2020 Triangle Heart Walk Going “Digital”; Will Be Held Oct. 10
As you have likely heard, the 2020 Triangle Heart Walk will not be an in-person event. Instead, the American Heart Association is planning for a nation-wide digital experience across several weeks leading up to the main event on October 10. You’ll hear more about that in the coming days in a more formal announcement from Dr. Tom Owens, who is chair of this year’s event. Registration is open if you’d like to sign up as a walker or a team captain. You can register at: www.TriangleHeartWalk.org/Duke. Stay tuned for more details!
COVID-19 Updates:
All the latest official DUHS information regarding coronavirus/COVID-19 response at the following locations:
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 — Geoffrey Ginsburg
Magnify (Duke SOM)
Early Detection of COVID-19: How Your Smartwatch Could Help
https://bit.ly/32iN52f
August 14 — Eliana Perrin (pediatrics)
NBC News
Kids in the U.S. are eating more fast food, the CDC reports
https://nbcnews.to/3aNvt2z
August 17 – Duke University Health System
Associated Press
Politics slows flow of US virus funds to local public health
https://bit.ly/3hnSvPL
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