Highlights of the week:
Congratulations, DCRI!
Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. In an email sent this week, DCRI executive director Adrian Hernandez wrote:
“Colleagues and Friends:
As we plan for a year of highlighting the importance of clinical research and DCRI’s contributions over the past 25 years, we do so with acknowledgment of the weight of a global pandemic and with deep gratitude for our colleagues and healthcare heroes who each day selflessly care for patients and strive to uncover solutions for the immediate crisis and its lasting impacts.
Twenty-five years ago, a group of pioneers formalized an organization around their vision of finding a new way to solve pressing public health needs and improving clinical care. Since that time, the DCRI has brought about fundamental and lasting changes to clinical research approaches, generating evidence that has directly contributed to improved patient outcomes.
Much has changed in the past 25 years, yet the DCRI’s mission remains constant: to improve health around the world through innovative clinical research. With resolve to bring original thinking to pathways explored and those emerging, with an understanding that asking the right question can reveal a new path for health, and with deep commitment to translate knowledge into clinical practice, the DCRI remains steadfast in its purpose to see the way forward in how clinical research should be done for the benefit of all.
I invite you to kick off our 25th anniversary celebration with us via a brief history lesson—and a trip down memory lane—from Robert Califf, MD, DCRI’s founding executive director.
Please stay tuned all year as we reflect on the vision that formally established the DCRI 25 years ago and our way forward. Throughout the year, we will highlight our faculty, fellows, and professional staff, as well as our collaborators and partnerships—without whom none of this would have been possible.
Thank you for being a part of our journey. Stay healthy, and be well.”
On behalf of Duke Heart, we wish the entire team of DCRI members and staff all the best as you celebrate this important milestone. We look forward to many more years of excellence!
Three Cardiology Fellows to Compete in ACC FIT Jeopardy
Kevin Friede, Zak Loring and JD Serfas, three of our 
cardiology fellows, will represent the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) NC Chapter of Fellows in Training (FIT) in the upcoming ACC FIT jeopardy competition on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 1 p.m. The competition will be held virtually via Zoom. You can watch all the action live at the following link: https://zoom.us/j/95006827345?pwd=L0RYQ1B6Nk4rV3VCYlV2RHAyZEdIQT09#success. The passcode is 170135. Friede, Loring and Serfas will compete against teams from Florida and New Jersey. Cardiology fellow Vanessa Blumer, FIT liaison, helped coordinate the event. Good luck, team!!!
2021 CPCR Grant Awarded to Duke
Congratulations to Jennifer Rymer, Manesh Patel, Schuyler Jones and Hope Weissler – they learned this week that their project, “Validating the Peripheral Artery Questionnaire and Vascular Quality of Life Questionnaire in a Population of Patients with Chronic Limb Threatening Ischemia”, has been selected for a 2021 Collaborative Patient-Centered Research (CPCR) grant. The grant will begin in July and is awarded by Vascular Cures, a CA-based non-profit dedicated to advancing research in vascular diseases. Jennifer Rymer will serve as PI.
Way to go!
Shout-out to Vax Volunteers
Bill Cockfield, PA-C from our electrophysiology team volunteered as an observer and Midge Bowers, FNP-BC volunteered as a Covid-19 vaccinator in the community at the Karsh Alumni Center. Thank you so much for taking up this call to action!
Good-bye January, Hello Heart Month
Tomorrow is the start of Heart Month and with that, a reminder that Friday, Feb. 5 is Wear Red Day; we’d love for you to share photos of yourself sporting a bit (or a lot!) of red. You’ll see heart-themed decor peppered throughout Duke University Hospital and clinics to celebrate Heart Month and to promote information related to cardiovascular disease and prevention – you’ll see balloons, elevator signs and other displays. Also of note, babies born at DUH this month will receive red onesies as part of the celebration. We will accept photos all month long of any activity you or your teams take on to celebrate Heart Month. Please email them to Tracey Koepke at tracey.koepke@duke.edu.
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
Feb. 2: Clinical Pathologic Conference with David Nafissi. 7:15 a.m., Webex.
Feb. 9: The Dye Don’t Lie: The Evolution of Invasive Lesion Assessment from Contrast to Physiology to Contrast with Rajesh Swaminathan. 5 p.m., Webex.
Feb. 16: Coronary Disease Revascularization with Bernard Gersh of the Mayo Clinic. 5 p.m., Webex.
Feb. 23: Extravascular Targets in PAH: Metformin to Mobile Health with Evan Brittian of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 5 p.m., Webex.
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:
January 21 — Michael Pencina
CNN.com
‘Fat but fit’ is a myth when it comes to heart health, new study shows
http://cnn.it/2KINmqH
January 26 — Michael Pencina
PhillyTrib.com
‘Fat but fit’ is a myth when it comes to heart health, new study shows
http://bit.ly/3ahxBQk
January 26 — Duke School of Nursing
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News Announces 2021 Best Online Programs Rankings
http://bit.ly/39waFxs
January 27 — Manesh Patel
CBS17.com
Raleigh lawyer struggling with heart damage months after COVID-19 infection
http://bit.ly/3r6dNGe
January 28 — James Daubert
Medscape
Factors Predict Survival After Coronary Angio in Postarrest Patients
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/944873
January 28 — Tina Tailor (Radiology)
RSNA.org
Lung Cancer Screening Images Used to Identify Heart Conditions
https://www.rsna.org/news/2021/january/lung-cancer-screenings-and-the-heart
January 28 — Robert Califf
NBCNews.com
U.S. is in a ‘race against time’ with new coronavirus variants, scientists warn
http://nbcnews.to/2YuUgDh
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