April 2023 – The Pulse – Powered by Duke Heart

Duke Heart Pulse April 30th 2023

April 30, 2023 / Leave a comment

Highlights of the week:

ISHLT Held in Denver

The 43rd annual meeting & scientific sessions of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) was held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, CO from April 19-22.

Duke research presented included that of Carolyn Glass, Brandi Bottinger, Andrew Vekstein, Jack Haney, Matt Hartwig, Leslie Snyder, Jacob Schroder, Marat Fudim, Mark Kittipibul, Michael Carboni, Hakim Ali, Scott Palmer, Stuart Russell, M. Mendiola Pla, Elizabeth Pavlisko, Carmelo Milano, Sharon McCartney, Cameron Wolfe, Dawn Bowles, Sarah Casalinova, Chris Holley, Adam DeVore, Chet Patel, former cardiology fellow Lauren Truby, Svati Shah, and Desiree Bonadonna.

We’d especially like to congratulate cardiology fellow Mark Kittipibul for the 3 posters he presented (images shown here). Nicely done!

Great work by all!

Cotter, Maracaja Join Cardiac Anesthesiology Faculty

Two new cardiothoracic (CT) anesthesiology faculty members have joined the Duke team. In an announcement this week, Mihai Podgoreanu, MD, chief of the division of cardiac anesthesiology, formally welcomed Drs. Sarah Cotter and Luiz Maracaja as faculty members in Duke’s Department of Anesthesiology.

Cotter, who joined the faculty as an assistant professor of anesthesiology, obtained her MD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, followed by a cardiothoracic anesthesia fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She then spent several years on faculty at the University of California San Francisco prior to returning to NC.

Podgoreanu stated, “Sarah has a passion for education and we’re looking forward to her many clinical and educational contributions.”

Maracaja, who joined the faculty as an associate professor of anesthesiology, is originally from Brazil, where he obtained his medical degree and completed anesthesiology residency. He then moved to the U.S. and completed another anesthesiology residency program at the State University of New York and a CT anesthesia fellowship at Yale, followed by faculty appointments at Yale and most recently at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.

Maracaja “is a clinician-innovator with expertise in 3D printing, prototyping various devices for perioperative care, and has a research interest in delivering therapeutics for lung disease,” Podgoreanu added.

Welcome, Sarah and Luiz!

Celebrating Perfusionists

Perfusion Week 2023 begins today, April 30, and continues through May 6 – it’s a time dedicated to honoring the tireless work of perfusionists around the world. 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 our patients. This year, Perfusion Week follows on the heels of AmSECTs 61^st International Conference, which annually celebrates the perfusionist profession, allows for shared knowledge and challenges, and facilitates networking among leading perfusionists from around the world.

With an increasing frequency of heart surgery and other cardiac procedures, perfusion is growing in importance in the healthcare community around the world. In the past decade, perfusion has expanded to areas of perioperative blood management, wound healing, ventricular assistance and advanced uses of extracorporeal circulation. Additionally, perfusionists and other healthcare professionals continue to show their dedication to their patients amidst the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The work of perfusionists requires great precision and concentration – and this is especially true for perfusionists at Duke. We are proud of the excellence our perfusion team demonstrates each day for our Duke Heart patients – and we recognize the incredible work they do in serving in leadership roles, on national committees, and toward advancing their field!

Honoring AAPI Team Members and Communities

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the millions of Americans with roots in the Asian continent and/or the Pacific Islands. The AAPI community is exceptionally diverse, with approximately 50 distinct ethnic groups speaking more than 100 languages and hailing from many places around the globe—including 48 countries and three territories in Asia, and 15 nations and thousands of islands in the Pacific. We join Duke Health in celebrating the contributions and achievements of our AAPI team members and communities this month and every month.

Great Catch, Greene!

Karla Greene, a physical therapist at our Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Clinic on Hillandale, recognized that a patient she was seeing for pulmonary rehabilitation had new-onset calf pain and swelling, which she escalated to the patient’s transplant coordinator. The patient underwent an ultrasound, which revealed deep-vein thrombosis, and was started on anticoagulant therapy.

Karla’s recognition of the patient’s condition change helped facilitate timely, potentially life-saving treatment.

Way to go, Karla!

Kudos to PAC, 3100 Teams!

We received a terrific note from Nishant Shah in recognition of our PAC & 3100 teams this week.

Shah wrote, “We have had an extremely busy service with over 20 patients on most days with variable geography given the renovations. Our APPs and Pharmacists this week (Monique and Alyssa (who always keeps the PAC ship afloat with her excellence) have just been outstanding! I certainly don’t know what I would have done without them. Many of these patients had very complex histories and/or complex coronary anatomy, in addition to several uncontrolled co-morbidities. Despite having high patients loads there was always attention to detail, organization, and pre-emptive care coordination that really helped move care forward for the patients. I could not have been more impressed with how awesome the PAC team was. So far, the APPs I have worked with this week are: Sas, Deborah, Nicolena, Janey, Jessyln, Michelle Lacayo, Lisa Synder, and Hannah.”

“I also wanted to send kudos to the 3100 nursing staff for going out of their way to find our team for a very sick patient as soon as they arrived. The nursing team flawlessly, confidently, and calmly assisted us in managing the patient who was having a very large active MI. I cannot be more grateful for the 3100 nursing staff.

I just wanted to share my thoughts and give credit to all the wonderful people involved on 3100.”

Excellent work, teams!!

Faculty Offer CPR Training at Local School

We learned that several of our faculty members stepped onto a different type of campus this week. Drs. Anna Lisa Chamis, Chetan Patel, Manesh Patel and Svati Shah took some time to offer CPR training at a local high school – demonstrating their teaching skills and expertise in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Such an important skill for all of us to know and share.

Thank you for doing this and great job leading by example!

Quick Reminders & Updates

National Nursing week begins on Saturday, May 6.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

May 2: Maximizing the Slice of the Pie: Donor/Recipient Matching in 2023 with Chris Wrobel. 5 p.m. Zoom only.

2023 Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine

The Duke Department of Medicine has announced the 2023 Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine (LRPDIM). This award is part of a series of mentored career development opportunities offered by the Department of Medicine and is designed to fund members of groups underrepresented in medicine who, as a group, are disproportionately impacted by student loans. This financial burden impedes the retention, recruitment, and diversification of research faculty in our department.

We encourage investigators from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds who are under-represented in Medicine to consider applying. The LRPDIM award repays up to $50,000, annually for up to two years, of a researcher’s qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in research. Up to two applicants will be funded (July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025). The award recipient must remain a full-time employee of the DOM to receive the full amount of the award. Award funds are not restricted and can be used at the awardee’s discretion. If the research commitment is not met, recipients must pay back the amount awarded.

The 2023 LRPDIM Award application deadline is May 12, 2023, at 5 p.m. Eligibility criteria, detailed information about the Award, and the application form are available on the DOM Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion website. For program-related questions, please contact Kimberly Dorman, Special Assistant to the Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Diversity in the Chair’s Office.

Cardiac Safety Research Consortium Think Tank Meeting, June 7

The Cardiac Safety Research Consortium will hold a Think Tank meeting on June 7. The event, CSRC Think Tank: Update on Regulatory Status of Hypertension, Biomarkers and Arrhythmia Monitoring in Clinical Trials will be held at the FDA.

In Session 1, these leading industry professionals will speak on panels discussing:

Regulations for ECG/QT
The double-negative conundrum
Alternative methods for assay sensitivity assessment in routine Phase 1 QT Studies
Covid-19 and prolonged QT

In Session 2, we will discuss:

Small increases in blood pressure and CV risk I
Intermittent versus chronic use hypertension drugs

In Session 3, the meeting faculty will dive into:

Biomarkers

In Session 4, the panelists will discuss hot topics in the field such as:

Biologics/cardiomyopathy and vaccine development
MACE
Gene therapies
Wearables

The event will include professionals from FDA Regulatory, Cardiac Safety Consultants, Ltd., Eli Lilly, Richmond Pharmacology, University of Connecticut, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Cleveland Clinic, Clario, Mass General, DSI, Penn Medicine, and UCSF.

There is a registration fee for attendance, for academics it is $275. Registration and more information is available here: https://cardiac-safety.org/

The meeting will be held in person; a recording of the meeting and slide presentations will become available a month after the event occurs.

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. Submissions by Noon, Wednesdays, to be considered for weekend inclusion.

Duke Heart in the News:

April 21 — Conrad Hodgkinson

Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology

A Second Chance for a Healthy Heart

https://duke.is/nx5u6

April 25 — Jamie Diamond

HealthDay News

Hospitals Caring for Mostly Black Patients Provide Quality Heart Failure Care

https://duke.is/vhahv

*also carried by 78 additional outlets including in San Francisco-Oakland, Seattle and Salt Lake City

April 25 — Duke University Health System

Becker’s Hospital Review

49 hospitals, systems among Forbes’ best employers for diversity

https://duke.is/za8s5

April 26 — Rhonda Brandon

Becker’s Hospital Review

How Duke’s health system supports a workforce that is 60% millennial or Gen Z

https://duke.is/my53t

April 26 — Donald Glower

Medical News Today

Mitral valve repair: Minimally invasive and conventional surgery have similar outcomes

https://duke.is/89jqn

April 27 — Suresh Balu and Mark Sendak

Stat News

A research team airs the messy truth about AI in medicine — and gives hospitals a guide to fix it

https://duke.is/2fbg3

April 27 — Stephen Greene

Healio/Cardiology

Outcomes poor after HF hospitalization for patients with mildly reduced, preserved EF

https://duke.is/r6b8u

Duke Heart Pulse 4-23-23

April 23, 2023 / Leave a comment

ISHLT & Joint Meeting Held for ASCI, AAP, and APSA

Several large meetings were being held this weekend, including The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) and the Joint Meeting of ASCI, AAP and APSA. We are still gathering information and illustrations from these sessions and will do a report-out on them next week, but we want to give a big shout-out to Jonathan Piccini and Gerald Bloomfield. They were both inducted as new members of ASCI this weekend – congratulations! Also, Jenn Rymer received an ASCI ‘30 in their 30s’ award, which we announced earlier this year.

We look forward to celebrating the great presentations made by our Duke colleagues!

HCLC Spring Meeting Held

The Duke Heart Center Leadership Council held its Spring meeting on Friday, April 21. Presenters included Neha Pagidipati who spoke about the Cardiometabolic Clinic, Kevin Harrison and Chad Hughes who spoke about structural heart disease and aortic disease, and Adam Williams, who presented on the Duke Heart for Honduras program and also on the research he is doing on the regeneration of heart cells.

Harrison, Shaw Named Associate Program Directors, Duke Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program

We are thrilled to share that Drs. Rob Harrison and Nishant Shah have accepted positions as

associate program directors (APD) for Duke’s cardiovascular disease fellowship program. The news was announced this week by program director, Dr. Anna Lisa Chamis. Please join us in congratulating Rob and Nishant on their new roles, which are effective immediately.

Chamis and the Duke Heart leadership team are grateful and pleased with the work that Drs. Neha Pagidipati and Rob Mentz have done as the APDs for the past five years. Chamis also thanks the members of the fellowship APD selection committee for their time and diligence.

Congratulations, Rob and Nishant!

Analysis on HF Outcomes Disparities Published in JAMA Cardiology

Congratulations to cardiology fellow Jamie Diamond and her co-authors! Their study was published this week and has been incredibly well-received by the HF research community!

Black adults with heart failure have higher population-level mortality than white adults with the same condition. Their study, published this past week in JAMA Cardiology, compared the quality of care for heart failure patients at hospitals with a high proportion of Black patients compared to those hospitals without such a population. It found that quality of heart failure care is largely similar at hospitals caring for high proportions of Black patients compared with other hospitals, though with a few remaining targets for improvement. The study suggests that this disparity in heart failure outcomes stems from inequities outside the hospital, such as at the public health level, where factors like inequitable care access and other social determinants of health come into play.

Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes for Patients With Heart Failure at Hospitals Caring for a High Proportion of Black Adults appears in JAMA Cardiology and can be accessed here: https://duke.is/p53h3

Dr. Jamie Diamond is the first author of the study and a heart failure & transplant cardiology fellow at Duke Health. She said the results point to a need to take a deeper look at root causes.

Congratulations, Jamie and team!

ICYMI: AFib, Central Retinal Artery Occlusion Findings Featured in Podcast

The Stroke Alert Podcast for April 2023 features an article recently published in Stroke, “Examining the Association Between Hospital-Documented Atrial Fibrillation and Central Retinal Artery Occlusion” by corresponding author Brian MacGrory and first author Jay B. Lusk. , an MBA. MacGrory is an associate professor in neurology and in ophthalmology at Duke; he specializes in stroke and vascular neurology. Lusk is an MD/MBA student at Duke. Additional Duke co-authors include Hussein Al-Khalidi, Emily O’Brien, Jon Piccini, Irene Song, Shakthi Unnithan, and Ying Xian.

To listen to the episode, please visit https://duke.is/gx8kq.

Launched by Stroke in 2021, the monthly Stroke Alert Podcast begins each episode by posing key takeaway questions from featured articles in the current issue of the journal. This is followed by a brief summary and analysis of these articles, as well as an interview with the author of one of these featured articles or with one of the Stroke editors.

To stream the Stroke Alert Podcast online, please visit https://strokealert.libsyn.com. To subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts, visit https://www.ahajournals.org/str/podcast.

Shout-out to Agarwal & 2F/2G Team!

Richa Agarwal and our team in 2F/2G received some wonderful feedback via the Press Ganey survey system last week.

A grateful patient wrote, “The most organized and flow of services for medical treatment I have ever experienced. Everything was explained to me of where to go and what to expect. I liked the online sign-in and information available after the tests were performed. All the personal were very professional and friendly, and I love Dr. Agarwal’s personable manner.”

Great job, Richa! We’re so glad to have you on our Duke Heart team! Our 2F/2G team is amazing!

Kudos to Rendall!

We received a terrific note about Duke APP Dave Rendall this week!

“Congratulations! You are being recognized for the outstanding services you provide to our Duke patients! The PDC Patient

Relations team was made aware of the below compliment on 4/17/23 from a patient who remains anonymous referring to her positive experience with you in March of 2023. I hope you take a moment to recognize the difference you are making in the lives of those you serve. Thank you for all you do. It has been my pleasure to recognize you as a Duke Service Champion and share with our PDC leadership. Best wishes to you! — Tamara Griffin, Duke Health Private Diagnostic Clinics Integration

“David Rendall was excellent. He listened to all my concerns and health with each one of them totally. He explained so much about my condition in easy to understand language. He was patient, kind, seemed very knowledgeable and seemed to really care about my health and my understanding of what I needed to do. I appreciated the education he gave me. He did not seem rushed and was glad to make sure I was satisfied with having all my questions answered. He was great and I am so grateful for such good medical help!!!!!! He was the best!” – name withheld for privacy.

Great work, Dave! This is well-deserved!

Postponed: DCRI Research Forum with Special Guest Jon Scheyer

The Duke Clinical Research Institute has postponed the DCRI Research Forum planned for April 25, featuring a fireside chat with Duke Men’s Basketball head coach Jon Scheyer. A new date has not yet been selected. The DCRI planning team apologizes for any inconvenience and hopes you’ll plan to join the event once a new date is established.

This Week: Inaugural DOM Research Day

The Duke Department of Medicine will hold their inaugural Research Day on Friday, April 28, 2023, at the Trent Semans Center in the Great Hall from 8 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

This event is for all departmental faculty, clinical and postdoctoral fellows, residents, medical students, and research staff. Lunch is included. For questions regarding Research Day contact Saini Pillai, MBA. A copy of the agenda can be found here.

Sudarshan Rajagopal, MD, PhD, associate professor of cardiology and a PI in the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center is one of four presenters during the faculty speaker session. Rajagopal will discuss recent research from his lab that demonstrates new modes of signaling by receptors and its potential impact on drug development. Definitely something to check out!

Better Together: A Culture Campaign

Hopefully many of you were able to participate in the on-demand sessions for the new DUHS Culture Campaign, Better Together. What does it mean to become better together? It means defining our culture — who and how we want to be. We’re looking at ourselves in the mirror, keeping what we like, and intentionally setting aside the rest, and designing a new path where everyone feels heard, valued, seen, and respected. Watch this short video to learn more.

Another opportunity for participation will take place next month from May 19-25. Stay tuned for more information and links to the online survey.

Click here for a fact sheet to learn more.

Quick Reminders & Updates

In light of the decreased community incidence of Covid-19 infections and a robust supply of PPE, DUHS has moved to Tier 1 status as of last week.
April 23-29 is Patient Experience Week. We hope everyone can take a moment to celebrate and honor our Duke Health patients who trust us with their care. It’s also a time to reflect on the impact each of us have on Duke Health’s ability to provide exceptional care to our community and to each other. Activities, a Zoom background, and more is available here — https://duke.is/8v5pu . It’s worth checking out – please join DUHS and the PDC in working to cultivate kindness throughout the Duke Health system!
April 24-May 1 is Transplant Nurses Week
Wednesday, April 26 is Administrative Professionals Day
Coming in May: National Nursing Month

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

April 24: Renal Sympathetic Denervation: Update on Clinical Trials and Future Steps with Dmitriy N. Feldman, Weill Cornell Medical College. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

April 25: Regulatory Guidance for Cardiovascular Outcomes Trials of Antihyperglycemic Agents: Connecting the Past with the Future with Darren K. McGuire, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center & Parkland Health and Hospital System; Deputy Editor, Circulation. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

ICYMI: Links to Recent CGRs

April 11: April 11: Jessica Duran, Multimodality Imaging in MINOCA.

Medicine LEADS

April 25: Duke Medicine LEADS with Paul Aronowitz, Health Sciences Clinical Professor of Medicine for the Department of Medicine at UC Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Aronowitz will be presenting “Clinical Images Problem Solving” with faculty discussants Drs. Nishant Shah, Eileen Maziarz, and Talal Dahhan. 12-12:45 p.m. in DMP 2W93.

New funding opportunity: Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists at Duke

The Office for Faculty Development has announced a new funding opportunity for eligible junior faculty members. A brief, no-commitment, e-mail stating your intent to apply is due May 1.

The School of Medicine Office for Faculty and Office of Physician-Scientist Development are now accepting applications for the Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists at Duke. Supported by awards from the American Heart Association, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and Dean Mary Klotman, the Fund provides supplements of up to $30,000-$50,000 to clinician-scientists with significant caregiving responsibilities. Supplements are for 1 year. This application cycle is for funding from July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024.

Fund supplements are designed to address the critical challenge of working to establish research independence during periods when caregiving needs may be least flexible. Awards can be used in a variety of ways to support the applicant’s scholarly work. Possible uses of funds include:

Research support personnel (e.g. clinical research coordinator or technician)
Duke Office of Clinical Research (DOCR) services
Biostatistical support
Other “extra hands” support as proposed by the applicant

Applicants must be junior faculty (medical instructor, assistant professor, or associate professor within 1 year at that rank) with an MD, PhD, or DO degree and a primary faculty appointment in a School of Medicine department. They must have existing funding for their research, including salary support, and at least 50% protected time for research. All applicants must demonstrate a compelling need for the supplement that is related to being a caregiver. Applicants whose caregiving needs were caused or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic are encouraged to apply and state this clearly in their application. Click here for complete program information, eligibility criteria, and application instructions.

Applications are online and include 1) an application form, 2) statement of individual need rooted in caregiving responsibilities, 3) research plan, 4) biosketch, 5) proposed budget for the supplement, 6) chair/chief letter of support. Departmental contributions are expected, and the letter of support should outline any matching funds or other additional supports being provided to the applicant. Matching funds will be viewed favorably by the selection committee. Applications are due May 15, 2023.

Applicants and selected scholars will be strongly encouraged to enroll in the OPSD Scholars program led by Dr. Gbadegesin. Scholars will receive access to additional mentoring, grant writing, and executive coaching support.

Please e-mail OPSD to let us know you plan to apply. This e-mail can be very brief and is non-binding. This email with intent to apply is due May 1.

Questions? Contact OPSD@dm.duke.edu.

Deadline approaching: The Mario Family Foundation Award

Training the next generation of biomedical researchers is an important core mission of the Department of Medicine. We admit the most promising, dedicated fellows into our programs, and provide experiences that will allow them to put their passion for medicine to work. These fellows will be tomorrow’s leaders in science and medicine. The Mario Family Foundation has generously supported this mission to support junior investigators in training to make the transition to become independent scientists and planning for their first extra-mural funding.

The Department of Medicine is accepting applications from fellows in specialty training for the Mario Family Foundation Award, which funds two patient-oriented research (clinical or translational) proposals for one year of funding. The total funding for all proposal expenses is $35,000.

Applications must be submitted electronically no later than Monday, May 1, 2023, 5p.m.

Applications will be peer reviewed by a panel of senior scientists from the Department of Medicine. Proposals will be judged on scientific-merit, rigor, and quality of project. Our intent is to complete reviews and start funding by July 1, 2023.

Additional details and application information can be found on the Mario Family Foundation Award webpage. For project-related questions, please contact Saini Pillai, MBA, Senior Program Coordinator, Chair’s Office.

2023 Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine

The Duke Department of Medicine has announced the 2023 Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine (LRPDIM). This award is part of a series of mentored career development opportunities offered by the Department of Medicine and is designed to fund members of groups underrepresented in medicine who, as a group, are disproportionately impacted by student loans. This financial burden impedes the retention, recruitment, and diversification of research faculty in our department.

We encourage investigators from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds who are under-represented in Medicine to consider applying. The LRPDIM award repays up to $50,000, annually for up to two years, of a researcher’s qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in research. Up to two applicants will be funded (July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025). The award recipient must remain a full-time employee of the DOM to receive the full amount of the award. Award funds are not restricted and can be used at the awardee’s discretion. If the research commitment is not met, recipients must pay back the amount awarded.

The 2023 LRPDIM Award application deadline is May 12, 2023, at 5 p.m. Eligibility criteria, detailed information about the Award, and the application form are available on the DOM Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion website. For program-related questions, please contact Kimberly Dorman, Special Assistant to the Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Diversity in the Chair’s Office.

Cardiac Safety Research Consortium Think Tank Meeting, June 7

The Cardiac Safety Research Consortium will hold a Think Tank meeting on June 7. The event, CSRC Think Tank: Update on Regulatory Status of Hypertension, Biomarkers and Arrhythmia Monitoring in Clinical Trials will be held at the FDA.

In Session 1, these leading industry professionals will speak on panels discussing:

Regulations for ECG/QT
The double-negative conundrum
Alternative methods for assay sensitivity assessment in routine Phase 1 QT Studies
Covid-19 and prolonged QT

In Session 2, we will discuss:

Small increases in blood pressure and CV risk I
Intermittent versus chronic use hypertension drugs

In Session 3, the meeting faculty will dive into:

Biomarkers

In Session 4, the panelists will discuss hot topics in the field such as:

Biologics/cardiomyopathy and vaccine development
MACE
Gene therapies
Wearables

The event will include professionals from FDA Regulatory, Cardiac Safety Consultants, Ltd., Eli Lilly, Richmond Pharmacology, University of Connecticut, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Cleveland Clinic, Clario, Mass General, DSI, Penn Medicine, and UCSF.

There is a registration fee for attendance, for academics it is $275. Registration and more information is available here: https://cardiac-safety.org/

The meeting will be held in person; a recording of the meeting and slide presentations will become available a month after the event occurs.

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. Submissions by Noon, Wednesdays, to be considered for weekend inclusion.

Duke Heart in the News:

April 13 — William Kraus

AARP

Cómo 2 minutos de ejercicio pueden ayudarte a vivir más tiempo

https://duke.is/gzh4e

April 14 — Kathryn Pollak

Cardiovascular Business

A simple way to help cardiologists communicate with patients

https://duke.is/7jyak

April 17 — Pamela Douglas

Drugs.com

Daily Statin Reduces the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in People Living with HIV, Large NIH Study Finds

https://duke.is/mn5fw

April 19 — Manesh Patel

Time

What to Know About Damar Hamlin’s Heart Event, Commotio Cordis

https://duke.is/p84fd

April 19 — Harry Severance

Medpage Today

Suits vs Scrubs: The Evolving Healthcare Workplace

https://duke.is/4eggz

April 19 — Conrad Hodgkinson

Medical Xpress

A second chance for a healthy heart: Using cellular reprogramming to eliminate scar tissue

https://duke.is/29nc9

April 19 — Conrad Hodgkinson

News Medical Life Sciences

Mice study reveals a way to turn back the clock after heart attack

https://duke.is/gyja7

April 20 — Conrad Hodgkinson

Technology Networks

Reverting Adult Cardiac Fibroblasts to Their Neonatal Phenotype Improves Reprogramming Efficacy

https://duke.is/9umwx

April 20 — Conrad Hodgkinson

StudyFinds.org

Second chance at life: Scientists find way to make damaged hearts young again

https://duke.is/vub4w

April 20 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live

Optimal Uptake of SGLT2 Inhibitors Could Prevent or Postpone 7 Million Heart Failure Events Over 3 Years

https://duke.is/z33ra

April 20 — Pamela Douglas

WNCN CBS-17, Raleigh-Durham

New research shows benefit of statins for people with HIV

https://duke.is/mcfb7

*clip begins @ 16:42:00; story also carried by WBTW-TV CBS-13, Myrtle Beach

Division of Cardiology Publications Indexed in PubMed March 31 – April 6, 2022

Avezum Á, Oliveira GBF, Oliveira H, Lucchetta RC, Pereira VFA, Dabarian AL, D O Vieira R, Silva DV, Kormann APM, Tognon AP, De Gasperi R, Hernandes ME, Feitosa ADM, Piscopo A, Souza AS, Miguel CH, Nogueira VO, Minelli C, Magalhães CC, Morejon KML, Bicudo et al. Hydroxychloroquine versus placebo in the treatment of non-hospitalised patients with COVID-19 (COPE – Coalition V): A double-blind, multicentre, randomised, controlled trial. Lancet Reg Health Am 2022 Jul;11:100243. PM: 35378952.

Bishawi M, Lee FH, Abraham DM, Glass C, Blocker SJ, Cox DJ, Brown ZD, Rockman HA, Mao L, Slaba TC, Dewhirst MW, Truskey GA, Bowles DE. Late onset cardiovascular dysfunction in adult mice resulting from galactic cosmic ray exposure. iScience 2022 Mar 16;25(4):104086. PM: 35378858.

Coylewright M, Dodge SE, Bachour K, Hossain S, Zeitler EP, Kearing S, Douglas PS, Holmes D, Reddy VY, Nair D. Women in procedural leadership roles in cardiology: The Women In Local Leadership (WILL) observational study. Heart Rhythm 2022 Apr;19(4):623-629. PM: 34923161.

Dong OM, Poonnen PJ, Winski D, Reed SD, Vashistha V, Bates J, Kelley MJ, Voora D. Cost-Effectiveness of Tumor Genomic Profiling to Guide First-Line Targeted Therapy Selection in Patients With Metastatic Lung Adenocarcinoma. Value Health 2022 Apr;25(4):582-594. PM: 35365302.

Dzau VJ, Ellaissi WF, Krishnan KRR, Balatbat CA. How Academic Health Systems Can Be Ready for the Next Pandemic. Acad Med 2022 Apr 1;97(4):479-483. PM: 34966030.

Khan MS, Segar MW, Usman MS, Singh S, Greene SJ, Fonarow GC, Anker SD, Felker GM, Januzzi JL, Butler J, Pandey A. Frailty, Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy, and Outcomes in HFrEF: From the GUIDE-IT Trial. JACC Heart Fail 2022 Apr;10(4):266-275. PM: 35361446.

Martin CK, Höchsmann C, Dorling JL, Bhapkar M, Pieper CF, Racette SB, Das SK, Redman LM, Kraus WE, Ravussin E. Challenges in defining successful adherence to calorie restriction goals in humans: Results from CALERIE™ 2. Exp Gerontol 2022 Jun 1;162:111757. PM: 35240264.

Morrill J, Qirko K, Kelly J, Ambrosy A, Toro B, Smith T, Wysham N, Fudim M, Swaminathan S. A Machine Learning Methodology for Identification and Triage of Heart Failure Exacerbations. J Cardiovasc Transl Res 2022 Feb;15(1):103-115. PM: 34453676.

Rao VN, Fudim M, Wang J. Beyond the Anatomy of Renal Nerves: Functional Diversity of Renal Nerves. J Cardiovasc Transl Res 2022 Feb;15(1):27-28. PM: 35212975.

Tobin RS, Cosiano MF, O’Connor CM, Fiuzat M, Granger BB, Rogers JG, Tulsky JA, Steinhauser KE, Mentz RJ. Spirituality in Patients With Heart Failure. JACC Heart Fail 2022 Apr;10(4):217-226. PM: 35361439.

Vinson AJ, Singh S, Chadban S, Cherney D, Gaber O, Gill JS, Helgeson E, Herzog CA, Jardine M, Jha V, Kasiske BL, Mannon RB, Michos ED, Mottl AK, Newby K, Roy-Chaudhury P, Sawinski D, Sharif A, Sridhar VS, Tuttle KR, Vock DM, Matas A. Premature Death in Kidney Transplant Recipients: The Time for Trials is Now. J Am Soc Nephrol 2022 Apr;33(4):665-673. PM: 35292438.

Xiong X, Nazo N, Revoori R, Rajagopal S, Sparks MA. G protein- and -arrestin Signaling Profiles of Endothelin Derivatives at the Type A Endothelin Receptor. Kidney360 2021 May 17;2(7):1124-1131. PM: 35368349.

Xu H, Granger BB, Drake CD, Peterson ED, Dupre ME. Effectiveness of Telemedicine Visits in Reducing 30-Day Readmissions Among Patients With Heart Failure During the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Am Heart Assoc 2022 Apr 5;11(7):e023935. PM: 35229656.

Duke Heart Pulse 4-16-2023

April 16, 2023 / Leave a comment

Highlights of the week:

REPRIEVE Study Stopped Early for Efficacy

A National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinical trial was stopped early because a daily statin medication was found to reduce the increased risk of cardiovascular disease among people living with HIV in the first large-scale clinical study to test a primary cardiovascular prevention strategy in this population. A planned interim analysis of data from the Randomized Trial to Prevent Vascular Events in HIV (REPRIEVE) study found that participants who took pitavastatin calcium, a daily statin, lowered their risk of major adverse cardiovascular events by 35% compared with those receiving a placebo. Adverse drug events observed in the study were like those in the general population taking statin therapy. The interim analysis was sufficiently compelling that the study’s independent Data Safety and Monitoring Board (DSMB) recommended it be stopped early given adequate evidence of efficacy. The NIH accepted the DSMB recommendations.

REPRIEVE began in 2015 and enrolled 7,769 volunteers who were 40 to 75 years of age, of whom more than 30% were women. REPRIEVE volunteers were all taking antiretroviral therapy, with CD4+ cell counts greater than 100 cells/mm3 of blood at enrollment, and had low-to-moderate traditional cardiovascular disease risk that would not typically be considered for statin treatment. The trial was conducted in 12 countries in Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Africa.

The REPRIEVE study is primarily supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) with additional funding from the NIH Office of AIDS Research. The study was conducted by the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG).

Decades of research and advances in HIV treatment have drastically reduced AIDS-related complications and deaths. As people with HIV live longer, premature heart disease and other chronic conditions have emerged as leading causes of morbidity and mortality, contributing to persistent gaps in lifespan between people with HIV and the broader population.

“The epidemiologic evidence is that there’s about twice the risk of heart disease in people with HIV than there are in non-infected people with the same level of traditional, normal type risk factors, said Pamela S. Douglas, MD, the Ursula Geller Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases at Duke and a co-principal investigator of the Clinical Coordinating Center. “So, there’s something else that’s contributing to their heart disease. This is a population that we would never have normally, under current practice, thought about putting on a cardiac prevention medication because we wouldn’t think of it as being effective. Initial findings showed that yes, the pills were effective in lowering LDL, so they did what they were supposed to do – but the magnitude of the benefit from the statin is twice as great as one would expect from lowering the LDL cholesterol.”

Statins are a class of medicines routinely prescribed to lower cholesterol and are known to prevent cardiovascular disease in those at risk in the general population. It was not clear if statins would have the same effect in people living with HIV and who have premature cardiovascular disease despite having low-to-moderate traditional risk. In the REPRIEVE trial, participants were randomly assigned to receive a daily dose of 4 mg of pitavastatin or placebo. They were monitored for major adverse cardiovascular events and adverse reactions to pitavastatin, which is considered safe for use with all prescribed antiretroviral therapy regimens.

The study’s DSMB met at planned intervals throughout the study to review safety and efficacy data. In its most recent meeting, the DSMB determined that the benefits of daily pitavastatin use outweighed any risks and recommended that the study terminate early, and that a full data collection be conducted across sites for final analysis. Study participants are being notified of the findings and will continue to be monitored for several months. Study results from the DSMB review are expected to be published in the coming weeks.

“These latest findings represent the culmination of an unprecedented eight-year effort to generate evidence that can help clinicians better support the unique cardiovascular health needs of people living with HIV,” said NHLBI Director Gary H. Gibbons, MD “REPRIEVE is important because there are limited existing interventions to help prevent adverse cardiovascular outcomes in this population.”

The REPRIEVE study was funded by a grant to the Massachusetts General Hospital and led by Steven Grinspoon, MD, professor of medicine at Harvard University, endowed chair in Neuroendocrinology and Metabolism and chief of the metabolism unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, who directed the study’s Clinical Coordinating Center. Pamela Douglas, MD, the Ursula Geller Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases in the Duke University Department of Medicine, was co-principal investigator of the Clinical Coordinating Center.

Michael T. Lu, MD, co-director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center, and Heather Ribaudo, PhD, a principal research scientist at the Center for Biostatistics in AIDS Research and the Department of Biostatistics at Harvard University, served as leads of the REPRIEVE study’s Data Coordinating Center. The study was conducted by the NIAID-funded ACTG. Additional implementation support was provided by the London-based NEAT ID Foundation, Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Viiv Healthcare.

D’Amico Receives Surgeon of the Year Award from the TBJ

We are very excited to share that thoracic surgeon Thomas A. D’Amico, MD was awarded Surgeon of the Year by the Triangle Business Journal (TBJ). He was one of 14 honorees recognized on Thursday, April 13 during the TBJ’s 2023 Health Care Leadership Awards dinner. D’Amico, the Gary Hock Endowed Professor of Surgery and a faculty member within Duke’s Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, was one of four award winners from across Duke University Health System.

This is a very well-deserved honor. Please join us in congratulating him when you see him. Congratulations, Tommy! A link to a PDF of the news story appears below, under News.

Ross Receives AHA Career Development Award

Congratulations to Leanna Ross, a newly appointed medical instructor in the division of cardiology and a member of the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute (DMPI) – she has received a Career Development Award from the American Heart Association (AHA). The three-year award, which began April 1, is for her project, “A Precision Health Approach to Target Exercise Interventions for Short- and Long-term Cardiometabolic Health Benefits”

Ross has been at Duke since 2017 when she arrived as a postdoc. Her primary mentor since then has been cardiologist William Kraus, MD, the principal investigator on the STRRIDE research clinical trials, which were seminal to the field of exercise science and to overall understanding of the effects of exercise on health.

“The STRRIDE trials were really the first of what we call dose-response exercise trials that were able to truly compare, for example, a moderate amount of aerobic exercise versus a vigorous amount of exercise, and that if you keep the amount constant, you can actually isolate the intensity effects,” Ross says as she described the background inspiration for her project. “These trials really focused on cardiometabolic health outcomes and because of these studies, we were inspired to complete 10-year observational follow-up of the participants that were originally in the STRRIDE trials. These observations are what we call the STRRIDE Reunion studies.”

The first of the Reunion studies was completed before Ross came to Duke, but she arrived in time to help in the analysis of the data and getting the first several STRRIDE Reunion papers published. Ross and the team saw that, among the Reunion participants, there were lasting cardiometabolic and fitness health effects 10 years later for those who participated in an exercise group, compared to those that didn’t do any exercise at all, that had been in the inactive control group.

“I can’t say enough about how incredible this study is, even though it might seem like the testing we’re doing is pretty simple follow-up testing and that it’s just an observational study,” Ross adds. “The interactions and the results that we’re getting from it, I think, are going to have huge implications not just for clinical purposes, but also from a public health perspective.

“Most of our nation is physically inactive, but if you can get them to exercise in their midlife for, say, a concentrated period of time and they then have lasting health effects, we may see real impacts from the individual to public health and to medical expenditure costs within the cardiometabolic disease space.”

In terms of the AHA Career Development Award, Ross says she was drawn to apply because of her recent transition from a postdoctoral position into a faculty position and thinking about ways to further her growth, as well as some early involvement in AHA committee work.

“In order to be a leading clinical trialist in my field of exercise, physiology, and cardiometabolic health, there really are so many other skills that I want to learn. One of those is developing a better appreciation for more sophisticated bioinformatics and health data science approaches that we can apply to our clinical trial data to get a better understanding of what’s truly causing exercise to have these long-lasting effects. Then, determining if we can utilize that information and distill it towards what I’m really interested in — which is can we more precisely prescribe a certain exercise intervention for a certain person with a certain health condition and maximize their probability that they’re going to see an improvement in whatever that health factor is for them?”

The career development award is the perfect avenue for her project, she says, because it allows for a mentor training plan in addition to the research plan proposal. She’ll continue to work with Kraus as her primary mentor, but is adding Constantin Aliferis, MD, PhD and Sisi Ma, PhD, of the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Health Informatics as secondary mentors. Ross describes both Aliferis and Ma as “insanely talented,” and of Kraus she says, “I don’t even know all the words that could describe how amazing he is as a mentor.”

“I am so blessed to have this award. It’s indescribable how honored and happy I feel about how this will help me hone these skills and really get my research underway.”

Ross currently serves as the chair of the Early Career Committee for the AHA’s Lifestyle Council. She gives a lot of credit to the AHA for the value they place on early career investigators.

“It’s really amazing to me how much they’re valuing early career investigators like myself and trying to get them involved in all aspects of the AHA – from research awards to moderating presentations and being a part of scientific statements – all kinds of ways that can help foster new connections and networking, and give us those opportunities that I think traditionally were reserved for more senior faculty. This has been an incredible experience for me to become involved with the AHA at such an early stage of my career.”

In thinking about her research and career goals, Ross adds that she wants even more people to understand the power and value of exercise. “It gets complicated when we think about what we call ‘exercise prescriptions’ because there are different amounts, intensities, modes, and durations of exercise programs. We are working to be able to tailor and target those a little bit better for certain people and populations. But overall, the value of exercise and physical activity can just do wonders for not only primordial and primary prevention, but also for secondary prevention.”

To learn more about the work Ross, Kraus and others on their team are doing, you can check the DMPI website for additional information. For those interested in participating or referring patients to a future study, you can learn more about what is available here: Duke Health and Exercise Research Trials.

Ross also welcomes interested parties to contact her via email if you’re interested in learning more about the work or if interested in future collaborations. Also available on the DMPI webpage, is information about the Human Physiology Testing Core section with links to an overview of the types of testing and services the team provides.

Finally, if anyone would like to check out publications from the first STRRIDE Reunion study, here are links to two of the publications: https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2019.00452 and https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.119.012876.

Congratulations, Leanna! We’re excited to follow the work you’re doing!

Patel Featured by AHA

As the AHA leads up to its annual National Volunteer Awards event in June, they are issuing features on each of the award winners. This past week was Manesh Patel’s turn to be highlighted – their piece, 2023 AHA Physician of the Year followed his dream of making a difference is a wonderful overview of what drives Patel in his passion for cardiovascular care.

Shout-out to Burkett!

Melissa Burkett received some terrific feedback via the Press Ganey survey system. A happy patient wrote, “Melissa is phenomenal – she is very knowledgeable and was well prepared for our session – it made the session very valuable!”

“Amazing job, Melissa – thank you!!!!!” — Jamie Hilton, Nurse Manager, Operations, Clinic 2F/2G

“Melissa is a truly amazing provider and individual. Melissa, kudos for all you do to make Duke a great place for patients, families and other staff.” — Jill Engel, Service Line VP, Duke Heart & Vascular

Great Catch, Lennon!

Zachary Lennon, ACNP, 7 West, received a Great Catch this week.

Lennon noticed that an IV anticoagulant with a very short half-life had been turned off prior to administration of the oral anticoagulant that the patient was bridging to, and immediately ensured that the IV anticoagulant was re-started. His quick action ensured that the patient remained appropriately anticoagulated, possibly preventing re-occlusion of a recently placed coronary artery stent.

“As some of you know, Zach’s actions prevented a potential repeated medication related sentinel event involving transition from cangrelor to Plavix,” wrote Kara Lyven in a note to colleagues. “Zach had to be reminded of his great catch — which demonstrates his humility and how diligent he is every day — noting that this catch was ‘just’ part of his normal every day work!”

Lynn McGugan added, “Zack is always doing a great job and this is just one instance where someone reported it! Glad he works with us in the CTICU.”

Way to go, Zack!

NDLM Spirit Week Celebrated by Cardiopulmonary Rehab Team

Members of the Duke Heart cardiopulmonary team hosted an awareness table at their clinic on Hillandale Rd. in order to celebrate Spirit Week as part of National Donate Life Month (NDLM). The team shared the Donate Life message by educating others about how signing up to become an organ donor can help save lives, and helped celebrate donor recipients in the process.

Donate Life America takes the lead on NDLM, an observance that aims to focus our national attention on the need for and importance of organ, eye and tissue donation. Living Donor Day was celebrated on April 5 and the Donate Life Blue & Green Spirit Week was April 8-14.

Great job, Rehab team!!

Scheyer Featured Speaker at Upcoming DCRI Research Forum

The Duke Clinical Research Institute will hold a Research Forum on April 25, featuring a fireside chat with Duke Men’s Basketball head coach Jon Scheyer. The DCRI team is looking forward to hosting Coach Scheyer virtually to discuss his journey and the philosophy that keeps him focused on success — both his personal success and the success of his team. They will also address how his philosophy and resilience translates to healthcare and the DCRI’s approach to enhancing human health.

DCRI Research Forum: A Conversation with Duke Men’s Basketball Head Coach Jon Scheyer

Tuesday, April 25 from Noon-1 p.m. EST

Zoom Link: DCRI Research Forum

This event is open to all interested faculty, staff, and students.

Next weekend: NC Walk for Victory!

Please help Duke Heart in supporting patients with Marfan and other connective tissue disorders by supporting our efforts with the upcoming 2023 NC Walk for Victory.

The 2023 NC Walk for Victory will take place Saturday, April 22 from Noon-3 p.m. at Laurel Hills Park, 3808 Edwards Mill Rd., Raleigh (27612). Duke Heart is serving as the presenting sponsor, with Dr. Chad Hughes serving as the Walk’s Medical Director.

This event is held to gather patients, family members and friends who are affected by genetic aortic and vascular conditions, including Marfan Syndrome, Loeys-Dietz, and Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndromes. Attendees come from all over the southeast region of the U.S. to celebrate one another and to forge friendships with others going through similar experiences.

The Walk for Victory is a fun, family-friendly event that recognizes an incredible group of people and their caregivers. The Walk helps to create awareness in the community, and is one way the Marfan Foundation raises funding for much-needed research into these genetic conditions.

It is not too late to support Duke Heart’s Duke Aorta team captain Melissa Burkett! Check out Duke Aorta’s team fundraising page for The Marfan Foundation: https://give.marfan.org/team/482581). Every donation will help!

To learn more about the event or the Marfan Foundation in general, please visit: https://duke.is/pkjnw. Thank you!

Better Together: A Culture Campaign

With so much change on the horizon for Duke Health, we have a once-in-an-era opportunity to define who we are for a new chapter, taking the best of our past and adding new ways to our future to become better together. What does it mean to become better together? It means defining our culture — who and how we want to be. We’ll look at ourselves in the mirror, keep what we like, and intentionally set aside the rest, designing a new path where everyone feels heard, valued, seen, and respected. Watch this short video to learn more.

Now is the time to act by sharing what you would keep that is good and what you would change about Duke Health. You can use this link to answer questions online, 24/7 through Tuesday, April 18.

Click here for a fact sheet to learn more.

Quick Reminders & Updates

In light of the decreased community incidence of Covid-19 infections and a robust supply of PPE, DUHS is preparing to move to Tier 1 status. Stay tuned for updates on timing.
The Dept. of Surgery announced last week that starting tomorrow, April 17, asymptomatic perioperative patients who have not been exposed to Covid will no longer be required to have a preoperative Covid nucleic acid assay test.
Please participate in the Better Together online questionnaire by April 18. Link above.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

April 18: Genetic Cardiomyopathies and Heart Failure: Back to Bases with Karen Rosario. 5 p.m., Zoom only.

April 25: Regulatory Guidance for Cardiovascular Outcomes Trials of Antihyperglycemic Agents: Connecting the Past with the Future with Darren K. McGuire, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center & Parkland Health and Hospital System; Deputy Editor, Circulation. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

ICYMI: Links to Recent CGRs

April 4: Matt Carlisle of Duke Health presentation, Atrial Fibrillation: Contemporary Management of a Common Arrhythmia. https://duke.is/ytg6n

Final Day of Dean’s Research Series This Week

The final day of the Dean’s Research Series will be Thursday, April 20. Full schedule and details can be found at medschool.duke.edu/research-series. The Zoom link for all faculty lectures is https://bit.ly/Duke-DDRS.

The Duke University School of Medicine’s Dean’s Distinguished Research Series showcases groundbreaking research from the basic, clinical, and translational sciences. All faculty, staff, trainees and students are welcome to attend.

April 28: DOM Research Day

The Duke Department of Medicine will hold their inaugural Research Day on Friday, April 28, 2023, at the Trent Semans Center in the Great Hall from 8 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

This event is for all departmental faculty, clinical and postdoctoral fellows, residents, medical students, and research staff. Lunch is included. For questions regarding Research Day contact Saini Pillai, MBA. A copy of the agenda can be found here.

Sudarshan Rajagopal, MD, PhD, associate professor of cardiology and a PI in the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center is one of four presenters during the faculty speaker session. Rajagopal will discuss recent research from his lab that demonstrates new modes of signaling by receptors and its potential impact on drug development.

Funding Opportunity: The Mario Family Foundation Award