Highlights of the week:
Parikh Joining Wake Med Team in October
Kishan Parikh, MD, assistant professor of medicine in cardiology, will leave his role with Duke Heart at the end of September. He will join the team at Wake Med in October as their director of advanced heart failure and pulmonary vascular care. His last day with Duke Heart will be September 30.
While it’s always difficult to bid farewell to our teammates, we are excited for Kishan as he moves into this new opportunity.
“It is tough to leave great friends and colleagues, but the opportunity to impact the growing population in Wake County is an exciting next step in my career. At the same time, I’m looking forward to maintaining relationships and building bridges between our programs,” said Parikh.
He says he has been drawn to pulmonary hypertension and heart failure as an area of focus since he was a medical student on a team caring for a pulmonary hypertension patient. “The potential to significantly improve outcomes through earlier recognition/education and targeted therapies for this population continues to drive me.”
Parikh says that he’s most proud of the teamwork he has been a part of in Duke’s heart failure and pulmonary hypertension groups, building the HF/PH clinic in Wake County alongside the Duke Cardiology of Raleigh group, and research efforts including site-based research in HF with preserved EF, and creation of the Duke pulmonary hypertension database.
At Wake Med, he’ll be director of advanced heart failure and pulmonary vascular care, allowing him to work together with Dr. Stu Russell and nurse practitioner Tanaya Foster. His goal is to continue growing the program and provide expanded access.
“I think there are some really good opportunities to reach underserved populations,” Parikh added. “While here at Duke, I’ve worked with some of the most capable, compassionate colleagues in the world – and learned how to deliver true patient-centered care. I’ll apply these lessons and continue learning in this next step. I’m extremely grateful to my clinical and research mentors, as well as division leadership, for supporting me along the way since I started as a fellow 10 years ago.”
Parikh completed his MD in 2009 at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, and went on to residency at the University of Chicago, where he served as chief resident in internal medicine in 2012. He served as chief fellow for Duke Cardiology and completed his Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship in 2017; and the Advanced Heart Failure, MCS, and Transplant Fellowship in 2018 when he joined the faculty.
Congratulations, Kishan!
Fellows Bootcamp Held for Newest CV Trainee Class
The new cardiovascular disease fellows’ orientation and bootcamp was held this past week. It was a tremendous effort organized by Rob Harrison, Nishant Shah, Brianna Small and Anna Lisa Chamis.
Chamis, director of the cardiovascular disease fellowship program, is very pleased with how the week went.
“I would like to thank the efforts of the cardiac sonographers, including Danny Rivera and the nurses who facilitated echo bootcamp with me on Monday. Additionally, I would like to thank the Durham VA cardiology faculty and staff who gave a warm welcome to the incoming fellows Wednesday. Furthermore, Rob Harrison organized a phenomenal CICU bootcamp on Thursday that included didactics and interactive experiences with Willard Applefeld, Jason Katz, Kristin Newby, Jennifer Rymer, Nishant Shah, Jeff Washam and Manesh Patel. For Friday, Nishant Shah organized a fantastic simulation center experience with the AMAZING Jennifer Rymer leading the way, and an outstanding EP bootcamp that included didactics and hands-on experiences with Emily Towery, Ilia Shadrin, Sana Al-Khatib, Zak Loring, Neil Freedman, and Steve Mann.”
Our new fellows began their rotations this weekend — so thank you once again to all team members for making them feel welcome!
Duke Heart Family Welcomes Two!
We’re excited to share with you the newest additions to the Duke Heart family. Please welcome David Lerman, born June 28!
Joe Lerman, David’s dad, says, “Mom and Baby are doing great, and Dad is remembering that sometimes you do sleep better at the hospital.”
And please also welcome Penelope Michele Loriaux, born on July 1. She is 8lbs 12 oz in weight, 21 inches in length.
Dan Loriaux, Penny’s dad, says “Everything went well in the hospital. Sandra and Penny are both healthy and home.”
Congratulations to the Lerman and Loriaux families!
James Peterson, MD, Retires from Duke Raleigh Practice
Congratulations to James Peterson, MD, cardiology faculty member at Duke Cardiology of Raleigh (DCR), on his retirement from Duke on June 30. Peterson, at Duke for the past decade, was celebrated by his closest colleagues from the DCR clinic, the Duke Raleigh Hospital (DRAH) Cath lab, and DRAH 2200 with a retirement dinner, luncheon, and after-hours event.
His retirement dinner was held on June 3 at Bloomsbury Bistro in Raleigh. Shown here, L-R, are: Radha Kachhy, Larry Liao, Bill Parsons, James Peterson, Mark Leithe, Stephen Robinson, Dan Friedman and James Mills.
Shown below are Peterson with the DCR group and their spouses, as well as Peterson’s two sons – Neil and Graeme. The two flew in to surprise him and join the team for dinner. His son Neil, to his right, joined from Portland, Oregon, and son Graeme, to his left, flew in from Boston, MA.
His clinical team hosted a luncheon in his honor in the Tryon Conference room, MOB6 on the campus of DRAH. Shown here are Peterson and several retired members of the DCR nursing team.
The DRAH cath lab team held an after-hours event to celebrate Peterson at Wilson’s Eatery/Lynnwood Brewing. There, he was presented with his cath lab retirement gift: a new putter!
Peterson with members of the DRAH cath team.
Peterson with his cath lab retirement gift — a new putter!
Dr. Peterson and his wife Judy enjoying the evening.
Dr. Peterson with Betty Richardson of the DRAH Progressive Care Unit
Peterson, assistant professor of medicine in cardiology, received his MD from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1988. He went on to residency at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, and then completed cardiology training at the Ohio State University Medical Center. He will be missed here at Duke, but we know he’s having a blast with loved ones and hopefully enjoying some great rounds of golf with his new putter. Peterson is currently on a trip to Scotland (no doubt fitting in some great golf!) with his family.
We wish him the very best in retirement.
Dave Rendall, PA, Retires from Duke Health
David Rendall, PA-C for Duke Cardiology of South Durham and a long-time member of the Duke Heart team, officially retired on Monday, July 3 after 42 years at Duke, including 39 years on staff and three years in training with Duke’s Physician Assistant program!
“Now that I am retiring from Duke, I look back with appreciation and gratitude for the many years my wife and I had while working there,” says Rendall. “My career started in 1984 when I joined the Interventional Cardiology Program. In addition to assisting in interventional procedures, I was asked to help with patient follow-up which led to an opportunity at the DCRI for 25 years as a Project Leader in cardiovascular trials. I was able to supplement my clinical trials work with some part-time outpatient general cardiology work and eventually I spent the last ten years of my career in outpatient General Cardiology.
“As I look back on my career I think what I have found to be most personally rewarding to me has been the opportunity in clinical practice to make an important difference in another person’s life through the provider-patient encounter. It has not always been easy with time constraints and wide variations between patient circumstances, but it is labor that is inherently worthwhile and usually rewarding.”
His team helped celebrate him with a special dinner on Thursday, June 29 at the Washington Duke Inn. Colleague Carolyn Lekavich said it was a “very wonderful, heartfelt tribute to him and the career he has had with Duke Heart, the DCRI, and his other roles.”
Shown here, L-R are: Christopher Granger, Lekavich, Dave Rendall, Gail Cox, Jim Cox, Phyllis Upchurch, Edana Christy, Jeanna Riley, Stephanie Nicholls, Allen Stephens, Julie Marshall, Kristin Newby, and Bradi Granger.
We reached out to several of Dave’s current and former colleagues for their thoughts and here is what they had to say:
“Dave epitomizes the role of a physician assistant. Not only is he an excellent provider, but he is also one of the most compassionate and thoughtful human beings I’ve met. His compassion extends to his love of animals. I will miss the colorful animal calendars that he hung proudly in his office at Southpoint. Dave will be truly missed by all at Duke Cardiology!” – Allen Stephens, MHS, PA-C, Division of Cardiology and Duke Cardiology of Arringdon
“It has been a privilege to work with and get to know Dave during his many years with Duke Cardiology. Whether it was caring for the bird that had fallen out of its nest on the golf course, feeding the feral cats at Southpoint Clinic, or, especially, the clinical care he provided to his patients, Dave demonstrated a remarkable level of compassion and caring. He was committed to ensuring that every patient he saw in the clinic understood their illness and treatment and had the knowledge and manageable daily approaches to improving their heart health, tailored to their unique situation, and provided this despite clinic time-slot constraints. Dave’s heart is huge, and we in the Heart Center and the patients he served will miss working with him.” – Dr. Kristin Newby
“We’ve been friends for 35 years and have been professional colleagues. He’s the godfather to my kids, and we used to vacation together all the time. We first met when I was a fellow and he was a PA for interventional cardiologist Dr. Richard Stack – that was Dave’s first job out of PA school.
Dave was in charge of calling back patients as part of our registry study to understand restenosis rate – and the data that we collected was just seminal. Dave ran that and he was just so good at it. He just enjoyed talking to patients and getting them back in for caths to make sure that their artery was in good shape. He was so thorough with it, too. We had the highest follow-up rate of any study in the country at the time, at least that I was aware of, and that was because Dave was able to connect with patients so well. He did that for the first third of his professional career. Then he went to DCRI which is where we had hired him to be the project manager for the HF-ACTION study, which was one of the largest landmark studies conducted by the DCRI to look at exercise training for heart failure. He was again just superb with his management of people and ability to work with people – physicians, the patients, everyone.
But his real passion really blossomed in the last third of his career, when we brought him over into the clinic, where he first worked with Dr. Harry Phillips as a PA taking care of cardiac patients – particularly around prevention and cardiovascular education. He loved working with patients on how to promote a healthy lifestyle.
Dave’s dad was a very well-known physician in the Boston area – so this commitment to patients and education is really part of his DNA. I think his father would have been so proud of Dave for reestablishing those direct-care roots. And you know, when I left Duke, I had a big cohort of patients and quite a number of them said to me, “Well, we’re really disappointed that you’re leaving, but please tell us that Dave Rendall is not leaving!” And so I told them, no, Dave is staying and they were so grateful. I think that was a real testament to his dedication to patient care. My patient population that I transitioned to Mike Blazing and others, most of them were followed by Dave Rendall.” – Christopher O’Connor, MD, president of INOVA Heart and Vascular Institute, and the former division chief of Cardiology at Duke.
Dave, you’ve made a difference not only to your patients but to your colleagues – and also helped advance the work done via cardiovascular clinical trials. Incredible accomplishment! You will be missed – and we wish you all the best in retirement!
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conferences
July 12: Management of NSTEMI with Jennifer Rymer. Noon, Zoom only.
July 14: Coronary Angiography with Andrew Wang. Noon, DN 2001. Lunch provided.
Cardiology Grand Rounds is on hiatus for the summer. We’ll be back in the fall!
Duke SOM Call for Applications: Restorative Justice Pilot Program
The Office for Faculty, in partnership with the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, is now accepting applications for a pilot program that will provide training and support for implementation of Restorative Justice interventions in the School of Medicine. Restorative Justice (RJ) is an ethical framework that focuses on building community by living our shared values of respect, honesty, responsibility, empathy, and inclusivity. RJ has its roots in indigenous traditions, which uphold the belief that people are interconnected and that focus on the role of community. Restorative practices can create the environment necessary for building and sustaining relationships, maintaining shared accountability, repairing damage caused by harmful behaviors, and ultimately improving team culture.
About the program: Pilot participants will take part in an intensive RJ training program in fall 2023. Working with their teams and with support from experienced RJ practitioners, participants will develop and implement restorative interventions within their individual units in spring 2024. Participants will become part of a longitudinal learning community of individuals interested in exploring the use of restorative practices in the School of Medicine to shape culture and improve well-being. Participation will require significant time, including in-person classroom training sessions and asynchronous reading and reflection. There will be no charge to the participants or departments that participate. Participants will receive a stipend for participation and completion of activities.
Who should apply: Applications should come from groups of 2-4 faculty and staff from the same organizational unit (department, division, program, etc.) within the School of Medicine. All applicants must have the support of their manager/leader and be able to commit to attending all training dates in person (view dates).
Selection Criteria:
- Team members have a demonstrated commitment to improving institutional culture and climate within the unit, including diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
- Team collectively has enough capacity, reach and local support to implement RJ practices within the unit.
- Potential ideas for the application of RJ within the organizational unit.
- Faculty and staff representation where possible
- Senior leadership support, including a statement confirming protected time for participants to attend all training sessions and participate in evaluation activities. The letter should confirm support for participants’ implementation efforts in the spring and address likely receptivity of the local unit to restorative interventions/mindset.The letter must be signed by the department chair or division chief for faculty applicants, and the manager(s) for staff applicants.
Evaluation:
Because this project is a pilot, program evaluators expect participants to provide feedback about their experience.
Complete program information and application details are available online: https://medschool.duke.edu/shifting-paradigm-restorative-justice-framework-workforce-well-being
Applications are due August 7.
Questions? Contact Jessica Schonberg, MEd, Director of Educational Programs in the Office for Faculty, at jessica.schonberg@duke.edu
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:
June 30 — Neha Pagidipati
Diabetes.org/ADA News Release
https://duke.is/m/rtkb
July 3 — Duke Health (transplant)
The Washington Post
Dispute threatens to disrupt flow of organs to transplant hospitals
https://duke.is/4/ht92
July 4 – Duke Health (transplant)
The Washington Post
Transplant group extends deadline that threatened flow of crucial organs
https://duke.is/9/ap5y
July 5 — Andrew Wang
Health Central
When Surgery Is Part of Your HCM Picture
https://duke.is/v/3ce4
July 5 — Jerome Federspiel (OB/GYN)
USNews.com
How to Care for Your Heart During a Pregnancy
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-07-05/how-to-care-for-your-heart-during-a-pregnancy
July 6 — Robert Mentz
Medpage Today
Q&A: Robert J. Mentz, MD on Iron Repletion in Heart Failure
https://duke.is/2/pyr6
July 6 — Sal Pizzo, Svati Shah, Paul Ferrel, and Kristi Oristian
WBTV (Charlotte, NC)
Kannapolis-based MURDOCK Study samples speed heart failure discovery
https://duke.is/g/gqvb
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