Highlights of the week:
Celebrations!
Lots to celebrate this weekend — Duke MBB had an exciting win over UNC on Friday night and again last night over Louisville to clinch the ACC tournament championship game. Always great fun to watch! Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day, so don a bit of green. We continue to wish those in our Muslim community a happy Ramadan, which continues through March 29, 2025, ending with Eid al-Fitr, a festive holiday marked by prayers, feasting and acts of generosity.
Ramadan Kareem! Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Go Duke!
Jones Presented CGR
Schuyler Jones, MD presented Cardiology Grand Rounds on Thursday evening, March 13. He gave a guidelines update — Peripheral Artery Disease 2024 ACC/AHA Guidelines Update. If you missed it, the recording is available in Warpwire.
Great presentation, Schuyler!
Great Catch, Lorenzi!
One of our team members received a Great Catch Award this week – Lauren Lorenzi, CNI with DMP 7 E. Lauren was performing dual verification for an insulin order when she noticed the syringe contained less volume than was ordered. She escalated the discrepancy to her Charge Nurse and the First Call Provider. She also took extra steps to obtain a new syringe with the correct dose. Kudos to Lauren for her vigilance and willingness to “ask questions and question the answers” in the name of patient safety!
Nicely done, Lauren!
Shout-out to Duke Heart CCU Team
Duke Heart’s CCU team was recognized during a DUH Palliative Care consult team daily huddle last week. During a difficult patient case, all members of the team showed extraordinary dedication and compassion to the patient and family members.
“Despite the challenging circumstances, each person who interfaced with the patient and family was kind, hopeful, and truly did their best to meet their expressed wishes. While it wasn’t the outcome we wanted, your team did everything in your power and did it all with professionalism. Thank you for your skill and compassion. We noticed.” — With gratitude, Lisa Clark Pickett, MD
Important work, team. You’re amazing.
Ross Elected to FAHA
Congratulations to Leanna Ross, PhD, who was recently elected to be a Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA) conferred by the Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health (LIFESTYLE). Fellowship recognizes and awards premium professional members for excellence, innovative and sustained contributions in the areas of scholarship, practice and/or education, and volunteer service within the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.
Way to go, Leanna!
Health System Updates:
Championing Our Missions in Times of Change
The following message from Dr. Craig Albanese, CEO, Duke University Health System, was distributed on Friday to DUHS team members.
Team,
Every day, we have the privilege of being a beacon of hope, health and healing for all who entrust us with their care. Our profession is a calling built on unwavering principles of integrity, compassion, empathy, and service to others, irrespective of backgrounds, beliefs, or circumstances.
The recent Executive Orders have caused uncertainty across all Duke missions and earlier today, President Price shared a message with the Duke University community regarding the significant impact a reduction to federal funding would have on the University. University Executive Vice Presidents Daniel Ennis and Mary Klotman and Provost Alec Gallimore then provided additional insight in their shared message here. Mary Klotman also shared a message with the School of Medicine community about the important work that they are doing in response to these changes. As you can see, an integrated planning process, which includes involvement of DUHS, is underway to identify and plan for measures that may be needed to ensure the University’s long-term operational and financial health.
While the work underway is largely focused on the University’s operational and financial health due to changes in federal funding, our health system is also continuing to monitor and understand potential and evolving health care specific threats from legislative or executive actions (e.g. cuts in Medicaid, Medicare, HASP, 340B drug program). We recognize this is a national phenomenon and that the road ahead may introduce even more challenges that our entire Duke community may have to navigate together. Therefore, carefully evaluating the short- and long-term implications of any changes will be vitally important as we work together in support of our missions.
Now more than ever, we must redouble our focus on being good stewards of our resources in order to take care of those that come to us for care. We remain committed to our financial renewal through growth and investment in strategic partnerships, and we are continuing to hire to fulfill our strategic clinical growth plans. At the same time, we must balance our operating expenses with improvements in efficiency, elimination of waste, and innovations in our care model through people, processes, and technology. Our recent request to review open requisitions is simply good practice to ensure we are hiring for the right talent, in the right places, at the right time. Delivering on our promise to provide more care to more patients in more communities depends heavily on our ability to efficiently and effectively deliver high quality, safe patient care. Undeniably, this budget season will be challenging for us. Our leadership discipline of regularly identifying and implementing ways to be efficient and our annual budgeting process will inform the decisions we need to make in order to sustain our health system for today and tomorrow.
This all matters because we are an academic health system that in partnership with the School of Medicine delivers the most cutting-edge clinical care, inspiring the intellectual curiosity of our learners through unparalleled education, incomparable research and breakthrough discoveries. While this will be hard work, it is absolutely necessary that we engage across our diverse Duke community to champion our collective missions well into the future.
As leaders, we have a choice of how we lead during such unprecedented times. Let’s lead with courage and compassion, committed to the culture we aspire to be. By putting our people first, adapting to improve and empowering our team members to share their ideas and work as a system, we’ve shown that we’re Better Together in every circumstance. We’re practiced at leading through difficult times, and we have proven that we’re made for moments like this. We are entering this period from a position of strength, and we will link arms with our University colleagues to chart our path forward. Nearly every change, inflection point, and moment of crisis we’ve ever seen has ushered in opportunity and we’ve emerged stronger. And where there is an abundance of opportunities, we can all exceed our potential.
As we learn more, we will keep you informed by being clear about what we know, what we don’t know and what we are committed to do. We will share information when it becomes available and we’ll continue to put the well-being of our talentforce, our patients, and our communities first.
Sincerely,
Craig Albanese, MD, MBA
Chief Executive Officer,
Duke University Health System
Tier 2 Visitor Restrictions
Respiratory illnesses throughout our community remain high. We remain in Tier 2 Visitor Restrictions.
Navigating the Impact of Recent Executive Orders
The following resource page for the latest news and information related to the recent executive orders from the White House is being updated regularly. It includes direct links to policies and guidance documents as they are published. If you have specific questions, please escalate those to your supervisor.
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
Cardiology Grand Rounds
If you missed any of our CGR’s from the past year, all Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:
NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!
CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference
March 19: HF/Tx with Joshua Rushakoff. Noon, in-person.
March 21: Congenital with Rich Krasuski. Noon, virtual.
March 26: EP with Jonathan Kusner and Ivan Nenadic Wood. Noon, in-person.
March 28: No conference/ACC
Upcoming Duke Heart CMEs
The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration coming soon; now open for Duke HF Symposium.
- April 26, 2025: Duke Structural Heart Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center in Durham)
- June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham). Registration is open!
- October 4, 2025: Duke Cardiac Sonography Symposium (live event at Trent Semans Center)
- October 31, 2025: 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center)
Amyloidosis Support Group, March 22
Duke Heart will host an Amyloidosis Support Group meeting for all patients and family members followed at Duke as well as other institutions throughout the region.
- When: Saturday, March 22, 2025
- Time: 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Where: Great Hall of the Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Center for Health Education at Duke
The meeting is being organized in collaboration with the Amyloidosis Support Group Association (ASGA), a well-recognized national organization in the amyloidosis space.
Cardiologist Dr. Michel Khouri and hematologist Dr. Christiana Costa Chase, along with our genetic counselors, will be speaking at the event along with other special guests invited by ASGA.
Breakfast, lunch, and parking passes will be provided to attendees. Registration is required. There is no charge to attend. More information is available on the ASGA’s website.
Pulmonary Hypertension Community Workshop, March 22
Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Community Workshop brings together individuals, caregivers, friends and family impacted by pulmonary hypertension for a free, one-day, in-person event. The workshop educates and empowers attendees through up-to-date information on living with PH, including disease management, treatments, diagnostics and clinical trials. This event offers a unique opportunity to connect with the local PH community for support and resources. The workshop includes complimentary parking, breakfast, and lunch.
- When: March 22
- Time: 9 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
- Where: Renaissance Charlotte SouthPark Hotel in Charlotte, NC.
Cardiologist Dr. Sudarshan Rajagopal is a co-chair for this free educational workshop geared to patients and their caregivers. Registration required. The event is sponsored by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association.
Gatsby Themed Fundraiser to Support Duke Heart for Honduras
There will be a Great Gatsby Casino Night on Saturday, March 29, 2025 as a fundraiser to benefit the Duke Heart for Honduras program. All proceeds will go directly to purchasing equipment and medical supplies to operate on children in need.
There will be a silent auction, casino games, heavy hors d’oeuvres, and the City Lights Jazz Band will be performing live. Donations can be made and tickets can be purchased here: https://one.bidpal.net/2025gatsbycasino/welcome
Thank you for supporting Duke Heart for Honduras!
Preparing for Transition from GME to DHIP Attending
Duke trainees who have accepted or are considering a Duke faculty position may find this event helpful.
This onboarding preparation session is for current Duke trainees who have accepted or are considering a Duke Faculty position. Members of Duke Health’s onboarding team will walk you through the process to prepare you for an efficient and successful transition. It’s an opportunity to meet leadership and network with colleagues who will also be staying at Duke.
When: Wednesday, April 9, 2025 — 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Where: Medical Center Amphitheater @ Duke Clinics (Basement level)
Please RSVP by March 31, 2025. Contact: Kylee.Mace@duke.edu.
Have news to share?
If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular 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 team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.
Duke Heart in the News:
March 8 — Colin Duckett, et al., DUHS
Associated Press
Universities are facing big cuts to research funding. At Duke, it’s a time for ‘damage control’
March 10 — Duke Health
Reach MD
Revolutionizing Cardiac Care: The Living Mitral Valve Transplant Breakthrough
March 11 — Karen Alexander
The Telegraph (India)
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