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Duke Heart Pulse — May 4, 2025

By Tracey Koepke in Uncategorized on May 4, 2025.

Chief’s message: Made for This – Duke Campaign Kick off and planning for our future

Another busy spring week as we had a DHIP leadership summit with a room of some of our health system and physician/clinician leaders and teams working on our future strategies. The meeting was led by Matt Barber and Simon Curtis and we will work to ensure we that presentation to all of our Cardiovascular Service Line faculty. Included is a picture from the summit where they highlight the importance of new patient visits over several years and impact on some of the cardiovascular growth metrics.

Additionally, this week we had our heart center leadership councils spring meeting – led by our Council Chair – Bob Keegan. I was able to have a fireside chat with Adrian Hernandez and discuss the ways to make research and knowledge to practice more widespread. We have a story below on that. We also had the kick off the Duke Campaign for philanthropic support for our missions – entitled Made For This. We had several events including a Friday night dinner and Saturday Discussion with Coach K that was the capstone of the weekend. It was great to see so many parts of our health system/school of medicine working together to improve health from discover to delivery. We will have more on this work in the upcoming months.

Ravi Karra also gave medicine Grand Rounds on the multi-specialty and team based care we provide those with sarcoidosis at Duke.

Finally – our some of our CT surgical colleagues were at the ATS meeting this weekend and we will hear about that in upcoming weeks. We are excited to announce below Betty Tong as our Section Chief for General Thoracic Surgery.

Highlights of the week:

Tong Named Section Chief, General Thoracic Surgery Effective July 1

We are pleased to share that, following an extensive national search, Betty Tong, MD has been promoted to the position of Section Chief for General Thoracic Surgery effective July 1, 2025. She will take over this position from Thomas D’Amico, MD, who will begin a sabbatical in July.

Dr. Tong completed her undergraduate education at Georgia Tech University with a degree in mechanical engineering. She then completed medical school at Duke University and general surgery training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. She returned to Duke for her residency training in CT Surgery and also received a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2009. In 2008, she was brought on as an Assistant Professor in the CT Surgery Division here at Duke University. She has developed a tremendous practice in surgical treatments for lung cancer and minimally invasive approaches to thoracic surgery. She has spearheaded our lung cancer screening program and served as the Director of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Quality Review of the General Thoracic Program. In 2020, she was promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure.

Dr. Tong has demonstrated great academic productivity with more than 130 publications. In addition, she serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and the Annals of Thoracic Surgery. She is a member of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. In addition, Dr. Tong brings important leadership experience as she also serves as the Cardiothoracic Residency Program Director. She has been a champion for the promotion of women in thoracic surgery, both within our own training program and through her involvement in national societies. Acknowledging this, she was named the inaugural recipient of the Extraordinary Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Award in 2023; this award is co-sponsored by the STS and Women in Thoracic Surgery (WTS) to recognize outstanding women surgeons specializing in the CT space.

In summary, Betty is an outstanding member of the section and will now assume leadership as the Section Chief. Please join us in welcoming Betty to this important role and congratulating her on this achievement.

Celebrating Nurses!

National Nursing Week launches on Tuesday, May 6, and runs through May 12. It’s a time to recognize our entire team of Duke Health nurses for their many professional accomplishments and contributions to the care of our patients.

Our Duke Heart & Vascular nurses are foundational to providing best-in-class care to our cardiovascular, vascular, and thoracic patients. Thank you for all you do to care for patients, partner in advancing research, drive excellence across our quality and safety measures, and provide support for daily demands as they arise.

We have an incredible team of nurses throughout Duke Heart & Vascular. Happy Nurses Week!

Thakkar Receives Young Investigator Award

Congratulations to Duke Cardiology fellow Aarti Thakkar! We learned this week that she is the recipient of the NewAmsterdam Pharma Young Researcher Award for her project, Reshaping the Curve: Health-System Interventions to Improve Disparities in Lipid Management. This project leverages a remote lipid monitoring system to identify and treat high-risk individuals with elevated LDL cholesterol within the Duke Health System.

The Young Researcher Award was created by NewAmsterdam Pharma Medical Affairs to provide young investigators with the means to explore research in metabolic diseases. It will provide $50,000 per year for up to two years of project support. Thakkar’s primary mentors are Nishant Shah and Neha Pagidipati.

Way to go, Aarti!

Heart Team Demos Heart Dissections at DA

A team from Duke Heart was invited to teach cardiac anatomy and perform pig heart dissections to 7^th graders at Durham Academy this week. The team included several Duke cardiac sonographers (Danny Rivera, Dallas Gardner, Eddy Sandoval, Melissa Lefevre, Ashlee Davis, Emily Schanze), several cardiology fellows (Jessica Regan, Jonathan Hanna, Jawan Abdulrahim) and cardiology attendings (Svati Shah, Nishant Shah, Willard Applefeld).

The team reports that the experience was really fun and the students were excited and grateful to get to see their first real heart!

Nicely done, team!

Reminder: Culture Pulse Survey, Now through May 12

Please take part in the (very quick!) Culture Pulse Survey which launched this week and runs through May 12. By participating, you can help system leadership to better understand the current culture here at Duke Health. Your voice matters, so please participate – it’s quick, confidential, and will go a long way in helping leadership pave the way for an even stronger Health System.

The survey, which can be accessed on any computer or mobile device, will make it easier than ever to share your feedback. Look for an email (dated April 28) with your survey link; you can also visit the Culture Pulse page to learn more.

Thank you!

Celebrating Each Other Month

Craig Albanese kicked off DUHS’s first Celebrating Each Other Month with an appreciation message and video to all team members:

Hi team,

Every day, your hard work, and the service that you provide to those who come to us for hope, health, and healing inspires me and countless others.

While our appreciation extends beyond any special day, week, or month, May at Duke University Health System is Celebrating Each Other Month. This is a special time to recognize you and reaffirm our culture of putting people first.

Click here for a video message and to learn more about ways we can celebrate one another.

Please know how proud we are of you and the great joy it gives us to celebrate you —today, throughout this month and in every moment you bring our mission to life.

With gratitude,

Craig Albanese, MD, MBA

Chief Executive Officer

Duke University Health System

Spring HCLC meeting held

The Spring meeting of the Duke Heart Center Leadership Council (HCLC) was held Friday morning, May 2 at the J.B. Duke Hotel and Conference Center ahead of an all-School of Medicine and Duke Health Boards and Councils afternoon of programming.

The HCLC heard updates from Manesh Patel, Carmelo Milano, and Jill Engel, as well as Adrian Hernandez who provided updates from the Duke Clinical Research Institute, and from Jacob Klapper and Brittany Zwischenberger, who updated the HCLC on Duke CT Surgery’s robotics program.

Karra Delivered MGR

Ravi Karra delivered Medicine Grand Rounds on Friday, May 2. His topic was Sarcoidosis@Duke: A Granular View. The recording was not yet available this weekend, but will appear here once ready.

Structural Heart Disease Symposium Held

The Duke Heart Structural Heart Disease Symposium was held on April 26, 2025, at the Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Center. We had more than 115 people registered as well as solid industry support from Abbot, Edwards Lifesciences, and Medtronic. Topics covered included TAVR, SAVR, asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis, assessment of RV function and tricuspid regurgitation, TEER for primary MV regurgitation, and many others.

Speakers included Kevin Harrison, Amit Vora, Chad Hughes, Adam Williams, Fawaz Alenezi, Brittany Zwischenberger, Zachary Wegermann, Andrew Vekstein, Rich Krasuski, Andres Pineda Maldonado, Sreekanth Vemulapalli, Andrew Wang, and several former Duke fellows including Sharif Halim, Adam Banks, Angela Lowenstern and Ezequiel Munoz Gonzalez.

Great work, all!

DUHS Updates:

Duke Hospitals Earn ‘Straight A’ Grades for Patient Safety in Leapfrog Survey

Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, and Duke Raleigh Hospital, a campus of Duke University Hospital, have again received top scores for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit organization led by the nation’s leading employers and private health care experts.

The “A” scores for Leapfrog’s spring 2025 survey are part of the group’s Hospital Safety Grades Assessment, issued to hospitals every six months. This is the only hospital ratings program focused exclusively on preventable medical errors, infections, and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day nationally. Hospitals earn the elite “Straight A” distinction after achieving an “A” safety grade in at least five consecutive cycles.

“Earning a ‘Straight A’ from Leapfrog is a powerful endorsement of our unwavering commitment to patient safety and excellence across all three Duke Health hospitals in the Triangle,” said Thomas Owens, MD, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Duke University Health System. “This recognition reflects the dedication of our clinicians, staff, and volunteers, whose hard work ensures that our patients receive the highest level of care in a safe environment. We are proud of their efforts and grateful that Leapfrog continues to recognize Duke Health as a national leader in patient safety.”

Duke Health’s hospitals were among nearly 3,000 hospitals surveyed across the country. Fewer than 32% of hospitals nationwide received an “A” hospital safety grade for spring 2025. In North Carolina, Duke University Health System hospitals in the Triangle were among 35 hospitals to achieve the grade.

Twice each year, The Leapfrog Group collects and analyzes data based on more than 30 national performance measures of errors, accidents, injuries, and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm. The letter grades assigned to hospitals help people make informed decisions to protect themselves and their families.

Comparisons of hospital scores locally and nationally are available at www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.

Duke Moves Forward with Strategic Realignment and Cost Reduction Program

In a proactive move to support its research, clinical care, and teaching missions, Duke launched a university-wide strategic realignment and cost reduction program in March. During a university-wide webinar held Wednesday, April 30, university leaders shared a progress update with Duke faculty and staff.

“To assure we are best positioned to continue to support our missions, we believe it is critical to take appropriate actions sooner rather than later to lower costs and strategically realign our operations against lower federal funding levels going forward,” said Daniel Ennis, Duke’s executive vice president.

By mid-April, Duke had already taken steps to reduce spending by prioritizing cost reductions in administrative operations. In addition, Duke has suspended all capital spending on new buildings, renovations, and other capital projects that are not fully funded or deemed essential. Duke is also carefully reviewing administrative programs that serve the entire university, including technology adoption, off-campus real estate, and on-campus space consolidation.

A study is also underway to assess how certain changes to the university’s benefits may generate savings while protecting the program’s strong competitive position. Ennis made clear, however, that Duke will roll out its regular fiscal year-end performance review and salary merit increase program and that it does not have plans to change the university’s Children’s Tuition Grant.

During Wednesday’s webinar, Ennis and Antwan Lofton, vice president for human resources, shared an update on the types of employment-related actions Duke is and will be taking in the coming weeks.

While the university is assessing changes to programs and operations in a proactive and values-driven way, Ennis said, he added it is impossible to address the scope of threats to the university’s federal funding without making changes to staffing levels.

The university is pursuing several employment actions now in hopes of reducing the scale of involuntary separations later this summer. The measures include a staff hiring freeze and elimination of vacant positions, and a voluntary separation incentive program. Deans, vice presidents, and vice provosts are working with managers to determine which staff will be eligible for the voluntary separation program.

“We understand that these decisions are difficult, and we are fully aware of the stress that uncertainty can have within our community,” Lofton said. “We are working closely with our leaders to make these decisions about staffing as quickly as possible as we continue to move Duke forward.”

Duke faculty and staff can find more information on these measures at updates.duke.edu. Additional information and resources are available for Duke Health faculty and staff here.

“This is an incredibly hard moment,” Ennis said after the webinar. “But each decision is being made with input and discussion about how to best address these challenges while ensuring we continue the standard of excellence that has defined this institution for the last 100 years and will define what we accomplish for the next 100 years.”

Celebrating Jewish Heritage and Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage in May

Jewish Heritage Month is a time for learning, reflection, and connection. It reminds us of the profound impact Jewish individuals and communities have had on every facet of society – from the arts and sciences to leadership and education. Duke has a strong and active Jewish community with support available through the Freeman Center for Jewish Life.

This month, we also recognize and celebrate the more than 6,800 Asian American and Pacific Islanders who work at Duke and make valuable contributions to our missions every day. There are events and activities being held throughout the month to foster greater cultural awareness and understanding, including installation of an AAPI mural in Room 218 of Perkins Library that was created by Duke employees.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

May 1-7: Perfusion Week

May 6: Nurses Day

May 6-12: National Nurses Week

May 12: International Nurses Day

May is: American Stroke Month, Jewish Heritage Month, and National Asian Pacific American Month

May is also: Celebrating Each Other month at Duke

Cardiology Grand Rounds

May 6: The Nuts and Bolts of Evidence-based Preventive Cardiometabolic Care with Darren McGuire. 5 p.m. DN 2002 or via Zoom.

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

May 7: Intro to MRI with Han Kim. Noon. In-person. DMP 7E39

May 9: VAD Education and Emergency Response Update for Cardiology Fellows with Stephanie Barnes. Noon. Hybrid — Zoom and DMP 2W91

May 14: DHP with Tess Allan. Noon. In-person. DMP 7E39.

May 16: Pericardial Disease with Nishant Shah. Noon. Zoom only.

May 21: HF/Tx with Cosette Champion. Noon. In-person. DN 2001

May 23: EKG with Neil Freedman. Noon. Zoom only.

May 28: EP with Hannah Schwennesen and Jemi Galani. Noon, in person. DMP 7E39.

May 30: TBD

2025 Joseph C. Greenfield Visiting Professor of Medicine Lecture Series

May 9: Medicine and Mindset: Exploring New Targets and Re-Imagining the Clinical Encounter with Lidia Schapira, MD, FASCO, Professor of Medicine, Oncology with Stanford Medicine. 8 a.m., DN 2002

Upcoming Duke Heart CMEs

The following CME activities, sponsored by Duke Heart, have been scheduled. Registration coming soon; now open for June 7^th symposia.

June 7, 2025: Duke Heart Failure Symposium (live event at Durham Convention Center in Durham). Registration is required.
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)

CTSI Research Symposium to Focus on Strengthening Rural Health

May 8: Strengthening Rural Health: Research, Access to Care, and Community Collaboration. 12:30 to 2 p.m., Chesterfield Building, 701 W. Main St., Durham, NC.

Panelists will offer in-depth discussion about the importance of including rural communities in research, as well as strategies to overcome barriers to participation. Topics will include social drivers of mental health and the role of faith communities in addressing maternal mental health in rural communities.

To learn more and to register, please visit https://ctsi.duke.edu/news/ctsi-research-symposium-focus-strengthening-rural-health.

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:

April 28 — Audrey Blewer (Family Medicine & Comm. Health)

The Washington Post

What to know to save a life: The key to heart attack survival

April 28 — Theresa McDonnell (SVP, Chief Nursing Exec)

ICT & Health

We see our nurses as architects for the future of healthcare

April 29 — Brian Mac Grory (neurology)

AHA Newsroom

$1M awarded to research link between cardiovascular risk reduction, GLP-1 use

April 29 — Sean Pokorney

HCP Live