Duke Heart Pulse — May 11, 2025 – The Pulse

Chief’s message:

Happy Mother’s Day & Graduation Season Begins

To all the moms and mom-figures throughout our team, we wish you a very happy Mother’s Day, and to any of our team members with graduates in their midst – it’s the start of graduation season (this weekend is Duke University’s)– so congratulations to all!

In Memoriam: Robert A. Waugh, MD, Associate Professor Emeritus of Medicine in Cardiology

We are saddened to share that our dear friend and colleague, associate professor emeritus of medicine in cardiology, Dr. Robert Andrew Waugh died yesterday, May 10, 2025, at Hillcrest Convalescent Center in Durham where he had been residing. He was 85.

Waugh’s work while at Duke included the use of patient simulation and computers in medical student and graduate medical education, the use of noninvasive technologies in the evaluation of patients with heart disease, and the role of stress and behavior modification in the care and evaluation of patients with known or suspected heart disease. He assisted Joe Kisslo in establishing echocardiography at Duke, along with the Cardiac Diagnostic Unit.

He had a number of collaborations during his time at Duke, including one with the University of Miami School of Medicine’s Medical Training and Simulation Laboratory to advance and further the use of patient simulators, including Harvey (the cardiopulmonary patient simulator, shown left) and computer modeling in medical training. He served on a multicenter consortium of educators and physicians to develop and evaluate multimedia teaching programs specifically for cardiovascular disease, and later across a variety of medical sub-specialties. He also partnered with Dr. James Blumenthal’s Behavioral Medicine Laboratory at Duke as a collaborator on clinical trials centering around the relationships between exercise, weight loss, and blood pressure, and the role of mental stress and ischemia in patients with known coronary artery disease.

“Bob had just completed his fellowship when I came to Duke in 1972 — he was in the same fellowship class as Galen Wagner and a year behind Bob Rosati,” said Joseph Kisslo, MD, professor of medicine in cardiology at Duke. “Shortly thereafter, Bob went into the Navy and was stationed at Bethesda. He tried private practice for a year in Virginia after the Navy and then returned to Duke when Galen Wagner served as the acting chief of cardiology while Andy Wallace was on sabbatical.

“He was the supreme clinician and cared dearly about teaching our medical students about heart disease,” Kisslo added. “Bob was very instrumental in the beginning of the original stress echo and Holter monitoring lab and he was a big help to me in establishing echo at Duke, and then the Cardiac Diagnostic Unit. Without Bob, the cooperative entity of the CDU would have never worked — he was the ultimate “team player”. One of the saddest days I’ve ever had was when Bob told me he was stopping clinical practice because he just couldn’t manage anymore.”

Born on Christmas Day, 1939 (the very same day as Galen Wagner!), Waugh would earn his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1966. His survivors include his wife, Carol Ann; their daughter, Dianna Joseph of Georgia, and a grandson, William.

We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and former colleagues.

We are grateful to the following faculty members for sharing their thoughts and memories of Dr. Waugh with us:

“Bob Waugh was a great guy and excellent cardiologist. One of my favorites. I interviewed with Bob for Cardiology Fellowship. It just so happened that at the time I was the resident on the cardiology consult service and he was the Attending. So I showed up with my suit and folio ready for an interview. He looked at me and said ‘Let’s go round’ and we saw all the consult patients that afternoon.” — Sunil Rao, MD, Director of Interventional Cardiology at NYU Langone

“Bob was unique among us. Great laugh and very skilled as a clinician and an educator. I was in need of an echo tech and Bob pitched a guy that he had worked with in the Navy. I thought, ‘Just what I need… an old drinking buddy of Bob’s.’ But, of course, Roger [Harsh] was one of the best hires ever.” — Ken Morris, MD

“He was so much fun to have around. Loved his laugh.” — Mark Donahue, MD

“A great educator! He was so fun to read echos with.” — Mike Sketch, MD

“He was one of the greats.” — Tom Povsic, MD

“Dr. Waugh was a gifted educator, beloved by everyone who interacted with him. He taught generations of medical students, residents and fellows EKGs and physical exam using Harvey, the cardiology patient simulator. He taught, inspired and mentored me to pursue a career as a cardiology clinician- educator. I will be forever grateful.” — Anna Lisa Chamis, MD

“Another of the founders of the Duke Cardiology Division has passed. Bob Waugh was the consummate clinician and teacher at Duke. He loved teaching so much that he helped develop a manikin named “Harvey” in an effort to educate everyone from med students to faculty on how to properly perform a physical exam. Named after Proctor Harvey of Georgetown fame, the Duke cardiology manikin was located on the seventh floor. Pulsations and apical movements were incorporated along with the auscultatory heart sounds heard at differing locations on the torso. One could select the murmurs associated with any structural heart ailment. His passion for teaching and his devotion to the housestaff and fellows were boundless, even though he began his career at Duke as a basic scientist. His office was the story of legends, as he was a hoarder of first magnitude- books and magazines were stacked sky-high everywhere. Despite that, he always knew where everything was, and everyone was always welcome to come and chat about just about anything at any time. He was a wonderful listener, a friend to all, and had opinions on everything. Bob was truly one of the giants in cardiology that built the Duke program. His kindness, humor, teaching prowess, and clinical competence made him one-of-a-kind. He was the best. He will be greatly missed by all of us who benefited from his presence and influence..” – Tom Bashore, MD

“I first saw Bob Waugh on a video as a medical student at Emory – introducing the Harvey training manikin. When I met him, it became clear that Bob was a caring clinical role model for all of use who had to privilege of knowing him. Duke Cardiology and Duke Medicine benefited from his love of teaching, easy going style, and most importantly dedication to being a great clinician. Despite having his desk piled high with articles and books, he would always make time to listen to a case or just provide advise. He will be missed.” Manesh Patel, MD

Reminder: Culture Pulse Survey!

Please take part in the (very quick!) Culture Pulse Survey which runs through tomorrow, May 12. You can access the survey here. 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.

With participation, you may even win a great prize! Five team members across the health system who complete the Culture Pulse survey will be randomly selected to win a pair of Duke men’s basketball tickets, a pair of tickets to a DPAC production, or four tickets for a Durham Bulls baseball game!

Please visit the Culture Pulse page to learn more.

Thank you!

AATS 2025 Duke Highlights

The 105th annual meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) was held May 2-5, 2025 at the Seattle Convention Center in Seattle, WA.

Thomas D’Amico, MD, the Gary Hock Distinguished Professor of Surgery and Section Chief for General Thoracic Surgery at Duke along with Maral Ouzounian, MD of Toronto General Hospital were the Program Directors for the AATS — well done, Tommy! Several faculty members served on program committees for this year’s event, including Carmelo Milano, MD (Adult Cardiac Program Committee); Joseph Turek, MD (Congenital Program Committee), and Betty Tong, MD (Thoracic Program Committee).

Highlights from Duke presenters included:

A presentation on optimal strategies for neuroprotection during aortic surgeries which require circulatory arrest, given by Edward P. Chen, MD;
Publication of outcomes of children undergoing partial heart transplant, co-authors included Joe Turek, MD; and a
Presentation on the Duke Donation After Circulatory Death (DCD) heart transplant outcomes, given by cardiothoracic surgical resident, Abigail Benkert, MD

We are especially delighted to share that surgical research fellow, Dr. Krish Dewan, won the prestigious C. Walton Lillehei Resident Forum prize for cardiac gene therapy work conducted in the laboratory of Dawn Bowles, PhD, assistant professor in surgery.

The Lillehei award is named for C. Walton Lillehei, MD, PhD, known as the father of open heart surgery. Lillehei forever changed the face of cardiac surgery through his research, groundbreaking developments and innovative techniques. In 1952, Lillehei participated in the world’s first successful open heart surgery at the University of Minnesota, and in 1954, he headed the first successful open heart surgery using cross-circulation. Lillehei himself was well decorated, having received such honors as the Bronze Star for World War II service in Italy, the 1955 Lasker Award, the Order of Health Merit Jose Fernandez Madrid by the government of Colombia in 1959, the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement in 1968, induction in 1993 into the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame, and the 1996 Harvey Prize in Science and Technology. The AATS honors his legacy and contributions by selecting a resident researcher each year as the recipient of his namesake award for their own cutting-edge breakthroughs and research efforts.

Congratulations to all!

Made for This Campaign

As we mentioned last weekend, the Made for This campaign for philanthropic support of Duke’s missions was held last weekend with board members from across Duke and Duke Health. The capstone event of the weekend was a discussion that took place on Saturday with former men’s basketball coach, Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski. We were able to get some photos of him with Manesh Patel, MD and Craig Albanese, MD from their panel discussion on leadership, innovation and advances at Duke Health.

Upadhya Receives Excellence in Education Award

Congratulations to Bharathi Upadhya, MBBS, associate professor of medicine in cardiology! She is one of thirteen Department of Medicine faculty members to receive the 2025 Excellence in Education Award. The DOM recognizes and appreciates the hard work and dedication of its outstanding faculty and their enduring commitment to the education of its fellows, residents, and students. The annual Excellence in Education Award recognizes a faculty member in each division for excellent teaching and commitment to the education and professional development of Duke trainees.

Dr. Upadhya is recognized as an outstanding teacher and committed educator of trainees giving high-yield lectures to cardiology fellows, sonographers, and sonography students. Additionally, she is a gifted bedside clinician-educator.

Congratulations, Bharathi! Well-deserved!

Neha Pagidipati, MD: Diminishing Fragmented Care & Shaping New Leaders in Research

Neha Pagidipati, MD, MPH, associate professor in the Division of Cardiology, is working to improve care fragmentation and inspire the next generation of researchers. She’s a cardiovascular prevention specialist dedicated to finding therapies that work for all patients through her combined interests of public health and clinical medicine.

“Obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol are just some of the factors that contribute to heart disease, and I enjoy helping people manage those aspects on an individual basis by lifestyle modification and using effective medications. But I also really enjoy thinking about how to improve those risk factors on a population level,” Dr. Pagidipati said. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.

She is one of several providers that treats patients through Duke’s Cardiometabolic Prevention Clinic. “It’s a multidisciplinary clinic that aims to provide coordinated care to the highest risk and most complex patients in the health system,” Dr. Pagidipati said. The team is comprised of cardiologists, endocrinologists, hepatologists, and nephrologists.

“This is practicing medicine the way all of us want to practice medicine. We get to work together with other clinicians and take care of patients in the best way possible,” she said. They refer and coordinate with each other often to prevent vulnerable patients from being overlooked. “Patients who have multiple cardiometabolic issues tend to see many different providers, and that care can be very fragmented, which is worse quality care,” Dr. Pagidipati said. But it also poses a problem for patients themselves.

“They’re just one person trying to manage all of their issues. But they’re going to many different clinicians who may or may not be telling them the same thing,” she said.

Dr. Pagidipati helped build the program which patients have been able to access through a variety of Duke clinics, including the South Durham Clinic, for the last eight years. “Having providers practice in different clinics is helpful because some locations are more convenient for patients than others,” she said.

“I think I always knew I wanted to be a physician,” Dr. Pagidipati said. Both her parents were doctors, and that exposed her to medicine early. She briefly considered other career paths, but a trip to India during her sophomore year in college confirmed her decision to pursue medicine.

“After doing public health work there and studying cardiovascular disease prevention in women, I realized health care was something that I was meant to do,” she said.

Dr. Pagidipati fell in love with cardiology as a fourth-year medical student at Harvard University School of Medicine after doing a cardiology critical care unit rotation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “It was the first time in my life that I remember thinking, ‘I would actually pay to be allowed to work every day in the CCU,” Dr. Pagidipati said.

It’s also where her interest in women’s health broadened and her desire to improve maternal health outcomes deepened. “Women are at just as much as risk of cardiovascular disease as men. Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in women, just as it is in men, yet heart disease in women tends to be under-recognized and undertreated,” Dr. Pagidipati said.

Addressing that disparity is another part of what drives her to improve care for her patients.

“There are aspects to women’s cardiovascular health that are different from the cardiovascular health in men that need additional focus and research,” Dr. Pagidipati said. “Unfortunately, women are not included in many cardiovascular trials and have largely been underrepresented in them for a long time, and I don’t think that has served anyone well,” she said.

After graduating from medical school, she completed Brigham and Women’s Hospital Internal Medicine Residency and Global Women’s Health Fellowship Program’s and earned a Master of Public Health from Harvard University.

Dr. Pagidipati has remained at Duke’s School of Medicine since completing a cardiology fellowship in 2017. “A critical piece of staying in an academic center is growing the next generation of investigators and clinicians,” she said. While mentorship isn’t something she set out to do, it’s become a large part of her life.

“The single most rewarding thing about being a doctor is taking care of patients. It’s an integral part of who I am, but I absolutely love and value the research and education aspects as well,” Dr. Pagidipati said. She was selected as an Associate Program Director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute Fellowship Program in 2018.

“It’s becoming increasingly harder to become a researcher, and we need people going into research because our medical enterprise doesn’t work without them,” she said. “I enjoy fostering that interest and teaching trainees that it can be done successfully and in a way that gives them a balance in their lives and clinical work.”

(This story was published April 14 by the Dept. of Medicine)

McGuire Presents CGR on GLP-1 Receptor Agonists

We had an excellent Cardiology Grand Rounds on Tuesday evening with former Duke cardiology trainee Darren McGuire, MD of UT Southwestern. He presented, “Getting to the heart of the matter: GLP-1 receptor agonists and CV disease” — if you missed it, you can check it out here: https://warpwire.duke.edu/w/HdgIAA/ (Duke NET ID is required).

Avery Ongman Featured by SOM

Congratulations to Avery Ongman, a student in our Cardiac Ultrasound Certificate Program — she is one of 14 students from across the School of Medicine’s education and training programs highlighted in their 2025 Student Graduation Profiles series.

Avery Ongman

Avery was recently named one of the 2025 Waggoner scholarship award winners by the American Society of Echocardiography. You can find her profile here.

DUHS Updates:

Construction in Parking Garage 2 (PG2)

Construction began on level two of Duke University Hospital’s Parking Garage 2 last week. Travel lanes will remain open for motorists, but you may encounter minor changes in traffic patterns. This work will continue for approximately six weeks. Please maintain a safe speed and watch for workers and pedestrians as you drive through the garage. Please do not remove the barriers in these areas.

Please allow additional time for your commute morning, as delays are anticipated and may impact your arrival.

Leadership Changes

Joanna Lowery has been promoted to Vice President of Support Services. With over 15 years of leadership experience—including the past eight in healthcare—Joanna is known for her strategic vision and operational excellence. In her most recent past experience, Joanna served as a leader at Aramark, an industry leader in hospitality management. As AVP at Duke, she has streamlined many processes and engaged other departments to improve turn-around times and solutions to expedite throughput. In early 2025, she led DUH to its first-ever compliant inspection on the initial attempt, earning recognition from the Fire Marshal. Her results-driven leadership continues to strengthen our support services.

Bryan Mallory, Vice President for Medicine, Surgery, Critical Care and Dialysis (MSCC) will be responsible for Emergency Services at DUH. In his expanded role, Bryan will be responsible for strategic planning, day-to-day operations, financial and resource management of the Emergency Department, Clinical Evaluation Unit, and Emergency Preparedness. He will continue to partner and collaborate with providers, nursing, and support teams across the hospital. Bryan has more than 15 years of healthcare experience across several organizations and specialty areas. Since returning to Duke in 2017, he has served as a vice president for several service lines, including Ambulatory, Children’s, and MSCC. Bryan began his career in healthcare as an EMT and volunteer rescue squad member.

Congratulations, Joanna and Bryan!

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

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 13: Somatic Mutations and Cardiovascular Disease with Jess Regan. 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 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.

July 25: Topic TBD with Amy S. Oxentenko, MD, Professor of Medicine with Mayo Clinic. 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)

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please 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:

May 5 — Jonathan Piccini

tctMD

Studies Spotlight Safety Concerns With Pulsed-Field Ablation for AF

May 5 — Audrey Blewer (Family Med/Community Health)

Public Good News

Bystanders can improve cardiac arrest survival. Here’s how.

May 6 — Emily D’Agostino (Population Health)

The Carolinian News

Meeting Patients Where They Are: NC Mobile Medicine in rural NC

May 6 — Adrian Hernandez

WRAL