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Duke Heart Pulse — August 31, 2025

August 31, 2025 / Leave a comment

Chief’s message: Advancing Cardiovascular Medicine

This weeks Pulse highlights the official end of summer with Labor Day and many of our families with Kids back in school. The weekend also had the European Society of Cardiology with many important presentations from our faculty that we will present in coming weeks. The Pulse this week highlights the continued work by many in the Heart center including stories on partial heart transplants/living valve transplants by our leaders in Pediatric Heart Surgery, another graduating class of cardiac ultrasound sonographers, and increasing enthusiasm as we work towards the AHA Heart Walk in October.

Highlights of the week:

Living Heart Valves Show Promise Across Multiple Pediatric Conditions

A procedure which uses living heart valves may have expanded application as a treatment for various types of pediatric heart valve conditions. The research was led by pediatric heart specialists at Duke Health. It looked at 19 children with various heart conditions who received a partial heart transplant, a procedure which uses living valves from donor hearts.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on August 27. It found the partial heart transplant series resulted in valves that worked across different diagnoses and grew over time, matching the child’s development.

“This study shows that partial heart transplantation is not just a one-time success – it’s a versatile option that can be used across a range of heart conditions,” said Joseph Turek, MD, PhD, corresponding author of the study and chief of pediatric cardiac surgery at Duke Health.

“We’re seeing valves that grow, function well, and require less immunosuppressant medication than a full heart transplant,” Turek said, “That’s a huge win for these kids and their families.”

The research builds on Duke Health’s pioneering work in partial heart transplantation. Duke performed the world’s first partial heart transplant in 2022 and later achieved another milestone with the world’s first living mitral valve replacement.

For this study, researchers followed 19 patients who received partial heart transplants at Duke between April 2022 and December 2024. The children ranged in age from newborns to teens and had a variety of heart conditions, including truncus arteriosus, Tetralogy of Fallot, and other diagnoses.

The team measured valve growth using ultrasound and found the valves in all 19 cases maintained healthy function with no patients needing a reoperation due to valve failure.

In one remarkable case, a child had to stop taking anti-rejection medication altogether (due to an unrelated infection) and the valve continued to grow and function normally.

“This case gives us hope that some children may not need lifelong immunosuppression,” said Douglas Overbey, MD, study author and assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at the Duke University School of Medicine.

“That’s important because these medications can cause serious side effects over time,” Overbey said. “If we can reduce or even eliminate the need for them, it’s a major step forward.”

Partial heart transplant is still a new approach. Researchers say more studies are needed to understand its long-term effects, but the early results are encouraging.

In addition to Turek and Overbey, study authors include Berk Aykut, John Kucera, Cathlyn Medina, Neeta Sethi, Piers Barker, and Erin Shea.

Preclinical research was funded by the Brett Boyer Foundation and the Graeme McDaniel Foundation.

Allen Begins Tenure as Chair of Surgery

Peter J. Allen, MD, David C. Sabiston Jr. Distinguished Professor of Surgery, this week began his tenure as the new Chair of the Department of Surgery.

All faculty, trainees, and staff are invited to learn more about Allen’s experience and vision for the department at his Grand Rounds presentation on Weds., Sept. 3, from 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. in Duke North Room 2002 or remotely via Zoom. The Zoom passcode is 2025.

Duke Cardiac Ultrasound Program Graduation Held

Congratulations to the Duke Cardiac Ultrasound Certificate Program team and graduates! Graduation was held last weekend to celebrate their nine graduates — all of whom have passed their professional registries and landed jobs! Five of them have formally joined the Duke Heart team — four of them in the adult sonography lab and one in the pediatric lab.

Avery Ongman received the Joseph Kisslo MD Outstanding Student in Cardiac Ultrasound award. Congratulations to all!

Understanding and working to improve unreliable information in healthcare:
The Aletheia Chapter at Duke is tackling the issue of unreliable health information and its impacts on our patients and communities. Join us to work with like-minded individuals, participate in consensus-building, and contribute to a healthier future. If you’re interested, please email Robert Califf at [robert.califf@duke.edu].

Annual HWH Softball Tourney Held

The 9th annual Hitting with Heart softball tournament was held last weekend at Valley Springs Park in Durham. It was another successful year — the annual fundraiser raised approximately $1000.00 for the American Heart Association’s 2025 Triangle Heart Walk! Ten teams participated in the tournament. Nine of them were from units across Duke University Hospital and one team was from Duke Raleigh.

It was an all-day double elimination tournament that went from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. On behalf of Jason Stokes, a planner for the tournament, we want to thank the 7 West Healthy Work Environment committee and their families for volunteering as scorekeepers, clean-up crews, and general support to make the day run smoothly. Duke Health Engineering & Operations took home the trophy as tournament champions for the second year in a row.

Congratulations to all!

Sanders Joins Duke Cardiology Ambulatory Leadership Team, Effective Sept. 2

We are pleased to announce that Erica Sanders MSN, RN, NE-BC, CEN, will officially join our Duke Cardiology Ambulatory leadership team on September 2. Erica will be stepping into Annette Moore’s HCA role ahead of Annette’s anticipated retirement later this year.

Erica brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the Ambulatory Heart team, according to Matt Fitzsimmons, Regional Director of Duke Cardiology Ambulatory Operations. She comes to us from her role as DPC Nurse Manager, and she also has valuable cardiovascular experience from her time at Wake Med. We have no doubt that her skills and knowledge will be a tremendous asset to the team.

Erica and her husband, Cliff, enjoy fishing, boating, and spending weekends at Atlantic Beach – their home away from home. If they are not at the beach, they can probably be found at a ball field watching a baseball game. She is stepmom to two boys, Cameron and Andrew. The family has a two-year-old golden retriever named Woody who loves kids and being on the boat.

We are excited to have you on board, Erica, and we look forward to working with you!

DUHS UPDATE: Flu Vaccination Season Begins October 9

In keeping with our core value of caring for our patients, their loved ones, and each other, we consistently strive to provide a safe clinical care and work environment. One way we do that across the Duke University Health System is through our Healthcare Worker Flu Vaccination policy. It requires all healthcare workers* to either receive a flu vaccine annually or receive an approved exemption.

Compliance with the flu vaccination policy is a condition of employment for all DUHS team members. It is also a condition of access to Duke Health facilities and information systems for those holding clinical privileges in a Duke Health facility, as well as learners who wish to train in our facilities.

Beginning October 9, vaccination clinics for faculty and staff will be available at each hospital and at select off-campus locations. These options include peer vaccination sites in clinical work areas, Employee Occupational Health & Wellness (EOHW), and pop-up vaccination sites run by EOHW. Please note, if you receive your vaccination separate from Employee Health or a peer vaccination site, you must submit proof of vaccination through the VaxTrax upload site.

Here are the key dates for this year’s flu vaccination season:

Thursday, October 9 — Launch of flu vaccination season
Thursday, October 30 — Deadline to apply for a medical or religious exemption
Tuesday, November 18 at 10 a.m. — Deadline for policy compliance through vaccination or granted medical or religious exemption

*Healthcare Worker: All people who provide care, treatment, or services to or for Duke Health regardless of work location or pay status, including members of the medical staff, administrative professionals, contract employees, volunteers, vendors, health profession learners, and associated faculty/instructors.

Please note: Due to the availability of an egg-free formulation of the flu vaccine, egg allergy does not qualify for a medical exemption.

More information regarding the vaccination process will be forthcoming. If you have any questions about the flu vaccine, please contact EOHWflu@dm.duke.edu. Thank you for your commitment to keeping our patients, fellow team members, and our community safe and healthy.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

September: National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness month

Stead Tread 5K Run/Walk – September 20

Department of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency Program annual 5K. 9 a.m., at Solite Park in Durham.

The division with the most participants gets a trophy! Register or donate HERE. Sign up by September 1 to guarantee you’ll get an event T-shirt! Reach out to event planner Victor Ayeni (victor.ayeni@duke.edu) with any questions.

Go get that trophy, Duke Cardiology!

Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium — October 4

This year’s symposium is designed to address emerging clinical questions in echocardiography, updated guideline recommendations, and new imaging modalities through case-based learning and practical applications. The 2025 agenda features expert-led sessions on updated ASE guidelines, coronary artery disease evaluation, strain imaging in cardiomyopathies, tricuspid valve disease, cardiac POCUS, and technical skills development through hands-on breakout sessions. Trent Semans Center, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

To register, please visit https://events.duke.edu/DukeCIS2025.

2025 Triangle Heart Walk – October 11

Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek

3801 Rock Quarry Rd, Raleigh, NC 27610.

Festivities begin at 7:30 a.m.; Remarks will begin at 8:45 a.m. with the Walk immediately following. The event venue will be open through 11 a.m.

New Faculty Orientation – October 13

The School of Medicine’s annual Academic New Faculty Orientation will be held Monday, October 13, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center.

To learn more and register, please visit https://duke.is/SOM-NFO.

17th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium — October 31

This symposium will explore optimal diagnostic strategies for treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, treatment selection, and timely referrals to specialized PH centers. Clinically challenging presentations, including CTD-PAH, CPPC PH, CTEPH, PH associated with ILD, COPD, portopulmonary hypertension, and PH in end-stage renal disease, will be addressed — with a focus on frontline providers — through interactive lectures and robust case-based discussions. Durham Convention Center. To register, please visit: https://events.duke.edu/17PH2025.

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here.

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 me 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:

August 21 — Susan Spratt (Endocrinology)

The New York Times

4 Surprising Ways Healthy Heart Habits Benefit Your Whole Body

August 24 — Doug Overbey

Nigerian Tribune

Doctors pioneer world-first heart repair surgeries to save children’s lives

August 25 — Marat Fudim and Kara Wegermann (Gastroenterology)

Daily Mail

The ‘silent’ disease that raises your risk of heart failure… do YOU have it?

August 26 — Marat Fudim

AHA Newsroom/heart.org

Novel virtual care program enhances at-home support for people with heart failure

August 26 — Duke Health

Becker’s Hospital Review

22 hospitals with the lowest heart failure readmission rates

August 27 — Joseph Turek

The New York Times

Doctors Find Early Success With Partial Heart Transplants

August 27 — Joseph Turek

Inside Precision Medicine

Transplanting Heart Valves Effective Option for Congenital Heart Disease

August 28 — Kara Wegermann (Gastroenterology)

Times of India

THIS ‘silent’ disease causes sudden heart failure: 3 signs that should not be ignored

August 28 — Doug Overbey

WPTF-AM (Raleigh)

Living heart valves revolutionize heart procedures for youth

August 28 — Duke Health

Becker’s Clinical Leadership

Partial heart transplants: What to know

August 28 — James Lane (Behavioral Health)

Prevention

16 Science-Backed Ways to Lower Blood Pressure Naturally, According to Doctors

Duke Heart Pulse — August 24, 2025

August 24, 2025 / Leave a comment

Chief’s message: The Beat Goes On

Hopefully all you in our Duke Heart community have had a good week and weekend. This was a another busy week for Duke Heart with some strategic planning for the future, increasing integration of new physicians, and continued start of our fellows. I was struck over the week with the amazing efforts that our faculty, fellows, residents, research staff, and clinical team members are putting into responding to the challenges of making sure we deliver and grow our clinical care while doubling down on the teamwork to innovate and continue our research mission. As is often the case, organizations and groups come down to the people – and we are blessed to have some of the best people in the world in cardiovascular medicine and surgery. Over the next several weeks – we will work on highlight some of those academic studies and innovations that we are working to bring to light. Below in this weeks pulse – you will see the research awards for the month of July which highlights continued hard won projects that will allow us to better understand how to improve cardiovascular health. This includes some large multi-center awards and some key basic and translational science. Congratulations to our investigators and teams.

Finally, this week marked the first week back to school for many parents – and we had the bittersweet joy of sending off our youngest to college. It was an important moment for us to realize the village it takes for us all to raise young kids to adults and the future they will craft. Including a picture of some important literature on this topic from Dr. Seuss that seemed appropriate for the week – both with kids going to school and Duke Heart’s continue work in our community. Keep pulling!

Highlights of the week:

Duke Earns Sarcoidosis Center of Excellence Designation

We are pleased to announce that Duke has been designated as a World Association for Sarcoidosis and Other Granulamatous Disorders (WASOG)-recognized Center of Excellence! Our team was notified of the designation yesterday, August 23, 2025.

“This is a terrific acknowledgement for the sarcoid program that we have put to together at Duke over the past few years,” said Ravi Karra, MD, associate professor of medicine in cardiology and director of the Duke Cardiac Sarcoidosis program. “We have grown to be one of the largest cardiac sarcoidosis programs in the country. Being designated as a WASOG-recognized Center of Excellence for sarcoidosis affirms our commitment to delivering comprehensive, multidisciplinary care to patients living with this complex disease. It reflects the dedication of our team to advancing clinical excellence, fostering collaborative research, and improving outcomes through innovation. This recognition not only validates the quality of care we provide but also strengthens our role as a trusted referral center for providers and for patients navigating sarcoidosis.”

Founded in 1987, WASOG works to refine and optimize the care of patients through information, education, and state-of-the-art research, to advance the knowledge of physicians, and to stimulate the development of appropriate treatments. The association is focused on interstitial lung diseases including sarcoidosis, which require a multidisciplinary approach to care. Thus, WASOG encourages the involvement of not only pulmonary physicians, but cardiologists, dermatologists, neurologists, infectious disease specialists, hepatologists, geneticists, and hematologists.

Congratulations to our entire Precision Cardiomyopathy team – with special thanks to Jay Doss and Azfar Ali for developing the program with us; Johana Fajardo for improving our operations to meet WASOG standards of care; Martha Anders and Chrissie King for ensuring high quality, multi-disciplinary visits and keeping the clinic running as we have picked up steam.

Strong work, everyone!

Electronic Consents Available September 2025 for Duke Cardiology

Electronic consents will go live in September for all of cardiology across all three Duke hospitals. A committee that included clinical providers has worked hard to make electronic consents easy and user-friendly.

Starting on the respective go-live dates, a new cardiology consent tab (“Cardiology e-consent”) will appear in EPIC, similar to the notes and orders tab. A provider can open that tab and create a consent. The only boxes that will need to be filled out are the attending physician performing the procedure and the type of procedure; from there, all the keywording will be filled in, and then signatures can be obtained. Signatures can be obtained on a desktop, phone, or tablet.

Go-live dates will be as follows:

September 8th — Duke Regional Hospital
September 15 — Duke Raleigh Hospital
September 22 — Duke University Hospital

On the go-live date for each hospital, there will be in-person training for the e-consent process as well as videos and a PDF handout. Stacey Brower and Lisa McDonald are taking the lead on training.

First APEX Trial Enrollment

Congratulations to the Heart Center CRU! They recruited their first patient into the APEX Study (A Study of TX000045 in Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension Secondary to Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction) this week.

The APEX Study is a RCT testing injectable chronic Relaxin therapy in HFpEF. If you have symptomatic HFpEF patients with a pulmonary artery pressure mean over 20mmHg please let the team know. Primary clinical research nurse coordinator is Erin Campo. Lacey Taylor, Todd McVeigh, Dan Loriaux, and Jemi Galani are study team members.

“This is a group effort — we have members of the cath lab perform the screening and the follow-up right heart catheterization,” said Fudim.

Shown L-R are Dan Loriaux, Marat Fudim, Erin Campo, Lacey Taylor, and Jemi Galani

Nice job, team!

Research Funding Awards for July 2025

Congratulations to the following faculty members for receiving the following sponsored research awards in July:

Gerald Bloomfield received an award from the American Heart Association for a project entitled “2025 International Visiting Professorship Award.” Total funding will be $10,000.

Stephen Greene received an award from the University of Texas-Southwestern for a project entitled “Post-Hoc Analysis of the TRANSFORM Trial.” Total funding will be $38,000.

Katherine I. Zhou (Mentor: Christopher Holley) received an award (1F32-CA306190-01) from the National Institutes of Health for a project entitled “Mechanisms of the small nucleolar RNA Snord67 in breast cancer lymphatic metastasis.” Total funding will be $87,964.

Schuyler Jones received a sub-award (RI-VUMC-01-PS10) through Vanderbilt University for a project entitled “Phase 4 Coordinating Center Services PFA: Engagement and Public Awareness Services.” Total funding will be $1,899,999.

Neha Pagidipati received an award (1UG3-HL181434-01) from the National Institutes of Health for a project entitled “1/2 PREEMPT: Prospective RandomizEd Evaluation and Management of Premature aTherosclerosis.” Total funding will be $3,886,403. (This is the 3rd or 4th U-grant with Cardiology leadership in the last 2 years – Amazing in this funding environment and true testament to the overall faculty talent and teams doing research).

Sudarshan Rajagopal received a sub-award () through the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus for a project entitled “Targeting the PAR1/IL-17 signaling axis in Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension.” Total funding will be $217,381.

Jennifer Rymer received a sub-award (1-UG3HL171357-01A1) through the DCRI-Duke-Site for a project entitled “Low dose ColchicinE in pAtients with peripheral artery DiseasE to address residual vascular Risk: A randomized trial.”

Industry-Sponsored Awards

Richa Agarwal received an award from Abbott Laboratories for a project entitled “FY26 – Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology fellowship grant.” Total funding will be $40,000.

Agarwal also received an award from Abiomed, Inc. for a project entitled “Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardology fellowship grant.” Total funding will be $40,000.

Anna Lisa Chamis received an award from Abbott Laboratories for a project entitled “FY26 – Advanced Training in Cardiology Fellowship Grant.” Total funding will be $75,000.

Chamis also received an award from Medtronic, Inc. for a project entitled “FY26 – Advanced Training in Cardiology Fellowship Grant.” Total funding will be $28,392.

Karen Flores Rosario received an award from AskBio for a project entitled “A Phase 2, adaptive, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized, multi-center trial to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of intracoronary infusion of AB-1002 in adult subjects with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III.” Total funding will be $462,509.

Marat Fudim received an award from Reprieve Cardiovascular, Inc. for a project entitled “Fluid management of Acute decompensated heart failure Subjects Treated with Reprieve System II.” Total funding will be $317,244.

Fudim also received an award from Novo Nordisk, Inc. for a project entitled “RESPIRE HFpEF.” Total funding will be $9,750.

Christopher Granger received an award from Amgen, Inc. for a project entitled “MarTide DMC.” Total funding will be $75,400.

Donald Hegland received an award from Abbott Laboratories for a project entitled “FY26 – Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship Grant.” Total funding will be $25,000.

Kevin Jackson received an award from Medtronic, Inc. for a project entitled “PULSED AF Post-Approval Study, an Addendum to the PulseSelectï¿½ PFA Global Registry.” Total funding will be $216,377.

Schuyler Jones received an award from Medtronic, Inc. for a project entitled “FY26 – Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Grant.” Total funding will be $7,000.

Excellent work, team!

Heart Walk Torch Journey & Rally Results

Thank you to everyone throughout Duke Heart and Duke University Health System who helped us make the American Heart Association Heart Walk Torch Journey and Rallies a success. We had an excellent two weeks! Together, we raised $14,327 and had 133 new walkers register online, with 14 new teams.

The winners of the two AHA Heart Walk challenges are:

The top fundraising team during the Torch’s visit is from the PRMO – Heart in Motion led by Omar Mincey. They raised $1,555 in just two weeks!

The winner of the registration challenge is Greg Shelton at Heart Center Communications. Yeah, Greg!!!

Thank you to all Duke coaches and walkers for your outstanding efforts and commitment to support the AHA’s mission to turn bystanders into lifesavers through CPR initiatives in the Triangle. Let’s keep the momentum going as we prepare for the Walk on October 11th.

The Top Fundraising Company will be honored onstage and receive the Torch Trophy to display all year—so let’s keep fundraising and bring it home to Duke!

To learn more about the upcoming Walk, to register as a captain or a walker, please visit: https://duke.is/HeartWalk-2025

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

DUH Blood Drive

The Duke University Hospital Administrative Fellows are hosting a Blood Drive on Wednesday, August 27, from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center. Please visit American Red Cross to schedule your donation.

Consider supporting Duke Transfusion Services and our patients through a lifesaving donation of blood or platelets. You could earn a $15 e-gift card!

Stead Tread 5K Run/Walk – September 20

Department of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency Program annual 5K. 9 a.m., at Solite Park in Durham.

Go get that trophy, Duke Cardiology!

Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium — October 4

To register, please visit https://events.duke.edu/DukeCIS2025.

2025 Triangle Heart Walk – October 11

Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek

3801 Rock Quarry Rd, Raleigh, NC 27610.

Festivities begin at 7:30 a.m.; “Welcome” program will begin at 8:45 a.m. with the Walk immediately following. The event venue will be open through 11 a.m.

New Faculty Orientation – October 13

The School of Medicine’s annual Academic New Faculty Orientation will be held Monday, October 13, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center.

To learn more and register, please visit https://duke.is/SOM-NFO.

17th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium — October 31

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

Have news to share?

Duke Heart in the News:

August 15 — Duke School of Medicine

Becker’s Hospital Review

65 hospitals, health systems cutting jobs

August 16 — William Kraus

LAist

Counting steps for health? Here’s how many you really need

August 18 — Stephen Greene

HCPLive Podcast/Don’t Miss a Beat

SURPASS-CVOT and Tirzepatide, a Dual GIP/GLP-1 RA, in ASCVD

August 21 — Frye Regional

WHKY (Hickory, NC)

Frye Regional Medical Center Earns National Honor For Heart-Related Procedure

August 22 — Duke University Health System

Becker’s Hospital Review

308 hospitals, health systems named best-in-state employers: Forbes

Duke Heart Pulse — August 17, 2025

August 17, 2025 / Leave a comment

Highlights of the week:

Shah Selected for ACC Accelerator Program, Receives AHA Award

Congratulations to Nishant Shah! We learned this week that he has been selected by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) for their Leadership Accelerator Class of 2026!

The ACC Leadership Accelerator is a nine-month leadership development program designed specifically for early career members of the ACC. The program equips emerging leaders with essential knowledge, skills, and practical experience to make lasting impacts across their ACC communities and their institutions. Just sixteen applicants are selected per year. Selection is based on leadership potential, engagement with ACC and commitment to growth.

The notification of his selection states, “The Selection Committee was impressed by your passion for cardiology, your dedication to ongoing education, and the determination to be a better leader for your colleagues and patients.”

We are really excited for you, Nishant!

Nishant has also received the 2025 Health System Champion Award from the American Heart Association for their Lp(a) Community Health Centers Discovery Project, given to providers that have shown leadership and dedication to advancing Lp(a) awareness and testing through education and clinical research.

Shah’s work has involved creating clinical pathways to increase testing, creating educational content on the importance of Lp(a) through webinars and podcasts, and performing clinical research in Lp(a) testing patterns through the AHA’s Get With the Guidelines program.

Lp(a) – shorthand for lipoprotein (a) — is a genetically inherited type of lipoprotein and a common independent risk factor for heart disease. Having elevated Lp(a) can increase a person’s risk of heart attack, stroke, and peripheral artery disease.

The Lp(a) Community Health Centers Discovery Project aims to nationally increase Lp(a) awareness and testing. The objectives of the program are:

Improve the number of patients identified and screened for Lp(a)
Improve processes and practice patterns
Improve clinical pathways and processes to impact patient outcomes
Improve data resources and innovate Lp(a)-focused discovery through a national Data Challenge

Way to go, Nishant!

More First Enrollments for Heart CRU

We are pleased to announce that another set of research clinical trials enrolled their first patients this week!

RECOVER-ENERGIZE: A Platform Protocol for Evaluation of Interventions for Exercise Intolerance in Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (PASC) — The focus of this protocol is to assess interventions that can improve exercise capacity, daily activities tolerance, and quality of life in patients with Long COVID, or PASC. Duke PI is Rob McGarrah. Lizzie Riley is clinical research coordinator. Mike Felker is the national co-PI. If you have Long COVID patients, send them along to Rob.

Splanchnic X trial (Splanchnic Nerve Block in Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction): The first two patients enrolled and treated. Investigators ablate the splanchnic nerve in HFrEF patients. Manesh Patel is PI. Schuyler Jones and Marat Fudim are co-investigators. Matt Gray is the clinical research coordinator. This is a 2:1 randomized trial. The team would love to see some referrals from their cardiology colleagues to keep the momentum going!

The current research studies link we shared earlier this year can now also be found on the Duke Health Heart Center Portal. This is a quick way for providers to find the current enrolling studies available in the Heart Center.

Great work, Heart CRU team!

Duke Heart Hosts AHA ‘Torch’ and Rally

Duke Heart & Vascular kicked off Heart Walk season by hosting a kick-off rally on Wednesday afternoon. The virtual rally highlighted the many ways to get involved and participate in the Triangle Heart Walk scheduled for Saturday, October 11, 2025. As part of the Rally, we also welcomed the arrival of the inaugural Heart Walk Torch trophy, which was displayed in the Heart leadership suite through Friday afternoon.

Duke Health is one of five companies selected to host the Torch Journey ahead of the Heart Walk and rallies were held at Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, and here within Duke Heart & Vascular for Duke University Hospital. The trophy will be awarded annually at the Heart Walk to the host company that raised the most funds that year.

Thanks to all who joined us for the Rally, and thanks to Manesh Patel for leading it! To learn more about the upcoming Walk, to register as a captain or a walker, please visit: https://duke.is/HeartWalk-2025

Community Engagement Events Strengthen Durham

We’re excited about the work Victor Ayeni, MD, a PGY-2 Duke Internal Medicine resident and others are doing to raise awareness among IM residents of community engagement opportunities in Durham. Ayeni is currently interning with electrophysiologist Camille Frazier-Mills, MD, and working with Dennis Narcisse, MD, to promote the 2025 Stead Tread (see Upcoming Events, below).

Ayeni issues a monthly newsletter with a host of upcoming volunteer events. These opportunities are not just for residents! Although the events for this month have passed, there will be plenty of ways to volunteer throughout the coming months.

Donating to and/or signing up for the Stead Tread 5K is a great way to support our residents as they raise funds to support Lincoln Health Center. Please consider joining the cause. Dennis Narcisse is helping recruit runners and walkers throughout cardiology. It would be great to have the most participants out of all the DOM divisions — the division with the most takes home the trophy!

Ayeni says he would like to engage more providers from throughout the cardiology division in resi-teering efforts. If you’re interested in helping him in any way, please reach out to him at victor.ayeni@duke.edu. He can also share his newsletter with you.

Victor and his team’s efforts are an excellent reminder that even with the current federal backlash against DEI efforts, there will still be people around the health system working to uplift underserved communities in our area. Volunteers and other “free agents” can work together with or without institutional support to help others. Please support Victor and our residents if you can!

Keep up the great work, Victor!

DUH Blood Drive

Consider supporting Duke Transfusion Services and our patients through a lifesaving donation of blood or platelets. You could earn a $15 e-gift card!

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Stead Tread 5K Run/Walk – September 20

Department of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency Program annual 5K. 9 a.m., at Solite Park in Durham.

Go get that trophy, Duke Cardiology!

2025 Triangle Heart Walk – October 11

Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, 3801 Rock Quarry Rd, Raleigh, NC 27610.

Festivities begin at 7:30 a.m.; the “Welcome” program will begin at 8:45 a.m., with the Walk immediately following. The event venue will be open through 11 a.m.

New Faculty Orientation – October 13

The School of Medicine’s annual Academic New Faculty Orientation will be held Monday, October 13, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center.

To learn more and register, please visit https://duke.is/SOM-NFO.

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

Have news to share?

Duke Heart in the News:

August 8 — Duke University Hospital

Becker’s Hospital Review

158 hospitals honored for cardiac care quality

August 8 — Duke University

Becker’s ASC Review

Top 10 universities for cardiology in 2025: US News

August 8 — Duke University

U.S. News & World Report

Best Global Universities for Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems in the United States

August 12 — Audrey Blewer (Family Medicine)

In the Heart of Care podcast (episode 4)

Heartbeats Ignored: Women and Cardiac Arrest

Duke Heart Pulse — August 10, 2025

August 10, 2025 / Leave a comment

Highlights of the week:

Vekstein Joins Duke CT Surgery Faculty

We are pleased to share that Andrew Vekstein, MD, joined our cardiovascular and thoracic surgery faculty as of July 1. Vekstein will focus his clinical practice on aortic and adult cardiac surgery. He completed his undergraduate education at Duke University, then attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University and was awarded AOA designation. He subsequently was accepted into the Duke Integrated 6-year CT Surgery residency and is the third graduate from the program.

He plans to complete an additional Aortic Surgery fellowship with Drs. Chad Hughes and Chandler Long, the directors of the Duke Aortic Center. He has already published extensively with more than 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts, seven book chapters, and multiple national meeting podium presentations. Consistent with his interest in clinical research, he will have membership in the Duke Clinical Research Institute and has already been awarded the Duke Heart Center Leadership Council Award to study cognitive function of patients after surgeries with circulatory arrest.

“Andrew is one of the brightest and most academically driven trainees that I have worked with, but at the same time, he is the consummate gentleman and team player,” says Carmelo Milano, MD, Joseph and Dorothy Beard Professor of Surgery and Division Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery at Duke.

Please join us in congratulating Andrew and welcoming him to the faculty!

Al-Khatib Receives Patient Advocacy Award

Congratulations to Sana Al-Khatib! This weekend she was awarded the Eric N. Prystowsky, MD Advocate for Patients Award by StopAfib.org during their annual Get in Rhythm. Stay in Rhythm. Atrial Fibrillation Patient Conference, a symposium geared specifically to patients. The meeting is being held this weekend (August 8-10, 2025) in Dallas, TX, and via livestream.

The Eric N. Prystowsky, MD Advocate for Patients Award recognizes a healthcare professional who has demonstrated outstanding service to atrial fibrillation patients and their families. Al-Khatib is a clinical electrophysiologist as well as the fellowship program director and cardiovascular research program leader of the Duke Clinical Research Institute Fellowship Program.

Prystowsky, for whom the award is named, is considered one of the world’s foremost experts on AFib. He is currently Director of the Cardiac Arryhthmia Service at Ascension St. Vincent in Indianapolis. He completed his cardiology and clinical electrophysiology training here at Duke.

“It is a great honor to be the recipient of this special award and to be among distinguished individuals who have received this award previously including Hugh Calkins, MD; Emelia Benjamin, MD; Vivek Reddy, MD; and Andrea M. Russo, MD to mention a few,” said Al-Khatib. “I am so grateful for this recognition by an amazing patient advocacy group.”

Congratulations, Sana — well-deserved!

A Week of Firsts for Heart Center CRU: The Fast and The Furious

We are excited to share the latest updates from the Heart Center Clinical Research Unit. This week, three studies enrolled their first patients:

V-INTERVENTION: Schuyler Jones and Manesh Patel, with Erin Campo, primary research coordinator. Concept: Inclisiran in peripheral artery disease. Start-up was very fast – around three months, according to Marat Fudim. First patient enrolled within days of activation, with more in the pipeline.

This is a 1:1 randomized study of patients undergoing successful coronary or peripheral intervention. 6,000 total patients planned. Patients can be treated with other lipid-lowering therapies, including statins and ezetimibe.

“Dennis Narcisse, MD, approached and enrolled the first patient at Duke on the first day of study activation. The participant was the 2nd patient in the study nationally. Erin Campo is the primary coordinator for V-INTERVENTION. She is doing a great job – as we have 5-6 patients planned for enrollment over the next 7-10 days,” according to Schuyler Jones.

ULTRA-HFIB-REDO: Ultrasound-Based Renal Sympathetic Denervation as Adjunctive Upstream Therapy During Atrial Fibrillation – REDO Ablation Procedures: A Pilot Study: Jonathan Piccini and Schuyler Jones, with Jessye Davis, clinical research coordinator. Concept: Renal nerve ablation at the time of AFib ablation with the hope for additive benefit of this approved neuromodulation technology on AFib recurrence.

This is a 2:1 randomization to renal sympathetic denervation via ultrasound-based renal sympathetic denervation versus control after redo AF ablation in patients with hypertension. The study is actively enrolling.

Comet HF: Adam DeVore and Elizabeth McChesney, along with clinical research coordinator Kim Biever, enrolled their first patients within a few weeks of activation. Concept: Omecamtiv Mecarbil in HFrEF.

V INTERVENTION and Comet HF are both DCRI-led studies with an accelerated path to activation.

Artwork courtesy of budding AI creator Marat Fudim, MD.

Keep up the excellent work, everyone!

Reprogramming Scar Tissue to Heal the Heart: Hodgkinson Receives NHLBI R01 Award

Each year, nearly one million people in the United States experience heart attacks that leave permanent damage to cardiac muscle. Once the heart forms scar tissue in response to injury, there are few options to reverse the loss of function. But what if that scar tissue could be transformed back into healthy, contractile heart muscle?

That is the question driving the research of Conrad Hodgkinson, PhD, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology. With a new R01 award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, totaling close to $2 million, Dr. Hodgkinson is working to bring cardiac regeneration closer to clinical reality.

The NHLBI-funded project, titled Novel approaches for cardiac reprogramming: Exosome delivery of reprogramming miRNAs and repressor targeting siRNAs, focuses on a strategy called cellular reprogramming. The goal is to convert fibroblasts, cells that form scar tissue after a heart attack, into cardiomyocytes —the cells responsible for generating force and maintaining the heartbeat.

“We are essentially reprogramming scar tissue to regenerate the heart,” Hodgkinson said. “There’s no real cure for a heart attack today. You can stop it, you can prevent more damage, but there’s no way to replace the muscle that’s lost. Our work is about changing that.”

Hodgkinson and his colleagues were the first to demonstrate that a set of four microRNAs—collectively dubbed “miR combo”—could convert fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes in vitro. While early results were promising, recovery of heart function in animal models remained partial.

To improve outcomes, the team is now addressing three key barriers: inefficient delivery of the reprogramming signals, resistance within the fibroblasts themselves, and the challenge of applying these techniques beyond the early post-injury window.

One part of the solution lies in exosomes—tiny lipid vesicles naturally released by cells. Hodgkinson’s lab identified a type of exosome derived from C166 cells that preferentially targets cardiac fibroblasts. By packaging miR combo into these exosomes, they’ve developed a delivery system that sends the reprogramming instructions exactly where they’re needed, without affecting other cell types in the heart.

“Instead of delivering RNA to every kind of cell in the heart, which dilutes the effect and increases risk, we’re focusing it directly on fibroblasts,” Hodgkinson said. “That’s where the scar is, and that’s where the healing needs to happen.”

The second innovation involves the inclusion of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that target a specific set of transcriptional repressors, including Cbx1, PurB, and Sp3. These proteins act as molecular brakes, preventing fibroblasts from activating cardiac genes. By inhibiting them, the team enhances the fibroblasts’ ability to become functional heart cells.

Preliminary studies in mice showed striking improvements in heart function. When both the miR combo and siRNAs were delivered via exosomes, cardiac performance rebounded from near-failure levels to nearly normal. Now, the NHLBI grant will support additional safety studies and scaling the method for larger animal models.

“Pig hearts are very similar to human hearts, so the next step is testing our approach in pigs with heart injuries,” Hodgkinson said. “It’s part of building a real translational path.”

The project is a collaboration between Hodgkinson and colleagues Dr. Victor Dzau, Dr. Richard Pratt, Dr. Xinhua Wang, and Ikra Anwar. Additional support has come from the Fred and Edna Jr. Mandel Foundation, which helped fund the early work that made this grant possible.

For Hodgkinson, the long journey to this R01, which was secured on its fourth submission, reflects both the complexity and promise of the science.

“This is about moving toward something that doesn’t exist yet—a way to actually regenerate the heart after injury,” he said. “If we can get that right, the potential impact is enormous.”

Story by Sarah Riddle for the Duke Dept. of Medicine.

DUHS Leadership Updates:

Allen Named Chair, Duke Dept. of Surgery

Dean Mary Klotman announced this week that following a thorough national search and external review of the department and its leadership, Peter J. Allen, MD, has accepted the role of chair of the Department of Surgery in the School of Medicine, starting August 25, 2025.

Dr. Allen is currently the David C. Sabiston Jr. Distinguished Professor of Surgery, chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology, and chief of surgery for the Duke Cancer Institute. He also serves as the Duke University Health System Vice President for Cancer Services, where he leads the Cancer Service line. He joined Duke in 2018, after serving in numerous roles in the Department of Surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for 14 years.

Dr. Allen received his medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School and began his surgical career in the military, completing his surgical residency and accepting his first faculty position at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. During his term of service in the United States Army, he was deployed to Iraq for one year, where he served on the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment’s forward surgical team. He joined the faculty at Memorial Sloan Kettering in 2005. He was associate director for clinical programs in the David Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research from 2013-2018, the Murray F. Brennan Endowed Chair in Surgery from 2014-2018, and vice chair of surgical services from 2014-2018.

Dr. Allen’s clinical and research interest is in pancreatic and hepatobiliary malignancies, and his research has received NIH funding for over a decade. As Surgical Oncology division chief, he oversees approximately 35 faculty members in the sections of breast, endocrine, melanoma, hepatobiliary, and colorectal surgery. He is committed to educating and mentoring new surgical oncologists and surgeon-scientists training at Duke, and his international reputation as a leader in his field has elevated Duke’s surgical oncology program.

Duke’s Department of Surgery has a long history of innovation and excellence and is considered one of the leading surgery programs in the world. The department provides world-class surgical care, education, and training and is an international leader in research. The department has ranked among the top 10 departments nationally in NIH funding for 25 consecutive years, and over the previous four years, the department has been the top-funded department of surgery in the country.

The strong international standing of this department has been further elevated by the leadership and guidance of Dr. Allan D. Kirk, MD, PhD. We want to express our deep gratitude to Dr. Kirk for his 11 years of exemplary service as chair of Surgery.

Congratulations, Peter!

Shout-out to Doody!

We received terrific notes this week regarding cardiology PA Jesslyn Doody.

“I just wanted to reach out and shout out Jesslyn Doody. She is one of my favorite providers to work with and patients absolutely love her. She takes the time to listen to the patients/nurses’ concerns and is always prompt in communicating updates or changes in plan of care. She truly goes above and beyond in her job and even consistently stays late to make sure patients are settled before she leaves. I know nurses have Stars/ Daisy awards, but I’m not aware of any way to shout her out other than emailing you and I really felt as if she deserved to be recognized!” — Krista Volcheck, RN, CVSSU

“Jesslyn, thank you for the exceptional care you provide. Your dedication, compassion, and collaborative spirit do not go unnoticed. You consistently go the extra mile for both patients and your colleagues, and it makes a meaningful difference every day. Thank you for all that you do — we are so grateful to have you on our team.” — Diane Sauro

“Congratulations to Jesslyn for the well-deserved kudos and recognition. You make Duke Heart a great place for our patients, staff, and families.” — Jill Engel

“Congrats Jesslyn! We appreciate all that you do.” — Camille Frazier-Mills

Way to go, Jesslyn!

Duke Heart Gains New Family Member

Congratulations to Lindsay Bostian, one of our cardiology APPs, and her husband, Ryan on the birth of their beautiful daughter, Isla Rose. She was born on July 28 weighing 5 lbs., with a height of 19 and 1/8 inches.

We are looking forward to meeting her!

Duke Heart to Host AHA ‘Torch’ and Rally on Wednesday

Duke Heart & Vascular will host a kick-off rally and host the Triangle region American Heart Association’s (AHA) new Torch Trophy this week to help launch Heart Walk activities for 2025. For 10 weeks leading up to the Triangle Heart Walk, the AHA will “pass the torch” among the top companies in our area that have shown deep commitment to the Walk. We are honored and excited to host the torch on its inaugural journey to Duke University Hospital.

The torch will be in the Heart Services suite on the 8^th floor of the HAFS building starting on Wednesday, August 12, and will be there through Friday, August 14. Please visit and take a selfie! The torch may make special trips throughout our heart units as well, so be on the lookout!

At the end of the 10 weeks, on October 11, the Torch will make its way to the Heart Walk stage, where it will be presented to the company that raised the most funds this year.

Support the Stead Tread

Join the Department of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency Program for the annual Stead Tread 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, Sept 20th at 9 a.m., at Solite Park (just off the American Tobacco Trail). All proceeds will benefit the Lincoln Community Health Center, a local federally qualified health center that offers high-quality care to uninsured and underinsured patients in Durham at heavily subsidized costs. The event draws 300+ participants annually and is open to the entire family! Pets and strollers are welcome on the course.

The Stead Tread is named for Dr. Eugene Stead, Chairman of Medicine at Duke from 1947-1967. This event carries forward Stead’s legacy of community service and contributions in the Duke and Durham communities.

For participants 13 and older, registration is $35 per person. For Lincoln patients and children 12 years and younger, registration is free. The division with the most participants (i.e., the Duke Cardiology Division) gets a trophy! And, if you cannot make it that day, the patients of Lincoln would still benefit greatly from your donations. Register or donate HERE. Sign up by September 1 to guarantee a T-shirt! Reach out to event planner Victor Ayeni (victor.ayeni@duke.edu) with any questions.

New Faculty Orientation

The School of Medicine (SOM) will hold its annual Academic New Faculty Orientation on Monday, October 13, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center. Orientation is open to all faculty, but we especially encourage those hired in the past 1-3 years to attend if they have not already.

New Faculty Orientation addresses topics important to faculty life, including navigating Duke; appointments, promotion, and tenure; working with learners, and more. To learn more and register, please visit https://duke.is/SOM-NFO.

Triangle Heart Walk – Save the Date!

The 2025 Triangle Heart Walk will take place on Saturday, October 11, at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, located at 3801 Rock Quarry Rd, Raleigh, NC 27610. The festivities will open at 7:30 a.m.; the official “welcome” program will begin at 8:45 a.m., with the Walk immediately following. The event venue will be open through 11 a.m.

Please note the change to Saturday morning from Sunday, the change in venue from prior years, and the earlier start time!

Please consider leading a team and signing up to be a Heart Walk team captain – or sign up now to be a walker. You can join any team you like or sign up as an individual walker. Registration is now open: https://duke.is/HeartWalk-2025

Pedestrian Safety/Traffic Improvements

Trent Drive Project: Phase 1 of a project to enhance pedestrian safety and traffic flow along Trent Drive will take place August 11-15, 2025, from 7 p.m. – 5 a.m. During these nighttime hours, traffic will shift from two lanes to one lane on the west side of Trent Drive, and clearly marked pedestrian detours will be in place to guide foot traffic safely around the work zone.

Please advise staff and patients who will be on campus during these times. Learn more here.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Duke Heart Fall CMEs

Fall 2025 Session Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review

The Duke Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Center provides a twice-yearly practicum that provides participants with an understanding of the principles of magnetic resonance imaging, safety issues in performing cardiac MR, and imaging protocols currently available for the evaluation of the structure and function of the cardiovascular system. Case presentations, one-on-one discussion, and observation of actual patient imaging will be emphasized. This course fulfills the SCMR requirements for Level 1 (Track B) and is applicable toward Level 2 certification and is aligned with the content for future CMR Board Exams.

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:

August issue — Harry Severance

Emergency Medicine News

“35% of Americans cannot afford or access healthcare: Gallup.” An Expanding Impact Further Disrupting Emergency Care

August 1 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live

Finerenone and the Role of Combination Therapy in HFrEF/HFpEF

August 1 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live

Finerenone Offers New Hope for HFpEF: Insights from the FINEARTS-HF Trial

August 4 — Nishant Shah

Medscape

Lipoprotein(a): Aiming at a Moving Target, Waiting for Ammunition

August 5 — Branson Whitaker (patient)

WFMY 2/CBS local, Greensboro

‘God’s got this.’ Heart hero honored by Randolph Co. sheriff for good deeds

August 6 — William Kraus

NPR/All Things Considered

How many steps do you need to stay healthy?

Duke Heart Pulse — August 3, 2025

August 3, 2025 / Leave a comment

Highlights of the week:

Duke Captures NCDR Platinum Awards, 4-Star Ratings Across All Hospitals

Congratulations to our Duke Heart teams across Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, and Duke Raleigh Hospital, as well as two of our Duke Heart Network affiliate sites — Alamance Regional Medical Center in Burlington, NC and Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory, NC — each of the hospitals has been recognized with a 2025 National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) Chest Pain—MI Platinum Performance Achievement Award!

The Chest Pain-MI Registry Performance Achievement Award recognizes hospitals participating in the Chest-Pain MI Registry who have demonstrated sustained, top-level performance in quality of care and adherence to guideline recommendations. Through full participation in the registry, hospitals engage in a robust quality improvement process, using data to drive improvements and positively impact patient outcomes for heart attack patients.

The Chest Pain – MI Registry has been the single most trusted source for outcomes-based, continuous quality improvement and remains the go-to registry for hospitals and health systems applying American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) clinical guideline recommendations. The NCDR, part of the American College of Cardiology’s Quality Improvement for Institutions Program, is the largest, most comprehensive, outcomes-based cardiovascular patient data repository in the U.S.

Each of our three Duke hospitals also achieved 4-star ratings – the highest available — by the NCDR CathPCI Registry and NCDR EP Device Implant Registry.

The NCDR CathPCI Registry assesses the characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of cardiac disease patients who receive diagnostic catheterization and/or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures. This registry captures the data that measure adherence to ACC/AHA clinical practice guideline recommendations, procedure performance standards, and appropriate use criteria for coronary revascularization.

The NCDR EP Device Implant Registry establishes a national standard for understanding patient characteristics, treatments, outcomes, device safety, and the overall quality of care for ICD/ CRT-D and select novel pacemaker procedures, while also delivering benchmarking data. This registry plays an important role in providing data-driven knowledge for optimizing patient care.

Congratulations to all teams – you are doing incredible work!

U.S. News Hospital Ratings Released

We are pleased to announce that Duke University Hospital is again nationally ranked in 11 adult and nine pediatric specialties in this year’s U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals report. We are also happy to see that our cardiovascular, heart and vascular surgery data places us #29 in the U.S. overall, and at #1 in NC and #1 in the Raleigh-Durham metro area.

If you happen to see one of the “Best Hospitals” guidebooks, you’ll see that each of the recipients of the NCDR Chest Pain-MI Registry Performance Achievement Award (see above story) received special recognition from the ACC. Hospitals that received a 2025 Performance Achievement Award at Platinum, Gold, and Silver levels are featured in an ACC insert.

Congratulations, team!

Marshall Named APP Lead, Ambulatory Cardiology

Congratulations to Julie Marshall, physician assistant for cardiology, who has assumed the role of APP Team Lead for ambulatory cardiology as of Friday, August 1, 2025.

Julie has consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication, skill, and leadership throughout her 25 years working at Duke Health. She joined the cardiology division in 2007, where she started on the inpatient service and then transitioned to ambulatory in 2013. We know she will excel in this new role.

Please join us in congratulating Julie on this well-deserved promotion!

Pagidipati, Shah Selected Fellows of ASPC

Congratulations to Neha Pagidipati and Nishant Shah! Both have been selected to the 2025 Class of Fellows of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology! They are two of only eight providers named this year. Being named a Fellow of the ASPC (FASPC) is recognition reserved for members who have demonstrated their commitment to cardiovascular disease prevention and the ASPC.

Way to go, Neha and Nishant!

Passing of Businessman, Philanthropist David H. Murdock

We want to recognize the passing of David H. Murdock, a visionary philanthropist and the namesake of the MURDOCK Study, who died in June at the age of 102. Murdock made a transformative $35 million gift to Duke University nearly 20 years ago which led to the creation of the Measurement to Understand Reclassification of Disease of Cabarrus and Kannapolis (MURDOCK) Study, a pioneering research initiative based in Kannapolis, N.C. The study was named in his honor by Duke cardiologist Robert Califf, MD, former principal investigator of the study and former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, in recognition of Murdock’s extraordinary commitment to advancing health research.

“David Murdock was a champion of nutrition and bringing people together to promote health,” said Califf. “I’m sure he would be engaged in the current national focus on nutrition. His funding helped many researchers improve their knowledge base.”

The MURDOCK study has subsequently been led by other Duke cardiologists, including Kristin Newby, MD, and current principal investigator, Svati Shah, MD, the Ursula Geller Distinguished Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases.

“Mr. Murdock touched many with his generosity in creating the North Carolina Research Campus and starting the MURDOCK Study nearly two decades ago,” said Shah. “His legacy lives on through the thousands of lives impacted by this research.”

The MURDOCK Study Community Registry and Biorepository is a longitudinal cohort of 12,526 participants from a 20-zip code region centered in Kannapolis and Cabarrus County. Participants contributed health data, biospecimens, and ongoing engagement to support research aimed at reclassifying disease and improving health outcomes.

Our condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. His obituary can be found here.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Duke Heart Fall CMEs

The Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium is scheduled for Saturday, October 4, 2025. It will be held in the Trent Semans Center.

Our 2025 agenda features expert-led sessions on updated ASE guidelines, coronary artery disease evaluation, strain imaging in cardiomyopathies, tricuspid valve disease, cardiac POCUS, and technical skills development through hands-on breakout sessions.

To register, please visit https://events.duke.edu/DukeCIS2025.

The 17th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium will take place on Friday, October 31, 2025, at the Durham Convention Center.

Our 2025 symposium will include clinically challenging presentations, including CTD-PAH, CPPC PH, CTEPH, PH associated with ILD, COPD, portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH), and PH in end-stage renal disease. All will be addressed through interactive lectures and robust case-based discussions.

To register, please visit: https://events.duke.edu/17PH2025.

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:

July 26 — Nina Nouhravesh

Knowridge.com

Eating fortified eggs does not raise cholesterol

July 29 — Duke University Hospital

U.S. News & World Report

19 Hospitals with Top Ratings

July 29 — Duke University/Duke Health

Becker’s Hospital Review

Duke plans more layoffs after buyouts

July 29 — Duke Health/Duke University Hospital

U.S. News & World Report