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Duke Heart Pulse — September 7, 2025

By Tracey Koepke in Uncategorized on September 7, 2025

Highlights of the week:

Applefeld, Narcisse Named Co-Directors, Cardiology Grand Rounds

We are excited to share that Drs. Willard Applefeld and Dennis Narcisse are now serving as our newest co-directors of Cardiology Grand Rounds.

Please let them know if you have suggested topics or speakers you would like them to consider inviting to present to us over the coming year. They can be reached at willard.applefeld@duke.edu and dennis.narcisse@duke.edu.

Congratulations, Willard and Dennis!

Bernard Gersh to Present CGR Opener

Cardiologist Bernard Gersh, MB, ChB, DPhil, adjunct professor in the Duke Department of Medicine, will kick off the first cardiology grand rounds of the year on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025.

Gersh is Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and a consultant in cardiovascular diseases and internal medicine. His past positions include the W. Proctor Harvey Teaching Professor of Cardiology and Chief of the Division of Cardiology at Georgetown University Medical Center. Gersh received his MB, ChB, from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

Sept. 16 — Topic TBD with Dr. Bernard Gersh. 5 p.m., Duke North 2002 or via Zoom.

Palma Re-Elected to CAAHEP Board

Congratulations to Richie Palma, director of the Duke Cardiac Ultrasound Certificate Program! Palma was recently re-elected to the Board of Directors for the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

Palma is also serving as the President of the North Carolina Ultrasound Society.

Great news, Richie!

Celebrating the Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection

Many of you know that Professor Emeritus in cardiology, Tom Bashore, MD, is a serious collector of historical medical devices and memorabilia. Upon his retirement last year, he donated the bulk of his collection to Duke University. His collection has been curated for display in the Rubenstein Library, and we are thrilled to announce that a celebration to open the exhibit will be held on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. in the Holsti Anderson Family Assembly Room, Room 153, Rubenstein Library, Duke University, West Campus.

Please join us in celebrating Tom and the Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection!

A New Addition to Duke Heart

A belated congratulations to Cara Hoke, MD, on the birth of her daughter, Harper, on June 24th. Both mom and baby are doing well! We send our warmest wishes to Cara and her family and look forward to meeting Harper very soon!

Reminder of Cardiology E-Consent Go-live:

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.

DOM Annual Year in Review, Sept. 12

Join Department of Medicine Chair Dr. Kathleen Cooney, Vice Chairs Drs. Scott Palmer, and Julius Wilder for the Department of Medicine Annual Year in Review. September 12, 8-9 a.m., Duke South Amphitheater.

DUHS Updates:

The Open Enrollment period for 2026 medical benefits this fall will be extended to three weeks to provide employees with more time to consider the options that best meet their needs. Open enrollment will be Oct. 6-24, 2025. Several changes are coming for 2026, including the move to Cigna Healthcare for the administration of all medical plans. To learn more, visit: https://hr.duke.edu/benefits/enrollment/oe/.

Negotiations with Aetna continue as Duke works to protect our patients’ access to Duke Health and to advocate for appropriate reimbursement for the expert, complex care we provide. If Aetna does not agree to a new, fair contract, Duke Health will be out-of-network for patients with Aetna insurance starting Monday, October 20, 2025.

Scheduling Aetna Patients

We hope to have an agreement with Aetna before the termination date, and we are continuing to schedule and deliver care to our Aetna patients. As we approach our potential contract termination date, we are developing plans to prioritize open availability and reschedule patient appointments and procedures to minimize disruption to their care. This work will begin this coming week, and we will share details as plans are finalized.

Please visit Duke Health Now for more information, FAQs, and resources for patients who have questions.

Finally, the updated DUH visitation policy took effect on September 1, with visiting hours starting at 6 a.m.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

September: National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month

October 9: Flu vaccination season launch

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 will get an event T-shirt! Reach out to event planner Victor Ayeni (victor.ayeni@duke.edu) with any questions.

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.; “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

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://medicine.duke.edu/17th-annual-north-carolina-research-triangle-pulmonary-hypertension-symposium.

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 29 — Duke Health

Reuters

Health Rounds: Shingles vaccine may lower the risk of heart attack and stroke; Partial Heart Transplants for Children with Valve Disorders

August 30 — Robert Califf

JAMA Cardiology/Editorial

Evidence About Benefits and Risks of Vaccines: Challenges in Science, Medicine, Public Health, and Culture

August 30 — Gerald Bloomfield

JAMA Cardiology/Editorial

WHO STEPS and the Future of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

September 1 — Renato Lopes

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