Duke Heart Pulse — February 1, 2026
Chief’s message: Heart Month Begins
February kicks off Heart Month with a variety of activities and events to raise awareness for cardiovascular disease and the impact it has on so many of our communities. We will have a wear Red day (Friday Februaary 6th), some outreach events in our community, there is a Triangle Heart ball at end of the month, and multiple CPR trainings, and BP check events. I was also fortunate to be able to attend the Go Red – Red Dress Event in New York City this last week at the Lincoln center where Laura Linney hosted with Amy Grant and others performing. Damar Hamlin was in attendance to raise awareness for resuscitation efforts and science, and we even had the winner of Best in Show from the Westminster Dog Show. Some photos included from the event.
Highlights of the week:
Weather Update — Staying Safe
We hope all of you are enjoying the snow in central NC today! Looks like most of us got 3-4” of powdery snow – with some areas in the region getting nearly 10”. Stay safe and warm, and for emergency alert updates, please check the DukeALERT webpage.
CT Surgery Team Members Receive Awards at STS 2026
The 62nd Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting is being held this weekend (Jan. 29-Feb. 1, 2026) in New Orleans. We are thrilled to announce that several Duke Heart & Vascular team members have received Thoracic Surgery Foundation (TSF) awards — these were announced during the meeting this weekend. TSF is the charitable arm of the STS, supporting research, education, innovation, and humanitarian outreach.
- Adam Williams, MD and Rebekah Boyd, MD — Every Heartbeat Matters Award. This award, made possible by the Edwards Lifesciences Foundation, provides support of up to $35,000 for qualified surgeons who conduct humanitarian work in underserved regions and populations. Williams helps lead our Duke Heart in Honduras outreach mission. Boyd is an active participant in the program.
- Gabriel Esmailian, MD — Southern Thoracic Surgical Association (STSA) Resident Research Award. The STSA award provides up to $40,000 per year for up to two years to support the research fellowship of a resident who has not yet completed CT surgical training.
- Hiba Ghandour, MD — Catalyst Award for Data Access. This award provides support of up to $10,000 to cover data access costs and other direct costs.
- Kateryna Krynychka, MD — the Nina Starr Braunwald Research Fellowship Award. Nina Starr Braunwald, MD was the first woman to be certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and the first woman to conduct open heart surgery. This research award in her name supports up to $55,000 per year for up to two years for a woman resident working in a cardiac surgical clinic or laboratory research program who has not yet completed cardiothoracic surgical training. Since the award’s inception, Braunwald Fellows have gone on to become established leaders within the field. The Braunwald Award is widely recognized as one of the specialty’s most prestigious research fellowships.
These awards highlight some of the great research and humanitarian efforts that are taking place within Duke’s Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.
Congratulations to Adam, Kateryna, Hiba, Gabriel, and Rebekah!
MD-PhD Student Earns Competitive Fellowship to Advance Heart Regeneration Research
A Duke MD-PhD student has received a highly competitive American Heart Association predoctoral fellowship to support a collaborative research project aimed at understanding why the human heart loses its ability to regenerate after birth — a limitation that underlies heart failure and many cardiovascular diseases.
Ashley Williams, a fifth-year Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) student now in her third year of PhD training, earned the award for a project co-mentored by cardiologist Ravi Karra, MD, associate professor of medicine and pathology, and Yarui Diao, PhD, associate professor of cell biology. The project, Modulating ERBB2 Enhancers and Downstream Effectors to Promote Human Cardiomyocyte Proliferation in Cardiac Organoids, brings together advanced genomics technologies and a human cardiac organoid model to investigate how cardiomyocytes — the muscle cells of the heart — stop dividing shortly after birth.
“Heart failure affects more than six million Americans, and one of the biggest challenges is that the adult heart doesn’t regenerate,” Williams said. “My work focuses on understanding why cardiomyocytes lose that ability and whether we can identify genetic programs that could potentially be reactivated.”
Williams’ project uses stem-cell–derived cardiac organoids to model human heart tissue and applies innovative genomic tools developed in Diao’s lab — technology recently accepted for publication in Nature Biotechnology. The approach allows the team to study the genetic mechanisms that regulate cardiomyocyte proliferation in unprecedented detail.
“This project really sits at the intersection of basic science and clinical relevance,” said Karra, a principal investigator in the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center. “If we can understand the genetic wiring that allows the heart to regenerate early in life, it opens the door to therapies that could one day be truly curative.”
The fellowship provides partial stipend and tuition support and is awarded through a highly competitive national review process. Karra noted that Williams’ application scored in the eighth percentile. The fellowship award was effective Jan. 1.
“It’s a major achievement for a trainee,” he said. “It reflects both the strength of the science and Ashley’s potential as a future physician-scientist.”
Both mentors emphasized that Williams herself initiated the collaboration.
“She came to us with this idea and was brave enough to take on an extremely complex experimental system,” said Diao. “Very few trainees — even postdocs — can do this kind of work. She learned it, and she made the collaboration work.”
That collaboration has since expanded beyond a single project. According to Karra, Williams’ work helped catalyze ongoing partnerships between the two labs, multiple joint grant submissions, and the formation of a cardiac functional genomics group involving seven labs across campus.
“What’s remarkable is that this all started with a student,” Karra said. “Ashley is really the catalyst.”
Williams said the experience reflects the broader research culture at Duke.
“I had this idea, and instead of being told it wouldn’t work, people leaned in,” she said. “My mentors were open-minded, invested, and willing to build something new. That spirit of collaboration has been essential to the project’s success.”
As a future cardiologist and physician-scientist, Williams plans to continue caring for patients with heart failure and hopes to lead a research program focused on uncovering the biological mechanisms that drive disease.
“The goal is to connect discovery to patient care,” she said. “Being able to work in both spaces — the clinic and the lab — is what drew me to this path.”
For Diao, Williams represents the kind of trainee who defines the next generation of biomedical research.
“She’s not only a promising scientist,” he said. “She’s an amazing person — generous with her time, committed to mentorship, and driven by a desire to help others succeed.”
Congratulations, Ashley!
New Schedule for Structural Heart Inpatient Consults
The Duke Heart & Vascular Structural Heart Disease team is excited to introduce a new weekly schedule for inpatient consultations, starting Monday, February 2, 2026.
Each week, one structural attending will be assigned to staff consultations with the DHP fellow. In the event a procedure is required during the same admission, the advanced structural fellow will be involved. This new weekly schedule is designed to streamline the inpatient consult process, enhance the experience for referring providers, and provide greater access to SHD faculty for general fellows.
The full schedule is now available on Qgenda under the “SHD Consult Attending” section.
Great Catch Awarded to Erickson
Congratulations to Daniel Erickson, CNII, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Duke Hospital 6300! Daniel noticed that the medication barcode scan showed an incorrect dose, which could have led to a dosing error. By reporting the issue and escalating it to pharmacy, Daniel helped implement a system-wide fix so future doses scan correctly and generate appropriate warnings—preventing similar risks and improving safety for all patients.
Way to go, Daniel!
Kudos to Kim and Threadcraft
We received a wonderful note of kudos this week regarding the work of two outstanding cardiology fellows:
“I wanted to send kudos for the outstanding work Yoo Jin Kim and Marcus Threadcraft did this past week in the CICU. We had a week of great but complex pathology and physiology. The leadership of Yoo Jin and Marcus was unbelievable and their engagement really made a difference in the patients’ clinical care. They took ownership of all the patients on our side and diligently led their management. I was extremely impressed at how much they knew about the patients. In addition to extensive chart review, they also looked into the literature to help manage some complex and rare pathology. They also helped our APPs manage very tough cases and made exceptional contributions to care. Additionally, they both had amazing bedside manner and really made an effort to get to know both patients and families. They also anticipated next steps early and coordinated care between consulting and procedural teams masterfully. During code or peri-code situations I had no doubt either both would be at my side or be there before I got there. They took control of these situations effortlessly as well. Multiple patients, family members, nurses, APPs, and staff also complimented their excellent work to me during the course of the week. Both fellows certainly lived up to the standard of excellence we strive for at Duke Cardiology. I couldn’t be more proud of their work.” – Nishant Shah, MD
Way to go, Yoo Jin and Marcus!
Kudos to Applefeld and 7E APPs
We received a note of appreciation this week regarding care provided by Willard Applefeld, MD and the APPs on DMP 7East.
“I am writing to express my gratitude for Dr. Willard Applefeld. My mother has had a complicated admission. She was taken care of on 7East for a few days. During her time on 7East, she was cared for by Dr. Applefeld. He took time to really understand her case and listen to us. He was able to develop a good plan of care for her and get what she needs. He was always very respectful and caring. The APPs are wonderful as well, especially Taylor, Erika, Dave and Jordan.
Again, I am very thankful my mom was cared for by Dr. Applefeld. He is truly wonderful and an asset to your team.” — name withheld to protect patient privacy
Great work, Willard, Taylor, Erika, Dave & Jordan!
DUHS Updates
Responding to Critical Platelet Shortage
There is currently a critical nationwide shortage of platelets, primarily due to the impact of the recent winter weather disrupting donation drives and flight schedules. The American Red Cross, Duke’s primary supplier, predicts the situation will continue into the coming week. Winter weather this weekend could extend the shortage.
As a result, Duke leadership team members are closely monitoring inventory and actively reviewing the projected need for platelets within OR and clinic platforms on a daily basis. At the same time, they are working on mitigation strategies to maximize the distribution of all available product and exploring every available option for receiving additional supplies.
To ensure our ability to meet the demand for the highest priority patient cases, the team is reviewing every order for platelets. Pease only order in urgent/emergent circumstances.
We can all help improve the critical shortage by donating. The Red Cross Durham Platelet Donation Center, located on University Drive, has multiple donation opportunities in the coming days; other locations are available throughout the Triangle area. Please visit https://duke.is/4/fcs4 to visit the Red Cross website, make an appointment, and please encourage your friends and family members to donate as well. Thank you!
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
National Wear Red Day & Heart Month
February is Heart Month – and National Wear Red Day — part of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women awareness campaign — is Friday, Feb. 6th. Wear your red and get some team selfies – submit them to Tracey Koepke for inclusion in Pulse!
Cardiology Grand Rounds
Feb. 3: RV-PA Coupling- State of the Art with Khodr Tello, MD. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.
CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference
Feb. 11: DHP Case Presentation with Jonathan Kusner. Noon, DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.
Feb. 13: Nuclear Physics with Robert Reiman. Noon, Zoom only.
Feb 18: HF/Tx case with Krunal Amin. Noon, DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.
Feb. 20: EP Case Presentation with Dorothy Avoke and Marcus Threadcraft. Noon, Zoom only.
Feb. 25: EP Case Presentation with Tess Mischler and Jemi Galani. Noon, DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.
MMCVI Grand Rounds
Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.
Feb. 5: Quality in the Echo lab with Ashlee Davis
Feb. 12: Mitral Stenosis with Jon Mark
Feb. 19: LV Strain with Fawaz Alenezi
Feb. 26: Mitral Valve Pre-Interventional Imaging Screening with Fawaz Alenezi
School of Medicine Events:
Research Symposium: Metabolism and Health Across the Lifespan
February 5, 2026 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Great Hall, Trent Semans Center for Health Education
The event includes the Dr. Robert J. Lefkowitz Distinguished Lecture by Dr. Daniel Drucker: “Emerging Indications, Molecules, and Mechanisms for GLP-1 Medicines.” Scheduled speakers also include Leanna Ross, PhD and Svati Shah, MD, MHS.
Upcoming CME Activities:
2026 Duke Heart CMEs
The dates for the following 2026 Duke Heart symposia have been set. We will announce others as they are added.
- June 6: Duke Heart Failure Symposium — Course directors are Marat Fudim, Rob Mentz, Richa Agarwal, and Stephanie Barnes. Location: Durham Convention Center, Durham, NC.
- October 30: 18th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium – Course directors are Terry Fortin, Sudar Rajagopal, and Jimmy Ford. Location: Durham Convention Center, Durham, NC.
Please save the dates!
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:
January 24 — Nina Nouhravesh
El Debate
Cuantos huevos se pueden comer a la semana sin afectar la salud?
January 26 — Krish Dewan
Cardiovascular Business
Heavy cannabis use may not impact heart surgery outcomes
January 26 — Mugdha Joshi
tctMD
Telemedicine May Adversely Impact Care Quality for HF Patients
January 28 — Adrian Hernandez and Danny Benjamin
The Duke Chronicle
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya talks ‘replication crisis’ at Duke panel, omits funding cuts
January 28 — Stephen Greene
Cardiovascular Business
Heart failure patients on quadruple medical therapy still face considerable risks
January 29 — Matthew Hartwig
Scientific American
Doctors keep patient alive using ‘artificial lungs’ for two days
January 29 — Stephen Greene
Conexiant
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