Highlights of the week:
Kudos to Keenan & Heart Transplant Team
We had a big week in heart transplant – kudos to cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Jeff Keenan and to the heart transplant team – they accomplished five heart transplants, two of which were for patients that were critically ill on VA ECMO for multiple days. Several of our recipients were enrolled in clinical trials, too.
“This is an extraordinary effort which must be commended,” said Carmelo Milano, MD, the Joseph and Dorothy Beard Professor of Surgery and division chief of cardiothoracic surgery at Duke. “In addition to being life-changing for our recipients, this effort enriches both our training and research missions. Congratulations to all on this extraordinary effort.”
Excellent work!
ACC Scientific Sessions Annual Reception
Please join us on Saturday, March 28, at the Duke Annual Reception at the 2026 ACC Scientific Sessions. We’ll be hosting an NCAA Elite Eight Watch Party during the event… so please join us from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Central in Gravier A & B of the New Orleans Marriott, Warehouse Arts District.
Community Outreach Success
Many thanks to Duke medical student Zakir Ahmedin, cardiologists Kevin Thomas, MD, and Larry Jackson, MD, and PGY-2 residents Ibukunoluwa Olubowale, MD, and Victor Ayeni, MD, for taking time to participate in a community outreach event on Saturday, Feb. 14 at Morehead Avenue Baptist Church in Durham.
The church participants were grateful for Duke experts coming to them directly and sitting down with them for more roundtable discussions about health.
“This outreach event gave me a lot of ideas for how we can optimize this initiative more, including having both doctors and church members share their real stories to normalize people talking about health, which can be an otherwise frequently stigmatized topic, especially in the older Black community,” said Ayeni, an internal medicine resident, PGY-2, who has been planning similar outreach events over the past couple of years.
Ayeni added that he felt reinvigorated by chatting directly with community participants, as they are the very patients the team advocates for at Duke. Rather than seeing them in a clinical setting, these interactions took place in a setting that is beloved and trusted by many people in Durham, leading to more comfortable and open conversations.
If you are interested in assisting Victor in future outreach events, please reach out to him directly. He can be reached via email at victor.ayeni@duke.edu. He says, “The more, the merrier!” and we agree!
Excellent job, Victor, and thank you so much Kevin, Larry, Zakir, and Ibukunoluwa for volunteering!
Duke Heart Gains Newest Family Member
We are excited to share the arrival of Sofia Emma Gray – daughter of cardiology APP team member Julie Gray and her husband, Jeremy. Born Feb. 19 weighing 8 lbs, 4 oz, and 20 inches long.
We are thrilled for Julie and Jeremy!
Heart Units Get a Visit from Heart Ma’am
As part of our Heart Month celebration, the American Heart Association’s mascot – “Heart Ma’am” (played by Katie Belusa of the AHA), and local AHA representative Allison Gubitz paid a visit Duke Hospital and the Duke Medicine Pavilion on Thursday, Feb. 19. While on-site, Alison and Heart Ma’am handed out heart-healthy snacks to Heart team members and visitors on a variety of units, talked up healthy habits, posed for photos, and worked to generate enthusiasm for coaches ahead of the 2026 Heart Walk (planned for early October).
Anyone who registers as a coach by the end of February will be eligible to win an Amazon gift card or a swag bag of AHA gift items. If you have any questions, please contact either Katie or Allison.
Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate!
DUHS Announcements
O’Brien Stepping Down as Chair, Dept. of Neurology
Dean Mary E. Klotman, executive vice president for health affairs for Duke, and Tom Owens, MD, executive vice president and chief operating officer for DUHS, on Friday announced that Richard J. O’Brien, MD, PhD, Disque D. Deane University Distinguished Professor of Neurology, will step down as chair of the Department of Neurology on December 31, 2026. O’Brien will continue his service on the faculty, supporting the school’s academic, research, and clinical missions.
A national search for O’Brien’s successor will be launched in the spring and will be led by Anthony Viera, MD, MPH, chair of the Department of Family Medicine & Community Health.
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
February is Heart Month!
Cardiology Grand Rounds
Feb. 24: New Strategies in Advanced Heart Failure with Adam DeVore. 5 p.m., DN 2022 or via Zoom.
CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference
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. 26: Mitral Valve Pre-Interventional Imaging Screening with Fawaz Alenezi
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: News coverage returns next week.
