Duke Heart Pulse — May 31, 2026
Highlights of the week:
Hartwig, Reeves Named Duke Surgery Vice Chairs of Research
Duke Surgery has appointed thoracic surgeon Matthew Hartwig, MD, MHS, Professor of Surgery, and R. Keith Reeves, PhD, Professor in Surgery, to lead the department’s research activities as Vice Chairs. The two will hold separate but complementary roles that have in the past been part of a single Vice Chair of Research position.
Hartwig will serve as Vice Chair for Clinical Research and Data Science. In this role, he will be the department’s senior strategic and operational leader for clinical research and operations through data science and clinical research infrastructure. Dr. Hartwig has served as Director of the Surgery Office of Clinical Research (SOCR) since 2021, giving him direct research leadership experience. He is Surgical Director of the Duke Lung Transplant Program and the Esophageal Center at Duke, and he directs the Duke Ex Vivo Organ Laboratory (DEVOL). He leads a successful program of clinical, basic, and translational research in thoracic surgery and lung transplantation. Dr. Hartwig is currently principal investigator on numerous funded studies, including industry-sponsored multi-center clinical trials and NIH-supported projects.
Reeves will serve as Vice Chair of Basic and Translational Research. In this role, he will be Duke Surgery’s senior strategic and operational leader overseeing the conduct of all basic and translational research performed across the department. He is a Director at the Center for Human Systems Immunology (CHSI), Director of the Duke Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Development Core, and co-Director of the NIH Center of Excellence for Multiscale Immune Systems Modeling. Dr. Reeves’ group focuses on cutting-edge approaches to harness innate immunity in the context of vaccines and on understanding the immune consequences of aging. He has an exceptional history of federal, industry, and foundation research support.
“Creating two distinct but collaborative research leadership positions allows for division of responsibilities and positions us well to continue to meet the needs of the changing research landscape,” Peter J. Allen, MD, David C. Sabiston Jr. Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery said, adding, “I’m confident that Matt and Keith will help Duke Surgery continue to lead the nation in surgical research.”
Dr. Allen also expressed gratitude to Shelley Hwang, MD, MPH, MBA for her leadership as Vice Chair of Research for the past decade. “Under Shelley’s leadership, Duke Surgery’s research program stood out as the nation’s premier academic surgery department for research, with five years as the leading recipient of NIH funding among U.S. medical school surgery departments and a total of $380 million in new and competing federal and non-federal awards.”
Congratulations, Matt, and Keith!
Southerland Named Wound Care Director
Congratulations to Kevin Southerland, MD! He has been named the new Wound Care Medical Director for the Department of Surgery’s Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery.
AATS ‘26 Update
The annual meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) was held in Chicago from May 2-6, 2026. During the meeting, thoracic surgeon Thomas D’Amico, MD, Gary Hock Distinguished Professor of Surgery, was elected AATS Vice President, and heart surgeon Brittany Zwischenberger, MD, was inducted as a member.
Congratulations to both!
Dzau CV Lecture Delivered by Lefkowitz
Robert J. Lefkowitz, MD, the Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Medicine, delivered a lecture entitled G-Protein Coupled Receptors on Wednesday, May 27. This was part of Duke’s Victor J. Dzau Cardiovascular Lecture Seminar Series, supported by the Edna and Fred L. Mandel Jr., Foundation and sponsored by the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC).
We had terrific attendance and appreciate all who joined us! Shown here are Howard Rockman, MD, Director of the CVRC, and Lefkowitz.
Special Cardiology Grand Rounds Slated for June 29
On Monday, June 29, 2026, the Duke Division of Cardiology will hold a special Cardiology Grand Rounds from 6-7 p.m. at the JB Duke Hotel. Duke Heart is partnering with the National Association for Continuing Education (NACE) to host a live, in-person event, coupled with a live-stream, on dyslipidemia.
Nishant Shah, MD, will present 2026 Dyslipidemia Guidelines: Practical Implementation; Manesh Patel, MD, will moderate.
Learning objectives:
- Perform global cardiovascular risk assessment, adding targeted testing for risk-enhancing factors based on guidelines and recommendations.
- Individualize lipid-lowering therapy based on trial data and guideline recommendations to achieve LDL-C treatment goals for patients with or at high risk for ASCVD.
- Implement routine monitoring and follow-up of patients with or at risk for ASCVD to support clinical decision-making for LDL-C add-on therapy.
An email blast will be sent to faculty and staff, so be on the lookout. A registration link will be available soon and will be included in the email blast.
The event is free, but seating is limited.
Registration is required for both the in-person and the live-stream. NACE will offer CME credit. Live streaming will be available on the NACE virtual online platform. Creating a NACE account is quick and free.
June 29: NACE/Duke Heart Cardiology Grand Rounds
2026 Dyslipidemia Guidelines: Practical Implementation with Nishant Shah, MD, and Manesh Patel, MD
JB Duke Hotel, 230 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708
6-7 p.m.
More information is available on the NACE platform, hyperlinked above.
DUHS Updates:
Extension of Global Core Training Deadline
To support ongoing efforts to ensure staff completion of required training, DUHS is extending the deadline for Global Core Training from May 31 to June 12. The goal is to ensure compliance while establishing a standard, consistent completion period across the health system.
If you have not already done so, please take time to complete the core modules by Friday, June 12.
Thank you for your attention to this important requirement and for your continued commitment to our patients, teams, and community.
Upcoming CME Events & Opportunities
June is Pride Month
June 5: Wear Orange Day at Duke Health – in support of National Gun Awareness Day and “Wear Orange Weekend”. #DukeHealthWearsOrange
Cardiology Grand Rounds
June 2: Innovations in Advanced Heart Failure and Transplantation with David Elliot, MD. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.
June 9: From Predictive Analytics to a Learning Health System with Anthony Lin, MD. 5 p.m. DN 2002 and via Zoom.
June 16: In-stent Restenosis and the Next Era of PCI with Husam Salah, MD. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.
All Duke CGR Recordings (except for those containing PHI) can be found on Duke Warpwire by year: 2026, 2025, 2024. Questions about recordings? Contact Tracey Koepke.
CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference
June 3: Board Review with Nishant Shah and Anthony Lin. Noon, DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.
June 5: ECG Review with Jonathan Piccini. Noon, Zoom only.
June 10: DHP Case Presentation with Jemi Galani. Noon, DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.
June 12: Wide Complex Tachycardia with Jonathan Piccini. Noon, Zoom only.
June 17: Fellowship Review with Anna Lisa Chamis. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.
June 19: NO CONFERENCE/HOLIDAY
June 24: HF/Tx Case Conference with Jonathan Kusner. Noon, DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.
June 26: HF/Tx Case Conference with Harriet Akunor. Noon, Zoom only.
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.
June 4: Endocarditis with Fawaz Alenezi
June 11: CT Fractional Flow Review and Akshay Pendyal
June 18: D-Trans vs L-Trans Congenital Heart Disease with Fawaz Alenezi
June 25: Systemic and Pulmonary Hypertensive Heart Disease with Fawaz Alenezi
State of the School Address, June 10
The annual Duke University School of Medicine State of the School Address will take place from Noon to 12:45 p.m. on Wed., June 10, 2026. It will be held in the Great Hall, Trent Center for Health Education.
At this year’s address, Mary E. Klotman, MD, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the Duke University SOM, will explore how the School of Medicine community is harnessing artificial intelligence to accelerate discovery, enhance education, improve patient care, and strengthen partnerships, all while keeping our people at the center of everything we do.
All faculty, providers, staff, trainees, and students are invited. You are welcome to bring your own lunch. Light refreshments and limited giveaways will be available.
Please join us if you can!
2026 Symposia
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.
- September 26: Duke Case-Based Multimodality Imaging Symposium – Course directors are Sreekanth Vemulapalli and Anita Kelsey. Location: Trent Semans Center, Great Hall.
- October 30: 18th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Vascular Symposium – Course directors are Terry Fortin, Sudar Rajagopal, and Jimmy Ford. Location: Durham Convention Center, Durham, NC.
Please save the dates!
Hitting with Heart Softball Tournament
The 10th Annual Hitting with Heart Softball tournament will be held on Saturday, August 22 at Valley Springs Park, 3805 Valley Springs Road, in Durham. The tournament raises funds that will, in part, support the American Heart Association’s 2026 Triangle Heart Walk.
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 Pulse — May 24, 2026
Chief’s message: Memorial Day weekend
On this Memorial Day, we pause to honor the brave men and women who gave everything in service to our country — their sacrifice is the foundation of the freedoms we hold dear. This is especially poignant in this 250th year of our Independence. At Duke Heart, we are reminded daily of the spirit of service in the dedicated physicians, nurses, technicians, and staff who show up without hesitation for their patients, often in the most critical moments of their lives. To our veterans and active military — we are forever grateful. To our Duke Heart family — your courage, compassion, and commitment reflect the very best of what it means to serve our community. We are honored to stand alongside all of you.
This weekend we also had many past faculty and fellows in town to remember one of Duke Heart’s own — Dr. Jess Peter — a physician, mentor, and cultural cornerstone of this institution who embodied service in every sense of the word. Jess built the kind of presence that made everyone around him better. He built the acute MI program at Duke from the ground up, saving lives that might otherwise have been lost, and he shaped generations of fellows not just in technique but in character — teaching them that excellence and humility belong together, that a cath lab runs on trust as much as skill, and that you should never take yourself so seriously that you lose the ability to laugh. The memorial had great stories from both family and duke cardiology and the picture of his life. He loved his family deeply, and left behind a culture of curiosity, teamwork, and genuine care for patients that lives in every person who trained under him. Both on Friday and in cath cases this weekend – I have personal seen the legacy of Jess Peter in action in our cath lab in our actions, perseverance, and ways our faculty and fellows think about interventional care. His memory is a blessing.
Finally – please find some photos here of our DCRI fellow graduation where we continue the tradition of shaping and teaching the next generation of leaders. In the upcoming weeks we will be sharing more graduation and accomplishments of our fellows, residents, and faculty across the service line.
Highlights of the week:
Life of Dr. Jess Peter Celebrated
A Celebration of Life in memory of Dr. Jess Peter was held on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at The Washington Duke Inn. Several hundred people were in attendance including many generations of Duke Cardiology faculty and past fellows. We want to specifically appreciate both Mary Ann Peter and her amazing family, and Dr. Michael Sketch for his support of the Peter family and helping to arrange and MC the event.
The event began with an opening prayer. Speakers included Dr. Michael Sketch, Professor Emeritus of Medicine in Cardiology at Duke; Dr. Christopher O’Connor, President, Inova Schar Heart and Vascular; Dr. David Kandzari, Chief of the Piedmont Heart Institute and Chief Scientific Officer for Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta; Dr. Sunil Rao, Director, Interventional Cardiology at NYU Langone, and Dr. Manesh Patel, Chief, Division of Cardiology at Duke and president-elect of the American Heart Association for 2025-26. Dr. Patel also delivered remarks on behalf of the Dean of the School of Medicine, Dr. Mary E. Klotman, and spoke of his own memories of Jess.
Dr. Peter was greatly beloved by many at Duke and beyond. We extend our deepest sympathy — and our gratitude — to Mary Ann, their family, friends, and colleagues.
Celebrating Research at Duke Health
A few events were held this week and are planned for next week to celebrate research efforts at Duke.
The Durham City Council, at its May 18, 2026, meeting, proclaimed May 20 as Clinical Trials Day in Durham. You can see the proclamation read by Matt Kopac, Ward 1 Council Member, in this video. Representatives from across the region’s research and education community attended the meeting, including the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) Research Triangle Park (RTP) Chapter, Durham Technical Community College, North Carolina Central University (NCCU), Durham Early College for Health Sciences, as well as Duke Health, the Duke University School of Medicine, the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), and the Duke Office of Clinical Research (DOCR). Willette Wilkins, chief strategy officer, and Matthew Healy, chief operating officer, attended the meeting on behalf of the DCRI.
Clinical Trials Day is officially organized and promoted by the ACRP as an opportunity to pause in reflection, recognition, and admiration of all that has been accomplished thanks to clinical trials and the people behind them. It is celebrated annually on May 20.
This year’s theme is Research Rising, capturing the momentum, ambition, and unwavering commitment we bring to our shared mission of advancing medicine and improving patient care.
The Duke Heart Center Clinical Research Unit celebrated together – part of the team is shown here. If you are interested in learning more about currently enrolling research studies, please check out their Qualtrics site: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1FFwh9RacXQ5feK. There, you can find research studies by therapeutic areas that are currently available to patients. Included are brief descriptions of the study and the name of the principal investigator.
Coming up next week, the Duke School of Medicine is holding the inaugural CTSI and DCRI symposia, Trustworthy Translation – Stories of Today, Visions of Tomorrow. This event takes place on Tuesday, May 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center for Health Education at Duke. The keynote speaker will be cardiologist Dr. Robert Califf, founding director of the DCRI and former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. More information can be found here.
Also, next week, Duke Medicine Grand Rounds holds its 2026 Resident Research Day on Friday, May 29, at 8 a.m., featuring presentations by the 2026 Califf Resident Research Award recipients Daniel Bujnowski, MD; Morgan Nakatani, MD; and Roshini Srinivasan, MD.
Please join us in celebrating research at Duke!
Upcoming CME Events & Opportunities
May is Celebrating Each Other Month at Duke Health. Thank you for all you do!
June 5: Wear Orange Day at Duke Health – in support of National Gun Awareness Day and “Wear Orange Weekend”. #DukeHealthWearsOrange
Cardiology Grand Rounds
May 26: How Much Scar is Too Much? Scar Burden and Adverse Outcomes in Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathy with Damarcus Ingram, MD. 5 p.m. DN 2002 and via Zoom.
June 9: From Predictive Analytics to a Learning Health System with Anthony Lin, MD. 5 p.m. DN 2002 and via Zoom.
All Duke CGR Recordings (except for those containing PHI) can be found on Duke Warpwire by year: 2026, 2025, 2024. Questions about recordings? Contact Tracey Koepke.
CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference
May 27: EP Case Conference with Vincent Delgado and Nishkala Shivakumar. Noon, DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.
May 29: EP Case Conference with Yoo Jin Kim and Rebecca Steinberg. Noon, Zoom only.
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.
May 28: HFpEF Imaging Modalities with Rebecca/Harriet
June 4: Endocarditis with Fawaz Alenezi
June 11: CT Fractional Flow Review and Akshay Pendyal
June 18: D-Trans vs L-Trans Congenital Heart Disease with Fawaz Alenezi
June 25: Systemic and Pulmonary Hypertensive Heart Disease with Fawaz Alenezi
Victor J. Dzau Cardiovascular Seminar Series
May 27: G-Protein Coupled Receptors with Dr. Robert Lefkowitz. Noon, Auditorium of the Nanaline Duke Building, Duke University. Sponsored by Duke Cardiovascular Research Center and the Edna and Fred L. Mandel Jr. Foundation.
State of the School Address, June 10
The annual Duke University School of Medicine State of the School Address will take place from Noon to 12:45 p.m. on Wed., June 10, 2026. It will be held in the Great Hall, Trent Center for Health Education.
At this year’s address, Mary E. Klotman, MD, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the Duke University SOM, will explore how the School of Medicine community is harnessing artificial intelligence to accelerate discovery, enhance education, improve patient care, and strengthen partnerships, all while keeping our people at the center of everything we do.
All faculty, providers, staff, trainees, and students are invited to attend. You are welcome to bring your own lunch. Light refreshments and limited giveaways will be available.
Please join us if you can!
2026 Symposia
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.
- September 26: Duke Case-Based Multimodality Imaging Symposium – Course directors are Sreekanth Vemulapalli and Anita Kelsey. Location: Trent Semans Center, Great Hall.
- October 30: 18th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Vascular Symposium – Course directors are Terry Fortin, Sudar Rajagopal, and Jimmy Ford. Location: Durham Convention Center, Durham, NC.
Please save the dates!
Hitting with Heart Softball Tournament
The 10th Annual Hitting with Heart Softball tournament will be held on Saturday, August 22 at Valley Springs Park, 3805 Valley Springs Road, in Durham. The tournament raises funds that will, in part, support the American Heart Association’s 2026 Triangle Heart Walk.
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 Pulse — May 17, 2026
Chief’s message: Spring Updates
Another busy week with our clinical services and academic teams. Please find some of the key updates below. The week started with the School of Medicine Awards – and we were fortunate to have several of our outstanding faculty recognized. Additionally, you will see that there are several kudos to our fellows, faculty, and staff for clinical and research work. This week we will have some important grand rounds and welcome many past fellows to Durham for Jess Peter’s Memorial Service. We look forward to the celebration of Dr. Peter and his contribution to Duke Cardiology.
Highlights of the week:
Heart Center Faculty Earn SOM Awards
On Tuesday, May 12, the Duke University School of Medicine awarded the 2026 Faculty Awards, honoring outstanding contributions in teaching, research, clinical care, professionalism, and service. These awards celebrate the excellence and dedication of faculty members who embody the school’s mission and values.
Congratulations to the following:
- Donald D. Glower, MD, professor emeritus of cardiothoracic surgery, was awarded the Master Clinician/Teacher Award. The award recognizes faculty for exceptional teaching and clinical service within the School of Medicine or Medical Center.
- Gerald Bloomfield, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine in cardiology, was awarded the Michelle P. Winn Inclusive Excellence Award. The award recognizes individuals who have significantly advanced inclusive excellence within the School of Medicine community.
- Mitchell Krucoff, MD, professor of medicine in cardiology, was awarded the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award. The award honors faculty members who demonstrate compassion, clinical excellence, and respect in patient care.
- Stuart Russell, MD, professor of medicine in cardiology, was awarded a Duke Health Clinical Excellence Award.
The following Research Mentoring Awards recognize excellence in mentoring across clinical, translational, population health, and basic sciences:
- Christopher Kontos, MD, professor of medicine in cardiology, was awarded the Career Research Mentoring Award in Basic Science.
- Jennifer Rymer, MD, associate professor of medicine in cardiology, was awarded the Early Career Research Mentoring Award in Clinical/Translational Science.
- Christoph Hornik, MD, PhD, MPH, Samuel L. Katz Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, a pediatric cardiologist and critical care medicine specialist, was awarded the Career Research Mentoring Award in Clinical/Translational Science.
For the complete list of all 2026 Faculty Awardees, please visit: https://duke.is/4/mjc3.
Congratulations to all!
2026 Heart Failure Congress
We had excellent representation at Heart Failure 2026, the annual congress of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology, held May 9-12, 2026, in Barcelona, Spain.
Serving as session co-chairs, speakers/presenters, and discussants, faculty from Duke included Drs. G. Michael Felker, Robert Mentz, Senthil Selvaraj, Marat Fudim, and Stephen Greene; Internal medicine resident Dr. Leela Ekambarapu and cardiology fellow Dr. Paula Rambarat joined them.
“A big shoutout to Paula Rambarat for her presentation. She smoothly navigated travel difficulty (with her young one in hand) to present novel insights from CONNECT-HF on severe heart failure and medical therapies. Making the HF group proud.” — Rob Mentz
Solid work, everyone!
Kudos to Goodwin, Roy & Bowen!
Schuyler Jones, MD, shared a lovely note with us this week about interventional cardiology fellows Nate Goodwin and Priya Roy:
“Good afternoon,
We received a great deal of wonderful feedback regarding the EMS education sessions held this week. Both sessions were highly interactive, and the team greatly appreciated the in-depth review of the cases they had been part of. Thank you all for your time, collaboration, and willingness to share your expertise and experiences with everyone.
Nate and Priya, you both did an outstanding job presenting the information in a way that was relatable, engaging, and easy to understand. You fielded a wide variety of questions thoughtfully and created an interactive learning environment that was very well received by the group.
A special thank you as well to *Brittney Bowen for all her assistance in coordinating the event and helping ensure everything came together smoothly. (*Bowen is an administrative specialist with Duke Heart Network)
Thank you again for your support, preparation, and dedication to helping strengthen education and collaboration across our teams.” – Natalie Horseman, associate clinical director, Duke Heart Network
Nicely done, Nate, Priya, and Brittney!
Shout-out to Champion!
We received a terrific note this week (shared with us by Anna Lisa Chamis) from Dennis Narcisse regarding an anecdote shared by an EMS provider at the education session held with Person County EMS in Roxboro last week:
“Hi Anna Lisa,
Hope you’re doing well. I just wanted to send you a note and highlight some great feedback that we received about Cosette Champion. Nate Goodwin and I are up in Roxboro today doing EMS education with Person County EMS providers. We are reviewing STEMI activations from Person County over the last 6-12 months and discussing the process.
One of the more senior providers commented on a case where he was riding with a new EMS provider on a STEMI activation back in early March. He said during all the chaos – Cosette stopped to ask for more info from the EMS providers and found out it was the newer EMS providers first STEMI case. He noted that Cosette took the time to explain the cath lab process, the STEMI images, and the entire cath lab process to them.
He went out of his way to note how great an impact this had on both of them and how they had told all their crews how incredible Duke Hospital treated them, especially because it was at midnight and there was so much happening at once. They credited this experience directly to how she treated their team.
Just wanted to highlight how great Cosette is — this is before she had ever been in the cath lab! She was the CICU fellow who took their call that night.” – Dennis
Fantastic job, Cosette!
Reminders
Next weekend: Dr. Jess Peter Celebration of Life
A Celebration of Life will be held in memory of Dr. Robert “Jess” Peter on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at The Washington Duke Inn, 3001 Cameron Blvd., Durham, NC, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., with the program beginning at 1:30 p.m. Dr. Peter’s obituary can be found on the Walker’s Funeral Home site.
The Duke Chronicle published a tribute to Dr. Peter on April 28, 2026. The article is ‘A guiding presence’: Professor of Medicine Robert Peter remembered for mentorship, influence on cardiology.
State of the School Address, June 10
The annual Duke University School of Medicine State of the School Address will take place from Noon to 12:45 p.m. on Wed., June 10, 2026. It will be held in the Great Hall, Trent Center for Health Education.
At this year’s address, Mary E. Klotman, MD, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the Duke University SOM, will explore how the School of Medicine community is harnessing artificial intelligence to accelerate discovery, enhance education, improve patient care, and strengthen partnerships, all while keeping our people at the center of everything we do.
All faculty, providers, staff, trainees, and students are invited to attend. You are welcome to bring your own lunch. Light refreshments and limited giveaways will be available.
Please join us if you can!
DUHS Policy Updates
Two system-wide policies have been updated and will go into effect on June 1, 2026: Appearance Standards and Badge Swiping. These updates were developed in response to feedback about inconsistencies across departments and are designed to simplify expectations, reduce ambiguity, and better support operations in both patient-facing and non-patient-facing environments.
Key Policy Updates
Badge Swiping Policy Changes:
- For team members paid monthly, badge swiping will no longer be required for pay processing; however accurate and timely entry of PTO and leave remains your key timekeeping responsibility. Some departments may require exempt employees to swipe in for other operational purposes. For monthly team members, pay is not calculated by badge swipes.
- For team members paid bi-weekly, badge swiping expectations remain in place.
Appearance Standards Policy Changes:
- A single, systemwide standard now applies across DUHS, replacing department-level variations.
- Standards apply across patient-facing, non-patient-facing, and hybrid roles.
- Guidance has been updated to reflect different working environments, including clearer direction for patient care settings and more flexibility for non-patient-facing and hybrid roles.
Policy updates and additional resources, including FAQs, can be reviewed here: Appearance Standards Policy and Badge Swiping Policy. Final versions of the policies will be published to the DUHS Policy Site on June 1, 2026.
Upcoming CME Events & Opportunities
May is Celebrating Each Other Month at Duke Health. This is a time to pause, connect, and show gratitude for the ways we support one another and care for our patients, teams, and community. Thank you for all you do!
June 5: Wear Orange Day at Duke Health – in support of National Gun Awareness Day and “Wear Orange Weekend”. #DukeHealthWearsOrange
Cardiology Grand Rounds
May 19: Summoning Ghosts from Clinical Data: ECG-AI, Context Engineering and the Path to Trustworthy Clinical Intelligence with Ivan Nenadic Wood, MD. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.
May 26: Cardiology Grand Rounds topic TBA with Damarcus Ingram, MD. 5 p.m. DN 2002 and via Zoom.
June 9: From Predictive Analytics to a Learning Health System with Anthony Lin, MD. 5 p.m. DN 2002 and via Zoom.
All Duke CGR Recordings (except for those containing PHI) can be found on Duke Warpwire by year: 2026, 2025, 2024. Questions about recordings? Contact Tracey Koepke.
CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference
May 20: TBD. Noon, DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.
May 22 Board Prep Tips & Tricks with fellows who have recently taken the Boards. Noon, Zoom only.
May 27: EP Case Conference with Vincent Delgado and Nishkala Shivakumar. Noon, DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.
May 29: EP Case Conference with Yoo Jin Kim and Rebecca Steinberg. Noon, Zoom only.
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.
May 21: Imaging TOF Patient with Bharathi Upadhya
May 28: HFpEF Imaging Modalities with Rebecca/Harriet
June 4: Endocarditis with Fawaz Alenezi
June 11: CT Fractional Flow Review and Akshay Pendyal
June 18: D-Trans vs L-Trans Congenital Heart Disease with Fawaz Alenezi
June 25: Systemic and Pulmonary Hypertensive Heart Disease with Fawaz Alenezi
Victor J. Dzau Cardiovascular Seminar Series
May 27: G-Protein Coupled Receptors with Dr. Robert Lefkowitz. Noon, Auditorium of the Nanaline Duke Building, Duke University. Sponsored by Duke Cardiovascular Research Center and the Edna and Fred L. Mandel Jr. Foundation.
2026 Symposia
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.
- September 26: Duke Case-Based Multimodality Imaging Symposium – Course directors are Sreekanth Vemulapalli and Anita Kelsey. Location: Trent Semans Center, Great Hall.
- October 30: 18th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Vascular Symposium – Course directors are Terry Fortin, Sudar Rajagopal, and Jimmy Ford. Location: Durham Convention Center, Durham, NC.
Please save the dates!
Hitting with Heart Softball Tournament
The 10th Annual Hitting with Heart Softball tournament will be held on Saturday, August 22 at Valley Springs Park, 3805 Valley Springs Road, in Durham. The tournament raises funds that will, in part, support the American Heart Association’s 2026 Triangle Heart Walk.
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 Pulse — May 10, 2026
Chief’s message: Mother’s Day weekend
Hope you all have a happy mother’s day weekend to remember and celebrate the mothers in our lives. This weekend also is an important weekend in the triangle with many groups of families in town for commencement for the universities in the area including Duke and UNC. This week’s pulse highlights many of the teams working hard in the Heart Center to care for patients and train the next generation. In addition, we are adding in some of our quarterly funding updates for recognition of the people continuing to help our research work. Finally – please find the time for the celebration of Dr. Jess Peter.
Highlights and updates of the week:
Dr. Jess Peter Celebration of Life Announced
A Celebration of Life will be held in memory of Dr. Robert “Jess” Peter on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at The Washington Duke Inn, 3001 Cameron Blvd., Durham, NC, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., with the program beginning at 1:30 p.m. Dr. Peter’s obituary can be found on the Walker’s Funeral Home site.
The Duke Chronicle published a tribute to Dr. Peter on April 28, 2026. The article is ‘A guiding presence’: Professor of Medicine Robert Peter remembered for mentorship, influence on cardiology.
Mitral Valve Program Earns 7th MVRR Center Award
We learned this week that our mitral valve program has earned the Mitral Foundation’s 2026 Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award for the 7th year in a row.
The Award was created to recognize centers in the United States that have a demonstrated record of superior clinical outcomes in degenerative mitral valve repair resulting from evidence-based guideline treatment. The Mitral Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board, a multidisciplinary group of leaders including surgeons, cardiologists, and imagers from around the country, developed the criteria applied in the evaluation of candidate centers. Based on their review, our center has shown that it continues to meet their high standards of quality care.
Congratulations to Brittany Zwischenberger, Don Glower, Jeff Gaca, Andrew Wang, and our entire mitral valve team, with special thanks to Melissa Williams and our Center of Excellence team for monitoring our data as we continue our push for excellence in quality and safety outcomes.
Perfusion Week 2026
We are blessed to have an incredible team of perfusionists here at Duke!
In recognition of Perfusion Week (May 1-7), we extend our sincere appreciation for the critical expertise and unwavering dedication our perfusionists bring to patient care each day. Their work is essential to the success of our cardiac and vascular programs, providing life-sustaining support during some of the most complex and high-risk procedures.
Their precision, vigilance, and deep clinical knowledge ensure the highest standard of care in moments when it matters most. Equally important is their ability to work seamlessly within multidisciplinary teams, contributing to outstanding outcomes and advancing the quality of care we deliver.
While much of their impact occurs behind the scenes, its significance cannot be overstated. Their commitment to excellence, patient safety, and continuous improvement reflects the absolute best of the caregiving profession.
Please accept our deepest gratitude for all that you do to support our patients, our teams, and our mission. Thank you for your expertise, dedication, and extraordinary contributions.
*Our Perfusion team would like to thank their adoring fans for the lunches provided throughout the week. It was greatly appreciated — thank you!
Celebrating ECMO Team with ‘Team Day’
Our Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) team celebrated the first annual Global ECMO Team Day on Friday, May 8, 2026.
The event was established by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) in honor of the birth date of ELSO’s founder and ECMO Innovator, the late Dr. Robert Hawes Bartlett.
Bartlett, who died in Oct. 2025, was a strong advocate for the entire team involved in ECMO care. In this spirit, Global ECMO Team Day celebrates the entire ECMO team – from clinical teams and specialists to researchers and device innovators, to those providing ongoing care and recovery support after ECMO. Our Duke team celebrated Team Day with donuts on the ECMO units – cheers to that!
Duke’s ECMO team has even more to celebrate — ours is the first center in the world to have all our experienced/eligible Respiratory Therapy ECMO Specialists achieve both the ELSO Adult ECMO Practitioner Certification and ELSO Neo-Peds Practitioner Certification.
Way to go!
Nurses Week 2026
In celebration of National Nurses Week (May 6-12), we would like to offer special thanks to our team nurses.
We extend our sincere gratitude and deep appreciation for the unwavering commitment, clinical excellence, and compassion you demonstrate each day. Your work is foundational to the care we provide and central to the outcomes we achieve for our patients and families.
You consistently exemplify the highest standards of professionalism while navigating complex, high-acuity environments with skill, precision, and empathy. Whether at the bedside, in procedural areas, ambulatory settings, or supporting care across the continuum, your contributions are essential and profoundly impactful.
Beyond your clinical expertise, it is your dedication to teamwork, your advocacy for patients, and your resilience in the face of ongoing challenges that truly distinguish this team. You lead with both competence and compassion, strengthening not only our service line but the entire health system.
Please know that your efforts are recognized, valued, and deeply respected.
Thank you for all that you do to advance care and improve lives each day.
We appreciate you!
FON Awards Presented During Nurses Week
Duke Heart & Vascular had a great showing at the 2025 Friends of Nursing Awards luncheon with nine winners from across the service line. The awardees were recognized on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at the Washington Duke Inn.
Our Excellence Award honorees are:
- Violeta Villaruel, BSN, RN, CCRN, Clinical Nurse III, Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit DMP 7W. She received the Wilma Minniear Award for Excellence in Nursing Mentorship.
- Steffi Molina, BSN, RN, CCRN, Clinical Nurse III, Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit DMP 7W. She received the Norma L. Harris Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice.
- James Hallberg, BSN, RN, CCRN, Clinical Nurse III, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit DMP 7E. He received the Hill-Rom Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice.
- Gracen Ellington, BSN, RN, PCCN, Clinical Nurse IV, Cardiovascular Short Stay Unit. She received the Nan & Hugh Cullman Heart Center Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice.
- Emily Anthony, BSN, RN, CCRN, Education Supervisor, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, DMP 7E. She received the DUHS Ernestine Davis & Edward L. Cole Award for Excellence in Coronary Care Unit Nursing.
- Elizabeth Beebe, BSN, RN, Clinical Nurse III, Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit, DMP 7W. She received the Mary Ann & Robert H. Peter Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice.
- Jacob “Jake” Boger, BSN, RN, Clinical Nurse IV, Cardiology Stepdown Unit 7700. He received the Janet H. Clap Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice.
- Jessica Corrales Nebot, BSN, RN, Clinical Nurse III, Cardiothoracic Stepdown Unit 6300. She received the Heart Center Award for Excellence in Cardiovascular Nursing in Recognition of Mary Ann Peter.
- Morgan Lewis, BSN, RN, Clinical Services Nurse II, Advanced Heart Failure and Lung Transplant Clinic 2F/2G. She received the Nan & Hugh Cullman Heart Center Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice.
Congratulations to each of the winners for being recognized for the terrific contributions you make every day to our patients and their loved ones.
First SYNCHRONICITY Patient Enrolled
Last week, Daniel Friedman, MD, and lead clinical research coordinator Jessye Davis, enrolled the first patient at Duke in SYNCHRONICITY, a global randomized trial comparing left bundle branch area pacing with conventional cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) for patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB) and an ejection fraction of 35% or less.
Friedman, who is joined by Marat Fudim, MD, on the steering committee for SYNCHRONICTY, helped to design the study and ensure funding for this pivotal trial.
Congratulations to all!
Funding Awards for Duke Cardiology, January-March
Congratulations to the following cardiology faculty and students for receiving research funding awards in January, February, or March 2026.
- Anita Kelsey, MD, has received an award from Kardigan Inc. for a project entitled, Phase 3 Ataciguat Study. Total funding is $649,090.
- Christopher Kontos, MD, has received a sub-award via Wake Forest University for a project entitled, Variant Determinants of African American Limb Pathology in Peripheral Arterial Disease. Total funding is $125,969.
- Daniel Friedman, MD, has received an award from Boston Scientific Corporation for a project entitled, Safety and Effectiveness of Left Bundle Branch Area Pacing versus Conventional Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in Heart Failure. Total funding is $398,410.
- Gerald Bloomfield, MD, MPH, has received a sub-award via Temple University for a project entitled INTEGRATE RX. Total funding is $37,120.
- Jessica Regan, MD, has received an award from the American Heart Association for a project entitled, Interrogating Mechanistic Effects of Clonal Hematopoiesis in Heart Failure. Total funding is $230,960.
- Jonathan Piccini, MD, has received an award from the American Heart Association for a project entitled GWTG Clinical Insights CMS Linkages. Total funding is $530,764.
- Marat Fudim, MD, MHS, has received an award from the National Institutes of Health for a project entitled, The Iron Needed for Function and Undesirable Symptoms in Elderly with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (INFUSEHFpEF). Total funding is $2,982,563.
- Fudim also has received an award from Pharmacosmos Therapeutics Inc. for a project entitled, A phase III randomized trial of ferric derisomaltose in chronic heart failure. Total funding is $268,790.
- Senthil Selvaraj, MD, MS, has received an award from the American Heart Association for a project entitled, Impact of Exogenous Ketone Therapy on Skeletal Muscle Fuel Substrates After Exercise in HFrEF. Total funding is $77,000.
- Sudarshan Rajagopal, MD, has received a sub-award via Battelle Memorial Institute for a project entitled, Mass spectrometry platform for decoding GPCR hyperphosphorylation. Total funding is $251,924.
- Sunag R. Udupa, PhD (PhD student, Lefkowitz Lab) has received an award from the American Heart Association for a project entitled, Structural and Mechanistic Basis of β-arrestin2 Signaling Through MAPK JNK3. Total funding is $70,676.
- Svati Shah, MD, has received an award from Novo Nordisk A/S for a project entitled CVD Biomarkers Study (miR-132). Total research funding is $375,113.
Congratulations to all!
State of the School Address Planned for June 10
Mary E. Klotman, MD, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the Duke University School of Medicine, has announced her State of the School Address will take place from Noon to 12:45 p.m. on Wed., June 10, 2026. It will be held in the Great Hall, Trent Center for Health Education.
At this year’s address, Dean Klotman will explore how our School of Medicine community is harnessing artificial intelligence to accelerate discovery, enhance education, improve patient care, and strengthen partnerships, all while keeping our people at the center of everything we do.
All faculty, providers, staff, trainees, and students are invited to attend. You are welcome to bring your own lunch. Light refreshments and limited giveaways will be available.
Please join us if you can!
Upcoming CME Events & Opportunities
May is Celebrating Each Other Month at Duke Health. This is a time to pause, connect, and show gratitude for the ways we support one another and care for our patients, teams, and community. Thank you for all you do!
May 6 – 12: National Nurses Week
June 5: Wear Orange Day at Duke Health – in support of National Gun Awareness Day and “Wear Orange Weekend”. #DukeHealthWearsOrange
Cardiology Grand Rounds
May 13 (Wednesday): Highlights of the Heart Rhythm 2026 Meeting with Implications for Clinical Practice with Sana Al-Khatib, MD. 5 p.m., Zoom only.
May 19: Summoning Ghosts from Clinical Data: ECG-AI, Context Engineering and the Path to Trustworthy Clinical Intelligence with Ivan Nenadic Wood, MD. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.
All Duke CGR Recordings (except for those containing PHI) can be found on Duke Warpwire by year: 2026, 2025, 2024. Questions about recordings? Contact Tracey Koepke.
CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference
May 13: DHP Case Conference with Rebecca Steinberg. Noon, DMP 7E39, and via Zoom.
May 15: Line Day in CCU with Willard Applefeld & other CCU faculty. Noon, DMP 7E39 only.
May 20: TBD. Noon, DMP 7E39, and via Zoom.
May 22 Board Prep Tips & Tricks with fellows who have recently taken the Boards. Noon, Zoom only.
May 27: EP Case Conference with Vincent Delgado and Nishkala Shivakumar. Noon, DMP 7E39, and via Zoom.
May 29: EP Case Conference with Yoo Jin Kim and Rebecca Steinberg. Noon, Zoom only.
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.
May 14: Pericardial Diseases with Fawaz Alenezi
May 21: Imaging TOF Patient with Bharathi Upadhya
May 28: HFpEF Imaging Modalities with Rebecca/Harriet
June 4: Endocarditis with Fawaz Alenezi
June 11: CT Fractional Flow Review and Akshay Pendyal
June 18: D-Trans vs L-Trans Congenital Heart Disease with Fawaz Alenezi
June 25: Systemic and Pulmonary Hypertensive Heart Disease with Fawaz Alenezi
2026 Symposia
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.
- September 26: Duke Case-Based Multimodality Imaging Symposium – Course directors are Sreek Vemulapalli and Anita Kelsey. Location: Trent Semans Center, Great Hall.
- October 30: 18th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Vascular Symposium – Course directors are Terry Fortin, Sudar Rajagopal, and Jimmy Ford. Location: Durham Convention Center, Durham, NC.
Please save the dates!
Victor J. Dzau Cardiovascular Seminar Series
May 27: G-Protein Coupled Receptors with Dr. Robert Lefkowitz. Noon, Auditorium of the Nanaline Duke Building, Duke University. Sponsored by Duke Cardiovascular Research Center and the Edna and Fred L. Mandel Jr. Foundation.
Support Ramos & Visionaries of the Year Campaign
Dayana Ramos, DNP, a critical care nurse practitioner in cardiology (and cancer survivor), continues to work toward her fundraising goal of $25,000 to help advance lifesaving treatments and support for families facing blood cancer during this year’s Visionaries of the Year campaign with Blood Cancer United.
She is hosting a virtual raffle as well as a “Sip to Save Lives” cocktail event this week at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, at The Velvet Hippo, 119 W. Orange Street, in downtown Durham. Half of the proceeds from sales of the “spicy mango margarita” will benefit Blood Cancer United.
The virtual raffle is for three prizes: a $25 Starbucks gift card; a $50 Amazon gift card, and a Grand Prize — a brewery tour and tasting at Ponysaurus Brewery in Durham. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased directly from Dayana. Winners will be announced on May 16.
Ramos’ fundraising finale is a 5K — and registration is open! The Race for a Cure 5K (run/jog/walk) will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, 2026, starting at Durty Bull Brewing Company, 206 Broadway St. #104, Durham, NC 27701. Recommended donation of $15 to register. All donations go to Blood Cancer United.
We hope you will consider supporting Dayana in any way you can, even if only with words of encouragement! Her fundraising page for Blood Cancer United can be found here. Her fundraising deadline is May 16.
Hitting with Heart Softball Tournament
The 10th Annual Hitting with Heart Softball tournament will be held on Saturday, August 22 at Valley Springs Park, 3805 Valley Springs Road, in Durham. The tournament raises funds that will, in part, support the American Heart Association’s 2026 Triangle Heart Walk.
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 Pulse — May 3, 2026
Highlights of the week:
Four Cardiologists Receive 2026 DOM Faculty Awards
The Duke Department of Medicine held its annual faculty award celebration on Wednesday evening, April 29, at the Nasher Museum of Art.
We are pleased to share that four cardiology division faculty members were recognized with awards. They are:
Daniel Mark, MD, MPH, professor of medicine, received the Career Achievement Award. This recognizes a faculty member whose career at Duke has achieved extraordinary impact in one of the three core missions of the School of Medicine: education, research, or clinical medicine.
Michelle Kelsey, MD, associate professor of medicine, received the Excellence in Education Award. This recognizes one faculty member in each division for excellence in medical education, outstanding leadership, and commitment to the education of fellows, residents, and students.
Daniel Loriaux, MD, assistant professor of medicine, received the Eugene A. Stead Teaching Award, recognizing faculty who exemplify excellence in house staff teaching.
“I am very honored (and surprised) to receive the Stead Award,” said Loriaux. “It’s voted upon by the Internal Medicine House Staff for excellence in teaching and I am very fortunate to have worked with so many great medicine residents in the ICU this year.”
Andrew Wang, MD, professor of medicine, was named to the 2026 Clinical Excellence Society, which recognizes exceptional clinicians who have made contributions to the practice of patient care, clinical innovation, and training the next generation of physicians.
Congratulations to each of you on these honors! They are very well-deserved.
Hartwig Earns NIH R01
Earlier this year, thoracic surgeon Matthew Hartwig, MD, professor of surgery and professor of biomedical engineering at Duke, received his first NIH R01 grant for his project, Ex Vivo Delivery of Viral-Mediated Gene Therapy for the Amelioration of Post-Transplant Rejection.
Congratulations, Matt!
Latest HF Publication
Congratulations to Stephanie Barnes, Robert Mentz, Julie Thompson, Jill Engel, and Bradi Granger on their latest research paper, “Implementation of a Digital Patient Activation Tool to Engage Patients With Heart Failure in Intensification of Guideline-Directed Medical Therapies,” published March 31, 2026, in the journal Computers, Informatics, Nursing. This is Stephanie Barnes’ first publication as first author. Way to go, Steph!
Great work, team!
Latest NCDR Registry Recognition for DUH, DRH
The National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) has just released new awards to Duke University Hospital and Duke Regional Hospital in recognition of voluntarily reporting safety and quality data to the public via the following NCDR registries:
- CathPCI Registry: assesses the characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of cardiac disease patients who receive diagnostic catheterization and/or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures.
- EP Device Implant Registry: includes data on cardiac device implant procedures, including implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and pacemakers.
- STS/ACC TVT Registry: Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the American College of Cardiology TVT Registry tracks patient safety and real-world outcomes for transcatheter valve therapies.
Duke University Hospital received CathPCI, EPDI, and TVT Registry recognition. Duke Regional Hospital received CathPCI and EPDI Registry recognition.
Data transparency via these registries shows our commitment to quality improvement.
Congratulations to all!
Shout-Out to Threadcraft and Amin!
Kristin Newby shared a terrific note with us about care provided by cardiovascular disease fellows Marcus Threadcraft and Krunal Amin:
“Good morning,
I would like to take a moment to recognize two individuals on our team who have demonstrated phenomenal care for both our patients and our colleagues. In a time when it’s easy to focus on challenges, it’s just as important to highlight the positives.
I want to acknowledge Marcus Threadcraft for his strong dedication to this unit. Marcus is approachable, knowledgeable, and consistently provides holistic care to patients and their families. It is clear that he values his team and actively promotes high-quality teamwork in all situations. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Marcus as a charge nurse, leader, and bedside nurse, and I’m truly grateful for how he helps make our work more organized and manageable. He steps up during critical situations while ensuring every team member feels included and heard. Marcus consistently seeks feedback and encourages input from others when developing patient care plans. I’ve also heard many of my peers share similar praise about his leadership, teamwork, and dedication.
I also want to acknowledge that Krunal Amin has demonstrated exceptional interpersonal skills since joining us as a resident, and this has continued into Krunal’s first year 
of fellowship in the CICU. Krunal is a dedicated and hardworking individual who consistently goes above and beyond to ensure that patients, families, and staff are all cared for at the highest level, fostering a strong sense of teamwork and trust. During critical situations, Krunal brings a calm yet passionate presence, remaining composed under pressure while advocating for patients and supporting the care team. Krunal’s holistic approach to care, paired with consistent professionalism and respect in every interaction, makes a meaningful impact on both patient outcomes and unit culture.
I hope these recognitions are shared with both individuals, as they are truly deserving. This is exactly the kind of culture we strive to foster here in the CICU, and I cannot say enough positive things about the impact they have made.” —Best regards, Haylie Puckett BSN, RN, CCRN, CN IV Leader, 7 East – Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
Way to go, Marcus and Krunal! You make us proud!
Hunara Named Next Chief Administrative Officer for Duke Surgery
The Duke Department of Surgery has announced that Jennifer Hunara, MHA, MBA, will join the department as Chief Administrative Officer and Vice Chair for Administration on June 8. In this role, she will provide comprehensive administrative leadership, coordination, and financial oversight for the department, with responsibility for business operations including finance and budgeting, personnel administration, space and facilities planning, grant administration, and policy interpretation.
Welcome, Jennifer!
Upcoming CME Events & Opportunities
May is Celebrating Each Other Month at Duke Health. This is a time to pause, connect, and show gratitude for the ways we support one another and care for our patients, teams, and community. Thank you for all you do!
May 1-7 is Perfusion Week.
May 6-12 is National Nurses Week.
June 5: Wear Orange Day at Duke Health – in support of National Gun Awareness Day and “Wear Orange Weekend”. #DukeHealthWearsOrange
Cardiology Grand Rounds
May 5: Heart Failure in Adults with Fontan Circulation: Half a Heart, Twice the Challenge with Allison Levin, MD. 5 p.m., DN2002 and via Zoom.
CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference
May 6: Board Review with Nishant Shah and Anthony Lin. Noon, DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.
May 8: ACS Guidelines with Jenn Rymer. Noon, Zoom only.
May 13: DHP Case Conference with Rebecca Steinberg. Noon, DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.
May 15: Line Day in CCU with Willard Applefeld & other CCU faculty. Noon, DMP 7E39 only.
May 20: TBD. Noon, DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.
May 22 Board Prep Tips & Tricks with fellows who have recently taken the Boards. Noon, Zoom only.
May 27: EP Case Conference with Vincent Delgado and Nishkala Shivakumar. Noon, DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.
May 29: EP Case Conference with Yoo Jin Kim and Rebecca Steinberg. Noon, Zoom only.
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.
May 7: Imaging Approach to Congenital Heart Disease with Bharathi Upadhya
May 14: Pericardial Diseases with Fawaz Alenezi
May 21: Imaging TOF Patient with Bharathi Upadhya
May 28: HFpEF Imaging Modalities with Rebecca/Harriet
June 4: Endocarditis with Fawaz Alenezi
June 11: CT Fractional Flow Review and Akshay Pendyal
June 18: D-Trans vs L-Trans Congenital Heart Disease with Fawaz Alenezi
June 25: Systemic and Pulmonary Hypertensive Heart Disease with Fawaz Alenezi
2026 Symposia
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.
- September 26: Duke Case-Based Multimodality Imaging Symposium – Course directors are Sreek Vemulapalli and Anita Kelsey. Location: Trent Semans Center, Great Hall.
- October 30: 18th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Vascular Symposium – Course directors are Terry Fortin, Sudar Rajagopal, and Jimmy Ford. Location: Durham Convention Center, Durham, NC.
Please save the dates!
DCRI 30th Anniversary Forum
May 5: Lead Yourself, Before Leading Others with General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. Noon, Zoom only.
This week, the Duke Clinical Research Institute will host Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., the 21st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for a presentation and discussion during the next DCRI 30th Anniversary Forum event, from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5. General Brown will present “Lead Yourself, Before Leading Others,” which will be followed by a discussion with the DCRI Executive Director, Adrian Hernandez, MD, MHS, and Deputy Executive Director, Danny Benjamin, MD, PhD, MPH.
Gen. Brown is currently the executive-in-residence at the Sanford School of Public Policy and Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University. Please join if you can!
Victor J. Dzau Cardiovascular Seminar Series
May 27: G-Protein Coupled Receptors with Dr. Robert Lefkowitz. Noon, Auditorium of the Nanaline Duke Building, Duke University. Sponsored by Duke Cardiovascular Research Center and the Edna and Fred L. Mandel Jr. Foundation.
Support Ramos & Visionaries of the Year Campaign
Dayana Ramos, DNP, a critical care nurse practitioner in cardiology (and cancer survivor) continues to work toward her fundraising goal of $25,000 to help advance lifesaving treatments and support for families facing blood cancer during this year’s Visionaries of the Year campaign with Blood Cancer United.
She is hosting a virtual raffle as well as a “Sip to Save Lives” cocktail event this week at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28 at The Velvet Hippo, 119 W. Orange Street, in downtown Durham. Half of the proceeds from sales of the “spicy mango margarita” will benefit Blood Cancer United.
The virtual raffle is for three prizes: a $25 Starbucks gift card; a $50 Amazon gift card, and a Grand Prize — a brewery tour and tasting at Ponysaurus Brewery in Durham. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased directly from Dayana. Winners will be announced on May 16.
Ramos’ fundraising finale is a 5K — and registration is open! The Race for a Cure 5K (run/jog/walk) will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, 2026, starting at Durty Bull Brewing Company, 206 Broadway St. #104, Durham, NC 27701. Recommended donation of $15 to register. All donations go to Blood Cancer United.
We hope you will consider supporting Dayana in any way you can, even if only with words of encouragement! Her fundraising page for Blood Cancer United can be found here. Her fundraising deadline is May 16.
Hitting with Heart Softball Tournament
The 10th Annual Hitting with Heart Softball tournament will be held on Saturday, August 22, at Valley Springs Park, 3805 Valley Springs Road, in Durham. The tournament raises funds that will, in part, support the American Heart Association’s 2026 Triangle Heart Walk.
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.
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