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.
Strong work!
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!
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. 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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