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.
