Chief’s message: End of Year Activities
This was a hot weekend in the triangle and lots of activities over the last week to continue to meet our missions. In this episode of the Pulse you will find updates around the yearly heart failure symposium (Largest ever), multiple award winners, many fellows and faculty recognized for clinical care and DCRI fellowship gradulation. Enjoy the reading.
Highlights of the week:
Annual Heart Failure Symposium Held
Our largest ever annual Duke Heart Failure Symposium was held yesterday, June 6, at the Durham Convention Center in downtown Durham, NC. Led by Marat Fudim, Stephanie Barnes, Rob Mentz, and Richa Agarwal, we had record attendance with 310 participants registered. We also had record industry support with 33 companies providing sponsorship, along with the Heart Center Clinical Research Unit, Duke Clinical Research Institute, and the Duke Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET) staff offering hands-on demonstrations.
We hosted seven external speakers including Hassan Alhosaini of Novant Health; Mirnela Byku of the University of Virginia; Matt Cavender of UNC-Chapel Hill; Priyesh Patel of Atrium Health/Wake Forest University; Ryan Tedford of MUSC; keynote speaker Clyde Yancy of Northwestern University, and Amin Yehya of Old Dominion University/Sentara Healthcare. More than 30 speakers were from Duke Health.
The program covered a broad range of topics within the field of heart failure, from medications to cardiometabolic health, to the devices, specialty clinics and innovation that make Duke a special place for care.
Yancy rounded out his trip to NC with a golf game with Robert Califf on Friday — but we are told they “Didn’t keep score” so we are unable to report on who had the better handicap.
A full overview of the agenda and speakers can be found here.
Many thanks to Christy Darnell for project management and day-of coordination, and to Anthony Doll for helping ensure the event ran smoothly for all; and we thank Marat, Christy, and Steph Barnes for sharing their photos with us.
Please save the date for our 2027 event, scheduled for June 12, 2027.
Great job, team!
DCRI Fellowship Program Graduates Ten Researchers, Recognizes Excellence
On May 20, fellows, mentors, faculty, and family members gathered at Parizade in Durham to celebrate ten graduates of the DCRI Fellowship Program.
This annual event marks the culmination of a postdoctoral training program that prepares clinical researchers to lead within their chosen specialty. The event was led by Sana Al-Khatib, director of the DCRI Fellowship Program, alongside associate directors Neha Pagidipati and Adam Goode. The evening began with the presentation of awards, followed by the recognition of each graduate with framed certificates, gifts, and personal remarks from mentors who reflected upon each fellow’s unique attributes and time in the program.
Following dinner, the group honored the departing program leaders and their accomplishments with expressions of gratitude and gifts.
“This program has been one of the most meaningful parts of my career at Duke,” said Al-Khatib. “Watching these remarkable fellows grow into even more accomplished researchers and knowing that their work will ultimately benefit patients around the world, is deeply fulfilling. It has been a privilege and an honor to serve this program and its fellows for the past six years, and I am so proud of everything this community has built together.”
For the 2026-2027 academic year, Daniel Gonzalez will assume the role of director of the DCRI Fellowship Program, and Jennifer Rymer will serve as associate director. The DCRI extends its gratitude to Al-Khatib, Pagidipati, and Goode for their exemplary leadership of the program over the past six years.
The DCRI Fellowship Program represents a longstanding commitment to mentoring and training the next generation of clinical researchers. Graduates of the training program are spread throughout the world, with some continuing their medical and research careers at Duke. The program alumni remain close with their peers and mentors, resulting in a broad network of collaborators for Duke and the DCRI.
2026 DCRI Fellowship Award Recipients
Jennifer Rymer received the Robert M. Califf Award for Outstanding Mentorship. This award recognizes a DCRI faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in mentorship activities for DCRI research fellows. Current DCRI fellows select the award through nominations, discussion, and voting.
Husam Salah was presented with this year’s Robert A. Harrington Excellence in Fellowship Award, which recognizes a graduating DCRI research fellow who has contributed the most to the program during his or her tenure and has demonstrated excellence in academic accomplishment, participation in clinical research operations, and peer-to-peer mentoring.
The Karen S. Pieper Teaching and Fellowship Support Award was bestowed upon Shelby Reed. Originally known as the Best Teaching/Support Award, the Pieper Award is designed to recognize staff at the DCRI who are consistent contributors to fellows’ education and strong supporters of the fellowship program. Beginning in 2012, the award was renamed the Karen S. Pieper Teaching and Fellowship Support Award to honor the original recipient who inspired the award’s creation in 2007. Educational activities recognized include teaching statistical methods, manuscript writing, academic financial management, and clinical operations. All DCRI staff are eligible.
The Eric D. Peterson Manuscript Award was presented to Henry Foote. This honor is awarded to a graduating DCRI research fellow whose writing excellence is demonstrated in an impactful and novel article, as well as superior writing skills and potential impact on the field.
This year’s DCRI Fellowship Citizenship Award recipient is Allison Levin. Awardees are graduating DCRI fellows chosen for their strong character and leadership, devoted service to the institution, acceptance of responsibilities and duties, and positive attitude toward peers, the DCRI, and the medical community. Recipients are also recognized for demonstrating an eagerness to learn, showing care for others, and helping when needed.
DCRI graduating fellows:
Lindsay Ballengee, DPT
- Specialty: Rehab Services
- Mentor: Steven George
Henry Foote, MD
- Specialty: Pediatrics (Cardiology)
- Mentor: Christoph Hornik
Jonathan Hanna, MD
- Specialty: Cardiology
- Mentor: Jennifer Rymer
Seamus Hughes, MD
- Specialty: Cardiology
- Mentor: Schuyler Jones
Allison Levin, MD, MSc
- Specialty: Cardiology
- Mentors: Adam DeVore, Richard Krasuski
Anthony Lin, MD
- Specialty: Cardiology
- Mentor: Zak Loring
Paula Rambarat, MD
- Specialty: Cardiology
- Mentors: Adam DeVore
Joshua Rushakoff, MD, MPP
- Specialty: Cardiology
- Mentor: Adam DeVore
Husam Salah, MBBS
- Specialty: Cardiology
- Mentor: Jennifer Rymer
Satoshi Shoji, MD, PhD
- Specialty: Cardiology
- Mentor: Adam DeVore
Congratulations to all graduates and award recipients. Deep gratitude to Sana, Neha, and Adam for their excellent leadership. Congratulations to Daniel and Jenn as they step into their respective new roles.
New AHA Physical Activity Statement Released, Ross Vice-Chair of Committee
A new scientific statement on physical activity from the American Heart Association (AHA) was released last week and calls for an approach that puts physical activity front and center of obesity treatment, weight-loss management, and cardiovascular care. Leanna Ross, PhD, assistant professor in medicine at Duke and a member of the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, served as a co-author and vice-chair of the writing committee.
The statement, Role of Physical Activity in Obesity Treatment and Cardiometabolic Health: A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association, was published in the June 1 issue of Circulation. A news release from the AHA can be found here.
Ross’s co-authors include Damon L. Swift, PhD, chair of the writing group for the scientific statement; Stacey E. Rosen (current volunteer president of the AHA); Deepika R. Laddu, PhD, Molly B. Conroy, MD, MPH; Charles A. German, MD, MS; Lorraine S. Evangelista, PhD, RN; Francoise A. Marvel, MD; and Gerald J. Jerome, PhD.
Swift and Ross are featured in a video where they walk through the key clinical insights from the new scientific statement on physical activity in obesity treatment and cardiovascular disease. The discussion highlights the cardiometabolic benefits of physical activity independent of weight loss, the modest impact of exercise alone on body weight, and how combining activity with other treatments, like bariatric surgery and the new GLP-1-based therapies, can improve outcomes. They also share practical messaging strategies clinicians can use to support patient adherence and long-term engagement in physical activity.
Nicely done, Leanna!
Shah Completes DCLP, Receives Gorrie Award
Congratulations to Nishant Shah, MD! He recently graduated from the 2026 cohort of the Duke Clinical Leadership Program (DCLP), one of the professional development opportunities offered by Duke School of Medicine. He was one of five participants selected to receive a Thomas Gorrie Clinical Leadership Impact Award for his faculty project. The project Shah utilized in the DCLP involves system-level remote lipid monitoring and management.
“Given that many patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease have uncontrolled LDL cholesterol across the Duke Health System, we created a program that identifies and treats high-risk patients with uncontrolled cholesterol remotely through the electronic medical record,” said Shah, associate professor of medicine in cardiology. “The cholesterol management is led by clinical pharmacists who monitor patients who are agreeable to joining the program.”
The goal of the remote cholesterol management program, Shah says, is to help improve system-level cholesterol management of high-risk patients and provide a service that offers asynchronous lipid care, allowing providers to communicate electronically with their patients rather than relying only on real-time visits. The program was created through a partnership between the Division of Cardiology and the Duke Population Health Management Office. The pharmacy-led program is still in its early phases, but several patients have successfully reached their cholesterol goals, according to Shah.
“I am fortunate to have been selected as one of the participants in this year’s Clinical Leadership Program and delighted to be one of the recipients of the Gorrie Award, thanks to the amazing team we have,” Shah added.
About the Duke Clinical Leadership Program
The DCLP was founded in 2010 by then Chancellor for Health Affairs, Victor Dzau, MD, to help expand leadership capacity within Duke Health. It is currently led by cardiologist Cary Ward, MD, associate dean for faculty development in the School of Medicine. The program is geared toward mid-career clinical leaders to develop skills in everything from negotiation to finance, to thinking about personal well-being as well as the well-being of their team members.
“In the Office of Faculty, we think of leadership as a skill,” said Ward. “Leadership isn’t something that you’re born with, you have to work on it and also work on personal awareness – becoming aware of areas where you might need support, working on your skills, like negotiation, difficult conversations, and how to give feedback to others. All of us spend so much time training to do other things that we often don’t spend a lot of time investing in our own personal growth.”
At the end of the program, participants present their faculty projects, and the Gorrie Impact Award is given to members of the cohort who best exemplify the values and objectives of the DCLP.
“We have a pretty robust professional development system within the School of Medicine,” Ward added. “One of the best things we do is use internal talent to teach our DCLP faculty participants. For example, in DCLP, most instructors are internal to Duke, so we really utilize the wealth of knowledge we have within our institution to teach younger faculty. Our graduates then mentor younger faculty which helps us continue our mission of education, which is important to all of us, no matter how old we are.”
Congratulations, Nishant!
Shout-outs to CDU, Cath Lab & CVSSU
We received a note this week noting outstanding teamwork in the CDU, Cath Lab, and CVSSU from Marat Fudim, MD regarding a particularly busy Monday.
“We had a long and busy day in room 4. The team had seven scheduled outpatients and one inpatient, necessitating an early start with the first patient at 7:25 a.m. There were seven cases with CDU support (Fudim says he is confident that is a record, to date.)
Ashlee covered the full day – which I’m fairly sure was the longest CDU day yet — and Jordan and Jeff worked in synchrony “like a K-pop band.”
Six cases were with exercise! That is a new record, I believe, as well. One case was upright, five were supine, and four were study cases with the extra burden of documentation and scrutiny. Furthermore, there were two splanchnic nerve ablation cases in need of extra set-up, sedation, etc.
A shout-out to Matt and Lacey for coming in early and staying late for this remarkably busy day as well. This day literally took them weeks of preparation. The Cath Lab/CDU team was extremely professional, flawless in execution, zero unforced errors and on many occasions a strong display of clinical foresight making my life a lot easier! The CVSSU had the patients ready faster than I have seen before. The turn overs were essential to allow my fast flow. I was left impressed. Finally, thanks of course to Manesh as well, who always turns up when it’s time to burn some nerves. And can’t forget our future HF fellow Hubert who showed up just in the right time when I needed help.
Clearly this shows it takes a village!” – Marat Fudim, MD
Nice teamwork, everyone!
Reminder: 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.
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.
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 for that. 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. In-person registration link. NOTE: The in-person event at JB Duke is limited to 60 people. 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:
Global Core Training Deadline is Friday
If you have not yet done so, please complete the required Global Core Training 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. At Duke Health, we believe everyone deserves to feel safe, seen, and supported, especially when it comes to their health.
Cardiology Grand Rounds
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 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 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
Medicine Grand Rounds
June 12: 2026 Joseph C. Greenfield Visiting Professor Lecture will be Curiosity and the Return to Why with Dr. Tony Breu, Harvard Medical School Director of Resident Education, VA Boston Healthcare System. 8 a.m.
2026 Symposia
The dates for the following 2026 Duke Heart symposia have been set. We will announce others as they are added.
- 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.
