Highlights of the week:
Honoring the Life and Legacy of Joe Evans
For more than four decades, Joe Evans was part of the fabric of Duke — building a remarkable career while helping shape the cardiothoracic operating room and generations of colleagues who worked there.
Evans, a longtime CT OR nurse who died unexpectedly Aug. 15 at age 61, joined Duke on May 28, 1985. A Durham native and graduate of Hillside High School, he began his Duke career in Dining Services before moving to telemetry. He later became an operating room scrub technician, went to nursing school and became a registered nurse. During more than 41 years at Duke, he made significant contributions to Duke’s ventricular assist device (VAD), heart transplant and aortic surgery programs.
“Some people work at an institution. Others become part of the institution. Joe was one of those people,” said Chad Hughes, MD, section chief of Aortic Surgery and co-director of the Duke Center for Aortic Disease, who worked with Evans for nearly 30 years.
In the CT OR, Evans became known for his deep knowledge, meticulous preparation and high standards — and for expecting the same commitment from those around him.
As the CT OR’s VAD champion, Evans oversaw staff education and validation requirements and helped create VAD learning modules for staff, which he continued to review and update. He also helped ensure the team was prepared for accreditation visits. Evans contributed to the planning of Duke’s hybrid operating rooms, providing input regarding equipment, room configuration and the resources the clinical team would need.
“He was a very dedicated employee — dedicated to his patients, his surgeons and his fellow staff members,” said Rachel Knoll, nurse manager of operations for the cardiothoracic operating room. “He just really applied himself.”
Evans was also a preceptor, educator and trusted resource for colleagues. Younger staff members have described him to Knoll as their “work dad,” someone they sought out not only for clinical questions but also for advice regarding education, finances and life. He encouraged them to continue their education and keep challenging themselves.
Kevin Harrison, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology and a structural heart disease specialist, described Evans as “a pillar of the Duke operating rooms” who combined kindness with an unwavering commitment to excellence.
“I watched him be kind, but he did not yield on trying to make every individual live up to the high standard that he set for himself,” Harrison said.
One small ritual captured that philosophy.
At the beginning of a procedure, during the surgical timeout, Harrison remembers Evans identifying the patient as a patient of the physicians involved — and then adding four words: “and all of us.”
“That was Joe Evans,” Harrison said. “By adding those four words, he immediately engaged everybody in the operating room to achieve the best result for that patient.”
For Hughes, Evans’s preparation frequently began before the workday. Before a complicated case, Evans would text him around 6 a.m. to confirm what was needed and make certain the room was ready.
“He was already thinking ahead, making certain the room was prepared and looking after both the patient and the team,” Hughes recalled.
On the morning of Evans’s funeral, Hughes performed one of those complicated cases. This time, the familiar early-morning message did not arrive.
“I missed it,” Hughes said, “and I know I will miss it for a very long time.”
Evans brought that same devotion to his family. An avid traveler and devoted husband, father and grandfather, he regularly shared stories and photographs of his grandson with colleagues. He was also a devoted Carolina basketball fan — something his Duke colleagues knew particularly well the morning after a Tar Heel victory.
The reach of Evans’s relationships was evident at his Aug. 24 funeral at Peace Missionary Baptist Church, where family, friends and a large contingent of Duke colleagues gathered to remember him.
Back in the CT OR, his absence is already deeply felt. Knoll described Evans’s death as a loss of both a colleague and a friend. Staff members have talked about instinctively wanting to find him during the workday — the person they could approach with a question, ask for help or simply talk with.
His influence, however, remains embedded in the people he taught, the programs he supported and the operating rooms he helped shape. Members of the CT OR team are planning a memorial plaque in the control room of ORs 53 and 54, spaces Evans helped plan.
“Great institutions are built by people like Joe,” Hughes said. “People who remain for decades. People who pass their knowledge from one generation to the next.”
For more than 41 years, Joe Evans did exactly that.
Our deepest sympathy goes to Joe’s family, friends and colleagues across Duke.
Mysore Joins Duke Cardiology Faculty
Duke Heart is pleased to welcome Manu Mysore, MD, to the Duke Cardiology faculty. Mysore joins Duke as an assistant professor of medicine and will work at Duke University Hospital beginning tomorrow, Monday, Aug. 31.
For Mysore, the move marks a return to Duke. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Duke University in 2012 before receiving his medical degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. He completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Virginia Medical Center and his cardiovascular medicine fellowship at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Mysore returns to Duke from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he has served as an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine since 2022. He also served as co-director of cardio-oncology and held several roles in cardiovascular medicine education, including associate program director for the cardiovascular medicine fellowship.
His clinical and academic experience includes preventive cardiology, noninvasive cardiac imaging, and cardio-oncology, with research focused on cardiovascular risk among patients with cancer. His recent work includes studies examining cardiovascular risk and outcomes associated with cancer and cancer therapies. He also co-authored a JAMA Oncology patient education article, Caring for Your Heart During Cancer Treatment, which provides patients with an overview of cardio-oncology and ways cardiovascular health is monitored and managed during cancer treatment.
Mysore has maintained his connection to Duke over the years, serving as a Duke Alumni Admissions Committee volunteer since 2013.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Mysore back to Duke!
Duke Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Hosts Heart Team from Honduras
Our pediatric cardiac surgery team recently welcomed a group of 10 physicians from Hospital María in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, for a week-long observership focused on pediatric cardiac care.
During their visit, the physicians participated in multidisciplinary rounds, case-based discussions, and daily debriefs, culminating in a capstone session focused on identifying practices that could be adapted to strengthen pediatric cardiac care in Honduras.
The visiting team also had the opportunity to observe several highly complex cases and procedures, including a pediatric heart transplant using ex-vivo perfusion, two Norwood procedures, and the Sustained Total All-Region (STAR) perfusion procedure — developed at Duke — during complex aortic arch reconstructions.
The visit comes as Duke Heart teams continue to build connections in Honduras. Members of Duke’s adult cardiac surgery Heart for Honduras team are also preparing for a medical mission to Tegucigalpa this fall.
Many thanks to Rebekah Boyd, MD; Brian Clark, MD; Tracy Geoffrion, MD, MPH; Carmelo Milano, MD; Douglas Overbey, MD, MPH; and Joseph Turek, MD, PhD, MBA, for hosting and coordinating the visit, and to Maria Fryar and Sherry Gunter for managing the day-to-day logistics.
Way to go!
Minc, Heidt Receive Healthcare Disparities Award
Congratulations to Samantha Minc, MD, MPH, associate professor of surgery in the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, and Nicole “Nikki” Heidt, MD, assistant professor of surgery, who have received the inaugural Richard McCann Healthcare Disparities Award in support of the expansion of Duke’s CHAMPIONS vascular screening and outreach program.
Their proposal will support six community-based screening events over the next year, reaching an estimated 300 people in medically underserved urban and rural communities across the region.
Working with local churches, community organizations, and health fairs, the CHAMPIONS program will provide cardiovascular and peripheral arterial disease screening, culturally and linguistically appropriate health education, referral pathways for ongoing care, and longitudinal follow-up to assess health literacy and care-seeking behaviors.
Congratulations, Samantha and Nikki!
Patel Receives Pepper Center Career Development Award
Congratulations to Kunal Patel, MD, PhD, assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, who has received a two-year Research Education Component (REC) career development award from the Duke Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center.
Patel’s project will examine the role of biological aging in lung transplant outcomes.
Patel is one of three Duke Surgery faculty members to receive a REC award this year, along with Rishi Kamaleswaran, PhD, associate professor of surgery, and Hadiza Kazaure, MD, MMCi, associate professor of surgery. Together, Duke Surgery faculty received three of the four REC awards granted by the Pepper Center this year.
Congratulations, Kunal!
Southerland Honored for Excellence in Vascular Surgery Education
Congratulations to Kevin Southerland, MD, associate professor of surgery, on receiving the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery’s 2026 “Bloody Apple” Award.
The award, voted on by graduating vascular trainees, recognizes the year’s most outstanding educator in the division.
Congratulations, Kevin!
Kunz Named Duke Health APP Preceptor of the Year
Congratulations to Erin M. Kunz, PA-C, MHS, a physician assistant with Duke Thoracic Surgery, who has been named the Duke Health APP Preceptor of the Year! The award recognizes her outstanding work as a preceptor and her commitment to supporting and educating APP colleagues and learners.
The news was enthusiastically shared by S. Scott Balderson, PA-C, TSU APP team lead, who says the recognition could not be more deserved.
Congratulations, Erin!
Hitting with Heart Marks 10 Years!
The annual Hitting with Heart softball tournament celebrated its 10th anniversary last weekend on Aug. 22, bringing teams from across Duke together for a fun day of friendly competition and camaraderie. Duke Engineering & Operations captured the tournament championship for the third consecutive year, completing a three-peat!
The annual event also raises funds, a portion of which supports the Triangle Heart Walk.
Thanks to everyone who played, participated, and helped make the 10th anniversary of Hitting with Heart a great one — and congratulations to E&O on the three-peat!
Join Us at the 2026 Triangle Heart Walk
Duke Health is once again serving as a lead sponsor of the 2026 Triangle Heart Walk. On Saturday, October 3, please join us again as we walk alongside our colleagues, family members, friends, and many of our cardiovascular patients to celebrate our community.
The Heart Walk is the American Heart Association’s premier fundraising event, drawing communities together from across the U.S. to raise funds and celebrate progress in the fight against heart disease and stroke. This year’s Triangle Heart Walk will unite us in our commitment to living heart-healthy lifestyles and raising lifesaving funds, all while having a fun time together!
This year, the goal for Duke Health is 250 teams, with 10 people per team, and to raise $170,000. We need your help to accomplish this. Please consider signing up as a team captain to lead a Heart Walk team or simply join one as a walker.
The American Heart Association is one of the largest non-federal funding sources of cardiovascular research in the country. AHA-supported research informs the guidelines, treatments and prevention efforts our teams use every day, so the dollars we raise come back to our own patients, our colleagues and our community.
We hope you’ll join us on Saturday, October 3, at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek as we walk together in support of healthier hearts and healthier communities.
Let’s support Manesh Patel – current AHA volunteer president – by making this year the most successful showing for Duke Heart & Vascular yet!
Duke Football to Celebrate Healthcare Professionals Oct. 17
Duke Football will celebrate healthcare professionals during its Healthcare Appreciation Game against North Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 17 at Wallace Wade Stadium. The annual event recognizes the dedication and contributions of healthcare professionals throughout our community.
A special discounted ticket offer is available for healthcare professionals, along with their families, friends, and colleagues — and interest is already strong, with nearly 1,000 tickets sold through the promotional offer.
We’d love to see a strong Duke Heart & Vascular presence at Wallace Wade!
Upcoming CME Events & Opportunities
Cardiology Grand Rounds
Sept. 8: ESC Updates with Christopher Granger, MD. 5 p.m. DN2002 and via Zoom.
Sept. 15: Powering Genomics with Health IT with Jeffrey Balser, MD, PhD, President and CEO, Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 5 p.m. DN2002 and via Zoom.
Sept. 22: Cardiology, Immunology and Rheumatology with Antonio Abbate, MD, PhD, of UVA Health. 5 p.m., DN2002 and via Zoom.
Sept. 23: A Primate Genetic Model Organism for Cardiovascular Disease with Stephen Chang, MD, PhD of Stanford Medicine. 5 p.m. HAFS 7683. This special CGR session will be in person only.
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.
Upcoming 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 – Registration is now open. 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.
- January 9, 2027: Duke EP Symposium. Course director is Jon Piccini. Location: JB Duke Hotel.
Please save the dates!
Triangle Heart Walk
The American Heart Association’s 2026 Triangle Heart Walk will take place on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, 3801 Rock Quarry Road, Raleigh.
For more information or to register as a walker or a team captain, please visit: Triangle Heart Walk 2026.
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.
