Chief’s message:

The Spring in North Carolina is notable for clear changing of seasons – with blooming dogwoods, graduations, and new fellows and faculty. We work every year to try to capture some of the amazing accomplishments of some many great cardiology and heart center team members including faculty, advanced practice providers, fellows, residents, and heart center nurses and staff. We will be doing this in the upcoming weeks. Hopefully taking a few moments to celebrate our accomplishments will help energize our teams as we continue to move forward to help improve the heart health of the triangle and below, improve knowledge, and train the next generation.   As with all academic years, we also have shared some news of transitions from Duke and with Duke Cardiology Alumni.  This week is no exception, as we are excited for Jason Katz as he moves to NYU and Bellevue, but also sad to see him leave us.  Additionally, we share that our notable prior DCRI director and Duke Cardiology Alumni – Bob Harrington will become Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine and provost for medical affairs of Cornell University. We look forward to continuing to work with both of them and celebrating their successes in the future.

Highlights of the week:

Katz Departing for NYU Langone Health in November

As noted above, it is with bittersweet emotions, we announce that Jason Katz, MD, co-director of the Duke CICU and co-director of our Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) Program, will be departing Duke Health later this fall in order to take on several exciting new roles at NYU Langone Health System.

There, Katz will become professor of medicine and Associate Chief of Cardiology at Bellevue Hospital (the nation’s oldest public health institution), Director of Inpatient Cardiology at Bellevue, Associate Director of the Ventricular Assist Device Program, and Program Director for the NYU Langone Advanced Heart Failure & Transplant Cardiology Fellowship.

Katz has served as the Healthcare System Director of Cardiovascular Critical Care, Co-Director of the CICU, and Co-Director of the MCS Program. He has been influential in expanding and relocating the CICU, creating a CICU APP team, leading a multitude of educational efforts, expanding use of temporary MCS for cardiogenic shock, as well as a number of research endeavors. Katz’s efforts have helped improve the care of critically ill and mechanically-supported patients here at Duke and across the world.

“Above and beyond all of the important efforts noted above, he has been an ideal colleague and I feel fortunate to have him as a friend and mentor,” said Robert J. Mentz, section chief for Heart Failure at Duke. “He is a staunch patient advocate and has taught us all how to be better clinicians.”

In a statement shared with his section team, Mentz included a link to one of Katz’s recent Journal of Cardiac Failure articles – a perspective piece – and said he found it particularly impactful.

Jason represents the best of Duke in so many ways. He will be missed dearly across Duke Heart, and by all the teams with whom he has interacted and helped shape. We wish him all the best in this transition, and are happy to know that we will continue to collaborate across multiple fronts.

A gathering to celebrate Katz and his many successes here at Duke and beyond will be planned over the coming months. We wish him all the best as he joins the team at NYU Langone. Please join us in congratulating Jason on his new roles and in thanking him for all the work he has done on behalf of our patients, trainees, and our entire staff.

Congrats, Jason!

 

Alumni News: Harrington Heading to Weill Cornell Medicine

Congratulations to Duke Heart alum Robert A. Harrington, MD, cardiologist and the Arthur L. Bloomfield Professor of Medicine and chair of the Department of Medicine at Stanford University. Harrington this week was named the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine and provost for medical affairs of Cornell University. Harrington is the former Richard Sean Stack, M.D. Distinguished Professor at Duke and had served as Director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

The announcement was made on Thursday, June 1 by Cornell University president Martha E. Pollack. Harrington will begin his new position on Sept. 12.

Harrington, a member of the National Academy of Medicine, is a past president of the American Heart Association (AHA) and has most recently chaired Stanford’s Department of Medicine, a position he began in 2012.

“In addition to being an outstanding physician-scientist, Dr. Harrington is an energetic and proven leader, with a reputation for bringing people together to achieve shared objectives,” Pollack said. “I am looking forward to working closely with him as we continue to advance Weill Cornell Medicine’s mission as a world-class institution of patient care, scientific discovery and education of future health care leaders.”

Harrington, who grew up and attended college on the East Coast, is excited to be returning to his roots, although he terms the move as “bittersweet” after 11 years in Palo Alto, California.

“The opportunity to come to Weill Cornell Medicine was really extraordinary for us, professionally and as a family,” Harrington said. “I’m excited to help shape an already-excellent academic medical institution into its next version.”

Bob Harrington has mentored and had a tremendous impact on so many in medicine, and this new opportunity will undoubtedly allow a him to expand this impact and reach.

Congratulations, Bob! We’re excited to have you back East!

 

Women in Cardiology Update

The Duke Heart Women in Cardiology (WIC) group held their end-of-year event on Thursday evening, June 1 at the Washington Duke Inn.

There was a great turn-out for the event with fellows and faculty from all three hospitals across Duke University Health System in attendance – there was even a surprise appearance by Tracy Wang!

“It was wonderful to catch up and enjoy a fabulous spring night on the patio,” said Melissa Daubert, MD. “It was particularly great to see everyone in person with no masks!”

The group plans to continue offering WIC events at least twice per year. If you are not receiving updates about the WIC group or their upcoming events, please reach out to Dr. Daubert to be added to their distribution list.

Quite an amazing group of cardiologists.  Great photo, WIC team!

 

Kudos to 3100 Team!

Kudos and special thanks to the DUH 3100 nursing staff, VAD medical team, and to Colby and Courtney from PT/OT for arranging for a long-term VAD patient to go outside and visit with his pup, ‘Colby Joe.’ Pictured are our patient, Dale*, along with Colby Joe, and Courtney and Colby with Colby Joe.

You can tell by Dale’s smile just how much he appreciated this special visit!

Great job, everyone! What a wonderful way to spread some joy by helping a patient get a bit of fresh air and some time with their beloved pet. *Name and photos used with permission.

Shout-out to Duke EP Team!

We received an outstanding note from an EP patient this week and wanted to share it with you. The patient had seen Drs. Jonathan Piccini and James Daubert, and received care from a number of EP team members while undergoing care at Duke University Hospital.

“I saw [the patient] yesterday in clinic, said Piccini. “He is doing great and he wanted me to share how much he appreciated each and every one of you and the care you delivered. Thanks for all you do for our patients!” — Best, Jon

The text of the letter is as follows, name withheld for privacy:

I am writing this letter to inform you of my superb care at Duke University Hospital 19-20 Jan 2023. I underwent a cardiac ablation led by Dr Jonathan Piccini, Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology. Dr Piccini was referred to me by my brother who Dr Piccini had helped several years ago with a heart arrhythmia problem.

I feel very fortunate to have had Dr Piccini and Dr James Daubert as my providers. Additionally, I would like to specifically thank some of the great members of their team to include Pre-Op: Joy Lombardi and Emily Tedesco; Afib Ablation: Stewart Capps; Post-Op: Jane Schultz, Emily Tedesco, Lauren Guy, Meredith Wilkinson, Isabella Grezzi, Grace Eckler, Mackensie Bashnig, Deanna Bagalawis, and Janice Febre. Please excuse any misspellings as I was trying to capture names while recovering.

I have been lucky to be a member of a number of high functioning teams during my professional life, and you certainly have one with Dr Piccini and his Electrophysiology superstars. I want to thank you and your medical team for an exceptional care experience. – grateful patient

Nicely done, team!

 

Great Catch, Aiken & Branson!

Janet Aiken, CNII and Michelle Branson, Clinical Exercise Physiologist from our Cardiopulmonary Rehab team, were concerned about a patient’s report of feeling unwell during warm-up for cardiac rehabilitation.  The patient requested to go home, but they advocated for further work-up, which showed the patient to be going in and out of ventricular tachycardia. The patient was transported to the Duke Emergency Department via EMS, admitted as an inpatient, and discharged home several days later.

Way to go – truly a great catch!

This Week: DCRI Research Forum with John Scheyer

The Duke Clinical Research Institute team is excited to have rescheduled their Research Forum with special guest John Scheyer, head coach of the Duke Men’s Basketball program. Please join us on June 6, at 9 a.m. for the Forum, which will feature a fireside chat with Scheyer. This will be a virtual event; Scheyer will discuss his journey and the philosophy that keeps him focused on success — both his personal success and the success of his team. We’ll also address how his philosophy and resilience translates to healthcare and our approach to enhancing human health.

What: DCRI Research Forum: A Conversation with Duke Men’s Basketball Head Coach Jon Scheyer

When: Tuesday, June 6 from 9-10 a.m. ET

Zoom Link:  DCRI Research Forum

 

Quick Reminders & Updates

• PG2 tunnel closure begins tomorrow, June 5. New flooring is being installed in the Duke University Hospital Parking Garage 2 lobby (tunnel level) throughout the walkway to Duke North. The work will take place between the hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. on Monday, June 5 and Monday, June 12. Signage will be posted for awareness about the construction area.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiac Safety Research Consortium Think Tank Meeting, June 7

The Cardiac Safety Research Consortium will hold a Think Tank meeting on June 7. The event,  CSRC Think Tank: Update on Regulatory Status of Hypertension, Biomarkers and Arrhythmia Monitoring in Clinical Trials will be held at the FDA.

In Session 1, these leading industry professionals will speak on panels discussing:

• Regulations for ECG/QT
• The double-negative conundrum
• Alternative methods for assay sensitivity assessment in routine Phase 1 QT Studies
• Covid-19 and prolonged QT

In Session 2, we will discuss:

• Small increases in blood pressure and CV risk I
• Intermittent versus chronic use hypertension drugs

In Session 3, the meeting faculty will dive into:

• Biomarkers

In Session 4, the panelists will discuss hot topics in the field such as:

• Biologics/cardiomyopathy and vaccine development
• MACE
• Gene therapies
• Wearables

The event will include professionals from FDA Regulatory, Cardiac Safety Consultants, Ltd., Eli Lilly, Richmond Pharmacology, University of Connecticut, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Cleveland Clinic, Clario, Mass General, DSI, Penn Medicine, and UCSF.

There is a registration fee for attendance, for academics it is $275. Registration and more information is available here: https://cardiac-safety.org/

The meeting will be held in person; a recording of the meeting and slide presentations will become available a month after the event occurs.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart 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 Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon, Wednesdays, to be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

News coverage will return next weekend!

Chief’s message:

Memorial Day message.

On this Memorial day weekend, we take time to ensure we stop and remember those who have served our country and sacrificed for the freedoms and life we enjoy.  For those with the courage and calling to serve, we are thankful and blessed to have them as part of our community and country.  For those who have had the ultimate sacrifice and lost a life in the service of our country, we remain forever grateful to them and their families.

As this weekend is also a time for many graduations and transitions, we hope that you get to spend some time with family and friends.  We are also thankful for those of you in our Duke Heart community that are not in-hospital caring for patients and their loved ones.

We hope each of you has a safe and relaxing holiday weekend. Thank you for all you do.

Highlights of the Week

SCAI.23 Highlights

The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) held its annual Scientific Sessions meeting from May 18-20 in Phoenix, AZ. A number of current and former Duke faculty helped shape the meeting.

Outgoing SCAI president, Sunil Rao, MD (now with NYU Langone) gave the presidential address to a packed room. Rao received a standing ovation for highlighting a number of SCAI accomplishments during his term including securing a formal NRMP Match process for interventional cardiology fellowship applicants; initiating a new “Ready to Launch” program to introduce future under-represented minority and female medical students to the field of interventional cardiology; establishing the SCAI Early Career Research Grant program, and supporting numerous advocacy and government relation efforts. Congrats, Sunil on all your contributions to the interventional community!

Raj Swaminathan, MD, current SCAI Board of Trustee member, presented primary results from his investigator-initiated national, multicenter ACCELERATION study evaluating the role of contrast FFR in physiologic assessment of intermediate coronary disease. He also participated in a number of events including presenting and serving as a panelist on a widely attended session on renal denervation.

Tony Gutierrez, MD co-presented data with Marc Bonaca on a novel drug being evaluated in ischemia-reperfusion injury following PCI. Gutierrez also spoke about optimal access site considerations for aorto-iliac disease and served as a mentor for the inaugural Ready to Launch program.

Jennifer Rymer, MD was recognized with one of SCAI’s top 30 in their 30s award! This prestigious award is given to physicians who demonstrate professional excellence in their clinical practice. Rymer also gave a presentation on stent strategies for coronary bifurcations and mentored in the Ready to Launch program.

Raj Swamy, MD, an experienced interventionalist in the Duke Cath Lab who leads the Duke Lifepoint/CCH cardiology practice in Sanford, NC gave two invited talks on Imaging & AI and new scoring & non-compliant balloons for the treatment of complex, calcified lesions.

Amit Vora, MD, MPH (now with Yale) attended as a member of SCAI’s competitive 2-year Emerging Leader Mentorship (ELM) program.  Recognized nationally as a leader in structural heart interventions, he served as a panelist on creative, advanced techniques in structural heart interventions and as a moderator in structural heart hemodynamic pearls.

Alexander Fanaroff, MD, MHS (now with U. Penn) was a recipient of one of SCAI’s Early Career Research Grants and presented his research on “Racial, Socioeconomic, and Geographic Disparities in the Management of PAD and CLI” as well as a featured science presentation on the “Development & Baseline Characteristics of a 1.13M-patient longitudinal cohort to assess CLTI quality of care.”

 

Strong work to all! We look forward to seeing a strong Duke presence at SCAI.24 in Long Beach, CA!

Friends of Nursing Gala & Duke Heart Winners

Duke’s Friends of Nursing held their 2023 Gala Celebration of Nursing Excellence on Saturday, May 20 at the Durham Convention Center. We’re pleased to celebrate all of the nurses who were nominated and those selected for awards this year, especially the eight winners from Duke Heart, which include:

Catie Dunn, RN received the 2023 Inez “Turk” James Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice. Catie is an RN and an assistant nurse manager for the DUH Patient Response Team. In her role she is responsible for the Behavioral Response Team and the Patient Response Team. This nominee is a powerful advocate for patients who are experiencing behavioral challenges. She strives to partner with the primary care team to identify the root cause of the behavior, rather than simply reacting to the behavior. Often, patients with behavioral challenges can be difficult to work with due to frequent refusal of care, sporadic communication, and caregiver discomfort. However, this nominee always remains unbiased and has an incredible ability to communicate calmly, concisely, and directly. Those who work with this nominee are proud to be her colleague due to her always ensuring that the patient is the focus and that each individual is treated with respect and dignity.

Ashley Frazier, RN, NMO received the 2023 Heart Center Award for Excellence in Cardiovascular Nursing in Recognition of Mary Ann Peter. She works on DUH 7100; Ashley is an exemplary model of a true, dedicated leader who is highly motivated to make a difference in the field of nursing. She promotes accountability, empowerment and team work as she analyze, investigates and obtain feedback to ensure service excellence will be provided.

Hope S. Miles, RN received the 2023 Nan & Hugh Cullman Heart Center Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice. Hope is an RN in the Duke Cardiopulmonary Lab at Duke University Hospital. She has more than 35 years of nursing experience, with 22 of those years serving the Duke community. She obtained her certification as a Certified Cardiac Rehabilitation Professional (CCRP) from the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehab Profession Certification Commission (AACVPR) in 2017. Her nominator wrote, “Her kind and caring heart is evident to all in the way she approaches each and every interaction. She is always smiling and has a warm and approachable demeanor. She takes the time to listen to her patients and colleagues, making others feel instantly comfortable in her presence. She seeks to truly understand her patient’s reality and the trauma that they have been through using compassion and empathy to make a connection. Through active listening, she engages the patient to examine and set personal goals at the start of the program that are measurable and achievable. She endorses a ‘you can do it’ attitude which motivates the patient to make lifestyle changes and face the future with hope.

Adam Millard, RN received the 2023 Award for Excellence in Critical Care Nursing. Adam is an RN and assistant nurse manager and CNIII on 7W, our Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU). He also has his CCRN certification. His nominator wrote, “This nominee strongly exemplifies Duke’s professional practice model through his commitment to patient care, performance improvement, and staff development, and multidisciplinary collaboration.” He oversees the quality improvement committee within the unit supporting prevention of hospital acquired infection (HAI), hospital acquired pressure injury (HAPI), patient falls, blood product wastage, and monitoring the unit based fast-track extubation practices. He has led efforts to establish an electronic rounding tool that captures multiple audits, which enables staff to audit efficiently and provide effective coaching where needed. Additionally, he supports unit team members overseeing equipment and medical supplies. Through this work, the unit has decreased null transactions resulting in decreased waste of supplies and improved finances. Moreover, he provides real time coaching at the bedside on a daily basis through his CL role.

Paige Romer, RN received the 2023 Ernestine Davis & Edward L. Cole Award for Excellence in Coronary Care Unit Nursing. Paige is currently applying for her CN3, is certified as a critical care nurse (CCRN) and is co-chair of the unit based healthy work environment committee. Her nominator wrote, “She supports the team in any way possible and always with a positive attitude. She really makes the unit a great place to work and her positivity and “can do” attitude is infectious. She’s currently in school and pursuing an advanced degree in nursing as family care practitioner. This nurse always strives to do the right thing and will hold others to the Duke and unit standards. I have often heard her giving constructive feedback to other nurses to ensure that we are providing the best care to our patients. She coaches in a way that is respectful and considerate, all while being understood clearly. I’ve over heard her helping family members understand the visitation policy and explains it in such a helpful way. She consistently makes sure that our patients’ needs are met, as well as the families’. This nurse makes herself approachable and often you’ll hear other nurses or physician ask her “what do you think?”

Amanda Rooney, RN received the 2023 Nan & Hugh Cullman Heart Center Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice. Her nominator wrote, “Amanda has been the gold standard of integrity. I have observed how she documents accordingly, how she speaks up and stands up for what is right, for implementing policy and protocols. She is consistent with what she says and what she does. Her great organizational skills, result-oriented mindset, proactiveness, promptness to act, and the most beautiful one is her positive attitude which is enormously contagious to the staff. She is the best cheer leader when the day is about to drown. You will know when she is around, aside from her charismatic patient greetings, the unit is in its tidiest and well-supplied state. Not to mention, her candy jar is always full and welcoming.”

Robert Stern, RN received the 2023 Fuchs Family Award for Excellence in Innovation. His nominator wrote, “This nominee is committed to the values of Duke nursing in his day-to-day practice. He is an innovator, who constantly strives to identify new challenges and implement solutions. This nominee is an active member on his home unit as well as an innovator in a multitude of initiatives throughout the hospital. He has a passion for health innovation and patient care. This nurse is certified with CCRN (Critical Care Certification). By achieving and maintain this certification, this nominee demonstrates his dedication to continuous learning and maintaining up-to-date Knowledge. Further this nominee is active in the professional organization American Association of Critical-Care Nurses through his sharing of learning at the organization’s national conference (National Teaching Institute).”

Shelley Thompson, RN received the 2023 Wilma Minniear Award for Excellence in Nursing Mentorship. Her nominator wrote, “She goes above and beyond patient care in ensuring that patients have everything they need prior to being discharged from the hospital. For example, on one occasion, a patient had difficulty with filling pill boxes at home which resulted in multiple hospital admissions. She called multiple pharmacies and found one that could provide blister packs instead, thereby reducing the stress and burden on the patient to ensure they could take all of their correct medications. This nurse is most giving of her time, both physically and emotionally. She contributes her time to volunteering through her home church and is recognized for the work she does in the volunteering space.

This nurse is a proud Duke Nurse who wears her Duke Nursing badge with pride. I recall many times when this nurse took extra time to sit with a patient and their family to share prognosis or explain the clinical situation. One patient, who will remain anonymous, was admitted to the hospital for end of life care. I had the pleasure to admit the patient where he promptly asked me, “How is my cousin ‘this nurse’ doing; can she come see me?” This nurse shared a similar name with this patient and the relationship they built of trust has stood out with me for many years. The patient’s family even voiced appreciation for this nurse as part of the patient’s memorial.”

Did you know? Duke Health is one of only a few (~6) organizations in the U.S. with an endowed program to support nursing? This is just one of the many reasons that Duke is a great place for nurses!

Congratulation to all winners across Duke Health – we are so proud of you and the work you do each day on behalf of our patients and team.

 

AACN NTI Conference Held

Last week, Duke Heart had a large representation at the American Association of Critical Care Nurses’ National Teaching Institute Conference held from May 22-24 in Philadelphia, PA. The AACN NTI is the largest conference in the United States held specifically for progressive and critical care nurses. We had 17 nurses representing several Duke Heart ICUs, stepdown units, and procedural areas. Our team delivered five podium and five poster presentations, with 13 different presenters.

The team disseminated their work on varying topics, including:

• Behavioral Response Team
• Appropriate Staffing
• Healthy Work Environment
• Onboarding and Orientation
• Leading with Science
• Electronic Debriefing Process
• CLABSI Reduction
• Delirium Prevention
• Patient Satisfaction in the ICU
• Ambulation of CRRT Patients

Several nurses from other healthcare organizations complimented the work ongoing at Duke Heart and even expressed interest in joining our teams! We received kudos on our outcomes related to clinical care, work environments, and interdisciplinary partnerships. Thank you to those who represented us at the conference, and to those who contributed to the work that was presented. Incredible job, all — way to go!

 

The Latest from Moi Teaching Hospital

Titus Ngeno traveled with Jerry Bloomfield, Chris Beyrer (the new director of Duke’s Global Health Institute), Wendy Omeara, John Lawrence, Cory Miller, Cynthia Binanay, and Gretchen Sanders to Moi Teaching Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya back in January. They held several training sessions on transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and invasive hemodynamic monitoring. A catheterization lab and cardiac MRI are currently under construction there, and we’re looking forward to hearing more all about it from Andrew Wang, who will be visiting the space this summer! The Moi team now has a cardiac rehab space and they are working to set up CPET as well.

2023 Heart Walk Exec Kick-Off Held

The American Heart Association along with Drs. Rick Shannon and Manesh Patel hosted the Duke Health Executive Kick-off for the 2023 Triangle Heart Walk on Thursday, May 25. The breakfast event allowed the team to discuss the overall goals of the AHA, the need for team coaches and walkers for the fall event, as well as the many ways AHA funding comes back to Duke over time.

Stay tuned for information regarding the team captain and walker kick-off later this summer! Thanks to everyone who has been involved over the years with the American Heart Association and the Triangle Heart Walk.

Annual DOM End of Year Review: June 2

Department of Medicine (DOM) faculty and staff are invited to join Kathleen A. Cooney, MD, Chair, Department of Medicine and the George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Medicine, on Friday, June 2 at 8 a.m. for the annual DOM End of Year Review either in-person (Trent Semans Great Hall) or via Zoom. This event will take place during the regular time slot for Medicine Grand Rounds. Coffee/light breakfast will be provided at the Great Hall for those who choose to attend in person.

We look forward to celebrating and recognizing the numerous accomplishments across the department. If you plan to attend in person, please visit https://duke.is/p5p7y to RSVP by Thursday, May 25.

Thanks to all faculty who submitted accomplishments for the division of cardiology. Although it’s too late to be added to the DOM End of Year Review, we are still collecting items specifically for Duke Heart. If you haven’t yet submitted and would like to, send your list to Tracey Koepke.

 

DHIP Open Enrollment Deadline, May 28

As part of the transition to Duke Health Integrated Practice (DHIP), a special Open Enrollment for Duke Benefits** is currently underway through May 28.

Click here for resources and details – dhip.org/enroll

**Special enrollment does not apply to Duke-leased employees who already have access to Duke benefits. No changes or elections can be made during this time.

 

Quick Reminders & Updates

June 1-7 is National CPR & AED Awareness Week

The American Heart Association (AHA) is inviting all interested team members from Duke Heart and Duke Health to attend a virtual hands-only CPR awareness event on June 1^st from 11 a.m. to Noon. Attendees will hear from a survivor, members of the local chapter of the American Heart Association, and learn about the importance of hands-only CPR and how to perform it.

Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death throughout the world. Each year, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States. Almost three out of four of those happen at home.

By attending this session, participants will increase their knowledge and awareness about Hands-Only CPR and learn how to act in the event of an emergency. By the end of the activity, employees will be aware of how and when to use Hands-Only CPR, what to do when calling 9-1-1, and specific ways to take action and get involved with our local AHA affiliate.

Event will be held via Microsoft Teams. June 1, 11 a.m. to Noon. https://duke.is/mr792. If you would like to receive a calendar invitation, please email Tracey Koepke.

 

New: Back-up Care Service for Duke Health Employees

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, at Duke Health we ensure that you are supported in both work and in life with a comprehensive benefits package that lets you plan your future. We are excited to add another incredible service to our Total Rewards Program that will give you and your family support during difficult times.

We have entered into a new partnership with Bright Horizons Family Solutions that will provide affordable back-up dependent care for you and your families. A high-level overview of this new service is provided below, and we encourage you to view this video that provides a more comprehensive description of the service.

Services provided:

• 10 annual days of back-up care at discounted rates using Bright Horizons’ network of caregivers who provide temporary care when you have a disruption in your regular care.
• Bright Horizons’ center-based care is $15 per child per day or $25 per family.
• Bright Horizons’ in-home care for both children and adults is priced at $6 per hour.

Please sign up for this service at the following link: https://hr.duke.edu/benefits/family/backup-care.

Once you complete the profile online, you will be able to make reservations as far out as 60 days in advance or as quickly as the same day care is needed.

Please note that all PDC employees joining the Duke Health Integrated Practice will be eligible for this service starting on July 1, 2023.

We are excited to offer this new service to you and your families so that you feel supported by our organization both as leaders in healthcare and leaders of your household.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

 

DCRI Research Forum with John Scheyer

The Duke Clinical Research Institute team is excited to have rescheduled their Research Forum with special guest John Scheyer, head coach of the Duke Men’s Basketball program. Please join us on June 6, at 9 a.m. for the Forum, which will feature a fireside chat with Scheyer. This will be a virtual event; Scheyer will discuss his journey and the philosophy that keeps him focused on success — both his personal success and the success of his team. We’ll also address how his philosophy and resilience translates to healthcare and our approach to enhancing human health.

What: DCRI Research Forum: A Conversation with Duke Men’s Basketball Head Coach Jon Scheyer

When: Tuesday, June 6 from 9-10 a.m. ET

Zoom Link:  DCRI Research Forum

Cardiac Safety Research Consortium Think Tank Meeting, June 7

The Cardiac Safety Research Consortium will hold a Think Tank meeting on June 7. The event,  CSRC Think Tank: Update on Regulatory Status of Hypertension, Biomarkers and Arrhythmia Monitoring in Clinical Trials will be held at the FDA.

In Session 1, these leading industry professionals will speak on panels discussing:

• Regulations for ECG/QT
• The double-negative conundrum
• Alternative methods for assay sensitivity assessment in routine Phase 1 QT Studies
• Covid-19 and prolonged QT

In Session 2, we will discuss:

• Small increases in blood pressure and CV risk I
• Intermittent versus chronic use hypertension drugs

In Session 3, the meeting faculty will dive into:

• Biomarkers

In Session 4, the panelists will discuss hot topics in the field such as:

• Biologics/cardiomyopathy and vaccine development
• MACE
• Gene therapies
• Wearables

The event will include professionals from FDA Regulatory, Cardiac Safety Consultants, Ltd., Eli Lilly, Richmond Pharmacology, University of Connecticut, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Cleveland Clinic, Clario, Mass General, DSI, Penn Medicine, and UCSF.

There is a registration fee for attendance, for academics it is $275. Registration and more information is available here: https://cardiac-safety.org/

The meeting will be held in person; a recording of the meeting and slide presentations will become available a month after the event occurs.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart 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 Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon, Wednesdays, to be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

May issue — William Kraus

Scientific American

You Don’t Really Need 10,000 Daily Steps to Stay Healthy

https://duke.is/yhwhy

May 19 — Robert Mentz and Stephen Greene

HCPLive

Don’t Miss a Beat: ESC Heart Failure Association Preview

https://duke.is/84kr8

May 22 — Robert Mentz

Korea Biomed

Will Entresto’s reimbursement be expanded to heart failure with ejection fraction above 40%?

https://duke.is/2d6ac

(scroll down)

May 22 — Robert Mentz

tctMD

More ARNI Insights Fortify Role in ‘Below Normal’ LVEF: PARAGLIDE-HF

https://duke.is/geseg

May 22 — Adrian Hernandez

The Washington Post

An exercise trial for long covid is being criticized by some patients

https://duke.is/6ydwj

May 22 — Robert Mentz

HCPLive

PARAGLIDE-HF Offers Further Insight into Sacubitril/Valsartan in Heart Failure with Elevated EF

https://duke.is/p9v9p

May 23 — Robert Mentz

DAIC

Sacubitril/Valsartan Shows Benefit in Heart Failure with Ejection Fraction Above 40%

https://duke.is/4fwqr

May 24 — W. Schuyler Jones

mmm-online.com

In the ‘Wild West’ of outpatient vascular care, doctors can reap huge payments as patients risk life and limb

https://duke.is/5n6m9

May 24 — Jacob Schroder

Medical Stories

Heart Transplant: Strong Hearted

https://duke.is/nv9b6

May 25 — Jonathan Piccini

Medscape

Leadless Dual-Chamber Pacemaker Clears Early Safety, Performance Hurdles

https://duke.is/bp6pb

May 25 — Robert Mentz

Medscape

ARNI Bests ARB to Reduce NT-proBNP in Stabilized Preserved-EF HF

https://duke.is/cxvu4

May 26 — Stephen Greene

HCPLive

The Prospect of SGLT1/2i in Heart Failure: Cardiologists Await FDA Decision on Sotagliflozin

https://duke.is/j5k72

Chief’s message:

The spring is a time of graduations, meetings and some change.  It is bittersweet that we announce that Jack Haney will be leaving Duke to be the Chair of CT Surgery at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville (full note below).  He will be missed.  We also have had several meetings this week with full stories to come in upcoming weeks but some brief highlights and photos here from the:

SCAI Meeting – national interventional meeting, outgoing President of SCAI Sunil Rao, with several Duke Presenters and Jennifer Rymer named one of the 30 in their 30s by SCAI.

HRS – with many EP presentations including this presentation by Adam DeVore a CHF MD seen at the meeting.

European Heart Failure meetings in Prague with week with several Duke Late Breaking trials – Rob Mentz pictured with the Paraglide presentation.

Finally, spring awards and recognitions including our two endowed professorships this year.

Highlights of the week:

Haney Appointed Chair, CT Surgery at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville

John C. Haney, MD, MPH, assistant professor of surgery has accepted a position at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida as the next Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery. Dr. Haney’s final day with the Duke Heart team will be September 30, 2023.

Dr. Haney is a born and bred Blue Devil. He was born at Duke University Hospital, completed his medical education at the Duke University School of Medicine, and completed both his general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery residencies in the Duke Department of Surgery.

Dr. Haney joined the Duke faculty as an assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery in 2014. He has served as program director for the Traditional Cardiothoracic Surgery and Integrated Thoracic Surgery Residency Programs since 2020, and as director of the Thoracic Surgery Transplant Fellowship Program since 2019.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision for me but I am convinced it is the right one, and I am looking forward to testing myself as a department chair and leader,” says Dr. Haney.

“It is an understatement to say that Duke has been a huge part of my life. It saved my life as a preemie, it is where I met my soul mate and life partner, it provided all of my medical and surgical training, and it has given me tremendous opportunities to develop as a professional. For all of these things I will remain incredibly grateful.”

As Surgical Director for the Duke Lung Transplant Program, which boasts one of the highest lung transplant volumes in the United States, Dr. Haney has been instrumental in the program’s success and growth. His dedication to and passion for mentoring new surgeons, evidenced by multiple teaching awards, has helped elevate Duke’s cardiothoracic training programs on the national stage.

“Jack has been at Duke his entire life (literally, he was born at Duke),” says Allan D. Kirk, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Surgery. “He’s contributed richly as an undergraduate, medical student, resident, fellow, and attending surgeon. He’s become an exceptional surgeon and superb educator and has navigated Duke’s lung transplant program into the highest transplant echelons. We’ll certainly miss him, but in the most fitting tribute, the team he has built is exceptional and will certainly continue providing the world-class care we have come to expect from Duke Surgery.”

From the Cardiology and Medicine perspective – we will miss Jack greatly.  He has been an ardent patient advocate, educator of residents, and a colleague who we have had the pleasure of being able to call on at all times of day and night to help.  He is a true colleague and leader we hope to continue to collaborate with.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Haney and wishing him well in this exciting new phase of his career. He will be missed by all of us on the Duke Heart team!

 

Mathew Receives Career Mentoring Award

Joseph P. Mathew, MD, MHSc, MBA, the Jerry Reves, M.D. Distinguished Professor of Cardiac Anesthesiology, was recognized this week during the 2023 School of Medicine Spring Faculty Celebration held on Wednesday, May 17 at the Doris Duke Center, Duke Gardens. Mathew received a Duke School of Medicine Career Mentoring Award in Clinical Science.

The SOM’s Research Mentoring Awards, which include the Career Mentoring Award, recognize faculty members in the SOM for excellence in research mentoring. Excellence can be demonstrated in many ways, such as by the accomplishments of individual mentees, by programs implemented by the mentor, or by exceptional creativity in mentoring.

Congratulations, Joe – this is a well-deserved recognition!

To see the full list of 2023 Spring Faculty Award winners, please visit: https://duke.is/9jwws.

 

Harrington Receives Excellence in Fellowship Award

We are thrilled to share that advanced training in cardiology fellow Josephine Harrington has received the Robert A. Harrington Excellence in Fellowship Award at the Duke Clinical Research Institute’s 2023 graduation ceremony.

The Excellence in Fellowship Award is designed to recognize a graduating DCRI research fellow who has contributed the most to the DCRI fellowship during his/her tenure and who has demonstrated excellence in academic accomplishments, in participation in clinical research operations, and in peer-to-peer mentoring. Fellows considered for this award are expected to have demonstrated the following key attributes during their DCRI tenure: a passionate pursuit of innovative clinical research, humility, inclusiveness, loyalty to colleagues, consensus-building, and selflessness.

Congratulations, Joey!

 

Annual Faculty Basketball Game Held

The annual Duke Faculty vs. Duke Internal Medicine Residents basketball game was held Friday, May 19. There was excellent representation by Duke Heart faculty including Terry Fortin, Don Hegland, and Nishant Shah playing for the faculty. Zach Wegerman served as a referee while Lonnie Sullivan was the team coach for the residents as well as the organizer of the event.

This is definitely a great tradition! We’re so pleased with the Duke Heart turnout – way to go!

 

Shout-out to Keenan!

A tremendous shout-out to cardiothoracic surgeon Jeffrey Keenan! He implanted a VAD in a patient with very few options and discharged him on Friday so that he would be able to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding, held yesterday. What a blessing for his family!

Jeff Keenen is truly a gifted surgeon, but an even more incredible human being who cares so much about our patients.

Nicely done, Jeff and team!

 

 

 

 

Kudos to Agarwal & Gomez!

Jamie Hilton shared with us this week a sweet message she received through our Press Ganey survey comments about Richa

Agarwal and Leilani Gomez.

Hi Dr. Agarwal and Leilani,  I wanted to share another WONDERFUL Press Ganey comment from surveys last week. Obviously spelled Leilani’s name wrong – but it was clear who they meant!” – Jamie Hilton, Clinic 2F/2G Nurse Manager, Operations

The patient wrote:

“Dr Argawal, her nurse Lalania their entire staff of 2F/2G are amazing. They’re very welcoming and  very smart. Dr. Agarwal takes the time to review every chart and is invested in her patients care. She understands the complexities of patients with many other co-morbidities. She’s caring and excited to see her patients do well, they are very good about getting back to people within the allotted time frame. Very impressed. I’m very blessed. Thank you all!” – a grateful patient, name withheld for privacy

Amazing job Richa and Leilani, thank you!!

 

Great Catch, Matteson!

Congratulations and a big thank you to Kacie Matteson, a Duke Heart nurse on 7 West. Kacie noticed that the flow rate that was displaying on an Alaris IV pump was different than on the patient’s MAR. She checked the pump and identified that it had been programmed correctly, but also recognized that the pump was from another Duke facility and so had a different Guardrails library. She isolated the pump, which ensured that it would not remain in circulation and possibly lead to a medication error.

Kudos for her attention to detail and raising up a concern to allow other teams to learn more — way to go, Kacie!

 

ICYMI: DOM Spotlights Granger, Shah

Following the receipt of their distinguished professorships, Christopher Granger and Svati Shah have each been spotlighted by the Duke Department of Medicine in their This Week in Medicine newsletter:

Christopher Granger, MD, Donald F. Fortin, MD, Distinguished Professor of Medicine (May 16)

Tell us about your clinical, academic, or research interest and why you are passionate about this topic or area of focus.

Chris Granger:

I am passionate about improving survival for patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.  We are working with communities across North Carolina in the RACE CARS trial that is testing how patients can be more likely to get bystander CPR and early cardiac defibrillation.  We have shown that when patients get bystander CPR and have an Automatic External Defibrillator placed before EMS arrives, they are much more likely to survive.

Who has influenced you the most in life and why?

The person who has influenced my professional career the most is Rob Califf. This makes it especially appropriate that I follow him as the Donald F. Fortin MD Endowed Distinguished Professor!  Rob is an inspiring, passionate advocate for generation of high-level evidence to improve patient care, and he has certainly inspired and trained me to be part of that mission!

What do you feel is your most significant professional contribution(s) to the field of medicine?

My most significant contributions have been in helping to lead large clinical trials of treatments for heart disease, such as the ARISTOTLE trial of apixaban versus warfarin for atrial fibrillation, called one of the most important practice-changing trials in the last 20 years by the prior editor of New England Journal of Medicine.

 

Professor Svati H. Shah, MD, MHS, Cardiology, Ursula Geller Distinguished Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases (May 8)

Tell us about your clinical, academic, or research interest and why you are passionate about this topic or area of focus.

Svati Shah:

I am a physician-scientist and a cardiologist. I have a translational research laboratory within the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute where I study the genetic and molecular determinants of cardiometabolic diseases. I am lucky to get to work with a multi-disciplinary team in my lab including biostatisticians, bioinformaticians and genetics experts. Using large human cohorts and clinical trials biorepositories, we have identified key metabolic pathways and related biomarkers that underlie cardiometabolic disease risk and we study monogenic cardiovascular disorders. I am also fortunate to be the Director of the Duke-Kannapolis clinical research site which conducts clinically oriented, community-engaged translational research.

I feel incredibly lucky to be able to do research but to also take care of patients. I founded and direct the Duke Adult Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic where we care for patients with monogenic cardiovascular disorders. I am passionate about the use of genetics to identify undiagnosed disease and improve patient care; while we think of these as rare diseases, in aggregate in fact they are not that rare and frequently go undiagnosed and untreated. My passion for this field started as a cardiology fellow at Duke University when I was seeing very young patients having heart attacks, and was further amplified after my son was hospitalized with a gastrointestinal bleed. After a several month diagnostic odyssey, both my sons were diagnosed with a genetic bleeding disorder. I am excited to lead a new genomic medicine program within the Duke School of Medicine where we will be expanding the use of genetics for undiagnosed diseases with the ultimate goal of improving patient care.

Who has influenced you the most in life and why?

My family has influenced me the most. My parents are immigrants from India; they worked tirelessly to escape the poverty in which they were raised. My mother was a single mother who struggled to raise my sister and me, but she never gave up and even while trying to put food on the table, she always pushed to improve herself. She inspires me to work hard and pursue excellence in everything I do, both professionally and personally.

 

Next Week: June 2, Annual DOM End of Year Review

Department of Medicine (DOM) faculty and staff are invited to join Kathleen A. Cooney, MD, Chair, Department of Medicine and the George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Medicine, on Friday, June 2 at 8 a.m. for the annual DOM End of Year Review either in-person (Trent Semans Great Hall) or via Zoom. This event will take place during the regular time slot for Medicine Grand Rounds. Coffee/light breakfast will be provided at the Great Hall for those who choose to attend in person.

We look forward to celebrating and recognizing the numerous accomplishments across the department. If you plan to attend in person, please visit https://duke.is/p5p7y to RSVP by Thursday, May 25.

 

DHIP Open Enrollment Deadline, May 28

As part of the transition to Duke Health Integrated Practice (DHIP), a special Open Enrollment for Duke Benefits** is currently underway through May 28.

Click here for resources and details – dhip.org/enroll

**Special enrollment does not apply to Duke-leased employees who already have access to Duke benefits. No changes or elections can be made during this time.

 

Quick Reminders & Updates

 

• May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. We join Duke Health in celebrating the contributions and achievements of our AAPI team members and communities this month and every month.
• May is also American Stroke Month. Thanks to each and every one of our team members for the work you do to help control and to diminish the risks of cardiovascular diseases in our patient population – especially those with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and atrial fibrillation, all of which increase the risk of stroke.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

May 23: The Many Faces of Cardiopulmonary Dyspnea: More than ‘just HF-pEF’ with cardiology fellow Anthony Peters. 5 p.m. Zoom link.

 

AHA Virtual Hands-Only CPR Event, June 1

As National CPR Week approaches (June 1-7) and as a special thank you to corporate sponsors of the Triangle Heart Walk and Go Red for Women, the American Heart Association (AHA) is inviting all interested team members from Duke Heart and Duke Health to attend a virtual hands-only CPR awareness event on June 1^st from 11 a.m. to Noon. Attendees will hear from a survivor, members of the local chapter of the American Heart Association, and learn about the importance of hands-only CPR and how to perform it.

Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death throughout the world. Each year, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States. Almost three out of four of those happen at home.

By attending this session, participants will increase their knowledge and awareness about Hands-Only CPR and learn how to act in the event of an emergency. By the end of the activity, employees will be aware of how and when to use Hands-Only CPR, what to do when calling 9-1-1, and specific ways to take action and get involved with our local AHA affiliate.

Event will be held via Microsoft Teams. June 1, 11 a.m. to Noon. https://duke.is/mr792. If you would like to receive a calendar invitation, please email Tracey Koepke.

 

Cardiac Safety Research Consortium Think Tank Meeting, June 7

The Cardiac Safety Research Consortium will hold a Think Tank meeting on June 7. The event,  CSRC Think Tank: Update on Regulatory Status of Hypertension, Biomarkers and Arrhythmia Monitoring in Clinical Trials will be held at the FDA.

In Session 1, these leading industry professionals will speak on panels discussing:

• Regulations for ECG/QT
• The double-negative conundrum
• Alternative methods for assay sensitivity assessment in routine Phase 1 QT Studies
• Covid-19 and prolonged QT

In Session 2, we will discuss:

• Small increases in blood pressure and CV risk I
• Intermittent versus chronic use hypertension drugs

In Session 3, the meeting faculty will dive into:

• Biomarkers

In Session 4, the panelists will discuss hot topics in the field such as:

• Biologics/cardiomyopathy and vaccine development
• MACE
• Gene therapies
• Wearables

The event will include professionals from FDA Regulatory, Cardiac Safety Consultants, Ltd., Eli Lilly, Richmond Pharmacology, University of Connecticut, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Cleveland Clinic, Clario, Mass General, DSI, Penn Medicine, and UCSF.

There is a registration fee for attendance, for academics it is $275. Registration and more information is available here: https://cardiac-safety.org/

The meeting will be held in person; a recording of the meeting and slide presentations will become available a month after the event occurs.

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart 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 Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon, Wednesdays, to be considered for weekend inclusion.

Duke Heart in the News:

May 11 — Richard Krasuski

Medscape

1 in 5 Brain Injury Trials Show Errors, Signs of Spin

https://duke.is/6h8n8

 

May 12 — Patrick Pun (Nephrology)

Healio/Nephrology

Azithromycin correlated with risk of sudden cardiac death among patients on dialysis

https://duke.is/pdk6z

May 15 — Deepshikha Ashana (Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care)

tctMD

As US Abortion Access Grows Patchier, Cardiologist Concerns Mount

https://duke.is/rc6zg

May 15 — Kristen Peterson (Pharmacy, Oncology)

Pharmacy Practice News

Taking Cardiotoxicity to Heart in Cancer Patients

https://duke.is/5rs7d

May 16 — Amy Pastva (Ortho)

Medscape

Heart Failure With Preserved EF: New Insights, Respect for Exercise?

https://duke.is/bzsf5

May 18 — Duke Clinical Research Institute

The Courier Times

Initiative aims to improve cardiac event outcomes

https://duke.is/4mkgy

 

Chief’s message: Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s day to all of the moms and mother figures in the Duke Heart Community.  We appreciate the love, commitment to family, and support that you all provide.  Hopefully you all have had some time this weekend to spend with family. It is also graduation weekend around the Duke University and many of the schools in the area.  Congratulations to our graduating students from university and medical schools in the area.

Highlights of the week:

DUH, DRH Receive Platinum Rating for Treatment of MI

Duke University Hospital and Duke Regional Hospital have each received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2023. The hospitals are two of only 262 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.

The award recognizes Duke’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that each hospital has reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.

To receive the Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award, a hospital must demonstrate sustained achievement in the Chest Pain  ̶   MI Registry for two consecutive years (2021 and 2022), and perform at the highest level for specific performance measures. Full participation in the registry engages hospitals in a robust quality improvement process using data to drive improvements in adherence to guideline recommendations and overall quality of care provided to heart attack patients.

Congratulations, team — way to go!

Celebrating Hospital Week & Nursing Week

We hope everyone had a chance to take part in some of the activities that were planned for Hospital Week and National Nursing Week. This past week has been a special time to recognize all of you and the truly amazing things you do. The quality of care we provide to those who trust us with their health makes us very proud. Our team, working together, makes a big difference in so many lives.

Across Duke Heart we have a lot to celebrate and look forward to. And it’s because of what everyone contributes!

Shown here as part of the celebration are just a few members of our cardiology APP squad: Sas Belbase, Sandra Anton, Jesslyn Doody, Brooke Moyer, and Henry Delgado Avila. Great pic!

And a shot from the Friday, May 12 gathering of the DUHS Cath/EP Ops Committee – they are loving their meeting!

Save the Date: June 2, Annual DOM End of Year Review

Department of Medicine (DOM) faculty and staff are invited to join Kathleen A. Cooney, MD, Chair, Department of Medicine and the George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Medicine, on Friday, June 2 at 8 a.m. for the annual DOM End of Year Review either in-person (Trent Semans Great Hall) or via Zoom. This event will take place during the regular time slot for Medicine Grand Rounds. Coffee/light breakfast will be provided at the Great Hall for those who choose to attend in person.

We look forward to celebrating and recognizing the numerous accomplishments across the department. If you plan to attend in person, please visit https://duke.is/p5p7y to RSVP by Thursday, May 25.

Shout-out to Glower & the DMP 6E Team

This week we received a terrific note from Dr. David Gallagher, the new Chief Medical Officer for Duke University Hospital,

regarding a patient compliment for cardiothoracic surgeon Don Glower, MD and members of the DMP 6E care team.

“I am the new DUH CMO, taking over for Dr. Pickett, and just wanted to forward you a very nice compliment towards the DMP 6E nurses, staff, and Dr. Glower and his team from the HCAHPS survey last week. Thank you for the great work you do!” — David Gallagher, MD, SFHM

The patient wrote:

“Excellent nurses included Shannon, Scott, and Mandi. 10 out of 10! Dr. Glower (and his team) was excellent at keeping me updated, explaining various concepts to me, and encouraging my recovery. 11 out of 10!!” – grateful patient, name withheld for privacy

(More) Kudos for Glower!

We received a note early last week from Dr. Lisa Pickett, the outgoing Chief Medical Officer for Duke University Hospital, regarding a patient compliment:

“Good Afternoon, Don — While reading the comments on our Patient Satisfaction Survey, I was just delighted to read this beautiful compliment about you and your team.  Thank you for your tireless dedication to patients and remarkable clinical excellence. Very Best Wishes, Lisa” – Lisa Pickett, MD

The patient wrote:

“Dr Glower and his PA’s were first class!  They were wonderful and took the time to answer any question I had.  As far as my nurses, they too were the absolute best!  They answered my questions and took care of my every need.  I would recommend Duke to anyone for Cardio Care!” – grateful patient, name withheld for privacy

 

Shout-out to Lampila!

We received a number of glowing comments this week about Beverly Lampila, one of our PAs in the Cardiothoracic Clinic, and staff members throughout the CT Surgery team. The comments are from various patients who completed a recent Press Ganey survey.

They wrote:

“Knowledgeable, kind, and efficient staff. They were able to break down what was happening with me into layman’s terms very well. They answered health and quality of life issues around my heart issue, its severity, and scheduling to repair it. All of this is about trusting people I don’t know to cut into my chest and work on my heart. I’m looking forward to having these folks do that. I expect the same level of competence, care, and empathy will be maintained through my time recovering care at Duke.” – grateful patient of Dr. Glower, name withheld for privacy

“Beverly, the PA, was so kind and so perky! We loved talking with her! The girl that took my blood was so good, I hardly felt the needle. The woman who did the EKG was friendly and I felt she took time with me, accompanied Me showing the way out, and offering assistance as to my next appointment,” – grateful patient of Dr. Gaca, name withheld for privacy

“Dr. Hughes and staff are terrific!” – grateful patient, name withheld for privacy

Great job Beverly and CT Surgery team!

 

Kudos to Burkett!

We received a note from Jamie Hilton regarding Melissa Burkett and a recent Press Ganey survey comments:

“Dr. Hughes’, Nurse Practitioner, Melissa, is a real asset to this practice. She actually provided answers to all my questions, even before I saw Dr. Hughes. She seems to be very knowledgeable, and this reinforces my confidence in her. I was extremely fortunate with my visit to Duke. Arriving early and being taken early for each of my tests, as well as my visit with Dr. Hughes made for a pleasant experience.” – grateful patient, name withheld for privacy

“Melissa, Thank you so much for ALWAYS creating such an amazing patient experience for our patients in 2F2G!!” — Jamie Hilton, Clinic 2F/2G Nurse Manager, Operations

“Kudos, Melissa, and thanks again for being an amazing provider and Duke Heart team member! Celebrate your awesomeness.” – Jill Engel, Service Line Vice President – Heart & Vascular

Nicely done!

 

DHIP Special Open Enrollment

DHIP special Open Enrollment is coming May 15-28, 2023. As part of the transition to Duke Health Integrated Practice (DHIP), a special Open Enrollment for Duke Benefits** will take place May 15-28.

Click here for resources and details – dhip.org/enroll

**Special enrollment does not apply to Duke-leased employees who already have access to Duke benefits. No changes or elections can be made during this time.

 

Quick Reminders & Updates

• May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. We join Duke Health in celebrating the contributions and achievements of our AAPI team members and communities this month and every month.
• May is also American Stroke Month. Thanks to each and every one of our team members for the work you do to help control and to diminish the risks of cardiovascular diseases in our patient population – especially those with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and atrial fibrillation, all of which increase the risk of stroke.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

May 16: Heart Failure and Obesity: Weighing the Evidence with cardiology fellow Joey Harrington. 5 p.m. Zoom link.

May 23: topic TBD with cardiology fellow Anthony Peters. 5 p.m. Zoom link.

 

New: AHA Virtual Hands-Only CPR Event, June 1

As National CPR Week approaches (June 1-7) and as a special thank you to corporate sponsors of the Triangle Heart Walk and Go Red for Women, the American Heart Association (AHA) is inviting all interested team members from Duke Heart and Duke Health to attend a virtual hands-only CPR awareness event on June 1^st from 11 a.m. to Noon. Attendees will hear from a survivor, members of the local chapter of the American Heart Association, and learn about the importance of hands-only CPR and how to perform it.

Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death throughout the world. Each year, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States. Almost three out of four of those happen at home.

By attending this session, participants will increase their knowledge and awareness about Hands-Only CPR and learn how to act in the event of an emergency. By the end of the activity, employees will be aware of how and when to use Hands-Only CPR, what to do when calling 9-1-1, and specific ways to take action and get involved with our local AHA affiliate.

Event will be held via Microsoft Teams. June 1, 11 a.m. to Noon. https://duke.is/mr792. If you would like to receive a calendar invitation, please email Tracey Koepke.

 

Cardiac Safety Research Consortium Think Tank Meeting, June 7

The Cardiac Safety Research Consortium will hold a Think Tank meeting on June 7. The event,  CSRC Think Tank: Update on Regulatory Status of Hypertension, Biomarkers and Arrhythmia Monitoring in Clinical Trials will be held at the FDA.

In Session 1, these leading industry professionals will speak on panels discussing:

• Regulations for ECG/QT
• The double-negative conundrum
• Alternative methods for assay sensitivity assessment in routine Phase 1 QT Studies
• Covid-19 and prolonged QT

In Session 2, we will discuss:

• Small increases in blood pressure and CV risk I
• Intermittent versus chronic use hypertension drugs

In Session 3, the meeting faculty will dive into:

• Biomarkers

In Session 4, the panelists will discuss hot topics in the field such as:

• Biologics/cardiomyopathy and vaccine development
• MACE
• Gene therapies
• Wearables

The event will include professionals from FDA Regulatory, Cardiac Safety Consultants, Ltd., Eli Lilly, Richmond Pharmacology, University of Connecticut, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Cleveland Clinic, Clario, Mass General, DSI, Penn Medicine, and UCSF.

There is a registration fee for attendance, for academics it is $275. Registration and more information is available here: https://cardiac-safety.org/

The meeting will be held in person; a recording of the meeting and slide presentations will become available a month after the event occurs.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart 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 Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon, Wednesdays, to be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

 

May 3 — Vishal Rao and Neha Pagidipati

Today’s Dietitian

Can Weight Loss Benefit the Heart Even if Some Pounds Return?

https://duke.is/62qek

May 8 — Nada El Husseini

Healio/Primary Care

Top in cardiology: Cognition screening; novel ablation strategy

https://duke.is/przx2

May 8 — Richard Shannon

Physician Leadership Journal

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: What Physician Leaders Need to Know

https://duke.is/4dt8m

May 9 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live

FDA Expands Dapagliflozin Label to Include Reducing Risk of CV Death in Heart Failure

https://duke.is/9tpbv

 

Highlights of the week:

Shah, Granger Among Duke Faculty Members Awarded Distinguished Professorships

We are pleased to congratulate Christopher B. Granger, MD, and Svati Shah, MD, MHS, on their newly awarded distinguished professorships! Granger and Shah are among 44 Duke faculty members from across all Schools and Institutes to receive the designations from Duke University this year. The honorees were formally recognized by President Vincent Price and Interim Provost Jennifer Francis during a ceremony at the Washington Duke Inn Thursday evening, May 4. A total of 27 faculty from the Duke University School of Medicine were honored.

Granger has been named a Donald F. Fortin, M.D. Distinguished Professor of Medicine. Shah has been named an Ursula Geller Distinguished Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases.

“I am so appreciative to have this honor that is a tribute to the fellows, faculty and other collaborators with whom I have been fortunate to work,” said Granger, Donald F. Fortin, MD Distinguished Professor of Medicine. “It is especially meaningful to have the named professorship established by Don Fortin, who was a Duke Cardiology fellow with me, and was previously held by Rob Califf.”

Distinguished professorships are awarded to faculty who have demonstrated extraordinary scholarship in advancing science and improving human health.

“I am so honored to have received this,” says Shah, Ursula Geller Distinguished Professor of Research in Cardiovascular

Diseases. “When I started as a cardiology fellow at Duke over 20 years ago, I would never have imagined this could happen for me. I am grateful to all of my incredible mentors for their support, to my cardiology colleagues who have enabled our collaborative research, and to Dr. George Barth and Ursula Geller for generously supporting this professorship.”

To read the full list of professorships awarded, please visit Duke Today. To see a piece exclusively about the SOM recipients, please visit the DUSOM news story.

Such terrific news and well deserved, Svati and Chris! Congratulations!

 

Gallagher Named Chief Medical Officer, Duke University Hospital

Mary Martin, interim President and Chief Operating Officer of Duke University Hospital (DUH), announced this week that Dr. David Gallagher has been named the new Chief Medical Officer of DUH.

“After an extensive internal search with 16 well-qualified applicants, I am pleased to announce that David Gallagher, MD, SFHM, has been named Chief Medical Officer for Duke University Hospital, effective May 1, 2023.

In this role, Dr. Gallagher will work in conjunction with the DUH Senior Leadership Team to oversee all hospital operations, lead the development of standard work, ensure the delivery of effective care, and manage medical staff matters and concerns. Specifically, he will also manage the DUH medical directors and champion initiatives related to access, patient safety, and quality efforts in conjunction with the DUH Chief Quality Officer, department chairs, and Clinical Services vice-chairs.

Dr. Gallagher has been with Duke since 2006. He has served as the Chief of Duke Hospital Medicine Programs since 2012 and the Associate Chief Medical Officer since 2014. He is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine within the Division of General Internal Medicine. He has a Senior Fellow designation from the Society of Hospital Medicine and treats patients on the Duke General Medicine Inpatient Service, where he also teaches.

Dr. Gallagher’s vast clinical experience, academic accomplishments, and leadership excellence make him an ideal fit for this vital position at our hospital during this very important time in healthcare.

Outside of work, Dr. Gallagher is devoted to his wife, Jennifer, their two daughters, and their many pets. He also enjoys surfing whenever he can get to the ocean.

“I am excited, honored, and humbled to have been chosen for this role,” Dr. Gallagher said. “I look forward to continuing to partner with all the incredible people at Duke University Hospital and across the health system to further our healthcare journey with continued focus on caring for our patients, their loved ones, and each other.”

Information regarding interim hospital medicine leadership is forthcoming.

Martin extended her gratitude to the DUH Chief Medical Officer search committee for their commitment to a fair and transparent process: Ted Boyse, Adia Ross, Jennifer Phillips, Joe Govert, Kristie Barazsu, Sherri Pearce, Cathy Kuhn, Shilpa Shelton, Bryan Mallory, Matt Barber, and Holly Garon Colley.

We join all of Duke Health in congratulating David on his new senior leadership role at Duke University Hospital.

Celebrating Nursing Week

It’s National Nursing Week, and here at Duke Health, it is also Mary Ann Fuchs Week. On behalf of Duke Heart, we recognize Dr. Fuchs for her incredible nursing career at Duke, as well as our entire team of nurses for their many professional accomplishments and contributions in caring for Duke Heart patients over the past year. The past several years held great challenges, as we all know, and we’re so grateful for the amazing care you provided. With a growing population throughout North Carolina, there are more patients than ever in need of the highly specialized care that our Duke Heart team provides.

Duke Heart Nurses are foundational to Duke’s ability to provide best-in-class cardiovascular care. Each of you have been a part of many ‘firsts’ in the U.S. and at Duke throughout the years; you’ve cared for patients and partnered with our cardiology and cardiac surgery providers in clinical trials; you have been driving excellence across our quality and safety measures; and you’ve supported bed and tower expansion, unit moves, site visits, and growth throughout all areas of Duke Heart. Our outpatient teams continued to support our patients and families using new technologies and approaches, including enhanced telehealth and expansion of our rehabilitation programs. None of these accomplishments would be possible without the amazing care across our outpatient, rehabilitation, procedural, diagnostic and the inpatient cardiology and surgical units.

In the midst of a another very busy clinical year, each of you continued to show tremendous compassion for not only Duke patients and families, but also each other and our community. The Duke Heart Nursing team possesses unmatched talent, dedication and teamwork that exemplifies living the Duke Values.

Our successes across the Duke Heart team would not be possible without each one of you!

As part of this special week, this year’s Friends of Nursing guest speaker is Rebecca Love, MSN, BS, RN, FIEL, who will present The Power of Nursing.  All are welcome to participate. You can log in on your own or join teammates at a watch party location where snacks and drinks will be provided to watch her presentation.

Tuesday, May 9 from 2-3 p.m. Via Zoom.

Virtual Watch Party Locations (No RSVP needed):

• DUH: DN 2002
• DRH: Behavioral Health Community Room
• DRaH: Cardinal/Dogwood in North Pavilion

The purpose of Love’s presentation is to inspire nurses to develop their unique, experience-based solutions to patient care and staffing issues into strategies and products that can be utilized across health care settings and organizations. The activity will include time for questions and answers.

Everyone is welcome to hear the National Nurses Week speaker; no registration is necessary.

Duke’s National Nurses Week speaker is made possible by The Martha White Blalock Nurse Scholar Endowment Fund. For questions about this and other activities supported by Friends of Nursing, please email: friendsofnursing@dm.duke.edu or call 919-681-5094.

For a full list of all Nursing Week events across the DUHS enterprise, please visit Duke Health Now’s Celebrating Nurses Week page. There, you can also download a Zoom background to help celebrate our Duke Health nurses.

It’s Hospital Week

We Appreciate You! May 7 – 13 is Hospital Week. Here, throughout Duke Health, there will be celebrations focused on demonstrating the appreciation we have for each and every one of our employees. It’s because of ALL of our teammates together, that we are able to advance the health of those we serve. We hope you will take time to join in some of the celebrations during this special week.

There are fun events scheduled each day – among the planned celebrations there will be a carnival, a Blessing of the Hands event, a scavenger hunt, and opportunities to contribute to a school supply drive to support Durham Public Schools. For all the details and a full list of events at each hospital, please visit the Celebrating Hospital Week page on the Duke Health Now SharePoint site.

Please take part when and where you’re able! Thank you for all you do!

Perfusionists Celebrated

Perfusion Week ended yesterday and we want to give another shout-out to our amazing perfusionists! Here is a group shot of them sporting matching celebratory scrub caps. Thanks for all you do!

DHIP Special Open Enrollment

DHIP special Open Enrollment is coming May 15-28, 2023. As part of the transition to Duke Health Integrated Practice (DHIP), a special Open Enrollment for Duke Benefits** will take place May 15-28.

Click here for resources and details – dhip.org/enroll

**Special enrollment does not apply to Duke-leased employees who already have access to Duke benefits. No changes or elections can be made during this time.

Information Sessions for Transitioning PDC Physicians:

Zoom link to join

• 7-8 AM, Friday, May 5
• 5-6 PM, Tuesday, May 9

Information Sessions for Transitioning PDC Direct Employees and Managers:

Zoom link to join

• 12-1 PM, Friday, May 5
• 7-8 AM, Tuesday, May 9

Quick Reminders & Updates

• May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. We join Duke Health in celebrating the contributions and achievements of our AAPI team members and communities this month and every month.
• May is also American Stroke Month. Thanks to each and every one of our team members for the work you do to help control and to diminish the risks of cardiovascular diseases in our patient population – especially those with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and atrial fibrillation, all of which increase the risk of stroke.
• Masking Updates: Masking is now optional in ambulatory surgical centers and low-risk ambulatory clinics that are not attached to a hospital. Masks are still required in all hospital patient care areas, emergency departments, clinics within or contiguous with hospitals (e.g., Duke South clinics), oncology clinics, and infusion clinics. Masking also continues to be required for patients coming to a clinic with respiratory symptoms, any accompanying family/visitors, or for anyone caring for patients with respiratory symptoms. Signage will be distributed to communicate that expectation. Thank you for your attention and commitment to patient and team member safety.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

May 9: topic TBD with Abdulla Damlujji of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 5 p.m. Zoom link.

May 16: topic TBD with cardiology fellow Joey Harrington. 5 p.m. Zoom link.

May 23: topic TBD with cardiology fellow Anthony Peters. 5 p.m. Zoom link.

 

AI Health Virtual Seminar: Challenges in Bring-Your-Own-Device Design-based Digital Health Studies to Develop Reliable and Generalizable Artificial Intelligence Tools for Healthcare Application

Thursday, May 10, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. (Eastern time)

Virtual seminar via Zoom, open to anyone in the world, but registration is required.

Presented by:  Md Mobashir Hasan Shandhi, PhD; American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, with host Andrew Olson, MPP; Associate Director, Policy Strategy and Solutions for Health Data Science, Duke AI Health

Description:  

Longitudinal digital health studies combine information from digital devices, such as commercial wearable devices, and patient-reported data, such as surveys, from participants. While the ubiquitous adoption of smartphones and access to the internet supports the development of large-scale and distributed digital health studies, there are challenges in collecting representative data as a result of low adherence to, engagement with, and regularity of performing study tasks such as filling out surveys and charging and wearing devices. These challenges may result in a study population that is not representative of the general population or the population group of interest. Artificial Intelligence tools developed based on a non-representative population have a higher chance to fail to generalize in the real-world deployment of such technologies and may not work for underrepresented and underserved communities. In this seminar, the speaker will share his research group’s experience in conducting longitudinal digital health studies for COVID-19 monitoring, the challenges the researchers faced to collect data from a representative population, and how his team developed a guideline to mitigate demographic imbalance in bring-your-own-device (BYOD) design-based digital health studies. Furthermore, the speaker will also share how his team developed a machine learning method based intelligent allocation method for COVID-19 diagnostic testing in a resource-limited setting (when we have limited diagnostic tests, like the earlier phase of the pandemic and onset of new variants) using wearable and survey data collected during the longitudinal CovIdentify study.

Please join us for this lunchtime virtual seminar. The presentation will be accessible to a broad audience, including those with no prior background in health data science or artificial intelligence.

 

Deadline May 12: 2023 Loan Repayment Program

The Duke Department of Medicine has announced the 2023 Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine (LRPDIM). This award is part of a series of mentored career development opportunities offered by the Department of Medicine and is designed to fund members of groups underrepresented in medicine who, as a group, are disproportionately impacted by student loans. This financial burden impedes the retention, recruitment, and diversification of research faculty in our department.

We encourage investigators from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds who are under-represented in Medicine to consider applying. The LRPDIM award repays up to $50,000, annually for up to two years, of a researcher’s qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in research.  Up to two applicants will be funded (July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025).  The award recipient must remain a full-time employee of the DOM to receive the full amount of the award. Award funds are not restricted and can be used at the awardee’s discretion. If the research commitment is not met, recipients must pay back the amount awarded.

The 2023 LRPDIM Award application deadline is May 12, 2023, at 5 p.m.  Eligibility criteria, detailed information about the Award, and the application form are available on the DOM Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion website. For program-related questions, please contact Kimberly Dorman, Special Assistant to the Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Diversity in the Chair’s Office.

 

Cardiac Safety Research Consortium Think Tank Meeting, June 7

The Cardiac Safety Research Consortium will hold a Think Tank meeting on June 7. The event,  CSRC Think Tank: Update on Regulatory Status of Hypertension, Biomarkers and Arrhythmia Monitoring in Clinical Trials will be held at the FDA.

In Session 1, these leading industry professionals will speak on panels discussing:

• Regulations for ECG/QT
• The double-negative conundrum
• Alternative methods for assay sensitivity assessment in routine Phase 1 QT Studies
• Covid-19 and prolonged QT

In Session 2, we will discuss:

• Small increases in blood pressure and CV risk I
• Intermittent versus chronic use hypertension drugs

In Session 3, the meeting faculty will dive into:

• Biomarkers

In Session 4, the panelists will discuss hot topics in the field such as:

• Biologics/cardiomyopathy and vaccine development
• MACE
• Gene therapies
• Wearables

The event will include professionals from FDA Regulatory, Cardiac Safety Consultants, Ltd., Eli Lilly, Richmond Pharmacology, University of Connecticut, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Cleveland Clinic, Clario, Mass General, DSI, Penn Medicine, and UCSF.

There is a registration fee for attendance, for academics it is $275. Registration and more information is available here: https://cardiac-safety.org/

The meeting will be held in person; a recording of the meeting and slide presentations will become available a month after the event occurs.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart 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 Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon, Wednesdays, to be considered for weekend inclusion.

Duke Heart in the News:

April 28 — Nenad Bursac

Washington Post

Gene-edited cells move science closer to repairing damaged hearts

https://duke.is/cp5h8

April 29 — Rita Deimler (oncology)

Oncology Nursing News

Cardiac Event Management Is a Key Aspect of Safely Treating Patients With Ribociclib in Advanced Breast Cancer

https://duke.is/wwjsz

April 29 — Jacob Schroder and Jason Banner

CBS News

New method revolutionizes heart transplants

https://duke.is/jj2pr

*story has been updated from a version that aired in February.

April 30 — Andrew Landstrom

ANI (India)

Study reveals genetic tests show how genes linked to heart disease

https://duke.is/ycay9

May 1 — Nada El Husseini (neurology)

American Heart Association News

Cognitive impairment after stroke is common, and early diagnosis and treatment needed

https://duke.is/rh3kp

May 1 — Camille Frazier-Mills

Healio/Cardiology

FDA approves two next-gen miniaturized, leadless pacemakers with extended battery life

https://duke.is/zm8dk

May 2 — Camille Frazier-Mills

Medical Device Network

FDA approves Medtronic’s next-generation Micra pacemakers

https://duke.is/6remw

Highlights of the week:

ISHLT Held in Denver

The 43rd annual meeting & scientific sessions of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) was held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, CO from April 19-22.

Duke research presented included that of Carolyn Glass, Brandi Bottinger, Andrew Vekstein, Jack Haney, Matt Hartwig, Leslie Snyder, Jacob Schroder, Marat Fudim, Mark Kittipibul, Michael Carboni, Hakim Ali, Scott Palmer, Stuart Russell, M. Mendiola Pla, Elizabeth Pavlisko, Carmelo Milano, Sharon McCartney, Cameron Wolfe, Dawn Bowles, Sarah Casalinova, Chris Holley, Adam DeVore, Chet Patel, former cardiology fellow Lauren Truby, Svati Shah, and Desiree Bonadonna.

We’d especially like to congratulate cardiology fellow Mark Kittipibul for the 3 posters he presented (images shown here). Nicely done!

Great work by all!

Cotter, Maracaja Join Cardiac Anesthesiology Faculty

Two new cardiothoracic (CT) anesthesiology faculty members have joined the Duke team. In an announcement this week, Mihai Podgoreanu, MD, chief of the division of cardiac anesthesiology, formally welcomed Drs. Sarah Cotter and Luiz Maracaja as faculty members in Duke’s Department of Anesthesiology.

Cotter, who joined the faculty as an assistant professor of anesthesiology, obtained her MD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, followed by a cardiothoracic anesthesia fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She then spent several years on faculty at the University of California San Francisco prior to returning to NC.

Podgoreanu stated, “Sarah has a passion for education and we’re looking forward to her many clinical and educational contributions.”

Maracaja, who joined the faculty as an associate professor of anesthesiology, is originally from Brazil, where he obtained his medical degree and completed anesthesiology residency. He then moved to the U.S. and completed another anesthesiology residency program at the State University of New York and a CT anesthesia fellowship at Yale, followed by faculty appointments at Yale and most recently at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.

Maracaja “is a clinician-innovator with expertise in 3D printing, prototyping various devices for perioperative care, and has a research interest in delivering therapeutics for lung disease,” Podgoreanu added.

Welcome, Sarah and Luiz!

 

Celebrating Perfusionists

Perfusion Week 2023 begins today, April 30, and continues through May 6 – it’s a time dedicated to honoring the tireless work of perfusionists around the world. Organized by the American Society of ExtraCorporeal Technology (AmSECT), Perfusion Week is an annual recognition of the positive impact that perfusionists have on the lives of our patients. This year, Perfusion Week follows on the heels of AmSECTs 61^st International Conference, which annually celebrates the perfusionist profession, allows for shared knowledge and challenges, and facilitates networking among leading perfusionists from around the world.

With an increasing frequency of heart surgery and other cardiac procedures, perfusion is growing in importance in the healthcare community around the world. In the past decade, perfusion has expanded to areas of perioperative blood management, wound healing, ventricular assistance and advanced uses of extracorporeal circulation. Additionally, perfusionists and other healthcare professionals continue to show their dedication to their patients amidst the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The work of perfusionists requires great precision and concentration – and this is especially true for perfusionists at Duke. We are proud of the excellence our perfusion team demonstrates each day for our Duke Heart patients – and we recognize the incredible work they do in serving in leadership roles, on national committees, and toward advancing their field!

Honoring AAPI Team Members and Communities

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the millions of Americans with roots in the Asian continent and/or the Pacific Islands. The AAPI community is exceptionally diverse, with approximately 50 distinct ethnic groups speaking more than 100 languages and hailing from many places around the globe—including 48 countries and three territories in Asia, and 15 nations and thousands of islands in the Pacific. We join Duke Health in celebrating the contributions and achievements of our AAPI team members and communities this month and every month.

Great Catch, Greene!

Karla Greene, a physical therapist at our Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Clinic on Hillandale, recognized that a patient she was seeing for pulmonary rehabilitation had new-onset calf pain and swelling, which she escalated to the patient’s transplant coordinator. The patient underwent an ultrasound, which revealed deep-vein thrombosis, and was started on anticoagulant therapy.

Karla’s recognition of the patient’s condition change helped facilitate timely, potentially life-saving treatment.

Way to go, Karla!

Kudos to PAC, 3100 Teams!

We received a terrific note from Nishant Shah in recognition of our PAC & 3100 teams this week.

Shah wrote, “We have had an extremely busy service with over 20 patients on most days with variable geography given the renovations. Our APPs and Pharmacists this week (Monique and Alyssa (who always keeps the PAC ship afloat with her excellence) have just been outstanding! I certainly don’t know what I would have done without them. Many of these patients had very complex histories and/or complex coronary anatomy, in addition to several uncontrolled co-morbidities. Despite having high patients loads there was always attention to detail, organization, and pre-emptive care coordination that really helped move care forward for the patients. I could not have been more impressed with how awesome the PAC team was. So far, the APPs I have worked with this week are: Sas, Deborah, Nicolena, Janey, Jessyln, Michelle Lacayo, Lisa Synder, and Hannah.”

“I also wanted to send kudos to the 3100 nursing staff for going out of their way to find our team for a very sick patient as soon as they arrived. The nursing team flawlessly, confidently, and calmly assisted us in managing the patient who was having a very large active MI. I cannot be more grateful for the 3100 nursing staff.

I just wanted to share my thoughts and give credit to all the wonderful people involved on 3100.”

Excellent work, teams!!

 

Faculty Offer CPR Training at Local School

We learned that several of our faculty members stepped onto a different type of campus this week. Drs. Anna Lisa Chamis, Chetan Patel, Manesh Patel and Svati Shah took some time to offer CPR training at a local high school – demonstrating their teaching skills and expertise in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Such an important skill for all of us to know and share.

Thank you for doing this and great job leading by example!

 

Quick Reminders & Updates

• National Nursing week begins on Saturday, May 6.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

May 2: Maximizing the Slice of the Pie: Donor/Recipient Matching in 2023 with Chris Wrobel. 5 p.m. Zoom only.

 

2023 Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine

The Duke Department of Medicine has announced the 2023 Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine (LRPDIM). This award is part of a series of mentored career development opportunities offered by the Department of Medicine and is designed to fund members of groups underrepresented in medicine who, as a group, are disproportionately impacted by student loans. This financial burden impedes the retention, recruitment, and diversification of research faculty in our department.

We encourage investigators from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds who are under-represented in Medicine to consider applying. The LRPDIM award repays up to $50,000, annually for up to two years, of a researcher’s qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in research.  Up to two applicants will be funded (July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025).  The award recipient must remain a full-time employee of the DOM to receive the full amount of the award. Award funds are not restricted and can be used at the awardee’s discretion. If the research commitment is not met, recipients must pay back the amount awarded.

The 2023 LRPDIM Award application deadline is May 12, 2023, at 5 p.m.  Eligibility criteria, detailed information about the Award, and the application form are available on the DOM Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion website. For program-related questions, please contact Kimberly Dorman, Special Assistant to the Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Diversity in the Chair’s Office.

 

Cardiac Safety Research Consortium Think Tank Meeting, June 7

The Cardiac Safety Research Consortium will hold a Think Tank meeting on June 7. The event,  CSRC Think Tank: Update on Regulatory Status of Hypertension, Biomarkers and Arrhythmia Monitoring in Clinical Trials will be held at the FDA.

In Session 1, these leading industry professionals will speak on panels discussing:

• Regulations for ECG/QT
• The double-negative conundrum
• Alternative methods for assay sensitivity assessment in routine Phase 1 QT Studies
• Covid-19 and prolonged QT

In Session 2, we will discuss:

• Small increases in blood pressure and CV risk I
• Intermittent versus chronic use hypertension drugs

In Session 3, the meeting faculty will dive into:

• Biomarkers

In Session 4, the panelists will discuss hot topics in the field such as:

• Biologics/cardiomyopathy and vaccine development
• MACE
• Gene therapies
• Wearables

The event will include professionals from FDA Regulatory, Cardiac Safety Consultants, Ltd., Eli Lilly, Richmond Pharmacology, University of Connecticut, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Cleveland Clinic, Clario, Mass General, DSI, Penn Medicine, and UCSF.

There is a registration fee for attendance, for academics it is $275. Registration and more information is available here: https://cardiac-safety.org/

The meeting will be held in person; a recording of the meeting and slide presentations will become available a month after the event occurs.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart 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 Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon, Wednesdays, to be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

April 21 — Conrad Hodgkinson

Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology

A Second Chance for a Healthy Heart

https://duke.is/nx5u6

April 25 — Jamie Diamond

HealthDay News

Hospitals Caring for Mostly Black Patients Provide Quality Heart Failure Care

https://duke.is/vhahv

*also carried by 78 additional outlets including in San Francisco-Oakland, Seattle and Salt Lake City

April 25 — Duke University Health System

Becker’s Hospital Review

49 hospitals, systems among Forbes’ best employers for diversity

https://duke.is/za8s5

April 26 — Rhonda Brandon

Becker’s Hospital Review

How Duke’s health system supports a workforce that is 60% millennial or Gen Z

https://duke.is/my53t

April 26 — Donald Glower

Medical News Today

Mitral valve repair: Minimally invasive and conventional surgery have similar outcomes

https://duke.is/89jqn

April 27 — Suresh Balu and Mark Sendak

Stat News

A research team airs the messy truth about AI in medicine — and gives hospitals a guide to fix it

https://duke.is/2fbg3

April 27 — Stephen Greene

Healio/Cardiology

Outcomes poor after HF hospitalization for patients with mildly reduced, preserved EF

https://duke.is/r6b8u

ISHLT & Joint Meeting Held for ASCI, AAP, and APSA

Several large meetings were being held this weekend, including The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) and the Joint Meeting of ASCI, AAP and APSA. We are still gathering information and illustrations from these sessions and will do a report-out on them next week, but we want to give a big shout-out to Jonathan Piccini and Gerald Bloomfield. They were both inducted as new members of ASCI this weekend – congratulations! Also, Jenn Rymer received an ASCI ‘30 in their 30s’ award, which we announced earlier this year.

We look forward to celebrating the great presentations made by our Duke colleagues!

 

 

HCLC Spring Meeting Held

The Duke Heart Center Leadership Council held its Spring meeting on Friday, April 21. Presenters included Neha Pagidipati who spoke about the Cardiometabolic Clinic, Kevin Harrison and Chad Hughes who spoke about structural heart disease and aortic disease, and Adam Williams, who presented on the Duke Heart for Honduras program and also on the research he is doing on the regeneration of heart cells.

 

Harrison, Shaw Named Associate Program Directors, Duke Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program

We are thrilled to share that Drs. Rob Harrison and Nishant Shah have accepted positions as

associate program directors (APD) for Duke’s cardiovascular disease fellowship program. The news was announced this week by program director, Dr. Anna Lisa Chamis. Please join us in congratulating Rob and Nishant on their new roles, which are effective immediately.

Chamis and the Duke Heart leadership team are grateful and pleased with the work that Drs. Neha Pagidipati and Rob Mentz have done as the APDs for the past five years. Chamis also thanks the members of the fellowship APD selection committee for their time and diligence.

Congratulations, Rob and Nishant!

 

Analysis on HF Outcomes Disparities Published in JAMA Cardiology

Congratulations to cardiology fellow Jamie Diamond and her co-authors! Their study was published this week and has been incredibly well-received by the HF research community!

Black adults with heart failure have higher population-level mortality than white adults with the same condition. Their study, published this past week in JAMA Cardiology, compared the quality of care for heart failure patients at hospitals with a high proportion of Black patients compared to those hospitals without such a population. It found that quality of heart failure care is largely similar at hospitals caring for high proportions of Black patients compared with other hospitals, though with a few remaining targets for improvement. The study suggests that this disparity in heart failure outcomes stems from inequities outside the hospital, such as at the public health level, where factors like inequitable care access and other social determinants of health come into play.

Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes for Patients With Heart Failure at Hospitals Caring for a High Proportion of Black Adults appears in JAMA Cardiology and can be accessed here: https://duke.is/p53h3

Dr. Jamie Diamond is the first author of the study and a heart failure & transplant cardiology fellow at Duke Health. She said the results point to a need to take a deeper look at root causes.

Congratulations, Jamie and team!

 

ICYMI: AFib, Central Retinal Artery Occlusion Findings Featured in Podcast

The Stroke Alert Podcast for April 2023 features an article recently published in Stroke, “Examining the Association Between Hospital-Documented Atrial Fibrillation and Central Retinal Artery Occlusion” by corresponding author Brian MacGrory and first author Jay B. Lusk. , an MBA. MacGrory is an associate professor in neurology and in ophthalmology at Duke; he specializes in stroke and vascular neurology. Lusk is an MD/MBA student at Duke. Additional Duke co-authors include Hussein Al-Khalidi, Emily O’Brien, Jon Piccini, Irene Song, Shakthi Unnithan, and Ying Xian.

To listen to the episode, please visit https://duke.is/gx8kq.

Launched by Stroke in 2021, the monthly Stroke Alert Podcast begins each episode by posing key takeaway questions from featured articles in the current issue of the journal. This is followed by a brief summary and analysis of these articles, as well as an interview with the author of one of these featured articles or with one of the Stroke editors.

To stream the Stroke Alert Podcast online, please visit https://strokealert.libsyn.com. To subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts, visit https://www.ahajournals.org/str/podcast.

 

Shout-out to Agarwal & 2F/2G Team!

Richa Agarwal and our team in 2F/2G received some wonderful feedback via the Press Ganey survey system last week.

A grateful patient wrote, “The most organized and flow of services for medical treatment I have ever experienced. Everything was explained to me of where to go and what to expect. I liked the online sign-in and information available after the tests were performed. All the personal were very professional and friendly, and I love Dr. Agarwal’s personable manner.”

Great job, Richa! We’re so glad to have you on our Duke Heart team! Our 2F/2G team is amazing!

 

 

Kudos to Rendall!

We received a terrific note about Duke APP Dave Rendall this week!

“Congratulations! You are being recognized for the outstanding services you provide to our Duke patients! The PDC Patient

Relations team was made aware of the below compliment on 4/17/23 from a patient who remains anonymous referring to her positive experience with you in March of 2023. I hope you take a moment to recognize the difference you are making in the lives of those you serve. Thank you for all you do. It has been my pleasure to recognize you as a Duke Service Champion and share with our PDC leadership. Best wishes to you! — Tamara Griffin, Duke Health Private Diagnostic Clinics Integration

“David Rendall was excellent. He listened to all my concerns and health with each one of them totally. He explained so much about my condition in easy to understand language. He was patient, kind, seemed very knowledgeable and seemed to really care about my health and my understanding of what I needed to do. I appreciated the education he gave me. He did not seem rushed and was glad to make sure I was satisfied with having all my questions answered. He was great and I am so grateful for such good medical help!!!!!! He was the best!” – name withheld for privacy.

Great work, Dave! This is well-deserved!

 

Postponed: DCRI Research Forum with Special Guest Jon Scheyer

The Duke Clinical Research Institute has postponed the DCRI Research Forum planned for April 25, featuring a fireside chat with Duke Men’s Basketball head coach Jon Scheyer. A new date has not yet been selected. The DCRI planning team apologizes for any inconvenience and hopes you’ll plan to join the event once a new date is established.

 

This Week: Inaugural DOM Research Day

The Duke Department of Medicine will hold their inaugural Research Day on Friday, April 28, 2023, at the Trent Semans Center in the Great Hall from 8 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

This event is for all departmental faculty, clinical and postdoctoral fellows, residents, medical students, and research staff. Lunch is included. For questions regarding Research Day contact Saini Pillai, MBA. A copy of the agenda can be found here.

Sudarshan Rajagopal, MD, PhD, associate professor of cardiology and a PI in the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center is one of four presenters during the faculty speaker session. Rajagopal will discuss recent research from his lab that demonstrates new modes of signaling by receptors and its potential impact on drug development. Definitely something to check out!

 

Better Together: A Culture Campaign

Hopefully many of you were able to participate in the on-demand sessions for the new DUHS Culture Campaign, Better Together. What does it mean to become better together? It means defining our culture — who and how we want to be. We’re looking at ourselves in the mirror, keeping what we like, and intentionally setting aside the rest, and designing a new path where everyone feels heard, valued, seen, and respected. Watch this short video to learn more.

Another opportunity for participation will take place next month from May 19-25. Stay tuned for more information and links to the online survey.

Click here for a fact sheet to learn more.

 

Quick Reminders & Updates

• In light of the decreased community incidence of Covid-19 infections and a robust supply of PPE, DUHS has moved to Tier 1 status as of last week.
• April 23-29 is Patient Experience Week. We hope everyone can take a moment to celebrate and honor our Duke Health patients who trust us with their care. It’s also a time to reflect on the impact each of us have on Duke Health’s ability to provide exceptional care to our community and to each other. Activities, a Zoom background, and more is available here — https://duke.is/8v5pu . It’s worth checking out – please join DUHS and the PDC in working to cultivate kindness throughout the Duke Health system!
• April 24-May 1 is Transplant Nurses Week
• Wednesday, April 26 is Administrative Professionals Day
• Coming in May: National Nursing Month

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

April 24: Renal Sympathetic Denervation: Update on Clinical Trials and Future Steps with Dmitriy N. Feldman, Weill Cornell Medical College. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

April 25: Regulatory Guidance for Cardiovascular Outcomes Trials of Antihyperglycemic Agents: Connecting the Past with the Future with Darren K. McGuire, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center & Parkland Health and Hospital System; Deputy Editor, Circulation. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom. 

ICYMI: Links to Recent CGRs

April 11: April 11: Jessica Duran, Multimodality Imaging in MINOCA.

 

Medicine LEADS

April 25: Duke Medicine LEADS with Paul Aronowitz, Health Sciences Clinical Professor of Medicine for the Department of Medicine at UC Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Aronowitz will be presenting “Clinical Images Problem Solving” with faculty discussants Drs. Nishant Shah, Eileen Maziarz, and Talal Dahhan. 12-12:45 p.m. in DMP 2W93.

 

New funding opportunity: Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists at Duke

The Office for Faculty Development has announced a new funding opportunity for eligible junior faculty members. A brief, no-commitment, e-mail stating your intent to apply is due May 1.

The School of Medicine Office for Faculty and Office of Physician-Scientist Development are now accepting applications for the Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists at Duke. Supported by awards from the American Heart Association, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and Dean Mary Klotman, the Fund provides supplements of up to $30,000-$50,000 to clinician-scientists with significant caregiving responsibilities. Supplements are for 1 year. This application cycle is for funding from July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024.

Fund supplements are designed to address the critical challenge of working to establish research independence during periods when caregiving needs may be least flexible. Awards can be used in a variety of ways to support the applicant’s scholarly work. Possible uses of funds include:

• Research support personnel (e.g. clinical research coordinator or technician)
• Duke Office of Clinical Research (DOCR) services
• Biostatistical support
• Other “extra hands” support as proposed by the applicant

Applicants must be junior faculty (medical instructor, assistant professor, or associate professor within 1 year at that rank) with an MD, PhD, or DO degree and a primary faculty appointment in a School of Medicine department. They must have existing funding for their research, including salary support, and at least 50% protected time for research. All applicants must demonstrate a compelling need for the supplement that is related to being a caregiver. Applicants whose caregiving needs were caused or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic are encouraged to apply and state this clearly in their application. Click here for complete program information, eligibility criteria, and application instructions.

Applications are online and include 1) an application form, 2) statement of individual need rooted in caregiving responsibilities, 3) research plan, 4) biosketch, 5) proposed budget for the supplement, 6) chair/chief letter of support. Departmental contributions are expected, and the letter of support should outline any matching funds or other additional supports being provided to the applicant. Matching funds will be viewed favorably by the selection committee. Applications are due May 15, 2023.

Applicants and selected scholars will be strongly encouraged to enroll in the OPSD Scholars program led by Dr. Gbadegesin. Scholars will receive access to additional mentoring, grant writing, and executive coaching support.

 

Please e-mail OPSD to let us know you plan to apply. This e-mail can be very brief and is non-binding. This email with intent to apply is due May 1.

Questions? Contact OPSD@dm.duke.edu.

 

Deadline approaching: The Mario Family Foundation Award

Training the next generation of biomedical researchers is an important core mission of the Department of Medicine. We admit the most promising, dedicated fellows into our programs, and provide experiences that will allow them to put their passion for medicine to work. These fellows will be tomorrow’s leaders in science and medicine. The Mario Family Foundation has generously supported this mission to support junior investigators in training to make the transition to become independent scientists and planning for their first extra-mural funding.

The Department of Medicine is accepting applications from fellows in specialty training for the Mario Family Foundation Award, which funds two patient-oriented research (clinical or translational) proposals for one year of funding.  The total funding for all proposal expenses is $35,000.

Applications must be submitted electronically no later than Monday, May 1, 2023, 5p.m.

Applications will be peer reviewed by a panel of senior scientists from the Department of Medicine.  Proposals will be judged on scientific-merit, rigor, and quality of project.  Our intent is to complete reviews and start funding by July 1, 2023.

Additional details and application information can be found on the Mario Family Foundation Award webpage. For project-related questions, please contact Saini Pillai, MBA, Senior Program Coordinator, Chair’s Office.

 

2023 Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine

The Duke Department of Medicine has announced the 2023 Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine (LRPDIM). This award is part of a series of mentored career development opportunities offered by the Department of Medicine and is designed to fund members of groups underrepresented in medicine who, as a group, are disproportionately impacted by student loans. This financial burden impedes the retention, recruitment, and diversification of research faculty in our department.

We encourage investigators from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds who are under-represented in Medicine to consider applying. The LRPDIM award repays up to $50,000, annually for up to two years, of a researcher’s qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in research.  Up to two applicants will be funded (July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025).  The award recipient must remain a full-time employee of the DOM to receive the full amount of the award. Award funds are not restricted and can be used at the awardee’s discretion. If the research commitment is not met, recipients must pay back the amount awarded.

The 2023 LRPDIM Award application deadline is May 12, 2023, at 5 p.m.  Eligibility criteria, detailed information about the Award, and the application form are available on the DOM Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion website. For program-related questions, please contact Kimberly Dorman, Special Assistant to the Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Diversity in the Chair’s Office.

 

Cardiac Safety Research Consortium Think Tank Meeting, June 7

The Cardiac Safety Research Consortium will hold a Think Tank meeting on June 7. The event,  CSRC Think Tank: Update on Regulatory Status of Hypertension, Biomarkers and Arrhythmia Monitoring in Clinical Trials will be held at the FDA.

In Session 1, these leading industry professionals will speak on panels discussing:

• Regulations for ECG/QT
• The double-negative conundrum
• Alternative methods for assay sensitivity assessment in routine Phase 1 QT Studies
• Covid-19 and prolonged QT

In Session 2, we will discuss:

• Small increases in blood pressure and CV risk I
• Intermittent versus chronic use hypertension drugs

In Session 3, the meeting faculty will dive into:

• Biomarkers

In Session 4, the panelists will discuss hot topics in the field such as:

• Biologics/cardiomyopathy and vaccine development
• MACE
• Gene therapies
• Wearables

The event will include professionals from FDA Regulatory, Cardiac Safety Consultants, Ltd., Eli Lilly, Richmond Pharmacology, University of Connecticut, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Cleveland Clinic, Clario, Mass General, DSI, Penn Medicine, and UCSF.

There is a registration fee for attendance, for academics it is $275. Registration and more information is available here: https://cardiac-safety.org/

The meeting will be held in person; a recording of the meeting and slide presentations will become available a month after the event occurs.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart 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 Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon, Wednesdays, to be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

April 13 — William Kraus

AARP

Cómo 2 minutos de ejercicio pueden ayudarte a vivir más tiempo

https://duke.is/gzh4e

April 14 — Kathryn Pollak

Cardiovascular Business

A simple way to help cardiologists communicate with patients

https://duke.is/7jyak

April 17 — Pamela Douglas

Drugs.com

Daily Statin Reduces the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in People Living with HIV, Large NIH Study Finds

https://duke.is/mn5fw

April 19 — Manesh Patel

Time

What to Know About Damar Hamlin’s Heart Event, Commotio Cordis

https://duke.is/p84fd

April 19 — Harry Severance

Medpage Today

Suits vs Scrubs: The Evolving Healthcare Workplace

https://duke.is/4eggz

April 19 — Conrad Hodgkinson

Medical Xpress

A second chance for a healthy heart: Using cellular reprogramming to eliminate scar tissue

https://duke.is/29nc9

April 19 — Conrad Hodgkinson

News Medical Life Sciences

Mice study reveals a way to turn back the clock after heart attack

https://duke.is/gyja7

April 20 — Conrad Hodgkinson

Technology Networks

Reverting Adult Cardiac Fibroblasts to Their Neonatal Phenotype Improves Reprogramming Efficacy

https://duke.is/9umwx

April 20 — Conrad Hodgkinson

StudyFinds.org

Second chance at life: Scientists find way to make damaged hearts young again

https://duke.is/vub4w

April 20 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live

Optimal Uptake of SGLT2 Inhibitors Could Prevent or Postpone 7 Million Heart Failure Events Over 3 Years

https://duke.is/z33ra

April 20 — Pamela Douglas

WNCN CBS-17, Raleigh-Durham

New research shows benefit of statins for people with HIV

https://duke.is/mcfb7

*clip begins @ 16:42:00; story also carried by WBTW-TV CBS-13, Myrtle Beach

Division of Cardiology Publications Indexed in PubMed March 31 – April 6, 2022

Avezum Á, Oliveira GBF, Oliveira H, Lucchetta RC, Pereira VFA, Dabarian AL, D O Vieira R, Silva DV, Kormann APM, Tognon AP, De Gasperi R, Hernandes ME, Feitosa ADM, Piscopo A, Souza AS, Miguel CH, Nogueira VO, Minelli C, Magalhães CC, Morejon KML, Bicudo et al. Hydroxychloroquine versus placebo in the treatment of non-hospitalised patients with COVID-19 (COPE – Coalition V): A double-blind, multicentre, randomised, controlled trial. Lancet Reg Health Am 2022 Jul;11:100243. PM: 35378952.

Bishawi M, Lee FH, Abraham DM, Glass C, Blocker SJ, Cox DJ, Brown ZD, Rockman HA, Mao L, Slaba TC, Dewhirst MW, Truskey GA, Bowles DE. Late onset cardiovascular dysfunction in adult mice resulting from galactic cosmic ray exposure. iScience 2022 Mar 16;25(4):104086. PM: 35378858.

Coylewright M, Dodge SE, Bachour K, Hossain S, Zeitler EP, Kearing S, Douglas PS, Holmes D, Reddy VY, Nair D. Women in procedural leadership roles in cardiology: The Women In Local Leadership (WILL) observational study. Heart Rhythm 2022 Apr;19(4):623-629. PM: 34923161.

Dong OM, Poonnen PJ, Winski D, Reed SD, Vashistha V, Bates J, Kelley MJ, Voora D. Cost-Effectiveness of Tumor Genomic Profiling to Guide First-Line Targeted Therapy Selection in Patients With Metastatic Lung Adenocarcinoma. Value Health 2022 Apr;25(4):582-594. PM: 35365302.

Dzau VJ, Ellaissi WF, Krishnan KRR, Balatbat CA. How Academic Health Systems Can Be Ready for the Next Pandemic. Acad Med 2022 Apr 1;97(4):479-483. PM: 34966030.

Khan MS, Segar MW, Usman MS, Singh S, Greene SJ, Fonarow GC, Anker SD, Felker GM, Januzzi JL, Butler J, Pandey A. Frailty, Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy, and Outcomes in HFrEF: From the GUIDE-IT Trial. JACC Heart Fail 2022 Apr;10(4):266-275. PM: 35361446.

Martin CK, Höchsmann C, Dorling JL, Bhapkar M, Pieper CF, Racette SB, Das SK, Redman LM, Kraus WE, Ravussin E. Challenges in defining successful adherence to calorie restriction goals in humans: Results from CALERIE™ 2. Exp Gerontol 2022 Jun 1;162:111757. PM: 35240264.

Morrill J, Qirko K, Kelly J, Ambrosy A, Toro B, Smith T, Wysham N, Fudim M, Swaminathan S. A Machine Learning Methodology for Identification and Triage of Heart Failure Exacerbations. J Cardiovasc Transl Res 2022 Feb;15(1):103-115. PM: 34453676.

Rao VN, Fudim M, Wang J. Beyond the Anatomy of Renal Nerves: Functional Diversity of Renal Nerves. J Cardiovasc Transl Res 2022 Feb;15(1):27-28. PM: 35212975.

Tobin RS, Cosiano MF, O’Connor CM, Fiuzat M, Granger BB, Rogers JG, Tulsky JA, Steinhauser KE, Mentz RJ. Spirituality in Patients With Heart Failure. JACC Heart Fail 2022 Apr;10(4):217-226. PM: 35361439.

Vinson AJ, Singh S, Chadban S, Cherney D, Gaber O, Gill JS, Helgeson E, Herzog CA, Jardine M, Jha V, Kasiske BL, Mannon RB, Michos ED, Mottl AK, Newby K, Roy-Chaudhury P, Sawinski D, Sharif A, Sridhar VS, Tuttle KR, Vock DM, Matas A. Premature Death in Kidney Transplant Recipients: The Time for Trials is Now. J Am Soc Nephrol 2022 Apr;33(4):665-673. PM: 35292438.

Xiong X, Nazo N, Revoori R, Rajagopal S, Sparks MA. G protein- and -arrestin Signaling Profiles of Endothelin Derivatives at the Type A Endothelin Receptor. Kidney360 2021 May 17;2(7):1124-1131. PM: 35368349.

Xu H, Granger BB, Drake CD, Peterson ED, Dupre ME. Effectiveness of Telemedicine Visits in Reducing 30-Day Readmissions Among Patients With Heart Failure During the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Am Heart Assoc 2022 Apr 5;11(7):e023935. PM: 35229656.

 

 

Highlights of the week:

REPRIEVE Study Stopped Early for Efficacy

A National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinical trial was stopped early because a daily statin medication was found to reduce the increased risk of cardiovascular disease among people living with HIV in the first large-scale clinical study to test a primary cardiovascular prevention strategy in this population. A planned interim analysis of data from the Randomized Trial to Prevent Vascular Events in HIV (REPRIEVE) study found that participants who took pitavastatin calcium, a daily statin, lowered their risk of major adverse cardiovascular events by 35% compared with those receiving a placebo. Adverse drug events observed in the study were like those in the general population taking statin therapy. The interim analysis was sufficiently compelling that the study’s independent Data Safety and Monitoring Board (DSMB) recommended it be stopped early given adequate evidence of efficacy. The NIH accepted the DSMB recommendations.

REPRIEVE began in 2015 and enrolled 7,769 volunteers who were 40 to 75 years of age, of whom more than 30% were women. REPRIEVE volunteers were all taking antiretroviral therapy, with CD4+ cell counts greater than 100 cells/mm3 of blood at enrollment, and had low-to-moderate traditional cardiovascular disease risk that would not typically be considered for statin treatment. The trial was conducted in 12 countries in Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Africa.

The REPRIEVE study is primarily supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) with additional funding from the NIH Office of AIDS Research. The study was conducted by the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG).

Decades of research and advances in HIV treatment have drastically reduced AIDS-related complications and deaths. As people with HIV live longer, premature heart disease and other chronic conditions have emerged as leading causes of morbidity and mortality, contributing to persistent gaps in lifespan between people with HIV and the broader population.

“The epidemiologic evidence is that there’s about twice the risk of heart disease in people with HIV than there are in non-infected people with the same level of traditional, normal type risk factors, said Pamela S. Douglas, MD, the Ursula Geller Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases at Duke and a co-principal investigator of the Clinical Coordinating Center. “So, there’s something else that’s contributing to their heart disease. This is a population that we would never have normally, under current practice, thought about putting on a cardiac prevention medication because we wouldn’t think of it as being effective. Initial findings showed that yes, the pills were effective in lowering LDL, so they did what they were supposed to do – but the magnitude of the benefit from the statin is twice as great as one would expect from lowering the LDL cholesterol.”

Statins are a class of medicines routinely prescribed to lower cholesterol and are known to prevent cardiovascular disease in those at risk in the general population. It was not clear if statins would have the same effect in people living with HIV and who have premature cardiovascular disease despite having low-to-moderate traditional risk.  In the REPRIEVE trial, participants were randomly assigned to receive a daily dose of 4 mg of pitavastatin or placebo. They were monitored for major adverse cardiovascular events and adverse reactions to pitavastatin, which is considered safe for use with all prescribed antiretroviral therapy regimens.

The study’s DSMB met at planned intervals throughout the study to review safety and efficacy data. In its most recent meeting, the DSMB determined that the benefits of daily pitavastatin use outweighed any risks and recommended that the study terminate early, and that a full data collection be conducted across sites for final analysis. Study participants are being notified of the findings and will continue to be monitored for several months. Study results from the DSMB review are expected to be published in the coming weeks.

“These latest findings represent the culmination of an unprecedented eight-year effort to generate evidence that can help clinicians better support the unique cardiovascular health needs of people living with HIV,” said NHLBI Director Gary H. Gibbons, MD “REPRIEVE is important because there are limited existing interventions to help prevent adverse cardiovascular outcomes in this population.”

The REPRIEVE study was funded by a grant to the Massachusetts General Hospital and led by Steven Grinspoon, MD, professor of medicine at Harvard University, endowed chair in Neuroendocrinology and Metabolism and chief of the metabolism unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, who directed the study’s Clinical Coordinating Center. Pamela Douglas, MD, the Ursula Geller Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases in the Duke University Department of Medicine, was co-principal investigator of the Clinical Coordinating Center.

Michael T. Lu, MD, co-director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center, and Heather Ribaudo, PhD, a principal research scientist at the Center for Biostatistics in AIDS Research and the Department of Biostatistics at Harvard University, served as leads of the REPRIEVE study’s Data Coordinating Center. The study was conducted by the NIAID-funded ACTG. Additional implementation support was provided by the London-based NEAT ID Foundation, Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Viiv Healthcare.

 

D’Amico Receives Surgeon of the Year Award from the TBJ

We are very excited to share that thoracic surgeon Thomas A. D’Amico, MD was awarded Surgeon of the Year by the Triangle Business Journal (TBJ). He was one of 14 honorees recognized on Thursday, April 13 during the TBJ’s 2023 Health Care Leadership Awards dinner. D’Amico, the Gary Hock Endowed Professor of Surgery and a faculty member within Duke’s Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, was one of four award winners from across Duke University Health System.

This is a very well-deserved honor. Please join us in congratulating him when you see him. Congratulations, Tommy! A link to a PDF of the news story appears below, under News.

 

Ross Receives AHA Career Development Award

Congratulations to Leanna Ross, a newly appointed medical instructor in the division of cardiology and a member of the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute (DMPI) – she has received a Career Development Award from the American Heart Association (AHA). The three-year award, which began April 1, is for her project, “A Precision Health Approach to Target Exercise Interventions for Short- and Long-term Cardiometabolic Health Benefits”

Ross has been at Duke since 2017 when she arrived as a postdoc. Her primary mentor since then has been cardiologist William Kraus, MD, the principal investigator on the STRRIDE research clinical trials, which were seminal to the field of exercise science and to overall understanding of the effects of exercise on health.

“The STRRIDE trials were really the first of what we call dose-response exercise trials that were able to truly compare, for example, a moderate amount of aerobic exercise versus a vigorous amount of exercise, and that if you keep the amount constant, you can actually isolate the intensity effects,” Ross says as she described the background inspiration for her project. “These trials really focused on cardiometabolic health outcomes and because of these studies, we were inspired to complete 10-year observational follow-up of the participants that were originally in the STRRIDE trials. These observations are what we call the STRRIDE Reunion studies.”

The first of the Reunion studies was completed before Ross came to Duke, but she arrived in time to help in the analysis of the data and getting the first several STRRIDE Reunion papers published. Ross and the team saw that, among the Reunion participants, there were lasting cardiometabolic and fitness health effects 10 years later for those who participated in an exercise group, compared to those that didn’t do any exercise at all, that had been in the inactive control group.

“I can’t say enough about how incredible this study is, even though it might seem like the testing we’re doing is pretty simple follow-up testing and that it’s just an observational study,” Ross adds. “The interactions and the results that we’re getting from it, I think, are going to have huge implications not just for clinical purposes, but also from a public health perspective.

“Most of our nation is physically inactive, but if you can get them to exercise in their midlife for, say, a concentrated period of time and they then have lasting health effects, we may see real impacts from the individual to public health and to medical expenditure costs within the cardiometabolic disease space.”

In terms of the AHA Career Development Award, Ross says she was drawn to apply because of her recent transition from a postdoctoral position into a faculty position and thinking about ways to further her growth, as well as some early involvement in AHA committee work.

“In order to be a leading clinical trialist in my field of exercise, physiology, and cardiometabolic health, there really are so many other skills that I want to learn. One of those is developing a better appreciation for more sophisticated bioinformatics and health data science approaches that we can apply to our clinical trial data to get a better understanding of what’s truly causing exercise to have these long-lasting effects. Then, determining if we can utilize that information and distill it towards what I’m really interested in — which is can we more precisely prescribe a certain exercise intervention for a certain person with a certain health condition and maximize their probability that they’re going to see an improvement in whatever that health factor is for them?”

The career development award is the perfect avenue for her project, she says, because it allows for a mentor training plan in addition to the research plan proposal. She’ll continue to work with Kraus as her primary mentor, but is adding Constantin Aliferis, MD, PhD and Sisi Ma, PhD, of the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Health Informatics as secondary mentors. Ross describes both Aliferis and Ma as “insanely talented,” and of Kraus she says, “I don’t even know all the words that could describe how amazing he is as a mentor.”

“I am so blessed to have this award. It’s indescribable how honored and happy I feel about how this will help me hone these skills and really get my research underway.”

Ross currently serves as the chair of the Early Career Committee for the AHA’s Lifestyle Council. She gives a lot of credit to the AHA for the value they place on early career investigators.

“It’s really amazing to me how much they’re valuing early career investigators like myself and trying to get them involved in all aspects of the AHA – from research awards to moderating presentations and being a part of scientific statements – all kinds of ways that can help foster new connections and networking, and give us those opportunities that I think traditionally were reserved for more senior faculty. This has been an incredible experience for me to become involved with the AHA at such an early stage of my career.”

In thinking about her research and career goals, Ross adds that she wants even more people to understand the power and value of exercise. “It gets complicated when we think about what we call ‘exercise prescriptions’ because there are different amounts, intensities, modes, and durations of exercise programs. We are working to be able to tailor and target those a little bit better for certain people and populations. But overall, the value of exercise and physical activity can just do wonders for not only primordial and primary prevention, but also for secondary prevention.”

To learn more about the work Ross, Kraus and others on their team are doing, you can check the DMPI website for additional information. For those interested in participating or referring patients to a future study, you can learn more about what is available here: Duke Health and Exercise Research Trials.

Ross also welcomes interested parties to contact her via email if you’re interested in learning more about the work or if interested in future collaborations. Also available on the DMPI webpage, is information about the Human Physiology Testing Core section with links to an overview of the types of testing and services the team provides.

Finally, if anyone would like to check out publications from the first STRRIDE Reunion study, here are links to two of the publications: https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2019.00452 and https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.119.012876.

Congratulations, Leanna! We’re excited to follow the work you’re doing!

 

Patel Featured by AHA

As the AHA leads up to its annual National Volunteer Awards event in June, they are issuing features on each of the award winners. This past week was Manesh Patel’s turn to be highlighted – their piece, 2023 AHA Physician of the Year followed his dream of making a difference is a wonderful overview of what drives Patel in his passion for cardiovascular care.

 

Shout-out to Burkett!

Melissa Burkett received some terrific feedback via the Press Ganey survey system. A happy patient wrote, “Melissa is phenomenal – she is very knowledgeable and was well prepared for our session – it made the session very valuable!”

“Amazing job, Melissa – thank you!!!!!” — Jamie Hilton, Nurse Manager, Operations, Clinic 2F/2G

“Melissa is a truly amazing provider and individual. Melissa, kudos for all you do to make Duke a great place for patients, families and other staff.” — Jill Engel, Service Line VP, Duke Heart & Vascular

 

 

 

 

 

Great Catch, Lennon!

Zachary Lennon,  ACNP, 7 West,  received a Great Catch this week.

Lennon noticed that an IV anticoagulant with a very short half-life had been turned off prior to administration of the oral anticoagulant that the patient was bridging to, and immediately ensured that the IV anticoagulant was re-started.  His quick action ensured that the patient remained appropriately anticoagulated, possibly preventing re-occlusion of a recently placed coronary artery stent.

“As some of you know, Zach’s actions prevented a potential repeated medication related sentinel event involving transition from cangrelor to Plavix,” wrote Kara Lyven in a note to colleagues. “Zach had to be reminded of his great catch — which demonstrates his humility and how diligent he is every day — noting that this catch was ‘just’ part of his normal every day work!”

Lynn McGugan added, “Zack is always doing a great job and this is just one instance where someone reported it! Glad he works with us in the CTICU.”

Way to go, Zack!

 

NDLM Spirit Week Celebrated by Cardiopulmonary Rehab Team

Members of the Duke Heart cardiopulmonary team hosted an awareness table at their clinic on Hillandale Rd. in order to celebrate Spirit Week as part of National Donate Life Month (NDLM). The team shared the Donate Life message by educating others about how signing up to become an organ donor can help save lives, and helped celebrate donor recipients in the process.

Donate Life America takes the lead on NDLM, an observance that aims to focus our national attention on the need for and importance of organ, eye and tissue donation. Living Donor Day was celebrated on April 5 and the Donate Life Blue & Green Spirit Week was April 8-14.

Great job, Rehab team!!

Scheyer Featured Speaker at Upcoming DCRI Research Forum

The Duke Clinical Research Institute will hold a Research Forum on April 25, featuring a fireside chat with Duke Men’s Basketball head coach Jon Scheyer. The DCRI team is looking forward to hosting Coach Scheyer virtually to discuss his journey and the philosophy that keeps him focused on success — both his personal success and the success of his team. They will also address how his philosophy and resilience translates to healthcare and the DCRI’s approach to enhancing human health.

DCRI Research Forum: A Conversation with Duke Men’s Basketball Head Coach Jon Scheyer

Tuesday, April 25 from Noon-1 p.m. EST

Zoom Link:  DCRI Research Forum

This event is open to all interested faculty, staff, and students.

 

Next weekend: NC Walk for Victory!

Please help Duke Heart in supporting patients with Marfan and other connective tissue disorders by supporting our efforts with the upcoming 2023 NC Walk for Victory.

The 2023 NC Walk for Victory will take place Saturday, April 22 from Noon-3 p.m. at Laurel Hills Park, 3808 Edwards Mill Rd., Raleigh (27612). Duke Heart is serving as the presenting sponsor, with Dr. Chad Hughes serving as the Walk’s Medical Director.

This event is held to gather patients, family members and friends who are affected by genetic aortic and vascular conditions, including Marfan Syndrome, Loeys-Dietz, and Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndromes. Attendees come from all over the southeast region of the U.S. to celebrate one another and to forge friendships with others going through similar experiences.

The Walk for Victory is a fun, family-friendly event that recognizes an incredible group of people and their caregivers. The Walk helps to create awareness in the community, and is one way the Marfan Foundation raises funding for much-needed research into these genetic conditions.

It is not too late to support Duke Heart’s Duke Aorta team captain Melissa Burkett! Check out Duke Aorta’s team fundraising page for The Marfan Foundation: https://give.marfan.org/team/482581). Every donation will help!

To learn more about the event or the Marfan Foundation in general, please visit: https://duke.is/pkjnw. Thank you!

 

Better Together: A Culture Campaign

With so much change on the horizon for Duke Health, we have a once-in-an-era opportunity to define who we are for a new chapter, taking the best of our past and adding new ways to our future to become better together. What does it mean to become better together? It means defining our culture — who and how we want to be. We’ll look at ourselves in the mirror, keep what we like, and intentionally set aside the rest, designing a new path where everyone feels heard, valued, seen, and respected. Watch this short video to learn more.

Now is the time to act by sharing what you would keep that is good and what you would change about Duke Health. You can use this link to answer questions online, 24/7 through Tuesday, April 18.

Click here for a fact sheet to learn more.

Quick Reminders & Updates

• In light of the decreased community incidence of Covid-19 infections and a robust supply of PPE, DUHS is preparing to move to Tier 1 status. Stay tuned for updates on timing.
• The Dept. of Surgery announced last week that starting tomorrow, April 17, asymptomatic perioperative patients who have not been exposed to Covid will no longer be required to have a preoperative Covid nucleic acid assay test.
• Please participate in the Better Together online questionnaire by April 18. Link above.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

April 18: Genetic Cardiomyopathies and Heart Failure: Back to Bases with Karen Rosario. 5 p.m., Zoom only.

April 25: Regulatory Guidance for Cardiovascular Outcomes Trials of Antihyperglycemic Agents: Connecting the Past with the Future with Darren K. McGuire, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center & Parkland Health and Hospital System; Deputy Editor, Circulation. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

ICYMI: Links to Recent CGRs

April 4: Matt Carlisle of Duke Health presentation, Atrial Fibrillation: Contemporary Management of a Common Arrhythmia. https://duke.is/ytg6n

 

Final Day of Dean’s Research Series This Week

The final day of the Dean’s Research Series will be Thursday, April 20. Full schedule and details can be found at medschool.duke.edu/research-series. The Zoom link for all faculty lectures is https://bit.ly/Duke-DDRS.

The Duke University School of Medicine’s Dean’s Distinguished Research Series showcases groundbreaking research from the basic, clinical, and translational sciences. All faculty, staff, trainees and students are welcome to attend.

 

April 28: DOM Research Day

The Duke Department of Medicine will hold their inaugural Research Day on Friday, April 28, 2023, at the Trent Semans Center in the Great Hall from 8 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

This event is for all departmental faculty, clinical and postdoctoral fellows, residents, medical students, and research staff. Lunch is included. For questions regarding Research Day contact Saini Pillai, MBA. A copy of the agenda can be found here.

Sudarshan Rajagopal, MD, PhD, associate professor of cardiology and a PI in the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center is one of four presenters during the faculty speaker session. Rajagopal will discuss recent research from his lab that demonstrates new modes of signaling by receptors and its potential impact on drug development.

 

Funding Opportunity: The Mario Family Foundation Award

Training the next generation of biomedical researchers is an important core mission of the Department of Medicine. We admit the most promising, dedicated fellows into our programs, and provide experiences that will allow them to put their passion for medicine to work. These fellows will be tomorrow’s leaders in science and medicine. The Mario Family Foundation has generously supported this mission to support junior investigators in training to make the transition to become independent scientists and planning for their first extra-mural funding.

The Department of Medicine is accepting applications from fellows in specialty training for the Mario Family Foundation Award, which funds two patient-oriented research (clinical or translational) proposals for one year of funding.  The total funding for all proposal expenses is $35,000.

Applications must be submitted electronically no later than Monday, May 1, 2023, 5p.m.

Applications will be peer reviewed by a panel of senior scientists from the Department of Medicine.  Proposals will be judged on scientific-merit, rigor, and quality of project.  Our intent is to complete reviews and start funding by July 1, 2023.

Additional details and application information can be found on the Mario Family Foundation Award webpage. For project-related questions, please contact Saini Pillai, MBA, Senior Program Coordinator, Chair’s Office.

 

2023 Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine

The Duke Department of Medicine has announced the 2023 Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine (LRPDIM). This award is part of a series of mentored career development opportunities offered by the Department of Medicine and is designed to fund members of groups underrepresented in medicine who, as a group, are disproportionately impacted by student loans. This financial burden impedes the retention, recruitment, and diversification of research faculty in our department.

We encourage investigators from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds who are under-represented in Medicine to consider applying. The LRPDIM award repays up to $50,000, annually for up to two years, of a researcher’s qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in research.  Up to two applicants will be funded (July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025).  The award recipient must remain a full-time employee of the DOM to receive the full amount of the award. Award funds are not restricted and can be used at the awardee’s discretion. If the research commitment is not met, recipients must pay back the amount awarded.

The 2023 LRPDIM Award application deadline is May 12, 2023, at 5 p.m.  Eligibility criteria, detailed information about the Award, and the application form are available on the DOM Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion website. For program-related questions, please contact Kimberly Dorman, Special Assistant to the Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Diversity in the Chair’s Office.

 

1st Open BAA for innovative high-impact research proposals

ARPA-H opened its first Agency-wide Open Broad Agency Announcement (Open BAA), seeking funding proposals for research aiming to improve health outcomes across patient populations, communities, diseases, and health conditions. The BAA calls for proposals to outline breakthrough research and technological advancements.

Proposals should investigate unconventional approaches, and challenge accepted assumptions to enable leaps forward in science, technology, systems, or related capabilities. ARPA-H also encourages concepts to advance the objectives of President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot, as well as more disease-agnostic approaches.

View the Open BAA

For questions, please contact baaquestions@arpa-h.gov.

 

Cardiac Safety Research Consortium Think Tank Meeting, June 7

The Cardiac Safety Research Consortium will hold a Think Tank meeting on June 7. The event,  CSRC Think Tank: Update on Regulatory Status of Hypertension, Biomarkers and Arrhythmia Monitoring in Clinical Trials will be held at the FDA.

In Session 1, these leading industry professionals will speak on panels discussing:

• Regulations for ECG/QT
• The double-negative conundrum
• Alternative methods for assay sensitivity assessment in routine Phase 1 QT Studies
• Covid-19 and prolonged QT

In Session 2, we will discuss:

• Small increases in blood pressure and CV risk I
• Intermittent versus chronic use hypertension drugs

In Session 3, the meeting faculty will dive into:

• Biomarkers

In Session 4, the panelists will discuss hot topics in the field such as:

• Biologics/cardiomyopathy and vaccine development
• MACE
• Gene therapies
• Wearables

The event will include professionals from FDA Regulatory, Cardiac Safety Consultants, Ltd., Eli Lilly, Richmond Pharmacology, University of Connecticut, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Cleveland Clinic, Clario, Mass General, DSI, Penn Medicine, and UCSF.

There is a registration fee for attendance, for academics it is $275. Registration and more information is available here: https://cardiac-safety.org/

The meeting will be held in person; a recording of the meeting and slide presentations will become available a month after the event occurs.

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart 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 Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon, Wednesdays, to be considered for weekend inclusion.

Duke Heart in the News:

April 6 — Joseph Lerman

Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology

Latest Clinical Evidence Points to Paragonix SherpaPak as a Tool to Reduce Unpredictable, Severe Complications following Heart Transplantation

https://duke.is/p9x5k

April 9 — Neha Pagidipati

Health Digest

Weight Loss Can Be Heart Healthy Even If Some Pounds Return

https://duke.is/4qnme

April 10 — Allison Dimsdale

Healthleaders

The Exec: Advanced practice providers key to managing physician shortages

https://duke.is/zj7qq

April 10 — Michael Pencina

The Evolving Enterprise

Coalition for Health AI unveils Blueprint for Trustworthy AI in healthcare

https://duke.is/msrhm

April 11 — Duke University (Geoff Ginsburg)

NC Health News

Typical medical research hasn’t included everyone. This program wants to build the nation’s most diversified research database.

https://duke.is/rrxxm

April 11 — Pamela Douglas

NIH News

Daily statin reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in people living with HIV, large NIH study finds

https://duke.is/vnmfa

April 13 — Thomas D’Amico

Triangle Business Journal

2023 Health Care Leadership Awards: Dr. Thomas D’Amico – Duke Thoracic Surgery

https://duke.box.com/s/xfjh6pqxr21w1y6to2b5vnhhtagnpx3t

(link is to a PDF)

April 13 — David H. Noyd (adjunct pediatrics)

Healio/Cardiology

CV risk factor disparities in childhood cancer survivors similar to general population

https://duke.is/jtn4u

April 13 — Christopher Granger

Medpage Today

Standard-Dose DOAC Better for Kidney-Impaired Patients

https://duke.is/yuhvj

Chief’s message:

Happy Easter and Holy Season:
Despite the heavy rains and cold winds in Durham over the last few days, today morning saw sunshine and green everywhere as spring is upon us.  Today’s beautiful weather and bright sky with clear views of our area highlight the spring renewal.  Whether you are celebrating Easter, Ramadan, or Passover, these holy days carry symbolic resonance. The arrival of Spring with budding flowers, green cover, and trees starting to blossom in concert with these days make us optimistic and hopeful for a future of peace, forgiveness, love and health for our communities and families.  Having been on call this weekend, it is also a time to again recognize the tremendous efforts of our staff, nurses, physicians’ assistants, fellows, residents, and faculty in caring for our patients and each other.  Wishing you time with your family and loved ones.

 

Highlights of the week:

Study Examines Reluctance of Black Patients to Get Defibrillators

Black patients at risk for sudden cardiac arrest have historically been less likely to receive potentially life-saving implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) than white patients.

 

The reasons for this inequity are multifactorial and include a higher rate of refusal to have the implant among Black patients.

To address this reluctance, Duke Health researchers developed a video-based decision aid for Black patients. The intervention was tested in a randomized clinical trial, with results appearing online April 3 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Study investigators — including lead author Kevin Thomas, MD, professor of medicine in cardiology and vice dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Duke University School of Medicine — found that while increasing patient knowledge, the video did not increase the number of Black patients choosing to pursue ICD implantation.

Thomas and colleagues found that approximately 60% of study participants chose to undergo ICD implantation and the video tool performed no better or worse than the usual patient education provided by the physician and care team in the clinical setting.

The study also aimed to assess whether the racial identities of the video participants would increase the likelihood that Black patients at risk for cardiac arrest would opt for an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).

One video decision aid featured a Black physician and testimonials from Black patients; a second video had a white clinician and white patient testimonials. The video tool featuring Black physicians and patients led to outcomes that were the same as a video featuring white physicians and patients.

The findings highlight a need for additional understanding of the factors Black patients consider in medical decision-making along racial lines and other contributors to racial inequities in ICD implantation.

Thomas said biomedical research often focuses on describing health inequities, rather than probing the reasons for the inequity and devising interventions to address the inequity and testing them in a methodologically rigorous way.

“There are so many things that could contribute to a person’s decision about a procedure to implant a medical device, and many of those are cultural,” Thomas said. “One question to ask is how a patient feels about their quality of life rather than longevity.

“Furthermore, I’ve had patients say, ‘I don’t want something inside my body, I just don’t,’” Thomas said. “And so, the question becomes, do those personal values that influence preferences differ by race and culture.”

Beyond the findings, Thomas said the existence of the study itself is significant. It included 343 Black participants, and of those who were approached for the study, 80% said yes to enrolling.

“This is evidence to support that one of the biggest reasons that we don’t have more diversity in clinical trials is that we don’t ask people of color to participate,” Thomas said. “If you ask, they’re going to be more likely to participate.”

While he said he was surprised by the result, he said the study is a model for a more relevant approach and points to a need for continued research that seeks to understand the complex interplay of how social determinants of health and cultural influences drive medical decision-making and health outcomes.

In addition to Thomas, study authors include Sana M. Al-Khatib; Andrzej S. Kosinski; Samuel F. Sears, Jr.; Nancy M. Allen LaPointe; Larry R. Jackson II; Daniel D. Matlock; Daniel Haithcock; B. Judson Colley III; David S. Hirsh; and Eric D. Peterson.

The study was funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (AD-1503-29746).

 

Jennifer Rymer to be Associate Program Director for Interventional Cardiology Fellowship:

We are excited to announce that Jenn Rymer has been selected to support our Cath Lab faculty in

the training of our interventional fellows as the Associate Program Director for the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship.  Jenn finished her interventional fellowship 3 years ago and since then has done amazing work in the field of interventional cardiology.  In three short years she has won the Women as One escalator award given to select international interventional faculty, she was the recipient of the TCT 2022 Thomas J. Linnemeier “Spirit of Interventional Cardiology” Young Investigator Award, and she has been the named as one of the SCAI 30 in their 30’s in interventional cardiology.  Jenn has done all of this while working tirelessly to include, educate, and mentor our general cardiology and interventional cardiology fellows, with an emphasis of understanding and caring for patients with vascular disease.  In this opportunity, she will play an important role in helping us continue to improve our interventional fellowship including the didactic, skills based, and critical decision-making components.  Additionally, she will work to continue to help mentor our fellows in research work across the division.  “Jenn is clearly a rising star in interventional cardiology, and we are excited to have her take a larger role in the fellowship program. She will continue to educate our fellows, ensure we continue to innovate, and focus on ways to make our interventional fellows the future leaders in the field”, said Schuyler Jones, Cath Lab Director and Program Director for Interventional fellowship. Please congratulate Jenn when you see her.

 

Reminder! Relocation of DN 7100 Scheduled for Friday, April 14

The Duke North 100 tower is in the process of being renovated. Unit 7100 will be relocated to Duke North 2200 (16 bed unit) and 3200 (16 bed unit) on Friday, April 14, 2023. These units were specially selected for several reasons. First, their close proximity to each other and to other Heart units; second, the provision of 32 beds for Cardiology patients, and finally, it being move-in ready after recent renovations were completed. Eight Emergency Department admit-hold patients relocated from 2200 to 7201-7208 on April 7.

There will be no change in the patient population cared for on Units 2200/3200. We expect to feature photos showcasing the move in an upcoming issue of Pulse.

 

Lerman Named 2023-2024 Chief Fellow, Cardiology

Congratulations to Joe Lerman, MD – a fellow in our Cardiology training program. He has been named Chief Cardiology Fellow for 2023-2024. The news was announced by cardiology fellowship program director, Anna Lisa Chamis, MD, on Friday.

Lerman was born in Chicago, IL, and is one of five siblings. He obtained a BA in Political Science from Brown University. He then spent one year in Peru on a global health fellowship, prior to attending the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. During medical school, he received an NIH Medical Research Scholars’ Fellowship and spent one year at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Joe and his wife, Dr. Eliana Saltzman (Orthopedics), couples matched to Duke in 2017. Joe is currently a T32 Research Fellow at the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) and will begin his Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology Fellowship in 2024.

In his spare time, Joe enjoys being with his family, chasing after his daughter, Natalie (2 years old), traveling, riding his bike, and hanging out with his amazing co-fellows.

Lerman will onboard with outgoing chief fellow, Chris Wrobel, MD, through May 31. His term will officially begin on June 1.

Congratulations, Joe!

 

Today: Happy Birthday, Dr. Chen!      

On behalf of the entire Duke Heart team, we wish Dr. Edward P. Chen a very happy birthday. Hope you’re having a wonderful birthday weekend, Ed!

 

Better Together: A Culture Campaign

With so much change on the horizon for Duke Health, we have a once-in-an-era opportunity to define who we are for a new chapter, taking the best of our past and adding new ways to our future to become better together. What does it mean to become better together? It means defining our culture — who and how we want to be. We’ll look at ourselves in the mirror, keep what we like, and intentionally set aside the rest, designing a new path where everyone feels heard, valued, seen, and respected. Watch this short video to learn more.

Now is the time to act by joining an online 30-minute listening session during your working hours to share what you would keep that is good and what you would change about Duke Health. We have flexible options for non-traditional schedules. Click here to learn more.

Klotman Announces Inaugural Dean’s Staff Awards

Dr. Mary Klotman this week announced the inaugural Dean’s Staff Awards for the Duke School of Medicine. The Dean’s Staff Awards will be awarded annually to recognize exemplary staff supporting the School of Medicine’s mission and values.

“Our staff are the heart and soul of the School of Medicine,” Klotman says. “I look forward to this opportunity to celebrate their distinctive contributions.”

The Dean’s Staff Awards will be presented in four categories:

• Dean’s Excellence Staff Award, recognizing a staff member who consistently demonstrates excellence in one or more of the following areas: education, research, patient care, or community partnership.
• Professionalism and Integrity Staff Award, recognizing a staff member who demonstrates professionalism and integrity in all aspects of performance and effort.
• Champion of Inclusion Staff Award, recognizing a staff member who demonstrates exemplary leadership toward inclusive excellence and exhibits a high level of respect and service to others.
• Valued Service Staff Award, recognizing a staff member who has positively enhanced the lives of others within the School of Medicine, working behind the scenes with an enthusiastic attitude in whatever capacity is necessary.

Klotman asks that you consider recognizing your outstanding colleagues by completing the brief nomination form.

Anyone can submit a nomination, and any staff member who works at the School of Medicine, or whose work materially contributes to the School of Medicine, may be nominated. Awards committees will review all nominations, and Dr. Klotman will selecting the recipients.

Nomination deadline is April 21, 2023.

More information, eligibility requirements, and the nomination form are available at https://medschool.duke.edu/staff-awards.

Algorithm for Family Presence During Resuscitation Published

Callie Tennyson, DNP, an acute care nurse practitioner with Duke Heart and an assistant professor with Duke University School of Nursing, along with Duke colleagues John P. Oliver, DMin, and Karen Roussel Jooste, MD, MPH, have a manuscript, “Developing a Decision Pathway for Family Presence During Resuscitation,” appearing in the current issue of Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing (May/June 2023).

Tennyson, Oliver, and Roussel Jooste formed an interdisciplinary work group (NP, MD, and Chaplain) and have spent the past four years developing and implementing this model of care within Duke Heart Center. The team participated in the Interprofessional Education Advanced Certificate Program in 2021 offered by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) and Duke AHEAD (Academy for Health Professions Education and Academic Development) in order to advance this work.

“We are working to share our experience and provide adaptable tools for other clinicians wanting to improve their patient- and family-centered care during cardiopulmonary resuscitation,” says Tennyson. “This work has led to international interest and consultation.”

To read the decision-pathway journal article, click here. To connect with the team, please reach out to Callie Tennyson via email.

 

Kudos To Senman!

A big shout-out to cardiology fellow Balim Senman, MD, for the incredible work she put into planning and executing the Duke CICU Hemodynamics Bootcamp held last week.

Senman organized, acquiring funding, managed publicity, and ultimately ran the Bootcamp to rave reviews! She included cardiology fellows from both Duke and UNC, APPs, residents, and others.

“I promise you – as the faculty advisor for this – it was a Herculean effort,” said Jason Katz, MD, co-director of the Duke CICU. “She did this purely to enhance education and did so with money she received in grant funding. We received great feedback from her colleagues across both institutions – which should make us all smile! I’d love to see more opportunities for these joint efforts.”

UNC cardiology fellowship program director Lisa Rose-Jones, MD, concurred.

“Congratulations to Balim on this HUGE success!! I know you put a tremendous amount of time and effort into planning and executing this,” added Rose-Jones. “My fellows raved about it. Thanks for including us and I look forward to more trainee collaboration.”

Way to go, Balim!

Kudos to Klapper!

Lisa Clark Pickett, MD, shared a patient compliment for Jacob Klapper, MD, thoracic surgeon, with us from the Patient Satisfaction Survey – she wrote:

“Good Afternoon, Jacob. While reading comments on our Patient Satisfaction Survey, I was so pleased to see another lovely compliment about you and your team!!!  Thank you for the dedication, excellence, and compassion you demonstrate every day.” – Lisa

The patient had submitted the following:

“The nurses were AWESOME. All staff was very kind and professional! Dr. Klapper & staff are the BEST!” – Name withheld for privacy

“Dr. Klapper is one of the hardest working surgeons in our division and the care he provides to our patients is simply outstanding.” – Edward P. Chen, chief, division of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery

Great work, Jacob!

 

Shout-out to DeMuro and Davis!

Jill Engel shared with us a terrific note she received from the friend of a recent Duke Heart patient.

“I want to give a huge shout-out to Terri DeMuro and Ashlee Davis in the echo lab for going way out of their way to help my friend out on Monday.

I brought a friend to Duke South for a pre-op cards consult with Carolyn Lekavich prior to her TKR. She ended up needing an echo, which was scheduled for the next day, which would have been very difficult for her to travel back to Duke.

So, as a former colleague, I called Terri to see if she could help. Like most Duke employees, they both went out of their way to smooth the path for my friend, for which I am so very grateful.

In this world of hearing so much negative feedback, I felt it important to give Terri and Ashlee credit for what they did for the patient, and for me. Carolyn deserves a big thanks, too!” — Name withheld for privacy

“Kudos to both of you for supporting a preop patient in expediting their cardiac workup! It is team members and leaders like both of you who make Duke the great place it is for our patients, families and teams!” — Jill Engel, DNP, Service Line Vice President – Heart & Vascular

Nicely done, Terri & Ashlee!

 

This Week: NDLM Spirit Week

Donate Life America takes the lead on National Donate Life Month (NDLM), an observance that aims to focus our national attention on the need for and importance of organ, eye and tissue donation. Living Donor Day was celebrated on April 5 and the Donate Life Blue & Green Spirit Week is this week, April 8-14.

Members of the Duke Heart cardiopulmonary team will host an awareness table outside of their clinic on Hillandale Rd. to share the Donate Life message by educating others about how their generosity can help save lives. Their table will be available April 10-14 (on Tues., Wed., and Friday only) from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Please consider stopping by to say hello – our team will celebrate the lifesaving generosity of those who sign on as potential donors, as well as living donors, and will ultimately help others learn more about organ donation.

Scheyer is the Featured Guest at Upcoming DCRI Research Forum

The Duke Clinical Research Institute will hold a Research Forum on April 25, featuring a fireside chat with Duke Men’s Basketball head coach Jon Scheyer. The DCRI team is looking forward to hosting Coach Scheyer virtually to discuss his journey and the philosophy that keeps him focused on success — both his personal success and the success of his team. They will also address how his philosophy and resilience translates to healthcare and the DCRI’s approach to enhancing human health.

DCRI Research Forum: A Conversation with Duke Men’s Basketball Head Coach Jon Scheyer

Tuesday, April 25 from 9-10 a.m. EST

Zoom Link:  DCRI Research Forum

 

This event is open to all interested faculty, staff, and students.

 

Support Marfan Patients & Duke Heart!

Please help Duke Heart in supporting patients with Marfan and other connective tissue disorders by supporting our efforts with the upcoming 2023 NC Walk for Victory.

The 2023 NC Walk for Victory is planned for Saturday, April 22 from Noon-3 p.m. at Laurel Hills Park, 3808 Edwards Mill Rd., Raleigh (27612). Duke Heart is serving as the presenting sponsor, with Dr. Chad Hughes serving as the Walk’s Medical Director.

This event is held to gather patients, family members and friends who are affected by genetic aortic and vascular conditions, including Marfan Syndrome, Loeys-Dietz, and Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndromes. Attendees come from all over the southeast region of the U.S. to celebrate one another and to forge friendships with others going through similar experiences.

The Walk for Victory is a fun, family-friendly event that recognizes an incredible group of people and their caregivers. The Walk helps to create awareness in the community, and is one way the Marfan Foundation raises funding for much-needed research into these genetic conditions.

Please consider supporting any of the walkers/teams — maybe throw your support behind Duke Aorta and our team captain Melissa Burkett! Check out Duke Aorta’s team fundraising page for The Marfan Foundation: https://give.marfan.org/team/482581) or behind Team James (“giving hugs and raising awareness since 2018!”). Even small contributions will help!

To learn more about the event or the Marfan Foundation in general, please visit: https://duke.is/pkjnw. Thank you!

Quick Reminders & Updates

• 7100 relocates on Friday, April 14!
• 2022 DCRI Impact Report Now Available
• New funding opportunity for fellows! See Mario Family Foundation Award announcement under Opportunities, below. Deadline to apply is May 1.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

April 11: Multimodality Imaging in MINOCA with Jessica Duran. 5 p.m., Zoom only.

April 18: Genetic Cardiomyopathies and Heart Failure: Back to Bases with Karen Rosario. 5 p.m., Zoom only.

April 25: Regulatory Guidance for Cardiovascular Outcomes Trials of Antihyperglycemic Agents: Connecting the Past with the Future with Darren K. McGuire, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center & Parkland Health and Hospital System; Deputy Editor, Circulation. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

ICYMI: Links to Recent CGRs

March 28: Gregory Roth, director of the Program in Cardiovascular Health Metrics and associate professor of medicine in cardiology at the University of Washington in Seattle, The Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and Risks. https://duke.is/2j4hy.

April 4: Matt Carlisle of Duke Health presentation, Atrial Fibrillation: Contemporary Management of a Common Arrhythmia. https://duke.is/ytg6n

 

Margolis Scholar Hybrid Event

The 2023 Margolis Scholar Presents event, Coordinating Health, Not Just Health Care: Engaging North Carolina Communities to Promote Social Drivers of Health will take place on Friday, April 14, from Noon – 1 p.m. via Zoom and in-person at the Sanford Rhodes Conference Room (Sanford 223).

Organized by the Duke-Margolis Scholars, this special event will bring experts together to discuss how to leverage community partnerships and health care coordination efforts to better address challenges around social determinants of health—locally and nationally. Guest speakers include: Sarah Allin, MPP, North Carolina Integrated Care for Kids (NC InCK) and Erik Valera, El Centro Hispano.

For more event information and to register, please visit: https://duke.is/vrh53.

 

Duke Root Causes Fundraising Gala

We are pleased to invite the Duke Heart team to the first annual Root Causes Fundraising Gala on Friday, April 14th from 7-9 p.m. at Trent Semans Center for Health Education.

Root Causes is an innovation hub for student-led interventions addressing social drivers of health. Our programs provide food to patients who are experiencing food insecurity, support patients experiencing homelessness in their housing journeys, and provide patients with metabolic diseases access to free exercise programs (among many other things we do!)

The event will feature dinner, drinks, a silent auction, and talks from special guests:

• Debra Clark Jones, Associate Vice President for Community Health for Duke Health
• Jeff Baker, Pediatrician and Medical Historian focusing on history, race and health disparities
• Susan Spratt, Endocrinologist and Clinical Researcher focusing on health disparities and ethical use of electronic medical records

The gala will bring together students, community members, and various stakeholders across Duke and the city of Durham to raise funds for our work, to highlight the ongoing work of our community partners in addressing social determinants of health, and to describe a collective vision for what uplifting our neighbors in Durham might look like.

We hope you consider supporting us by attending in person or making a donation online! Thank you in advance for your consideration, and feel free to forward this message to others who might be interested in the event.

Tickets are required and range from $30-55.

 

2023 Dean’s Research Series

The final date of the Dean’s Research Series will be Thursday, April 20. Full schedule and details can be found at medschool.duke.edu/research-series. The Zoom link for all faculty lectures is https://bit.ly/Duke-DDRS.

The Duke University School of Medicine’s Dean’s Distinguished Research Series showcases groundbreaking research from the basic, clinical, and translational sciences. All faculty, staff, trainees and students are welcome to attend.

 

April 28: DOM Research Day

The Duke Department of Medicine will hold their inaugural Research Day on Friday, April 28, 2023, at the Trent Semans Center in the Great Hall from 8 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

This event is for all departmental faculty, clinical and postdoctoral fellows, residents, medical students, and research staff. Lunch is included. For questions regarding Research Day contact Saini Pillai, MBA. A copy of the agenda can be found here.

Sudarshan Rajagopal, MD, PhD, associate professor of cardiology and a PI in the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center is one of four presenters during the faculty speaker session. Rajagopal will discuss recent research from his lab that demonstrates new modes of signaling by receptors and its potential impact on drug development.

Registration is required — deadline extended to April 14. To register: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0Go7ON7eqK4WhMy.

 

Funding Opportunity: The Mario Family Foundation Award

Training the next generation of biomedical researchers is an important core mission of the Department of Medicine. We admit the most promising, dedicated fellows into our programs, and provide experiences that will allow them to put their passion for medicine to work. These fellows will be tomorrow’s leaders in science and medicine. The Mario Family Foundation has generously supported this mission to support junior investigators in training to make the transition to become independent scientists and planning for their first extra-mural funding.

The Department of Medicine is accepting applications from fellows in specialty training for the Mario Family Foundation Award, which funds two patient-oriented research (clinical or translational) proposals for one year of funding.  The total funding for all proposal expenses is $35,000.

Applications must be submitted electronically no later than Monday, May 1, 2023, 5p.m.

Applications will be peer reviewed by a panel of senior scientists from the Department of Medicine.  Proposals will be judged on scientific-merit, rigor, and quality of project.  Our intent is to complete reviews and start funding by July 1, 2023.

Additional details and application information can be found on the Mario Family Foundation Award webpage. For project-related questions, please contact Saini Pillai, MBA, Senior Program Coordinator, Chair’s Office.

 

2023 Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine

The Duke Department of Medicine has announced the 2023 Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine (LRPDIM). This award is part of a series of mentored career development opportunities offered by the Department of Medicine and is designed to fund members of groups underrepresented in medicine who, as a group, are disproportionately impacted by student loans. This financial burden impedes the retention, recruitment, and diversification of research faculty in our department.

We encourage investigators from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds who are under-represented in Medicine to consider applying. The LRPDIM award repays up to $50,000, annually for up to two years, of a researcher’s qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in research.  Up to two applicants will be funded (July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025).  The award recipient must remain a full-time employee of the DOM to receive the full amount of the award. Award funds are not restricted and can be used at the awardee’s discretion. If the research commitment is not met, recipients must pay back the amount awarded.

The 2023 LRPDIM Award application deadline is May 12, 2023, at 5 p.m.  Eligibility criteria, detailed information about the Award, and the application form are available on the DOM Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion website. For program-related questions, please contact Kimberly Dorman, Special Assistant to the Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Diversity in the Chair’s Office.

 

1st Open BAA for innovative high-impact research proposals

ARPA-H opened its first Agency-wide Open Broad Agency Announcement (Open BAA), seeking funding proposals for research aiming to improve health outcomes across patient populations, communities, diseases, and health conditions. The BAA calls for proposals to outline breakthrough research and technological advancements.

Proposals should investigate unconventional approaches, and challenge accepted assumptions to enable leaps forward in science, technology, systems, or related capabilities. ARPA-H also encourages concepts to advance the objectives of President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot, as well as more disease-agnostic approaches.

View the Open BAA

For questions, please contact baaquestions@arpa-h.gov.

 

Cardiac Safety Research Consortium Think Tank Meeting, June 7

The Cardiac Safety Research Consortium will hold a Think Tank meeting on June 7. The event,  CSRC Think Tank: Update on Regulatory Status of Hypertension, Biomarkers and Arrhythmia Monitoring in Clinical Trials will be held at the FDA.

In Session 1, these leading industry professionals will speak on panels discussing:

• Regulations for ECG/QT
• The double-negative conundrum
• Alternative methods for assay sensitivity assessment in routine Phase 1 QT Studies
• Covid-19 and prolonged QT

In Session 2, we will discuss:

• Small increases in blood pressure and CV risk I
• Intermittent versus chronic use hypertension drugs

In Session 3, the meeting faculty will dive into:

• Biomarkers

In Session 4, the panelists will discuss hot topics in the field such as:

• Biologics/cardiomyopathy and vaccine development
• MACE
• Gene therapies
• Wearables

The event will include professionals from FDA Regulatory, Cardiac Safety Consultants, Ltd., Eli Lilly, Richmond Pharmacology, University of Connecticut, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Cleveland Clinic, Clario, Mass General, DSI, Penn Medicine, and UCSF.

There is a registration fee for attendance, for academics it is $275. Registration and more information is available here: https://cardiac-safety.org/

The meeting will be held in person; a recording of the meeting and slide presentations will become available a month after the event occurs.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart 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 Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon, Wednesdays, to be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

 

March 30 — Neha Pagidipati and Vishal Rao

Zee News (India)

Weight Loss Decreases Risk Factor For Type 2 Diabetes: Study

https://duke.is/m8rhd

March 30 — Andrew Landstrom

Medical Dialogues

AHA’s Scientific Statement Guides Clinicians on What to Do After Genetic Tests Unexpectedly Find Genes Linked to Heart Disease

https://duke.is/8pxsf

March 31 — Andrew Landstrom

News Concerns

Genetic Tests Unexpectedly Find Genes Linked To Heart Disease — Now What? — ScienceDaily

https://duke.is/2un2x

March 31 — Andrew Landstrom

Technology Networks

How To Interpret Incidentally Found Gene Variants

https://duke.is/g3h46

March 31 — Neha Pagidipati

tctMD

Regaining Weight Won’t Erode CV Risk Factor Benefits Short Term

https://duke.is/rjgyk

April 2 — Duke Health (Monique Starks)

WJZY, Fox-46 Charlotte

Pilot project could deliver AEDs by drone

https://duke.is/54mw2

(*clip begins @ 08:36:00)

April 3 — Kevin Thomas

HealthDay News

Video-Based Tool Increases Knowledge for Black Patients Eligible for ICD

https://duke.is/nggea

April 3 — Harry Severance

Becker’s ASC Review

Here’s where physicians are investing in 2023

https://duke.is/b5mtq

April 4 — Andrew Landstrom

thirdage.com

Genetic Testing And Heart Disease

https://duke.is/cqrvu

April 4 — Andrew Landstrom

Becker’s Hospital Review

AHA releases guidelines on interpreting gene variants related to cardiovascular disease

https://duke.is/9nxbj

April 5 — Sean Pokorney

Medpage Today

Timing of Pacemaker, ICD Infections Suggests Closer Wound Checks for Some

https://duke.is/6zhke

April 5 — Neha Pagidipati

Healio/Cardiology

Coordinated care can improve prescribing practices of recommended diabetes, CVD therapies

https://duke.is/ps4fm

April 5 — Kevin Thomas

Healio/Primary Care

Decision support tool does not improve Black patients’ assent to receive cardiac device

https://duke.is/jdumt

Highlights of the week:

Al-Khatib to become President of HRS in 2026

We are pleased to share that Sana Al-Khatib, MD, MHS will become the President of the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) in 2026 after serving terms as Second Vice-President (which she begins in May), and then as the Society’s First Vice-President and President-Elect over the coming years. Sana has been a dedicated volunteer with the Heart Rhythm Society since 2005 and is currently the Society’s Secretary/Treasurer.

HRS is the international leader in science, education and advocacy for cardiac arrhythmia professionals and patients. Its mission is to improve the care of patients by promoting research, education, and optimal health care policies and standards. The Society represents 7500 specialists in cardiac pacing and electrophysiology, consisting of physicians, scientists, and allied professionals. In the US, the HRS represents 3600 board-certified electrophysiologists.

“Serving the Heart Rhythm Society has been an amazing journey during which I have worked with inspiring clinicians, scientists, and staff, and have formed lifelong friendships and collaborations,” said Al-Khatib. “None of this would have been possible without the great support I have received from my Duke family. I am indebted to all of my mentors and supporters both within and outside of Duke.

“I am truly humbled by this recognition and greatly look forward to making a difference in this role for patients, our field, and the next generations of electrophysiologists.”

Congratulations, Sana!

Rymer to Receive SCAI’s 30 in Their 30s Award

Congratulations to Jenn Rymer, MD – she has been selected by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) as one of their 30 in Their 30s award winners! The SCAI 30 in Their 30s award recognizes early-career interventionalists who epitomize the qualities expected of future leaders in interventional cardiology.

Rymer and her co-winners will be recognized during SCAI’s 2023 Scientific Sessions scheduled for May 18-20, 2023 in Phoenix.

Congratulations, Jenn!

 

 

 

Duke Raleigh Earns GWTG Bronze Award, Target HF Honor Roll

Congratulations to our team at Duke Raleigh Hospital — they have achieved the 2022 Get With The Guidelines Heart Failure Bronze award level and the Target HF Honor Roll!

The American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) program is an in-hospital approach to improving patient outcomes across the cardiovascular and stroke care areas. Each GWTG program promotes consistent adherence to the latest research-driven guidelines and measurement, while also providing data for continual improvement in patient care.

“We know a lot of work has been done over the years with improving the care for our heart failure patients and it shows! Great work, and we look forward to continuing to learn being a part of the Get With The Guidelines program. Thanks for all you do.” — Julie Yamadi, director of Heart Services, Duke Raleigh

“Kudos to the entire DRAH team. This is such important and amazing work and service for the patients in Wake County. I look forward to continuing to partner and celebrate all of your tremendous contributions to Duke Heart and Duke Health! Thanks for all you do each and every day!” — Jill Engel, Service Line VP, Heart & Vascular, DUHS

Fantastic work all! Proud to be a part of an outstanding team that is delivering such excellent care to our heart failure patients in Wake County.” — James S. Mills, MD

Way to go, team!

 

7West Earns 2^nd Beacon Gold Award

We are pleased to share with you that 7West has received its second Beacon Gold Award from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses! The team won their initial award in 2020 and is one of only 175 units in the U.S. currently designated with a Gold award, which is the highest designation available.

Further, this makes the Duke 7W team the only Gold-level award-holding Cardiothoracic ICU in North Carolina, and just one of only 17 CTICU’s so designated in the U.S. A much smaller number have qualified for Gold-level more than once.

According to the AACN:

• Beacon awardees set the standard for excellence in patient care environments by collecting and using evidence-based information to improve patient outcomes, patient and staff satisfaction, and credibility with consumers
• A Beacon Award signifies a positive and supportive work environment with greater collaboration between colleagues and leaders, higher morale and lower turnover. The process can be driven by the nursing staff; nurturing empowerment and leadership

“Just as we did when we received a feedback report to identify unit strengths and opportunities for improvement in 2020, we will use the latest report to celebrate our strengths, but also work on opportunities to continue to improve the care we provide and improve the experience of our team members,” said Philip Parker, nurse manager of operations for the 7W CTICU. “A big thank you and great job to everyone on the team!”

The team has clearly worked hard to maintain their level of excellence and have continued to find even more ways to grow stronger.

“Congratulations to the entire 7West multidisciplinary team,” said Jill Engel, Service Line VP for Heart and Vascular. “The amazing work you do each and every day does not go unnoticed. Thanks to each and every one of you for all you do.”

We look forward to celebrating this accomplishment in the coming weeks – which may mean even more to all of us, given the strain of the last several years.

“You have maintained the highest of standards through a very difficult time,” added Jacob Schroder, MD, co-director, Cardiothoracic Surgical Intensive Care Unit. “We appreciate all you do to provide world class care for Duke patients.”

Outstanding news, team! Beacon Gold Award #2!!!

 

Betty Tong featured in Doctor’s Day piece

Betty Tong, MD, a surgical oncologist and thoracic surgeon in our division of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, is featured in the March 27 issue of Duke Today. The article, Work Lessons from Duke Surgeons, was crafted to help celebrate National Doctor’s Day (March 30).

Tong is featured along with Drs. Laura Rosenberger, surgical oncologist; Chandler Long, vascular surgeon; and Dan Blazer, III, general surgeon and surgical oncologist.

Great job, Betty!

 

Kudos to Hausladen!

We received warm recognition for Jordan Hausladen, one of our terrific APPs in our Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. In a note from one of our patient advocates, we learned:

“I had the opportunity to speak with the daughter of one of our patients regarding her concerns while parent was a patient on 3100. Patient’s daughter shared that she was grateful that PA Jordon Hausladen took the time to explain what had happened and urgency to get patient transferred to 7E. Patient’s daughter additionally shared that she is happy with the communication from the care team on 7 East and wanted to mention that Lynette and Beverly are fantastic staff members along with everyone else.” — Shawn Parr, patient advocate, Patient Experience, Duke University Hospital

“Great job, Jordan! You’re fantastic at communicating with your patients and their families. The CICU team is lucky to have you!” — Jordan McKenzie-Solis

“Kudos and congrats Jordan! You are a tremendous provider and individual! We appreciate all you do for Duke Heart patients, families and staff. Duke Heart is a better place because of amazing team members like you!” — Jill Engel, Service Line VP, Heart & Vascular

 

Inaugural DOM Research Day: April 28

Consider joining the Department of Medicine for their inaugural Research Day on Friday, April 28, 2023, at the Trent Semans Center in the Great Hall from 8 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

This event is for all departmental faculty, clinical and postdoctoral fellows, residents, medical students, and research staff. Lunch is included. For questions regarding Research Day contact Saini Pillai, MBA.

A copy of the agenda can be found here. Registration is required (deadline has passed, but maybe you can squeeze in). Please register here.

 

Duke Heart Represents at NCUS Spring Symposium

The 42^nd annual Spring Symposium of the North Carolina Ultrasound Society was held March 10-12, 2023 at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. The meeting was well-attended and supported by Duke team members, including Richie Palma, program director of the Duke Cardiac Sonography Certificate Program and Jon Owensby, clinical lead sonographer of our Cardiac Diagnostic Unit, who were both installed as board members.

Lectures were given by Ashlee Davis, chief technologist of the Duke CDU, who presented Artificial Intelligence in Echocardiography; Palma Interesting Cases in Hemodynamics, and Owensby Mitral Regurgitation Quantification. Duke Heart Center and the DUHS Radiology Department co-sponsored a recruitment booth aimed at recruiting top sonographer talent for DUH/DRH/DRAH Adult Echo, DUHS General Ultrasound, Pediatric Echo, and PDC (DHIP) Adult Echo positions.

Well done, team! Congrats once again to Palma and Owensby for their Board membership!

 

 

 

 

 

Muir Named Vice Chair, Clinical Affairs for DOM, Effective April 1

Dr. Kathleen A. Cooney, Chair, Duke Department of Medicine, announced this week the appointment of Dr. Andrew Muir as Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs for the department.

She wrote:

“I am delighted to announce that after an internal search, Andrew Muir, MD, MHS, will serve as the next Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs for the Department of Medicine, beginning April 1.  Dr. Muir will continue in his role as the Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology.

Dr. Muir is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and has served as Chief of the division since 2014.  Prior to assuming the role of chief, he served as the Clinical Director of Hepatology for nine years, helping to facilitate the practice’s growth and expansion into Wake County and other areas of the Triangle.  He is a nationally recognized hepatologist, known for both his research on health care disparities and novel hepatitis C therapies and his clinical care of patients with liver disease.

Muir earned his medical degree from Duke School of Medicine and went on to complete his residency in internal medicine and gastroenterology fellowship at Duke. During his fellowship, he spent time in the VA Health Services Research Program at the Durham VAMC, and completed the Masters in Health Sciences program in Clinical Research. He was recruited to join the Department after training and has been a member of the faculty since 2000.

As vice chair for clinical affairs, Dr. Muir will oversee the roadmap for clinical operations of the department.  This oversight includes leading all aspects of our clinical practice and working closely with division clinical leads and our partners from the Health System and physician practice to ensure safe, effective care is provided to our patients.  Dr. Muir has served as an At-Large Member of the Board of Managers of the PDC, which has provided him significant experiences in management and governance that will be useful in his new role.

I want to express my sincere appreciation to Dave D’Alessio and the members of the search committee for the time and effort they gave to this search.  I also would like to thank Chet Patel for his outstanding service as Vice Chair; the department is stronger clinically because of his thoughtful guidance.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Muir on his new role. Under his leadership, I believe the department will continue to make great strides towards advancing our clinical mission and importantly, improving the patient experience.

 

April is National Donate Life Month

Donate Life America takes the lead on National Donate Life Month (NDLM), an observance that aims to focus our national attention on the need for and importance of organ, eye and tissue donation. Living Donor Day is celebrated on April 5 and the Donate Life Blue & Green Spirit Week will be April 8-14.

Members of the Duke Heart cardiopulmonary team will host an awareness table outside of their clinic to share the Donate Life message by educating others about how their generosity can help save lives. Their table will be available April 10-14 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Please consider stopping by – our team will celebrate the lifesaving generosity of those who sign on as potential donors, as well as living donors, and will ultimately help others learn more about organ donation.

Support Marfan Patients & Duke Heart!

Please help Duke Heart in supporting patients with Marfan and other connective tissue disorders by supporting our efforts with the upcoming 2023 NC Walk for Victory.

The 2023 NC Walk for Victory is planned for Saturday, April 22 from Noon-3 p.m. at Laurel Hills Park, 3808 Edwards Mill Rd., Raleigh (27612). Duke Heart is serving as the presenting sponsor, with Dr. Chad Hughes serving as the Walk’s Medical Director.

This event is held to gather patients, family members and friends who are affected by genetic aortic and vascular conditions, including Marfan Syndrome, Loeys-Dietz, and Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndromes. Attendees come from all over the southeast region of the U.S. to celebrate one another and to forge friendships with others going through similar experiences.

The Walk for Victory is a fun, family-friendly event that recognizes an incredible group of people and their caregivers. The Walk helps to create awareness in the community, and is one way the Marfan Foundation raises funding for much-needed research into these genetic conditions.

Please consider supporting any of the walkers/teams — maybe throw your support behind Duke Aorta and our team captain Melissa Burkett! Check out Duke Aorta’s team fundraising page for The Marfan Foundation: https://give.marfan.org/team/482581) or behind Team James (“giving hugs and raising awareness since 2018!”). Even small contributions will help!

To learn more about the event or the Marfan Foundation in general, please visit: https://duke.is/pkjnw. Thank you!

 

Quick Reminders & Updates

• 2022 DCRI Impact Report Now Available
• April is Donate Life Month and Celebrate Diversity Month
• DHIP: an APP Town Hall was held on 3/13. A recording is available on DHIP.org.
• New funding opportunity for fellows! See Mario Family Foundation Award announcement under Opportunities, below. Deadline to apply is May 1.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

April 25: Regulatory Guidance for Cardiovascular Outcomes Trials of Antihyperglycemic Agents: Connecting the Past with the Future with Darren K. McGuire, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center & Parkland Health and Hospital System; Deputy Editor, Circulation. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

ICYMI: Links to Recent CGRs

March 21: Emily S. Lau of Mass General and Harvard Medical School presentation, What Can Sex Differences Teach Us about HFpEF ? https://duke.is/9f78c (Please note, CGR begins at 00:12:05)

March 28: Gregory Roth, director of the Program in Cardiovascular Health Metrics and associate professor of medicine in cardiology at the University of Washington in Seattle, The Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and Risks. https://duke.is/2j4hy.

 

Duke Root Causes Fundraising Gala

We are pleased to invite the Duke Heart team to the first annual Root Causes Fundraising Gala on Friday, April 14th from 7-9 p.m. at Trent Semans Center for Health Education.

Root Causes is an innovation hub for student-led interventions addressing social drivers of health. Our programs provide food to patients who are experiencing food insecurity, support patients experiencing homelessness in their housing journeys, and provide patients with metabolic diseases access to free exercise programs (among many other things we do!)

The event will feature dinner, drinks, a silent auction, and talks from special guests:

• Debra Clark Jones, Associate Vice President for Community Health for Duke Health
• Jeff Baker, Pediatrician and Medical Historian focusing on history, race and health disparities
• Susan Spratt, Endocrinologist and Clinical Researcher focusing on health disparities and ethical use of electronic medical records

The gala will bring together students, community members, and various stakeholders across Duke and the city of Durham to raise funds for our work, to highlight the ongoing work of our community partners in addressing social determinants of health, and to describe a collective vision for what uplifting our neighbors in Durham might look like.

We hope you consider supporting us by attending in person or making a donation online! Thank you in advance for your consideration, and feel free to forward this message to others who might be interested in the event.

Tickets are required and range from $30-55.

2023 Dean’s Research Series

The final date of the Dean’s Research Series will be Thursday, April 20. Full schedule and details can be found at medschool.duke.edu/research-series. The Zoom link for all faculty lectures is https://bit.ly/Duke-DDRS.

The Duke University School of Medicine’s Dean’s Distinguished Research Series showcases groundbreaking research from the basic, clinical, and translational sciences. All faculty, staff, trainees and students are welcome to attend.

2023 Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine

The Duke Department of Medicine has announced the 2023 Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine (LRPDIM). This award is part of a series of mentored career development opportunities offered by the Department of Medicine and is designed to fund members of groups underrepresented in medicine who, as a group, are disproportionately impacted by student loans. This financial burden impedes the retention, recruitment, and diversification of research faculty in our department.

We encourage investigators from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds who are under-represented in Medicine to consider applying. The LRPDIM award repays up to $50,000, annually for up to two years, of a researcher’s qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in research.  Up to two applicants will be funded (July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025).  The award recipient must remain a full-time employee of the DOM to receive the full amount of the award. Award funds are not restricted and can be used at the awardee’s discretion. If the research commitment is not met, recipients must pay back the amount awarded.

The 2023 LRPDIM Award application deadline is May 12, 2023, at 5 p.m.  Eligibility criteria, detailed information about the Award, and the application form are available on the DOM Loan Repayment Program to Promote Diversity and Inclusion website. For program-related questions, please contact Kimberly Dorman, Special Assistant to the Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Diversity in the Chair’s Office.

1st Open BAA for innovative high-impact research proposals

ARPA-H opened its first Agency-wide Open Broad Agency Announcement (Open BAA), seeking funding proposals for research aiming to improve health outcomes across patient populations, communities, diseases, and health conditions. The BAA calls for proposals to outline breakthrough research and technological advancements.

Proposals should investigate unconventional approaches, and challenge accepted assumptions to enable leaps forward in science, technology, systems, or related capabilities. ARPA-H also encourages concepts to advance the objectives of President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot, as well as more disease-agnostic approaches.

View the Open BAA

For questions, please contact baaquestions@arpa-h.gov

Funding Opportunity: The Mario Family Foundation Award

Training the next generation of biomedical researchers is an important core mission of the Department of Medicine. We admit the most promising, dedicated fellows into our programs, and provide experiences that will allow them to put their passion for medicine to work. These fellows will be tomorrow’s leaders in science and medicine. The Mario Family Foundation has generously supported this mission to support junior investigators in training to make the transition to become independent scientists and planning for their first extra-mural funding.

The Department of Medicine is accepting applications from fellows in specialty training for the Mario Family Foundation Award, which funds two patient-oriented research (clinical or translational) proposals for one year of funding.  The total funding for all proposal expenses is $35,000.

Applications must be submitted electronically no later than Monday, May 1, 2023, 5p.m.

Applications will be peer reviewed by a panel of senior scientists from the Department of Medicine.  Proposals will be judged on scientific-merit, rigor, and quality of project.  Our intent is to complete reviews and start funding by July 1, 2023.

Additional details and application information can be found on the Mario Family Foundation Award webpage. For project-related questions, please contact Saini Pillai, MBA, Senior Program Coordinator, Chair’s Office.

Cardiac Safety Research Consortium Think Tank Meeting, June 7

The Cardiac Safety Research Consortium will hold a Think Tank meeting on June 7. The event,  CSRC Think Tank: Update on Regulatory Status of Hypertension, Biomarkers and Arrhythmia Monitoring in Clinical Trials will be held at the FDA.

In Session 1, these leading industry professionals will speak on panels discussing:

• Regulations for ECG/QT
• The double-negative conundrum
• Alternative methods for assay sensitivity assessment in routine Phase 1 QT Studies
• Covid-19 and prolonged QT

In Session 2, we will discuss:

• Small increases in blood pressure and CV risk I
• Intermittent versus chronic use hypertension drugs

In Session 3, the meeting faculty will dive into:

• Biomarkers

In Session 4, the panelists will discuss hot topics in the field such as:

• Biologics/cardiomyopathy and vaccine development
• MACE
• Gene therapies
• Wearables

The event will include professionals from FDA Regulatory, Cardiac Safety Consultants, Ltd., Eli Lilly, Richmond Pharmacology, University of Connecticut, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Cleveland Clinic, Clario, Mass General, DSI, Penn Medicine, and UCSF.

There is a registration fee for attendance, for academics it is $275. Registration and more information is available here: https://cardiac-safety.org/

The meeting will be held in person; a recording of the meeting and slide presentations will become available a month after the event occurs.

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, please contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart 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 Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon, Wednesdays, to be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

March 15 — Harry Severance

KevinMD.com

An unspoken truth about non-compete clauses in medicine

https://duke.is/pwqqj

March 16 — Zebulon Spector and the Joe family

MSN South Africa

Mom saves daughter’s life after she suffered a cardiac arrest

https://duke.is/geyrc

March 17 — Zebulon Spector and the Joe family

Black Enterprise

Cheer mom saves daughter after she goes into cardiac arrest at competition

https://duke.is/6yy3u

March 19 — Harry Severance

KevinMD.com

Can AI solve the physician shortage crisis?

https://duke.is/4f4gq

March 20 — Zebulon Spector and the Joe family

WAND NBC, Champagne-Springfield-Decatur, IL

Cheerleader goes into cardiac arrest during competition

https://duke.is/5mt9r

March 21 — Manesh Patel

Huffpost.com

These Sleep Habits Are Putting Your Heart Health At Risk

https://duke.is/nv4tx

March 22 – Robert Mentz

Medical News Today

Heart failure: Study finds similar survival rates between drugs furosemide and torsemide

https://duke.is/b3yy7

March 22 — Marat Fudim

tctMD

Preliminary Results Suggest Benefit of Splanchnic Nerve Ablation in HFpEF

https://duke.is/4p7kw

March 23 — Adam DeVore

Medscape

Does New Heart Transplant Method Challenge Definition of Death?

https://duke.is/bbtu6

March 23 — Neha Pagidipati

MIMS/Pharmacy

Coordinated care improves use of CVD-preventive therapies in T2D

https://duke.is/cxm8f

March 24 — Keianna Joe, Andrea Joe, Duke Health

Mix 97.3/iheart radio

NC Mom Saves Teen Daughter After Heart Attack at Cheer Competition

https://duke.is/wk7p4

 

March 24 — G. Michael Felker and Stephanie Barnes

Medscape

Shared Decision-Making in Heart Failure

https://duke.is/j5hnk

March 24 — Adam DeVore

Medscape

A ‘Game Changer’ for Heart Transplant: Donation After Circulatory Death Explained

https://duke.is/yh4j2

March 27 — Andrew Landstrom

newsroom.heart.org

Genetic tests unexpectedly find genes linked to heart disease — now what?

https://duke.is/z2qhv

March 27 — Andrew Landstrom

SciTech Daily

Genes Linked to Heart Disease Unexpectedly Found in Genetics Tests – Now What?

https://duke.is/v6y7m

March 27 — Andrew Landstrom

News-medical.net

New statement suggests next steps to interpret incidentally identified gene variants related to heart disease

https://duke.is/mdhr8

March 27 — Andrew Landstrom

Healio/Cardiology

Navigating incidental genetic findings for CVD requires caution, established framework

https://duke.is/8t4v

March 28 — Neha Pagidipati and Vishal Rao

WebMD

Weight Loss Benefits Persist Even After Regaining Some Pounds

https://duke.is/cryeg

March 28 — Antonio Gutierrez

WGHP Fox 8 News

You may be prescribed walking to improve your health

https://duke.is/r9xm9

(*clip begins @ 09:23:38)

March 28 — Neha Pagidipati

The Telegraph (UK)

Don’t worry if you gain a few pounds after a diet, you’re still healthier

https://duke.is/57yne

March 28 — Monique Starks

WNCN – CBS17.com

Can Drones save lives? Duke cardiologist and NC State engineer research drone defibrillator delivery system

https://duke.is/nxxpb

March 29 — Duke Health (Monique Starks)

WJZY – Fox 46 Carolinas – Queen City News Now

Drone delivery of AEDs may help quick heart attack response

https://duke.is/w8qtd

(*clip begins @ 05:59:07)

March 29 — Antonio Gutierrez

ABC4.com

Can You Really Walk Your Way to Better Health?

https://duke.is/6qm9p

March 29 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live

10 Years of SGLT2 Inhibitors: A Decade of Redefining Cardiometabolic Care

https://duke.is/yn75h

Division of Cardiology Publications Indexed in PubMed March 16-30, 2023

Abbas H, Olivere LA, Padgett ME, Schmidt CA, Gilmore BF, McCord TJ, Southerland KW, McClung JM, Kontos CD. Muscle progenitor cells are required for skeletal muscle regeneration and prevention of adipogenesis after limb ischemia. Front Cardiovasc Med 2023 Mar 2;10:1118738. PM: 36937923.

Chew DS, Piccini JP. Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Versus Oral Anticoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation. Ann Intern Med 2023 Mar;176(3):eL220517. PM: 36940461.

Chouairi F, Pinsker B, Fudim M, Miller PE. Trends in outcomes and resource utilization for acute myocardial infarction admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Am Heart J 2023 Apr;258:114-118. PM: 36646197.

Delewi R, Vogel RF, Wilschut JM, Lemmert ME, Diletti R, van Vliet R, van der Waarden NWPL, Nuis RJ, Paradies V, Alexopoulos D, Zijlstra F, Montalescot G, Angiolillo DJ, Krucoff MW, Doevendans PA, Van Mieghem NM, Smits PC, Vlachojannis GJ. Sex-stratified differences in early antithrombotic treatment response in patients presenting with ST- segment elevation myocardial infarction. Am Heart J 2023 Apr;258:17-26. PM: 36596332.

Denoble AE, Moyett JM, Goldstein SA, Ward CC, Truong T, Erkanli A, James AH, Grotegut CA. Prospective Observational Study of N-terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide Levels in Obese and Nonobese Women during Pregnancy. Am J Perinatol 2023 Apr;40(5):467-474. PM: 35973801.

Eudy AM, Rogers JL, Corneli A, McKenna K, Maheswaranathan M, Pisetsky DS, Criscione- Schreiber LG, Doss J, Sadun RE, Sun K, Clowse MEB. Intermittent and Persistent Type 2 lupus: patient perspectives on two distinct patterns of Type 2 SLE symptoms. Lupus Sci Med 2022 Aug;9(1):e000705. PM: 36927502.

Gaudino M, Di Franco A, Rong LQ, Piccini J, Mack M. Postoperative atrial fibrillation: from mechanisms to treatment. Eur Heart J 2023 Mar 21;44(12):1020-1039. PM: 36721960.

Govsyeyev N, Nehler M, Conte MS, Debus S, Chung J, Dorigo W, Gudz I, Krievins D, Mills J, Moll F, Norgren L, Piffaretti G, Powell R, Szalay D, Sillesen H, Wohlauer M, Szarek M, Bauersachs RM, Anand SS, Patel MR, Capell WH, Jaeger N, Hess CN, Muehlhofer E, Haskell LP, Berkowitz SD, Bonaca MP. Rivaroxaban in patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease after lower extremity bypass surgery with venous and prosthetic conduits. J Vasc Surg 2023 Apr;77(4):1107-1118.e2. PM: 36470531.

Hamid A, Yimer WK, Oshunbade AA, Kamimura D, Clark D, Fox ER, Min YI, Muntner P, Shimbo D, Pandey A, Shah AM, Mentz RJ, Jones DW, Bertoni AG, Hall JE, Correa A, Butler J, Hall ME. Impact of Diabetes and Hypertension on Left Ventricular Structure and Function: The Jackson Heart. J Am Heart Assoc 2023 Mar 21;12(6):e026463. PM: 36880997.

Jenista ER, Wendell DC, Azevedo CF, Klem I, Judd RM, Kim RJ, Kim HW. Revisiting how we perform late gadolinium enhancement CMR: insights gleaned over 25 years of clinical practice. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson 2023 Mar 16;25(1):18. PM: 36922844.

Khedraki R, Abraham J, Jonsson O, Bhatt K, Omar HR, Bennett M, Bhimaraj A, Guha A, McCann P, Muse ED, Robinson M, Sauer AJ, Cheng A, Bagsic S, Fudim M, Heywood JT, Guglin M. Impact of exercise on pulmonary artery pressure in patients with heart failure using an ambulatory pulmonary artery pressure monitor. Front Cardiovasc Med 2023 Mar 2;10:1077365. PM: 36937902.

Loring Z, Giczewska A, Hofmann P, Chiswell K, Schlegel TT, Ugander M, Jackson KP, Piccini JP, Atwater BD. Electrocardiographic parameters associated with pacemaker induced cardiomyopathy. J Electrocardiol 2023 ;77:17-22. PM: 36549180.

Meng ML, Frere Z, Fuller M, Li YJ, Habib AS, Federspiel JJ, Wheeler SM, Gilner JB, Shah SH, Ohnuma T, Raghunathan K, Krishnamoorthy V. Maternal Cardiovascular Morbidity Events Following Preeclampsia: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Anesth Analg 2023 Apr 1;136(4):728-737. PM: 36729641.

Naggie S, Boulware DR, Lindsell CJ, Stewart TG, Slandzicki AJ, Lim SC, Cohen J, Kavtaradze D, Amon AP, Gabriel A, Gentile N, Felker GM, Jayaweera D, McCarthy MW, Sulkowski M, Rothman RL, Wilson S, DeLong A, Remaly A, Wilder R, Collins S, Dunsmore SE, Adam SJ, Thicklin F, Hanna GJ, Ginde AA, Castro M, McTigue K, Shenkman E, Hernandez AF. Effect of Higher-Dose Ivermectin for 6 Days vs Placebo on Time to Sustained Recovery in Outpatients With COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA 2023 Mar 21;329(11):888-897. PM: 36807465.

Naggie S, Milstone A, Castro M, Collins SP, Lakshmi S, Anderson DJ, Cahuayme-Zuniga L, Turner KB, Cohen LW, Currier J, Fraulo E, Friedland A, Garg J, George A, Mulder H, Olson RE, O’Brien EC, Rothman RL, Shenkman E, Shostak J, Woods CW, Anstrom KJ, Hernandez AF. Hydroxychloroquine for pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 in health care workers: a randomized, multicenter, placebo-controlled trial Healthcare Worker Exposure Response and Outcomes of Hydroxychloroquine (HERO-HCQ). Int J Infect Dis 2023 Apr;129:40-48. PM: 36682681.

Rao VN, Diez J, Gustafsson F, Mentz RJ, Senni M, Jankowska EA, Bauersachs J. Practical Patient Care Considerations With Use of Vericiguat After Worsening Heart Failure Events. J Card Fail 2023 Mar;29(3):389-402. PM: 36529314.

Rikken SAOF, Selvarajah A, Hermanides RS, Coller BS, Gibson CM, Granger CB, Lapostolle F, Postma S, van de Wetering H, van Vliet RCW, Montalescot G, Ten Berg JM, van ‘t Hof AWJ. Prehospital treatment with zalunfiban (RUC-4) in patients with ST- elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention: Rationale and design of the CELEBRATE trial. Am Heart J 2023 Apr;258:119-128. PM: 36592878.

Scott M, Baykaner T, Bunch TJ, Piccini JP, Russo AM, Tzou WS, Zeitler EP, Steinberg BA. Contemporary trends in cardiac electrophysiology procedures in the United States, and impact of a global pandemic. Heart Rhythm O2 2023 Mar;4(3):193-199. PM: 36569386.

Yao RJR, Holmes DN, Andrade JG, Levin A, Piccini JP, Fordyce CB. Variability in Nonvitamin K Oral Anticoagulant Dose Eligibility and Adjustment According to Renal Formulae and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation With and Without Chronic Kidney Disease: Insights From ORBIT-AF II. J Am Heart Assoc 2023 Mar 21;12(6):e026605. PM: 36892077.

Baksh SS, Hu J, Pratt RE, Dzau VJ, Hodgkinson CP. Rig1 receptor plays a critical role in cardiac reprogramming via YY1 signaling. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2023 Apr 1;324(4):C843-C855. PM: 36847443.

Bethel MA, Sourij H, Stevens SR, Hannan K, Lokhnygina Y, Adler AI, Peterson ED, Holman RR, Lopes RD. Time-dependent event accumulation in a cardiovascular outcome trial of patients with type 2 diabetes and established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Cardiovasc Diabetol 2023 Mar 28;22(1):72. PM: 36978066.

Carnicelli AP, Agarwal R, Tedford RJ, Ramaiah V, Felker GM, Katz JN. Critical Care Enrichment During Advanced Heart Failure Training. J Am Coll Cardiol 2023 Apr 4;81(13):1296-1299. PM: 36990549.

Chu MWA, Ruel M, Graeve A, Gerdisch MW, Damiano RJ, Smith RL, Keeling WB, Wait MA, Hagberg RC, Quinn RD, Sethi GK, Floridia R, Barreiro CJ, Pruitt AL, Accola KD, Dagenais F, Markowitz AH, Ye J, Sekela ME, Tsuda RY, Duncan DA, Swistel DG, Harville LE, DeRose JJ, Lehr EJ, Alexander JH, Puskas JD. Low-Dose vs Standard Warfarin After Mechanical Mitral Valve Replacement: A Randomized Trial. Ann Thorac Surg 2023 Apr;115(4):929-938. PM: 36610532.

Gerstein HC, Li Z, Ramasundarahettige C, Baek S, Branch KRH, Del Prato S, Lam CSP, Lopes RD, Pratley R, Rosenstock J, Sattar N. Exploring the Relationship Between Efpeglenatide Dose and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes: Insights From the AMPLITUDE-O Trial. Circulation 2023 Mar 28;147(13):1004-1013. PM: 36802715.

Lakkireddy DR, Segar DS, Sood A, Wu M, Rao A, Sohail MR, Pokorney SD, Blomström-Lundqvist C, Piccini JP, Granger CB. Early Lead Extraction for Infected Implanted Cardiac Electronic Devices: JACC Review Topic of the Week. J Am Coll Cardiol 2023 Apr 4;81(13):1283-1295. PM: 36990548.

Li A, Liu S, Huang R, Ahn S, Lefkowitz RJ. Loss of biased signaling at a G protein-coupled receptor in overexpressed systems. PLoS One 2023 Mar 24;18(3):e0283477. PM: 36961836.

Lusk JB, Song A, Unnithan S, Al-Khalidi HR, Delic A, de Havenon A, Biousse V, Schrag M, Poli S, Piccini JP, Xian Y, O’Brien EC, Mac Grory B. Association Between Hospital-Documented Atrial Fibrillation and Central Retinal Artery Occlusion. Stroke 2023 Apr;54(4):983-991. PM: 36729390.

Neighbors CE, Sloane R, Pieper CF, Wixted D, Woods CW, Newby LK. Mitigation behavior prior to COVID-19 vaccination availability is associated with COVID-19 infection and time to vaccination. PLoS One 2023 Mar 24;18(3):e0283381. PM: 36961840.

Rashid AM, Khan MS, Fudim M, DeWald TA, DeVore A, Butler J. Management of Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction. Curr Probl Cardiol 2023 May;48(5):101596. PM: 36681212.

Richter MJ, Fortuni F, Alenezi F, D’Alto M, Badagliacca R, Brunner NW, van Dijk AP, Douschan P, Gall H, Ghio S, Giudice FL, Grünig E,

Haddad F, Howard L, Rajagopal S, Stens N, Stolfo D, Thijssen DHJ, Vizza CD, Zamanian RT, Zhong L, Seeger W, Ghofrani HA, Tello K. Imaging the right atrium in pulmonary hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Heart Lung Transplant 2023 Apr;42(4):433-446. PM: 36610927.

Salah HM, Savarese G, Rosano GMC, Ambrosy AP, Mentz RJ, Fudim M. Intravenous iron infusion in patients with heart failure: a systematic review and study-level meta-analysis. ESC Heart Fail 2023 Apr;10(2):1473-1480. PM: 36734033.

Teng TK, Tay WT, Ouwerkerk W, Tromp J, Richards AM, Gamble G, Greene SJ, Yiu KH, Poppe K, Ling LH, Lund M, Sim D, Devlin G, Loh SY,

Troughton R, Ren QW, Jaufeerally F, Lee SGS, Tan RS, Soon DKN, Leong G, Ong HY, Yeo DPS, Lam CSP, Doughty RN. Titration of medications and outcomes in multi-ethnic heart failure cohorts (with reduced ejection fraction) from Singapore and New Zealand. ESC Heart Fail 2023 Apr;10(2):1280-1293. PM: 36722315.