Your ACC 2019 Highlights

We had a great showing at the ACC Scientific Sessions in New Orleans! Thanks to those of you who took some time this week to drop us a note with photos and summaries about what you enjoyed the most. Great job, everyone!  We likely didn’t get it all but will keep sharing all of the ACC presentations and science.

AUGUSTUS

Renato Lopes, MD, PhD presented the results in the late breaking clinical trials session on Sunday. AUGUSTUS was a 2 x 2 factorial design randomized clinical trial of apixaban vs. warfarin and aspirin vs. placebo in patients with atrial fibrillation and either acute coronary syndrome or undergoing PCI. The main findings were that apixaban caused 31 percent less bleeding and reduced hospitalization compared with warfarin and that aspirin caused 89 percent more bleeding than placebo. There was no difference in ischemic events with apixaban vs. warfarin or aspirin vs. placebo. The investigators concluded that, “In patients with atrial fibrillation and a recent acute coronary syndrome or PCI treated with a P2Y₁₂ inhibitor, an antithrombotic regimen that included apixaban, without aspirin, resulted in less bleeding and fewer hospitalizations without significant differences in ischemic events than regimens that included a vitamin K antagonist, aspirin, or both.” The study was simultaneously published in the NEJM. AUGUSTUS provides critical data on how best to treat our patients who need both oral anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation and antiplatelet therapy for an acute coronary syndrome or PCI. Amit Vora, Chris Granger, and John Alexander were other Duke cardiology fellows/faculty involved with AUGUSTUS. Great job to all!

Race and Sex-Based Disparities Persist in the Treatment of Patients With Severe, Symptomatic Aortic Valve Stenosis – Poster presentation

Using a large nationwide claims-based database, Angela Lowenstern and team found that only approximately one third of patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis undergo treatment with AVR. While disparities in the treatment of non-hispanic black patients have improved over time, female patients still undergo treatment with AVR less often than male patients. Unsurprisingly, untreated patients in each group had poor outcomes. However, survival among female patients who underwent treatment was also worse than treated male patients, driven by higher mortality in the SAVR group.

Patient Perceptions and Management of Cholesterol Among Individuals With or Without Diabetes in Community Practice: Results From the PALM Registry – Moderated Poster presentation

Using the PALM registry, Angela Lowenstern and team examined statin prescriptions and patient perceptions among patients with and without diabetes. We found that a large proportion of high-risk patients remain untreated or under treated based on the 2013 ACC/AHA guideline recommendations for management with statin medications. Diabetic patients were more likely to perceive themselves to be at higher risk for future cardiovascular events and more likely to worry about these potential events. There remain significant gaps in guideline-recommended statin therapy use in patients with diabetes, despite objective and patient-reported assessment of higher risk and patient willingness to consider treatment with a statin medication.

Jimmy Tcheng was active in the innovation space at ACC.19. According to Jimmy, he had the most fun serving as a judge at the Artificial Intelligence “Shark Tank” competition Sunday morning in the Future Hub space. He also was a panelist on the Heart to Heart stage discussing artificial intelligence approaches in cardiovascular imaging, clinical risk prediction, and in reducing clinician burden.

Picture – left to right: Issam Moussa (Urbana-Champaign, IL), Jimmy Tcheng, Dipti Itchhaporia (Newport Beach, CA), Tom Maddox (St. Louis, MO)

Manesh Patel was interviewed by Dr. Gibson & the CTR team. His interview can be found here:  www.clinicaltrialresults.org or at the following link: http://tv.clinicaltrialresults.org/play.php?submission_id=2296.

Manesh enjoyed catching up with Bill Smith and Chris Cabell

Rob Mentz was awarded the W. Harvey Young Teachers Award. Well deserved!

John Serfas presented a poster entitled “Adults and Adolescents with Congenital Heart Disease: Who are we Losing to Follow Up?” We took a look at a database of North Carolina congenital heart disease patients seen at one of four centers in NC (Duke, UNC, Wake Forest, and ECU), and looked at rates of follow up at 1 and 2 years from an index encounter. We discovered that more than 40 percent of patients do not follow up within two years, and that Black race, Hispanic ethnicity, and less severe congenital heart disease are associated with lower rates of follow up.

Haider Warraich designed and led a session on the intersection of palliative care and cardiovascular disease, giving a presentation that provided an overview of end of life care for patients with heart disease.

Many Twitter posts with great photos – many comments from the team on how great it is to catch up with old friends at ACC!

Michael Nanna presented his work from the PALM registry as a moderated poster on Sunday, March 17 highlighting practice variation in lipid treatment and achieved lipid goals across U.S. community practices. Additionally, he presented his abstract demonstrating the lack of association between LDL-C and cardiovascular events in older adults free of cardiovascular disease from the pooled cohorts as a moderated poster on Saturday, March 16. Nanna presented this work again on Sunday as an invited oral presentation at the 2019 Geriatric Cardiology Section Poster Session, which was selected as the winning abstract in the Clinical/Translational category.

CVRC Hosts Field Trip for 8^th Graders Interested in STEM

This week, the Cardiovascular Research Center hosted a field trip of 8^th grade girls who participate in the Women and Mathematics Mentoring Program here in Durham. The girls are interested in studying STEM as they get older. The CVRC is interested in supporting local and regional efforts of schools and other organizations working to build a pipeline for the next generation of physician scientists. During the visit, CVRC staff members emphasized that our faculty are both seeing patients and conducting cutting-edge research, and we encouraged them to pictures themselves in this role. As the next step, the girls were invited to come back and do volunteer research in our CVRC labs when they get to high school.

Neil Freedman and Dennis Abraham offered terrific tours of their labs for the students; everyone had a great time! Many thanks to the CVRC for participating in this great opportunity to grow awareness of STEM careers for girls. What a great way to showcase our basic science labs while also helping our community by inspiring others!

 Asher Rosenberg had his Bar Mitzvah this weekend

Cary and Paul must were very proud to celebrate Asher’s Bar Mitzvah this weekend.  Some fun pictures included from the 80s themed event.

Thompson Earns PhD via Duke SON

Congratulations to the newly minted Dr. Shelley Thompson, one of our cardiac nurse practitioners, who successfully defended her doctoral thesis this past Wednesday (March 20) for her program within the Duke School of Nursing. The title of her thesis is Impact of a palliative care education module in patients with heart failure. Her team is really proud of her and we hear she did an amazing job. Shelley is shown here with her committee members: Tony Galanos, Midge Bowers and Cary Ward. Way to go, Shelley!

Cardiac Nurse Featured by Duke SON

Brooke Moyer was recently featured on the Duke SON website: https://nursing.duke.edu/brooke-moyer. Congrats and way to represent!

Doctors Day 2019

We are a little early, but wanted to wish all MDs throughout Duke Heart (all current and former!) a very happy Doctor’s Day which takes place on Saturday, March 30.

Duke Heart Grows by One!

We are delighted to share the news that Chelsey Moore, PA, a co-team lead of our cardiac APP’s, and her family have welcomed a baby girl. Ava Cathryn Moore was born on Monday, March 18 weighing in at 8 lbs, 2 oz and measuring 20 inches. Mom and baby are doing great. Congrats, Chelsey!!

Ava’s arrival coincided with the birthday of Annette Sullivan, assistant to Peter Smith, chief of the division of CT surgery – a belated happy birthday to her!

Speaking of birthdays… we hear via the Twitter-verse that today is Sunil Rao’s birthday – happy birthday, Sunil!

ACC Legislative Conference Scheduled for November 2-5, 2019

Last November, Jamie Jollis was among a number of North Carolina cardiologists who visited with Senator Richard Burr during the 2018 ACC Legislative Conference. In face-to-face meetings with members of Congress and other policymakers on Capitol Hill, more than more than 400 cardiologists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and nurses discussed their experience providing quality, evidence-based care. Discussion topics included opportunities and needs to improve the system, electronic health records, supporting NIH funding, excluding type 2 MI from hospital mortality measures, and extending cardiac rehabilitation supervision to advanced practitioners.

Next year’s conference will be held November 2-5, 2019, with visits to the Hill on November 5. As the Federal Government funds the largest public health system in the world and decisions by policy makers impact every aspect of patient care and research, all are encouraged to join this important meeting. If you have questions about how to get involved, please contact Jamie. This is a great opportunity to make sure your voice is heard. It’s also a great way to represent Duke!

Best Hospitals Voting Ends Wednesday!

Are you on Doximity? Have you voted yet? Voting for the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals survey closes on Wednesday, March 27. This makes a difference and should take just minutes to complete. Thank you!

Photos of the Week

Magnus Ohman receiving his official “Good Catch” award that we mentioned in last week’s issue of Pulse. Nice Job, Magnus!

This one will never get old! Photo courtesy of one of Magnus’ patients.

Cardiology Grand Rounds – updates

Jim Crowley, president of the Irish Cardiac Society (and former Duke trainee) was our guest this past week. Crowley is professor of cardiology at University of Galway and spoke about his experiences with cardiology training in the US and Ireland. Ireland is a small country with fewer than five million residents; it requires cardiology fellows to seek subspecialty training abroad. Duke has been home to several of those fellows in past years, including Bill O’Callaghan, Peter Quigley, Connor O’Shea, E. Magnus Ohman and Jim Crowley. In his presentation to us, Crowley noted that 70 percent of current cardiology trainees in Ireland are women, and there was an interesting discussion about factors that may be facilitating the “gender flip” in Ireland’s cardiology community. Thanks to all who were able to join us in welcoming Jim back to Duke!

ACC 2019 has been a busy and clearly important meeting for our field with many important late breaking clinical trials, posters, and scientific presentations from fellows, faculty, alumni and colleagues.  We have also had several good times watching duke basketball, at the Duke/DCRI reception, DUCCS meetings, and informal meetings.  Rather than try to capture all the presentations – we provide some photos here to capture the meeting.

TJC Concludes Site Survey at Duke Hospital

The Joint Commission has concluded their triennial unannounced visit to survey Duke University Hospital and we are very pleased with the comments site reviewers made regarding all areas related to heart care services. TJC reviewers were impressed by the complexity of the patient cases our teams see on a regular basis as well as the technology we have available to support the care of patients with complex heart disease and other comorbidities. It was evident to the reviewers that our teams are comprised of exceptionally skilled personnel. In particular, the reviewers enjoyed speaking with Ray Kim and learning more about our cardiac MRI suite and the best practices we have developed around safety to protect not only patients but all staff members. They also enjoyed engaging with David Kong and learning about our application of healthcare informatics to patient care and our dedication to continuous improvement. Overall, the visit went very well for each area within Duke Heart.

It takes extraordinary effort to do what we do every day – but a site visit  can add to stress levels and certainly adds to work load while surveyors are on-site. On behalf of Duke Heart’s leadership, thank you for all that each of you did to support this site visit while also delivering outstanding patient care. Special thanks to the members of our leadership team, including the Nurse Managers, for their work to ensure each unit/area was well prepared and for their overall engagement with the surveyors.  Pictured here are our Duke Heart Nurse Managers (left to right): Kasey Williams, Terri DeMuro, Heather McKinney, Monica Harper, Eric McClenny, Lisa Duncan, Kelly Kester and Elizabeth Watts.

March Madness

We love when the ACC Scientific Sessions, the ACC Tournament and Match Day provide a trifecta of opportunity to showcase our Duke (Heart) pride. For all of you who have joined us in New Orleans, we hope you’re enjoying the Sessions and connecting with colleagues and friends – please share your photos and stories with us!

Earlier this week, the rankings for U.S. Medical Schools were released and Duke’s SOM came in at #13 (story here) – which dovetailed nicely with National Match Day, which was Friday.

Speaking of Duke SOM… We thought it would be fitting to share this photo from Tanzania, shared with us by Maitreya Thakkar – that’s his daughter Aarti Thakkar (a Duke medical student) with two of her friends (plus their guide) on the top of Kilimanjaro last month, hoisting a Duke flag. Aarti is on a Doris Duke Scholarship doing clinical research in Eldoret, Kenya under the mentorship of Gerry Bloomfield. She has been there since August and will be back in May. Her friends are Emma Fixsen and Claire Edelman (also Duke medical students) who were on an OB/GYN elective rotation at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center with Emma’s research mentor, John Schmitt (OB/GYN & Global Health) – they were in Tanzania for the month.

And of course we were happy to see that Zion was back in action last week just in time for round three with Carolina!

ICYMI

What other cool thing happened this week? Deepak Voora was at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, for the VA/Sanford Health announcement regarding PHASeR, which he will be leading here at Durham VAMC. Read more here as well as in this week’s news coverage. Way to go, Deepak!

Best Hospitals Voting Ends March 27!

Please take a moment to check your Doximity account and look for your opportunity to vote in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals survey. Voting will close on March 27. This makes a difference and should take just minutes to complete. Thank you!

Sue Maloney Retirement

It is with mixed emotions that we announce the retirement of Sue Maloney, staff assistant. Sue has dedicated nearly 35 years to Duke, with more than 20 of those in the Division of Cardiology. Her unwavering dedication to Duke, the Division of Cardiology, and each and every one of the individuals fortunate enough to work with her over these years, will surely be missed and not quickly forgotten.

She has undoubtedly made an impact on all of us. Sue has served as an unofficial “face” of the Division for decades and has exemplified what it means to be a Duke Heart colleague and friend.  It would be impossible to highlight the countless contributions that Sue has made to the Division throughout her tenure, but she has most certainly been instrumental in the overall success and growth of the Division of Cardiology. She has supported Kevin Harrison and all of us in a gentle manner.  Her friendly and compassionate team spirit will most definitely be missed in our office.

In speaking with Suzi about her retirement, she describes an excitement for exploring and realizing new passions, and having time for personal dedication. She wrote, “In my 35 years at Duke I’ve had the opportunity to serve patients and our community in many wonderful ways.  I am blessed to have been a part of Duke University Medical Center.  I look forward to the next chapter of my life.”  Suzi has been part of the Duke Heart Family and will be missed.

Her retirement is effective as of Friday, March 8. Consistent with her humble nature, she has asked that no official celebration activities follow this announcement.  The gratitude we have for Sue’s dedication and impact on the Division is immeasurable. We will virtually celebrate and keep constant her legacy of excellence. We sincerely wish her all the best in her future.

ACC Duke Reception

Can you feel the excitement?! ACC.19 is next weekend! We look forward to seeing you at our annual Duke ACC Reception if you’re headed to New Orleans. RSVP, please, so that we have an accurate headcount:  http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=zzog9o7ab&oeidk=a07eg3bfqyh236e1021

Good Catch, Magnus!

A shout-out to Magnus Ohman for catching that a patient with documented aspirin allergy was not correct as the patient had been taking Alka-Seltzer, which contains aspirin.

Nurse Recruitment Event Draws Hundreds

On March 7, a DUHS RN Open House and Hiring Event was held at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Research Triangle Park, NC. More than 700 nursing candidates were in attendance.  The DUH Heart nursing leadership team was positioned at five tables representing procedural, intensive care, and step-down areas; each team member had the opportunity to interact with many candidates, both experienced and newly graduate nurses. They are hopeful to extend offers to many of these talented candidates to fill all current vacancies. Many thanks to the Duke Heart nursing leadership team and staff for their hard work at the event.

Pictured here (from L to R) are: Heather McKinney, Kasey Williams, Lindsay Botzenhart, Phil Parker, Eric McClenny, Brian Kolodziej, Dustin Tart, Meg Wood, Monica Harper, Terri DeMuro, Brittany Stephenson, Lisa Duncan, Kelly Kester, Elizabeth Watts, Rubena Elahi, and Laura Dickerson.

Great job and we appreciate all that our nursing teams do, including recruitment!

AACN Nursing Conference

On March 4, nurses from across the Triangle area assembled at the Brier Creek Country Club for the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Triangle Chapter and Greater Raleigh Area Chapter 5th Annual Nursing Conference and Celebration of Certification. Pictured here are some of the Duke Heart nursing attendees. Special thanks to the Duke Heart nurses who helped coordinate and plan the event or who presented during the sessions. Congrats to all who were celebrating certification!

US News Best Hospitals Voting is Now Open!

Please take a moment to check your Doximity account and look for your opportunity to vote in the U.S.News & World Report Best Hospitals survey. Voting opened last week and continues for about one month. This makes a difference and should take just minutes to complete. Thank you!

In the Journals

Jordan Pomeroy has a new publication out – be sure to check it out. Biomaterializing the promise of cardiac tissue engineering appears in Biotechnology Advances. His co-authors include Abbigail Helfer (Duke BME) and Nenad Bursac. Congrats!

Voices of Duke Health Features Cardiac Arrest Survival Story

The latest episode of the Voices of Duke Health podcast, titled The Puzzle Pieces, features several of our Duke Heart team members as well as a story of survival thanks to CPR. Don’t miss Adrian Hernandez, Cory Miller and several other interviewees we think you’ll recognize. You can listen right here: https://sites.duke.edu/listening/2019/03/08/episode-twelve-the-puzzle-pieces

MURDOCK Study Celebrates 10^th Anniversary

Congrats to all members (current and former) of the Measurement to Understand Reclassification of Disease of Cabarrus and Kannapolis (MURDOCK) Study team on their 10^th anniversary!

From humble beginnings in a former dress shop with just one Duke employee, the MURDOCK Study has paved the way for Duke’s presence in Kannapolis, NC. Today, 5,000-square-feet of clinical office space and a team of more than 30 Duke employees are co-located in Kannapolis and Durham. Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI) manages the MURDOCK Study and a dozen nested MURDOCK sub-studies, as well as other clinical research projects based in Kannapolis and built on the foundation that has been created by the MURDOCK Study since 2009.

Duke marked the study’s 10^th anniversary with a community celebration at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis on Feb. 16, exactly 10 years after the enrollment of their first participant. During its first decade, the MURDOCK Study Community Registry and Biorepository has grown to more than 12,500 participants and 450,000 biological samples. The community-based longitudinal cohort recruited participants from 20 zip codes in and around Kannapolis and Cabarrus County. The study has more than 50 collaborations, including 150 collaborators across 21 institutions, and 45 peer reviewed publications. More than 100 Duke faculty members have used MURDOCK Study samples and data to explore a broad range of research questions to better understand health and the transition to disease.

Kristin Newby, MD, MHS, director of Duke CTSI Translational Population Health Research (TransPop), serves as principal investigator. The MURDOCK Study and TransPop offer a range of assets and capabilities to investigators and collaborators.

Duke University School of Medicine received a $35 million gift from David H. Murdock, chairman of Dole Food Company, to establish the MURDOCK Study in September 2007.

Upper photo: L. Kristin Newby with Mrs. Bobbie Beam and Dr. Ed Tyson, the first two patients enrolled in the study. Lower photo: Betty Hover, L. Kristin Newby, Mary Lou Perry, Debbie Meylor, Jon’Nita Millhouse.

Shah Named to AHA Board of Directors

Congratulations to Svati Shah for being named to the Board of Directors for the American Heart Association! This is well deserved honor and we are happy that she will be serving in a guiding role within AHA. Svati will begin her term of service in June, 2019.

Way to go, Svati!

AHA Triangle Heart Ball

Several of our Duke Heart team members were able to attend the American Heart Association’s Triangle Heart Ball on Friday evening at the Raleigh Convention Center. Despite the weather and traffic woes, all reported having a great time. The event raised $980K. Many thanks to all who joined us!

6^th Annual Duke Heart Valve Symposium

Duke Heart’s 6^th annual Heart Valve Symposium took place on Saturday in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center for Health Education. The symposium was led by Kevin Harrison and Chad Hughes. See the photo of all the past fellows back for the conference with a group dinner at Vin Rouge.  The conference has substantial in-person and on-line attendance and we look forward to continued learning with our colleagues.

Older Model CMRI Removed

The CMRI scanner that we are no longer using was ramped down and removed from the 7th floor of Duke University Hospital on Saturday, March 2. This was, of course, a big undertaking. To facilitate removal, a crane was set up on Friday in the space between the Searle Center, the construction area for the new bed tower addition, and the concourse. The scanner was lifted by crane through a roof hatch. Special thanks to our FPDC contact, Dane Van Enwyck for the photos! The FPDC oversaw the project.

US News Best Hospitals Voting is Now Open!

Please take a moment to check your Doximity account and look for your opportunity to vote in the U.S.News & World Report Best Hospitals survey. Voting opened last week and continues for about one month. This makes a difference and should take just minutes to complete. Thank you!

National Heart month and prepping for the upcoming ACC Scientific Sessions has me reflecting lately on mentorship and the gifts we bring to caregiving, and I’ve thought a lot about those who have come before us – those who have left a legacy with impact. One of the people who has come to mind for me is Dr. Walter Floyd, a longtime Duke cardiologist who retired nearly two decades ago and who died last fall.

Dr. Floyd was known not only as a skilled clinician – he was certainly that – but he was very well known and much beloved for being a gentleman who embodied empathy and compassion with his patients. Many of his patients stayed in touch with him for many years after his retirement – a fact uncovered by his family after his death when they discovered stacks of letters that he had saved.

He trained some of the finest physicians Duke has produced, including former division chief Gary Stiles, Tom Bashore, and many other current faculty members and past fellows / DUCCS members. In 1992, Dr. Floyd’s many friends, former students, and patients together established the Walter L. Floyd Fellowship in Cardiology which ensures that many more fellows will continue to benefit from his legacy – one that is truly special to us at Duke Heart in that it embodies the underlying spirit of humanity that drove Floyd as a caregiver.  The Floyd Fellow in cardiology is voted by their peers each year as the fellow that best represents Dr. Floyd – finest clinical fellow with humanism and patient centered values.  The plaque with all the named Floyd fellows is in the 7^th floor hall and seen above.

Dr. Stiles once said of Floyd, “He is a warm human being who gives the best patient care and the best patient interaction of anyone I’ve seen at Duke.” Floyd’s deep compassion for patients led to his teaching motto that, “physicians don’t treat diseases, they treat patients.”

Floyd felt the relationship between clinicians and their patients to be critical to the future of medicine – developing a level of intimacy that allowed for getting to know your patient as an individual and not just focusing on the technical aspects of what is happening in their bodies.

We are very data driven as clinicians and researchers, so of course the numbers and the technological improvements in treatment are important. But Floyd, as a lifelong teacher, realized that this very technology can make it harder for residents and fellows to learn how to be compassionate and caring physicians. He was concerned that humanistic aspects would be set aside – that the focus would be test results and treatment options rather than compassionate understanding of how the illness was impacting this particular individual and his/her particular family members.

Let’s strive to build the type of relationships that Dr. Floyd espoused both with his patients and the students he mentored. His legacy lives on through all the clinicians who benefited from his direct teachings.

Research Seminar Series Featured Ravi Karra

Ravi Karra was the guest speaker at the Feb. 22 Research Seminar Series held by the Department of Medicine. His topic was Vascular Guidance of Innate Heart Regeneration. Thanks to everyone who was able to join us – we had a good crowd!

If you weren’t able to join us, you can listen to the Voices of Medicine podcast that was done as a preview to his talk. To listen, click here: https://warpwire.duke.edu/w/qvQBAA.

Dodging the Rain & Celebrating

The Mentz’s and Rosen-Ward’s took a quick trip to Oak Island to celebrate Cary and Rob’s shared birthday on February 23. We are envious of anyone who managed to escape the rain in Durham this weekend. Belated happy birthday wishes to Cary Ward and Rob Mentz!

Duke Heart at the Sutherland

National Heart month is coming to a close this week. Yesterday was our keynote event, Duke Heart Day at The Sutherland in Wake Forest, NC. Special thanks to Maitreya Thakkar, Khyati Baxi and Anne Ford (obgyn) for serving as our panelists and for assisting with health screenings. Attendees enjoyed a cooking demonstration with red wine and dark chocolate, as well as opportunities to speak directly with care providers to learn more about heart disease prevention and treatments.

Our final event is coming up on Feb. 27 – we will hold a compression-only CPR training in the DMP for visitors and family members. We’ll also be teaching how to use an AED and how to perform the Heimlich maneuver.

Many thanks to each one of our volunteers who helped with events this month. Special thanks to Leatrice Martin Short for planning and execution!

Renovations to EP/Cath Waiting Area to Begin March 5

Construction will begin early next month to renovate and enhance the waiting area for the Adult Cardiac Catheterization and Electrophysiology Labs at Duke University Hospital. The renovations will expand the available seating area and add one more check-in bay. We’re also adding a consultation room and some new signage. Each modification we are making will serve to give patients and families greater comfort and more privacy, which should improve their overall experience in this particular area. We anticipate completion of the renovation by the end of fall 2019. Members of the Heart PFAC weighed in on our design. If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact Greg Shelton, Administrative Director for the Cardiovascular Invasive Labs.

Heart PFAC Update

The Duke Heart Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) launched a year ago this month and the members have been fully engaged with weighing in on several projects within Duke Heart (including the renovation project to the Cath/EP waiting room area) and a number of initiatives that are launching across DUHS. We thank Brian Wofford, Vice President of Heart Operations for Durham County, and Mary Lindsay, Associate Chief Nursing Officer for Duke Heart, who –along with Georgina Dukes, our former strategic services associate–worked to get the PFAC up and running. We’d also like to thank Sue Ann Glower (wife of CT surgeon Don Glower) for serving as volunteer co-chair of the Council.

Our PFAC is one of several that have been created over the past few years at Duke as an effort to improve patient and family experiences while getting care within Duke University Health System. The members are volunteering their time to meet regularly as a group and to give their honest opinions and guidance to the leadership of Duke Heart – we appreciate the time they are giving to us; their insights are very valuable.

If you know of any patient (current or former) or any family members of a patient (current or former) who might be interested in serving on this Council, please contact Brian Wofford at brian.wofford@duke.edu. We welcome any suggestions you might have!

Don’t miss…

Boyd Hudson, one of our Duke respiratory therapists, made an important discovery regarding his heart last month while visiting the Children’s Museum of Alamance County. Two news stories are included in our links – please see “news”.

Good Catches, 3100!

The providers and staff on 3100 continue to receive Good Catch awards – thank you so much for your diligence and commitment to keeping our patients as safe as possible, especially with our latest goal of Zero Harm. This past week, Maita Encarnacion, RN and Shayne Gravitt, RN each received shout-outs – Maita for catching that a medication had been sent in the wrong form, and Shayne for finding that an incorrect drug had been dispensed. Great job!

New Clinical Leads Announced for Cardiac Invasive Labs

We are pleased to announce that Anna Mall and Vanessa Guzman have been named clinical leads for our Cardiac Invasive Labs.

Anna Mall, RN, CCRN, will become the Clinical Lead RN for the Duke University Hospital Adult Cardiac Catheterization Lab effective March 4. Anna has functioned as a staff and charge nurse for the Adult Cardiac Cath lab since 2014. Prior to that time, she worked as a critical care nurse at Duke Regional Hospital for five years. During her time at Duke, Anna has held a variety of leadership roles including serving on the Duke Heart Center Clinical Practice Council, Cath Lab Staff Advisory Committee, and several unit champion roles. She currently leads the Cath Lab Nursing Research Committee, which has an American Heart Association-accepted abstract, Understanding the Patient Experience of Pain and Discomfort During Cardiac Cath that will be presented at the AHA Quality Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Session in April. Anna has served in several volunteer leadership roles with the American Association of Critical Care Nurses since 2013, including several officer positions within the Triangle Chapter.  Recently, she served as the Chair of the Program Planning Committee for AACN’s National Teaching Institute.  She is currently serving a three-year term as the chapter advisor for Region 10/Illinois.

Anna earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois and a diploma of Nursing from Watts School of Nursing in Durham. She will complete her Masters of Science in Nursing from the University of North Carolina in December 2019.

Vanessa Guzman, BSN, RN, RCIS will become the Clinical Lead RN for the Duke University Hospital Adult Electrophysiology (EP) Lab effective March 4. Vanessa joined the Duke Heart team in December, 2013 as a staff nurse in the EP Lab and became an EP charge nurse in May, 2016. Vanessa obtained her Registered Cardiac Electrophysiology Specialist certification in June, 2017. During her time at Duke, Vanessa has held a variety of leadership roles including serving on the Invasive Labs Clinical Practice Committee, EP Mentorship Committee, EP Staff Advisory Committee, and Invasive Labs Orientation Committee. Prior to her time at Duke, Vanessa worked as a telemetry staff nurse at Nazareth Hospital in PA for three years. Vanessa earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from La Salle University in 2010.

Please join us in congratulating and welcoming Anna and Vanessa to their new roles!

4th Annual Duke Heart Center/DCRI Fellows Presentation Skills Course

We had 23 fellows (list below) for the 4^th Annual Duke Heart Center/DCRI Fellows’ Presentation Skills Course here in Durham, and it was another outstanding success. Special thanks to Andrew Wang, Sunil Rao, and Tracy Wang for directing the course.

Speakers included Andrew Wang, Sunil Rao, Tracy Wang, Jimmy Tcheng, Penny Hodgson, Sreek Vemulapalli, Mike Felker and Jenn Rymer.

More info here, regarding the course.

The Fellows that attended are below including a Map of where they have come from over the last 4 years.

New Mandel Award for CVRC Researchers

The Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC) is launching a new Mandel award for CVRC researchers forming collaborations with the Cardiology Clinical Research Unit to support translational research into the causes and treatment of hypertension, atherosclerosis and related cardiovascular diseases. The Mandel Translational Research Award will provide funding of $60,000 (plus indirect costs at 15 percent) for a one-year period. If you would like additional details about this opportunity or have questions please contact Maria Price Rapoza via email. Applications are due April 17, 2019 and should be emailed as a PDF to maria.rapoza@duke.edu. Mandel Award funding is made possible due to the generous support of the Edna and Fred L. Mandel Jr. Foundation.

Love Your Heart Lecture with Matthew Brennan

Matthew Brennan presented our 2019 Love Your Heart Lecture at the Durham Center for Senior Life on February 12. He was highly engaging and well received by the attendees. He made his presentation between cases in the Cath Lab and we thank him for doing so!  We appreciate when our clinical providers and other staff members take time to spread important heart health messages throughout Durham. Events such as this one held throughout the Triangle represent important opportunities to show our commitment to the towns in which we all live and work. Great job, Matt!

Duke Heart Grows By One!

Congratulations to Ryan Plichta (CT Surgery) and his wife, Jennifer Plichta (surgical oncology)  on the birth of their daughter, Kathleen Rose, on February 12. Mom, dad and baby are doing well and we could not be more happy for them. What a great way to celebrate heart month!

 Save the Date: ACC Duke Reception (March 16)

ACC.19 is just a month away and we know everyone is busy preparing for presentations, meetings, and collaborations — but don’t forget to add the Duke ACC Reception to your calendar if you’re headed to New Orleans! RSVP, please:  http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=zzog9o7ab&oeidk=a07eg3bfqyh236e1021

When

Saturday, March 16, 2019 from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM CDT

Where

Omni Riverfront Hotel’s Rex Ballroom
701 Convention Center Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70130

As Senior Associate Editors for Circulation, Sana Al-Khatib and Biykem Bozkurt (Medical Care Line Executive, DeBakey VA Medical Center and Vice-Chair of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine) co-led the 2019 Go Red for Women issue. The issue that will be published on February 19, 2019 covers a wide spectrum of topics related to cardiovascular disease in women ranging from prevention and risk stratification to myocardial infarction, pregnancy, heart failure, and sudden cardiac death. There is a variety of article types including 6 original research papers, 2 state-of-the art papers, 2 in-depth reviews, 3 frame of reference papers, and 1 research letter. By highlighting some of the best research on cardiovascular disease in women, the Circulation editorial team is hoping that this issue will ignite more interest in and greater commitment to conducting transformative research in this field. They would love to get your feedback on the issue and encourage you to consider submitting papers for the 2020 Go Red for Women issue. “We are very pleased with the quality of papers published in this 3^rd issue of the Go Red for Women and hope readers will enjoy them as much as we have”, Sana commented.