Highlights of the week:

Duke Heart Welcomes Moghaddam and Aslam

This weekend we are introducing two of our newest cardiology faculty members – Drs. Nima Moghaddam and M. Imran Aslam.

Former advanced heart failure and transplant fellow Nima Moghaddam, MD, joined the Duke Heart team on July 1 after completing his fellowship in Duke’s Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant program. He will round on the Heart Failure and Transplant service as well as in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and will see patients in our transplant and biopsy clinics.

Born in Iran and raised in Canada, Moghaddam was drawn to medicine from an early age. He says he always admired his father, a cardiologist, and wanted to follow in his footsteps. He became fascinated with the physiology of the heart and liked the breadth of opportunities available within the cardiology specialty. Ultimately, he chose to focus his training on heart failure and transplantation because of the difference that can be made in helping the sickest of the sick.

“I’ve met so many great people, mentors, and leaders in heart failure and transplant here at Duke,” Moghaddam said. “To me, it is the opportunity of a lifetime to work at a world-leading heart failure and transplant center. I am so happy to stay and continue to learn. This is where the cutting-edge of heart transplantation and cardiology is happening. On top of that, people have been very welcoming and friendly to me, my wife, and our newborn baby. It would be very hard to leave this place.”

Moghaddam holds a BSc from York University in Toronto. He earned his MD at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where he also completed his internal medicine residency and trained in adult cardiology. He then moved to Durham for advanced heart failure and transplant fellowship.

He and his wife, Dr. Bahar Bahrani, have a nine-month-old son named Aiden. Bahar is on faculty in Duke’s Department of Dermatology. Nima and Bahar both enjoy hiking and time outdoors. Nima says he’s an extreme foodie — and having spent many years in British Columbia, really misses the sushi there. He says most people who know him know that he’s a soccer fanatic – he says he follows every soccer league in the world. What some may not know, however, is that he played as a goalkeeper for the Persian Lions F.C., a semi-professional soccer team based in Toronto. He says his favorite team is the Premier League’s Liverpool F.C.

For those who did not have the opportunity to work with Nima during his fellowship last year, please extend a warm welcome to him as one of our newest team members!

Imran Aslam, MD, joined the Duke Heart faculty as an assistant professor of medicine in cardiology on Sept. 1. He is an interventional and advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist who comes to us from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio (UTHSCSA) where he was a faculty member for the past two years. He’ll be on our VAD service and will see patients at Duke University Hospital and at Arringdon Clinic. 

Having grown up in Houston, where Texas Medical Center and MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) are a major presence, he had opportunities to explore career opportunities in medicine while in high school. His school had partnerships with area hospitals, allowing students exposure to medical-based careers in a very customized way. Aslam was assigned a path through MD Anderson via a clinic focused on treating patients with gastric tumors. He says that for him, the timing was perfect. The MDACC team had just begun using a new drug, called imatinib (Gleevec), to treat cancer patients and it was completely changing their care and outcomes for the better. The experience piqued his interest – he became fascinated with learning how this and other drugs were developed, and who developed them. It was then he decided to go into medicine, ultimately becoming a physician-scientist.

Aslam holds a BS from the University of Houston and earned his MD from UTHSCSA. His original plan, he says, was to pursue a career in oncology, so he spent one of his medical school years as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute medical fellow at Oregon Health Science University in Portland, OR.

“As fate would have it, for that fellowship I was able to work in the laboratory of Dr. Brian Druker, the guy who developed Gleevec,” says Aslam. “His story was so inspiring to me – something he did in his life as a physician-scientist was able to help an innumerable number of patients.” Gleevec revolutionized the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia and helped establish targeted therapies as a pathway to treating cancer.

Aslam went on to internal medicine residency and ultimately decided to pursue fellowship training in cardiovascular disease, advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology, and interventional cardiology, all of which he completed at Johns Hopkins. He then joined the faculty at UTHSCSA and was glad to be near family once again. However, without a robust HF program there, he grew to miss taking care of VAD and transplant patients. He decided to seek out opportunities where he could use all of his skills in research and clinical care that he’d developed during his training. That search brought him to Duke.

On the clinical side, Aslam’s expertise is in cardiogenic shock, mechanical circulatory support, and high-risk PCI. His research focus, which he developed at Hopkins, is on right ventricular dysfunction — in particular, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. He plans to continue working in this area in larger animal models at Duke, as well as further investigating mitochondrial bioenergetic pathways in cardiac myocytes.

Aslam describes himself as a bit of a fitness nut and that he fits in daily exercise no matter what. In his free time, he enjoys hiking and traveling – especially with his brother who, he says, is the most well-traveled person he knows. So, when time permits and they can coordinate their schedules, they travel together to places that are generally off the beaten path. Their last trip was to the Arctic where they were able to hike and see polar bears. His passion, he says, is any trip that allows him to see new places and be physically active while doing it.

We are very happy to have him on our team. Please give Imran a warm welcome to Duke Heart!

 

Duke to Celebrate Robert Lefkowitz’s 50 Years of Scientific Discovery

Duke University will honor Duke cardiologist and Nobel Prize winner Robert J. Lefkowitz’s 50 years at Duke with a two-day symposium, “Celebrating Scientific Discoveries that Advance Human Health,” to be held Oct. 2-3 at Page Auditorium.

The event will feature presentations from seven Nobel laureates, as well as sessions with University President Vincent E. Price, PhD; Mary E. Klotman, MD, executive vice president for health affairs and dean of the Duke University School of Medicine; former Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski; and Lefkowitz, who received the 2012 Nobel Prize in chemistry with his former trainee Brian Kobilka, MD, now on faculty at Stanford Medicine.

Lefkowitz’s trailblazing research on how cells communicate reshaped modern medicine. He revealed the workings of G-protein-coupled receptors that are relied on by almost half of the medications available today.

“This symposium is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Bob Lefkowitz’s many achievements and to learn about the latest advances in biomedical research,” Price said. “His discoveries have made a difference in the lives of innumerable people, and the research that will be presented at this symposium also has the potential to improve the lives of people around the world.” 

In addition to the Nobel Prize laureates, speakers will include top scientists from Duke and other universities who are working on biomedical research to advance the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, blood disorders, and heart disease.

Lefkowitz, who is the Chancellor’s Professor of Medicine at the Duke University School of Medicine, has held a primary faculty appointment in cardiology since 1973; he maintains additional appointments in biochemistry, pathology, and chemistry, and is a long-time member of the Duke Cancer Institute. His research laboratory is housed within the Duke Cardiovascular and Research Center (CVRC).

“Bob Lefkowitz’s pioneering work in the realm of cellular communication has left an indelible mark on the field of medicine,” Klotman said. “His dedication to understanding the intricacies of cell receptors has paved the way for numerous medical breakthroughs, making him an indispensable figure in modern biomedical research.”

Beyond his research, she added, “his lasting impact has also been through the generations of very talented scientists who have had the good fortune to call Bob their mentor.” 

In an innovative move in 1974, Lefkowitz attached a radioactive isotope to a beta-blocker drug. This allowed him to track and identify an adrenaline receptor by monitoring the emitted radiation. It opened the door to understanding the functionality of such receptors.

Lefkowitz’s discovery led to the subsequent realization that there is an entire family of similarly functioning receptors — the G-protein-coupled receptors. These receptors play a crucial role in cellular communication.

G-protein-coupled receptors are not just a matter of academic interest. Many medications leverage these receptors to exert their therapeutic effects. Lefkowitz’s work has defined pharmaceutical advancements for decades.

Nobel laureates invited to join the symposium include cancer researcher Harold E. Varmus, MD, who earned the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 1989; neurologist and biochemist Stanley Prusiner, MD, the 1997 Nobel Prize winner in medicine or physiology; Joseph Goldstein, MD, the 1985 Nobel Prize winner whose discoveries became the basis of statins, medications to treat high cholesterol; Peter Agre, MD, and Roderick MacKinnon, MD, who received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2003; and Kobilka, a physiologist who worked as a postdoctoral fellow with Lefkowitz while at Duke.

The event is open to faculty, staff, students, trainees, and the public. Visit the School of Medicine symposium webpage to see the full schedule and to register.

 

CDU Awarded IAC Accreditation in Vascular Testing

We are thrilled to announce that the Duke University Hospital Cardiac Diagnostic Unit (CDU) has achieved a significant milestone by obtaining reaccreditation from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) in Vascular Testing. This accreditation underscores the steadfast dedication of the CDU team to delivering top-tier cardiac diagnostic services while upholding the utmost standards in patient care.

IAC accreditation certifies adherence to the stringent evaluation criteria set by the IAC. Through rigorous assessments and comprehensive reviews, our CDU has consistently showcased excellence in cardiac imaging services, positioning us as a leader in the industry. We are particularly proud to have been granted accreditation in two vital areas: Extracranial Cerebrovascular Testing and Peripheral Arterial Testing.

We extend our deepest appreciation to the entire CDU team for their unwavering dedication to quality and safety, and to ensuring their overall expertise as a team. It is their hard work and commitment that have propelled the CDU to this achievement.

“We are grateful to each of our patients and their referring physicians for the trust and confidence they have placed in our services,” says Ashlee Davis, chief technologist for the DUH CDU. “Their unwavering support has been instrumental in our success.”

Congratulations CDU Team – way to go!

 

Tannu to Receive ACC NC Grant

Duke cardiology fellow Manasi Tannu has been selected to receive a Disparities Research Grant from the American College of Cardiology’s NC chapter. The grant will support her and her team’s efforts to increase screening for peripheral artery disease (PAD) at historically black churches in the greater Durham area. 

The grant award will be officially announced and awarded to Tannu at the 2023 NC/SC Annual Conference next weekend (Sept. 22-24, 2023) at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC.

Congratulations, Manasi!

 

 

 

Recruiting Success for Step-Down Units

Members of our nursing leadership team represented Heart Services at a Duke University Health System specialty hiring event on Sept. 13. The team was successful in recruiting new hires for the step-down units! Shown here are Ally Shiveler, Kasey Williams, Ciarra Ashley, and Laura Dickerson.

Great work – we are grateful to each of you for spending time on recruiting, sharing your stories and enthusiasm for Duke Heart, and doing such a great job. Thank you!

 

 

 

 

 

Shout-out to Lewis

We received a note this week from David Gallagher, Chief Medical Officer, regarding feedback he received on electrophysiologist Rob Lewis, MD, via the Press Ganey/HCAHPS from an inpatient on the great care Lewis and his team delivered to them. 

“The surgical staff (especially the nurse anesthetist) were very upbeat, and really forestalled any pre-op tension. We joked around a little before I was sedated… Dr. Lewis was outstanding. I had no pain after my pacemaker insertion, to the surprise of the nursing staff (who were also wonderful). All in all, an excellent (and successfully therapeutic) experience.” – a grateful patient, name withheld for privacy

Well-deserved kudos — nicely done, Rob!

 

 

EP’s Haney Retires

We wished a warm farewell this week to EP nurse Marianne Haney, RN, CCRN, RCES, who began her career at Duke University Hospital in the Electrophysiology Lab in November 2003.

“Marianne has been the matriarch of our team, serving as charge nurse and preceptor for her colleagues,” said Shawn Johnson, nurse manager of operations for Duke’s Adult Cardiac Cath Labs. “She will be missed by all of us.”

Commonly referred to as “Mrs. Haney,” Marianne plans to spend her retirement traveling with her husband. As we understand it, their first journeys will take them to several of the great national parks in the U.S.

Her last day with Duke Health was Thursday, Sept. 14. The team celebrated her with a potluck breakfast, a cake, and her favorite lunch from Jimmy John’s.

Thanks for all you have done for Duke Heart and our EP patients. We wish “Mrs. Haney” all the best and bid her bon voyage!

 

 

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

• September is National AFib Awareness Month and Women in Medicine Month
• Sept. 15 – Oct. 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month.
• Flu vaccination at Duke begins Sept. 21.
• Masking for patients, visitors, and team members is now strongly recommended throughout all clinical areas during respiratory virus season (Sept. 15- Mar. 1, 2024).

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Sept. 19: ECS Wrap-up with Chris Granger. 5 p.m. In person or via Zoom.

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Sept. 20: DHP Case Presentation with Eric Xie. Noon. DMP 2W96

Sept. 22: HF/Txp Case Presentation with Husam Salah. Noon, via Zoom.

 

ICYMI: Medicine Grand Rounds, Sept. 8

Medicine Grand Rounds welcomed Gene Nichol, professor of law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Sept. 8 for his lecture, Poverty and Equal Dignity in North Carolina. You may find the recording here.

 

DCRI Research Forum

Sept. 26: A fireside chat with NIMHD director Eliseo J. Perez-Stable, MD. Noon. Zoom only.

 

CME: Special Care for Pregnant Hearts, Sept. 20

A newly developed CME offering for OBGYNs, PCPs, family medicine physicians and anesthesiologists will take place Wed., Sept. 20 from 6:30 – 8:30. Special Care for Pregnant Hearts, a multi-disciplinary approach to pregnant patients with cardiovascular disease will be held virtually. Presenters include Drs. Jeff Federspiel, Cary Ward, Tori Spates, Sarah Snow, and Marie-Louise Meng.

To learn more and for registration, please visit https://obgyn.duke.edu/education-training/continuing-medical-education.

 

NCHA: Creating Healthier Communities, Part 1 (Urban), Sept. 26

The NC Healthcare Association will host a virtual town hall – “Creating Healthier Communities” – on Tuesday, Sept. 26 from 11 a.m.- 12 p.m. The town hall will focus on community benefits provided by North Carolina’s hospitals and health systems, highlighting work with local employers, schools, faith organizations and other partners to build healthier, vibrant communities. Debra Clark Jones, Associate Vice President for Community Health at Duke Heath, will participate as a panelist with other healthcare leaders from around the state. Free. Register here.

 

Duke Football Healthcare Appreciation Day: Sept 30

Duke Football invites all Duke Health employees to Healthcare Appreciation Day on Saturday, September 30 when they take on Notre Dame in Wallace Wade Stadium! As a token of appreciation, all healthcare workers, families, and friends can purchase discounted tickets here: https://duke.is/9/ne4n

Sept. 30: Duke Football vs. Notre Dame. Time TBA.

 

Call for Applications: 2024 Leadership Programs

The Office for Faculty announced this week the call for applications for their 2024 Leadership Programs, including ADVANCE-UP, ALICE, DCLP, and LEADER. Click here to learn more. Applications are due Nov. 3.

 

Register Now: 15^th Annual Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium

The 15^th annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium will be held on Friday, November 17^th at the Durham Convention Center. Faculty directors will be H. James Ford, MD, director of the PH program at UNC, and Terry Fortin, MD, co-director of the Pulmonary Vascular Disease Center at Duke. Registration is now open: https://duke.is/9/7rs5. Please join us!

 

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, on Wednesdays, to be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

September 11 — David Harpole

Onc Live

Dr Harpole on Perioperative Durvalumab Plus Chemotherapy in EGFR-Mutated NSCLC

https://duke.is/b/4nth

 

September 11 — David Harpole

Targeted Oncology

No Benefit to Neoadjuvant Durvalumab/Chemo Followed by Adjuvant Durvalumab in EGFR+ NSCLC

https://duke.is/v/53rh

 

September 11 — Christina Wyatt (nephrology)

Healio/Nephrology

Women with health issues and CKD face complex challenges

https://duke.is/6/7jx4

 

September 13 — CTSI

NC Medical Society

Duke Announces Center for Precision Health to Transform Population Health, Patient Care

https://duke.is/4/z8ex

 

September 13 — Larry Jackson

Healio/Cardiology Today

Care, outcomes remain uneven amid growing atrial fibrillation burden in US

https://duke.is/9/hkx6

 

 

 

Chiefs Message:
We are excited to announce new surgical faculty this week and we will spend some time in the upcoming weeks introducing the new cardiology faculty.  Additionally, this week we have the bittersweet news of the retirement of Renee Story.  Finally, there are some amazing scientific projects the Cardiovascular group is leading from K23 grants with Jenn Rymer to the Center for Precision Health with Svati Shah as the leader.  Enjoy the updates.

Highlights of the week:

Smith, Lin Honored for Service to Duke Regional

Former Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery division chief Dr. Peter K. Smith and cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Shu Lin were both honored this week by the leadership team of Duke Regional Hospital (DRH). The two were recognized with a hospital leadership recognition award for their more than 20 years of dedication to and support of the DRH CT Surgery Program.

The awards were presented to them on Wednesday, Sept. 6 by Dr. Adia Ross, chief medical officer for DRH. The event was held as part of the Duke1 Periop Session.

Smith and Lin have been instrumental in improving and expanding the heart surgery services available to patients at DRH.

Well-deserved accolades to two of our finest surgeons and leaders! Congratulations, Peter and Shu!

 

Patel, Bevers, and Salfity Will Join Duke CTS Faculty

We are pleased to announce the addition of three new faculty members to the Duke Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Section of General Thoracic Surgery.

Kunal J. Patel, MD, PhD, will begin as Assistant Professor of Surgery on September 11. Dr. Patel comes to us from the University of Virginia, where he attended medical school and recently completed a Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship. Dr. Patel holds a PhD in Transplant Immunology from the Medical University of South Carolina, where he also completed his General Surgery Residency.

Kaitlin C. Bevers, MD, will join as Assistant Professor of Surgery beginning on October 1. Dr. Bevers recently completed a Thoracic Surgery Fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She attended Wayne State University School of Medicine, and completed her General Surgery Residency at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver.

Hai V. Salfity, MD, MPH, will join as Assistant Professor of Surgery also beginning on October 1. Salfity returns to Duke after completing her Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship with us in 2021. Since then, she has most recently served as an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Salfity completed medical school and her surgical training at the Indiana University School of Medicine, from which she also holds a Master of Public Health degree.

“The addition of Drs. Patel, Bevers, and Salfity to our faculty reflect our commitment to growing Duke CT Surgery’s renowned training programs and enhancing our ability to provide quality surgical care to patients in need,” said Division Chief Dr. Edward Chen and Section Chief for General Thoracic Surgery, Dr. Thomas D’Amico in a joint email that was shared this week.

Please join us in welcoming all three of these exceptional physicians to our Duke CT Surgery team and to Duke Heart!

 

 

 

Rymer Receives NHLBI Research Career Development Award

Interventional cardiologist Jenn Rymer, MD, MBA, has received a Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Her awarded project (effective July 27) is Implementation of a Medication Adherence Instrument among Patients with Symptomatic Peripheral Artery Disease after Peripheral Vascular Intervention. Her mentors will include Drs. Hayden Bosworth, Schuyler Jones, Tracy Wang, Ann Marie Navar, and Sharron Docherty.

The five-year NHLBI K23 award supports the career development of individuals with a clinical doctoral degree, who have the potential to develop into productive, clinical investigators, and who have made a commitment to focus their research endeavors on patient-oriented research.

Rymer will be studying methods to improve adherence and prescription of guideline-based and evidence-based medical therapies in patients with peripheral vascular disease here at Duke.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects roughly 12 million Americans and accounts for over $21 billion in combined annual healthcare costs. For patients with PAD who undergo a peripheral vascular intervention (PVI) to improve quality of life and/or prevent limb loss, there are evidence-based, guideline-directed medical therapies that should be prescribed after the intervention. However, adherence to these therapies remains poor among this population of patients, placing them at an increased risk of limb loss, cardiovascular disease, and death. Rymer’s research will work to leverage complementary methods in qualitative research, implementation science, and clinical trial design to examine the barriers to medication adherence and evaluate a potential tool that may facilitate improved communication between the clinic provider and patient about how to improve adherence to these therapies in patients with PAD who have undergone PVI.

Congratulations, Jenn!

 

Center for Precision Health Launched; Shah to Serve as Director

The Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute this week announced the launch of the Center for Precision Health (CPH), a collaboration that will harness the power of genomic, biomarker, and health data to transform patient care and population health.

The Duke University School of Medicine has a rich history of translational discovery science leveraging genetics, genomics, and other -omic technologies coupled with data science and informatics. With continuing advances in genomics, biomarker technology, and computational biology alongside improvements in electronic health records and machine learning, the CPH will work to bridge discovery science with personalized patient care. 

“This collaborative effort will bring together researchers from across Duke that will enable us to improve patient care and help move more discoveries in basic and translational research into clinical care,” said Mary E. Klotman, MD, executive vice president for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine. “The Center for Precision Health is poised to become a powerhouse for genetic and genomic discovery, outreach, and education. I’m excited to see what the future holds.”

Duke cardiologist Svati H. Shah, MD, MHS, Ursula Geller Distinguished Professor of Medicine, has been named director of the CPH. Julie Eckstrand, RPh, will serve as executive director.

To read the full announcement, please visit this page.

Congratulations, Svati!

 

Renee Story Retires After Three Decades of Service

We wished a fond farewell recently to long-time cardiology administrative assistant Renee Story. After more than 30 years of service at Duke Health, Story retired officially on Sept. 1. She was celebrated with a luncheon in her honor on August 31 at Bennett Point Grill in Durham.

A highly valued team member, Renee supported a number of faculty throughout her years with the Duke Heart team, including Drs. Richard Stack, Chris O’Connor, Joe Rogers, Jimmy Tcheng, Andrew Wang, and Chet Patel. Additionally, she helped support our Cardiology Grand Rounds program. All along the way, she demonstrated teamwork, professionalism, and a deep care for patients and their families – and always with a smile and warm welcome.

Although we will miss her, we are excited for her and all the future holds. Renee says she is looking forward to spending more time traveling with her husband, Randy, and to pursuing her interest in learning other languages.

We received some warm reflections about her over the past few weeks and wanted to share them here:

“Renee Story has been a valued, dedicated colleague for 3 decades.  Her work is superior in her conscientiousness and commitment to the highest quality.  She consistently maintains a positive, polite, and helpful demeanor, even with challenges.  Her interactions with all patients are always professional and respectful, and I’ve received many thanks and compliments from them. She is so experienced and effective that I take it for granted how she helps to keep the wheels on the track. I wish her a wonderful and well-deserved retirement with her family.” – Andrew Wang, MD

“Renee was not only a wonderful staff assistant, she was truly one of the nicest people I have ever worked with!” – Richard Stack, MD

“It has been an absolute honor to work with Renee. She has been an extremely important member of our cardiology grand rounds team. She is always organized, efficient, kind, compassionate, and an excellent communicator. She also kept us on track to make sure we were always ahead of deadlines and that we had all the support we needed. We will certainly miss her but are excited for her to start this new chapter!” – Nishant Shah, MD

“Nishant and I have so appreciated the kindness, resourcefulness, and help that Renee gave us over the last few years doing Grand Rounds. These years were difficult scheduling talks with COVID limitations, but that didn’t stop Renee from making it work! It was a challenging time, and Renee graciously and flexibly rolled with changes, helping with our many schedule changes. We don’t give thanks enough to all the people behind the scenes doing the work to make our division run on a daily basis. Renee was always helpful and kind, and I congratulate her on her much-deserved retirement!” – Jennifer Rymer, MD   

“I have been quite fortunate to be able to count on Renee as my assistant for a substantial portion of my Duke career. Renee epitomizes the “best of Duke” – one of our unsung heroes who makes our enterprise hum. As a junior faculty member, Renee was the first individual to provide me with dedicated support. While at that point she had only been on staff for a short time, she amazed me with her command of the Duke environment. I learned quickly that I could count on her to expertly handle any situation, from the complexities of the interventional cardiology program to the coordination of my busy clinical schedule through the (then manual) processes for organizing travel – and everything in between. To me, she set the standard for effectiveness, efficiency, and reliability. She amazed me with her ability to anticipate not just my needs and wishes, but all those who called upon her for support. She remained a terrific resource to me even as her work responsibilities transitioned to becoming responsible for the entire division. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to be rejoined with Renee over 5 years ago as my administrative assistant. Renee – please know that you made a difference, that you helped shape Duke into the preeminent cardiology division in the country, and that you will be truly missed!  Best wishes as you embark on the next phase of your life’s journey.” — Jimmy Tcheng, MD

“Renee is an exceptional professional. She started out working with Richard Stack and then joined up with my group. We were both young at Duke and we really grew as a team. I remember being struck by how professional she was. The way she approached her work and the way she interacted with other people – it’s not something you learn in school; I think you learn it from your parents more than anything else. Her professionalism in demeanor and her communication really enhanced our team’s ability to be successful. She was often the frontline person for the Heart Center and for the division of cardiology – she was the initial point of contact for a lot of important interactions. Not just with faculty and other team members, but with patients. She was very good with patients. This may be one of her most memorable attributes – sometimes she helped just by providing a listening ear and kind voice to patients who were in distress. She was also very good at communicating with other professionals outside the institution. We had a lot of activities with the NIH, the FDA, and other academic institutions. During that time, she got to know key people and worked with them very well. In turn, they knew her and knew that she was a member of the team representing the Heart Center and the division in a very positive way. They knew they were in good hands if Renee was helping them.” – Chris O’Connor, MD

“Renee has provided over 30 years of service for Duke and the Division of Cardiology. Over this time Renee has been committed to supporting her faculty and worked diligently to keep us organized and prepared for our clinical and academic pursuits.  As our roles and priorities change, Renee has continually evolved with us to ensure we are keeping up, not forgetting anything, or trying to do too many things all at once! She does this with a smile and caring approach which puts everyone at ease. Without a doubt, Renee has been an integral part of the success of Duke Heart by working behind the scenes for others to be successful. I will miss working with her and wish her the best in a well-deserved retirement. – Chet Patel, MD  

Congratulations, Renee! You will be missed!

 

Registration Now Open for 15^th Annual Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium

The 15^th annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium will be held on Friday, November 17^th at the Durham Convention Center. Faculty directors will be H. James Ford, MD, director of the PH program at UNC, and Terry Fortin, MD, co-director of the Pulmonary Vascular Disease Center at Duke. Registration is now open: https://duke.is/9/7rs5. Please join us!

Consumer Engagement Opportunity: Heart Walk

If you or your team would be interested in space for patient education or consumer outreach at the upcoming Triangle Heart Walk on Oct. 8, please reach out to Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart, by Sept. 15. We may have space available for you in our Duke Health sponsorship tent! This can be a great way to engage with consumers from across the Triangle regarding our service offerings.

Note: you must be able to send a representative (or two) who can be at the sponsorship tent while it’s open. If interested, email tracey.koepke@duke.edu.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

• September is National AFib Awareness Month!
• It’s Vascular Nurses week (Sept. 10-16)
• It’s International Housekeeping and Environmental Services week (Sept. 10-16)
• Flu vaccination at Duke begins Sept. 21.

  

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Sept. 12: Wrap up from ESC Around Heart FID with Robert Mentz. 5 p.m. DN 2002 and via Zoom:  https://duke.is/2/rvp4

Medicine Grand Rounds

Sept. 15: Heart Transplant at Duke: Tradition and Innovation with Chet Patel. 8 a.m. DN 2002 and via Zoom.

DCRI Research Forum

Sept. 26: A fireside chat with NIMHD director Eliseo J. Perez-Stable, MD. Noon. Zoom only.

This week: Duke Financial Fitness Week

Free informational seminars are open to all Duke employees for Duke’s annual Financial Fitness Week. Duke HR annually offers the opportunity to learn more about retirement readiness, making informed financial decisions, and unlocking the potential for financial freedom. The full schedule of events and registration links are available at this link: https://duke.is/c/qc2t.

CME: Special Care for Pregnant Hearts, Sept. 20

A newly developed CME offering for OBGYNs, PCPs, family medicine physicians and anesthesiologists will take place Wed., Sept. 20 from 6:30 – 8:30. Special Care for Pregnant Hearts, a multi-disciplinary approach to pregnant patients with cardiovascular disease will be held virtually. Presenters include Drs. Jeff Federspiel, Cary Ward, Tori Spates, Sarah Snow, and Marie-Louise Meng.

To learn more and for registration, please visit https://obgyn.duke.edu/education-training/continuing-medical-education.

Duke Football Healthcare Appreciation Day: Sept 30

Duke Football invites all Duke Health employees to Healthcare Appreciation Day on Saturday, September 30 when they take on Notre Dame in Wallace Wade Stadium! As a token of appreciation, all healthcare workers, families, and friends can purchase discounted tickets here: https://duke.is/9/ne4n

Sept. 30: Duke Football vs. Notre Dame. Time TBA.

SOM Academic New Faculty Orientation: Oct. 16 & 17

If you were hired in the past 3 years and haven’t attended New Faculty Orientation yet, please plan to attend. While content specifically targets newer faculty, all are welcome and many topics are applicable to all faculty, regardless of career stage. Event will be held in the Trent Semans Center and is hosted by the Duke School of Medicine.

To see the agenda and learn more, visit: https://medschool.duke.edu/about-us/faculty-resources/faculty-development/our-programs/school-medicine-academic-new-faculty.

To register: https://dukefacdev.wufoo.com/forms/qr1ae7g1aoyckd/

Questions? Contact the School of Medicine Office for Faculty at facdev@dm.duke.edu.  

 

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:

September 7 — Stephen Greene and Hubert Haywood (IM residency)

tctMD

Hospital at Home Strategy Could Disrupt ‘Low-Value’ Care for Worsening HF

https://duke.is/z/8np6

September 7 — Duke University

Love to Know

Try Nightly Walks for an Easy Way to Step Up Your Health & Happiness

https://duke.is/m/xsqj

Highlights of the week:

In Memoriam: Professor Emeritus, Yihong D. Kong, MD

We were deeply saddened this week to learn of the passing of professor emeritus Yihong David Kong, MD, a long-time interventional cardiologist and cardiovascular pioneer at Duke, on Aug. 29. We extend our condolences to our colleague David Kong, MD, and to his family, on their loss. We’ve utilized the majority of his obituary, provided by the Kong family:

With great reverence, we share the passing of Yihong David Kong, MD, our precious teacher, husband, father, and grandfather. He will be missed dearly by his wife of 60 years, Wen Chi Kao Kong (Ellen), his children David and Stephanie (Charles), and his grandson Wesley.

Born on Feb. 12, 1934, Kong had a challenging wartime childhood in Canton province, China, raised principally by his father, Hok-Shiu Kong, as well as his uncles. He received his MD degree in 1958 from the National Defense Medical Center in Taipei, Taiwan, achieving the rank of Captain in the Republic of China Armed Forces. Graduating at the top of his class, he earned a house staff position at Confederate Memorial Medical Center (now Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center) in Shreveport, Louisiana.

He was then recruited by Drs. Henry McIntosh and Eugene Stead to join the fledgling cardiology division at Duke University. McIntosh held Kong’s expertise with the artificial kidney (dialysis!) in particular esteem. After 13 years of courtship and deliberation, he married his faithful wife and most ardent supporter, Wen Chi Kao Kong, in 1963.

Kong’s seminal scientific work in biplane cineradiographic studies of ventricular wall motion earned him the American College of Cardiology Young Investigator Award in 1967. In concert with Drs. James Morris, Jr., Robert H. “Jess” Peter, and Victor S. Behar, he expanded the cardiac catheterization laboratory at Duke and served as its director from 1971-1981. These collaborations produced important early advances for procedures that are now commonplace, including cardioversion for atrial fibrillation and right heart catheterization from the femoral approach. Kong fully appreciated the potential of Andreas Gruentzig’s initial attempts at coronary balloon angioplasty. In 1977, after a pilgrimage to Zurich University Hospital to learn the technique first-hand, he established a percutaneous revascularization program at Duke.

During the course of his career, Kong was appointed Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, Fellow of the American College of Physicians, and Fellow of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.

A perpetual scientist and educator, he tirelessly inspired others to discover, experiment, and innovate. If an off-the-shelf solution did not exist, he would promptly craft his own, using the heat gun if necessary. In addition to catheter-based technologies, problems in congenital heart disease, electrocardiography, hyperbarics, and epidemiology brought him endless fascination and delight. Like Dr. McIntosh, he cherished bedside clinical acumen and spent many summer Saturdays honing the physical diagnosis skills of Duke medical students. Valuing humility and equanimity, he eschewed personal acclaim and accolades, magnanimously aiming the spotlight toward his many brilliant colleagues and fellows.

After retiring from Duke in 1996, his focus turned to photography, travel, computer science, and technical analysis. True to the Hippocratic Oath, with purity and holiness he passed his life and practiced his art, as an exemplar for the generations who might follow him.

Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made to the Duke Heart Center Gift Fund or to the Duke Friends of Nursing, in memory of Dr. Yihong D. Kong.

Additionally, says David Kong, MD, “You can honor Dad every day by living an honest and righteous life, by asking questions to grow in wisdom, and by patiently answering the inquiries of others.”

We reached out to several current and former faculty members for reflections on their time with Dr. Kong:

“I had the pleasure and privilege of working with Yihong “David” Kong in the late 1980’s. It was the era of “PTCA” (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty), before stents, before IIb/IIIa inhibitors or thienopyridines. David was an iconic early adopter of PTCA, a meticulous operator, and a penultimate professional. And as I got to know his son, Dr. David F. Kong, I learned further how well he balanced his fierce professional commitment with his family as a husband, father and grandfather.” – Mitch Krucoff, MD

“He was an innovative guy, and kind of quiet. I never heard him complain about anything, he was always kind, unassuming, and very polite. He was a hard worker who contributed a lot, he helped get a lot of papers published.” —  Robert H. “Jess” Peter, MD

“Dr. Yihong Kong was among the cardiac catheterization leaders at Duke when Duke Cardiology was just starting to find its footing in the late 1960s. He, along with Drs. Jess Peter and Vic Behar, developed a catheterization reporting system that eventually fed key information into the Duke Databank for Cardiovascular Disease where follow-up was obtained on all patients. The latter has now evolved several times and has emerged as the DCRI. Throughout the decade of the 1970s, Dr. Kong was Director of the Duke Cath Labs. There was always a rumor that when Dr. Kong joined the faculty, Dr. Eugene Stead was unable to pronounce his first name and told him “for now on I will call you David”. Knowing the power Stead had at Duke in those days, no one ever doubted the story. Certainly, the name stuck, and all of us knew him as Dave Kong after that. The Dr. Kong I knew was always very quiet, humble, gracious and unassuming. He was incredibly meticulous and thoughtful. If the cardiac catheters did not seem to go exactly where he wanted them to go during a case, he loved to get out the heat gun and warm them up in order to bend and curve them to the desired shape. Dr. Kong was devoted to his patients. He was kind to everyone and an excellent teacher. He had an infectious laugh. He will be remembered fondly by all of us who owe our training to him. He was one of the foundational pillars that has made Duke what it has become today.” – Thomas M. Bashore, MD

“I knew Yihong in basically two phases of my career – during my residency, and as a fellow faculty member. When I was a resident he was famous, internally, for doing long runs of imagery. This was well before the days of digital equipment, so the imaging was on 35-millimeter film, and this was before the time where radiation safety became a metric, of course. So, you would have a patient get an imaging study, then you had to have the film developed, then it would be rolled up and put into a can so that it could be safely stored. Back then, Dr. Kong was always the one who had more than one can for a patient. So, whenever we residents had to run to get the films for Dr. Kong’s patients, you had to absolutely make sure you had all of the correct cans. We nicknamed them ‘Kong Cans’. As an attending, he was really great to work with. He was concise, decisive, and generous – he was especially generous with junior faculty. He was a man of few words, but very objective. That’s how I’ll always remember him – for that, and of course, the Kong cans.” — Peter K. Smith, MD

 

ESC News: Intravenous Iron Treatment Provides Some Benefit to Patients with Heart Failure and Iron Deficiency

More than half of all patients with heart failure experience iron deficiency, which is associated with worse symptoms, poor quality of life, and diminished exercise ability.

A new study led by Duke Health researchers with global collaborators finds an intravenous iron treatment provides a measure of benefit to these patients, but the results are nuanced.

The study was published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress on Aug. 26. It evaluated the intravenous drug, ferric carboxymaltose, by looking at data on mortality, heart failure hospitalizations, and exercise capacity from more than 3,000 global study participants over a minimum follow-up period of 12 months.

While the results didn’t meet the study’s higher threshold for statistical significance, the therapy demonstrated a numerical improvement across mortality, heart failure hospitalizations, and exercise capacity. The research team also noted results from a pre-specified pooled analysis with two previous studies of ferric carboxymaltose in heart failure, all comparing the drug to placebo for a fuller look at the available data.

“In the broader review using all three studies, we saw a 14% reduction in cardiovascular deaths and total cardiovascular hospitalizations and a 12% reduction in cardiovascular death or heart failure hospitalization events overall across data from more than 4,500 participants collectively,” said cardiologist Robert Mentz, MD, corresponding author of the study, associate professor in the Department of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, and member of the Duke Clinical Research Institute

“As a practicing heart failure cardiologist, I have felt comfortable prescribing intravenous iron for patients with heart failure prior to this study given the known benefits on improvement in quality of life and exercise capacity,” Mentz said. “Now that we have these results, we have important additional data that show this therapy has potential benefits on clinical outcomes, which could help a broad group of patients with heart failure and iron deficiency across the globe.”

The study was funded by American Regent, Inc., which manufactures ferric carboxymaltose, and is part of the Daiichi Sankyo Group. 

In addition to Mentz, study authors include Jyotsna Garg, Frank W. Rockhold, Javed Butler, Carmine G. De Pasquale, Justin A. Ezekowitz, Gregory D. Lewis, Eileen O’Meara, Piotr Ponikowski, Richard W. Troughton, Yee Weng Wong, Lilin She, Josephine Harrington, Robert Adamczyk, Nicole Blackman, and Adrian F. Hernandez (Duke authors in bold).

 

Wang Visits Moi Teaching Hospital

We’re excited to have an update from Dr. Andrew Wang regarding his recent visit to the team at Moi Teaching Hospital:

“I am most grateful for the recent opportunity to have visited the Moi University Regional Teaching Hospital (MTRH) and AMPATH program in Eldoret, Kenya. Since 2009, Duke cardiology (under the leadership of Drs. Eric Velazquez, Jerry Bloomfield and Titus Ngeno) and the Hubert-Yeargen Center for Global Health have provided foundational support for developing a Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Disease Center of Excellence initially funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and, since 2013, developed a cardiology fellowship program and cardiac intensive care unit. The fellowship program has trained all of the five busy cardiology faculty at MTRH and has two current fellows. MTRH is now building a cardiac imaging center with cardiac catheterization lab and cardiac MRI suite which will open in 2024.

During my 8 day visit at the MTRH, I had many diverse, meaningful experiences including rounding in the 10-bed Hock Family CCU (with lots of rheumatic heart disease and infective endocarditis cases), teaching fellows, medical and clinical officers, engaging with their cardiology faculty and staff, and learning about the amazing work of AMPATH in Kenya and the Kenyan health care system. I am extremely thankful to Jerry, Titus, and the Hubert-Yeargen Center (Cynthia Binanay, Corrie Walson and Dr. Rebecca Lumsden) for their help in arranging this very memorable and special visit. I look forward to facilitating interactions with their program. Of note, the first two faculty who completed their cardiology fellowship program, Drs. David Lagat and Joan Kiyeng, will be visiting Duke Heart for several weeks in October, so please welcome them soon.”

Thanks for the update, Andrew! We look forward to meeting David and Joan when they visit next month.

  

Pencina Named Chief Data Scientist

Michael Pencina, PhD, vice dean for data science, professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics at Duke University School of Medicine, and director of Duke AI Health, has been named Duke Health’s first chief data scientist.

Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean Mary E. Klotman, MD, and Duke University Health System Chief Executive Officer Craig Albanese, MD, MBA, announced Pencina’s appointment.

“In the current era of rapid expansion of AI and data science, we created this new role in recognition of the need for a well-articulated strategy for Duke Health that spans and connects both our academic and our clinical missions,” Klotman and Albanese said in their announcement. “Dr. Pencina will facilitate a strategic planning process to best align our priorities and resources and to build upon Duke’s national leadership in trustworthy AI.”

Pencina will also partner with key leaders in Duke University School of Medicine and Duke University Health System to leverage and expand the opportunities afforded by the recently announced partnerships with Microsoft and nference.

As chief data scientist, Pencina will report to Klotman, DUHS Chief Digital Officer Jeffrey Ferranti, MD, and DUHS Chief Medical Officer Richard Shannon, MD. In addition, he will work in close partnership and alignment with the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics and the Department of Population Health Sciences.

Pencina is uniquely qualified to bridge data science, health care, and AI. As vice dean for data science in the School of Medicine, he is responsible for developing and implementing quantitative science strategies as they pertain to the education and training and laboratory, clinical science, and data science missions of the School of Medicine. Previously, he served as director of biostatistics at the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

Pencina will continue spearheading Duke’s role as founding partner for the Coalition for Health AI, whose mission is to increase trustworthiness of AI by developing guidelines to drive high-quality health care through adoption of credible, fair, and transparent health AI systems. He is an internationally recognized authority in evaluation of artificial intelligence tools and algorithms for health expert panels, and guideline groups frequently rely on his work to advance best practices for application of algorithms in clinical medicine.

 

Kudos to Gaca & Team!

A grateful patient sent a thank you note to the leadership of Duke University Hospital, remarking on the level of care and service they were recently provided by Dr. Jeff Gaca and the surgical support teams. In part, the patient wrote:

“As a patient going thru the biggest surgery in my life, I couldn’t have asked for better care (or) a better surgeon, Dr. Gaca. I think you could be extremely proud of so many individuals involved in my care. If I was a part of the leadership team I’d be proud! These were exceptional persons involved in the care I experienced, something I will never forget.” — name withheld for privacy

The card went to Dr. Craig Albanese and was subsequently shared with all of Duke Heart’s leadership team — and we wanted to share it with each of you, since it takes every single one of us working together to make this type of care possible.

From Dr. Albanese: “Thank you for all you & your teams do every day for our patients – your impact is truly life-changing.”

Jeff – thanks for your excellent leadership and for exemplifying our team values!

 

Shout-out to Milano & Team!

David Gallagher, DUHS Chief Medical Officer, shared  an observation with us this week, as well as some terrific comments his team recently received regarding care provided by Carmelo Milano and his team. Here is what he wrote:

“Dear Carmelo, This week we’ve received a few more patient compliments on you and your team! Thank you again so much for the wonderful care you deliver to your patients. In the time that I’ve been CMO and reviewing these compliments and distributing them, you’ve been the leading physician at Duke Hospital in terms of volumes of these wonderful heartfelt notes from patients regarding your great care. Thanks again very much for everything that you do here at Duke, and have a great week!” – David Gallagher, MD

“I received excellent care from all of the nurses, NPs, physicians, EKG techs, CNAs, lab techs and cleaning staff! You have wonderful staff that go above and beyond. Dr. Milano provides the best care I could have ever asked for.” – grateful patient, name withheld for privacy

“I underwent CABG with Dr. Milano, I was a new patient at Duke Univ. Hospital and I received the most compassionate, respectful and “top-notch” care during my entire stay. I was blown away with the quality of care/service that I received. I was a long way from home, but attending Duke was the best choice I have ever made! Thank you for going above and beyond.” – grateful patient, name withheld for privacy

Way to go, Carmelo!

Kudos to Duke Heart Team Excellence!

We received a note this week from cardiac anesthesiologist Mihai Podgoreanu, MD, regarding outstanding care and collaboration provided by members of our Duke Heart team:

“I want to highlight an example of extraordinary team care and communication from this Tuesday. An unfortunate type-A dissection patient arrived via helicopter with evidence of hemopericardium/pericardial tamponade and hypotensive on arrival, prompt arterial line insertion by our outstanding CTICU team, transfer to the OR within 10 min of arrival, uneventful anesthetic induction and incision within an hour of arrival at Duke. Underwent a textbook ascending repair/hemiarch/David valve-sparing operation by the talented Williams-squared team – and is now extubated in the CTICU and ready for floor soon.

The fact that this level of team mobilization occurred while a simultaneous level 1 cardiogenic shock case was being rushed to the operating room is just the icing on the cake and the difference between good and great. My gratitude to all parties involved and included on this email.” – Mihai Podgoreanu, MD

Team members included Adam Williams, Aaron Williams, Scott Snider, Jacqueline Sisto, Bryan Chow, Keith Vandusen, Angelique Arengo, Christine Hayes, Kristen Leroy, Kaitlin Liska, Joshua Watson, Sydney Parker, Shellie Robbins, and Feifei Shi.

“Mihai, first thanks for recognizing the excellence of the team caring for this patient. Kudos to the entire team that made this fantastic care and outcome possible. The care provided by the Duke Heart team is unlike anywhere in the world. I hope each of you will take time to celebrate your amazing talent and the team’s success  – – and again, thank you for all you do each and every day.” – Jill Engel

Nicely done, team!

CTS Residents & Fellows Celebrated

Our cardiovascular and thoracic surgery residents and fellows were celebrated with a pool party last weekend at the home of Dr. Edward P. Chen, chief of the division. The event, planned by Drs. Betty Tong, Jeff Keenan, and Doug Overbey included faculty, fellows, residents, and their family members. Attendance was excellent and a great time was had by all! We’re so grateful for the support shown to all of our residents and fellows.

 

Many thanks to all who joined us!

 

Hitting with Heart Tourney results

The Duke Heart 7^th Annual Hitting with Heart softball tournament was a great success! The event, held last weekend at the Valley Springs Park athletic fields in Durham, included 13 teams from across DUHS – our largest field of competition yet. All told, roughly 250 people, including players, attended the tournament.

Congratulations to Duke’s vascular interventional radiology team – they took home the 2023 title! The first-time tournament winners were undefeated throughout the entire tournament. Nicely done!

A huge shout-out to Jason Stokes and Jessica Seabrooks, assistant nurse managers on 7 West for all their work to plan and execute the tournament – and thank you to each of our teams for joining us this year, including Duke Engineering & Operations; Duke Birthing Center; Clinical Engineering; the PRT; DRAH Sleep Center; DUH Units 3100/7300; Vascular IR; CTOR; CSC; DMP 6 East, DMP 7 West, and Hospitalists.

A portion of the proceeds from this event helps to support the Triangle Heart Walk. Thanks, everyone! We hope you will join us again next year.

 

Consumer Engagement Opportunity: Heart Walk

If you or your team would be interested in space for patient education or consumer outreach at the upcoming Triangle Heart Walk on Oct. 8, please reach out to Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart, by Sept. 15. We may have space available for you in our Duke Health sponsorship tent! This can be a great way to engage with consumers from across the Triangle regarding our service offerings.

Note: You must be able to send a representative (or two) who can be at the sponsorship tent while it’s open. If interested, email tracey.koepke@duke.edu.

 

Symposium Will Celebrate Lefkowitz’s 50 Years at Duke

“Celebrating Scientific Discoveries that Advance Human Health” is a scientific symposium that will be held in celebration of Robert J. Lefkowitz’s 50 years at Duke. Open to the public on October 2-3, 2023, in Page Auditorium, this event will include scientific presentations from 7 Nobel Laureates as well as other eminent scientists. The event also includes a special leadership session with Coach K, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean Mary E. Klotman, President Vincent Price, and Dr. Lefkowitz, led by Dr. Sim Sitkin.

October 2-3, 2023, Page Auditorium, Duke University

All faculty, staff, trainees, and students are welcome to attend.

For more information, the full schedule, and event registration please visit: https://medschool.duke.edu/celebrating-scientific-discoveries.

 

Flu Vaccination Season

As a reminder, DUHS requires all team members to comply with our flu vaccination policy by either being vaccinated annually against the flu or receiving an approved exemption. Our vaccination campaign begins on September 21!

Sept. 21 – Flu vaccination season begins

Oct. 24 – Application deadline for medical/religious exemption

Nov. 7 – (10 a.m.) Deadline for staff vaccination (or granted exemption)

Questions about the flu vaccine? Please contact StopTheFlu@duke.edu or EOHWflu@dm.duke.edu.      

 

ICYMI: Leadership Town Hall Recording Now Available

Thank you to everyone who was able to join the DUHS August Leadership Town Hall. For those of you who were unable to join the live event, a recording of the presentation is now available on Leadership Café.

If you or your team members are interested in booking a bedside musician like William Dawson, please fill out this Qualtrics form to request their time.

The next Leadership Town Hall will take place on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, from 12:00pm-12:45pm.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

September is National AFib Awareness Month!

Medicine Grand Rounds

Sept. 8: Poverty and Equal Dignity in North Carolina with UNC professor of law, Gene Nichol. 8 a.m., DN 2002.

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conferences

Sept. 8: Oral Anticoagulants with Christopher Granger. Noon, Zoom only.

Cardiology Grand Rounds

CGR will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 12!

DCRI Research Forum

Sept. 26: A fireside chat with NIMHD director Eliseo J. Perez-Stable, MD. Noon. Zoom only.

PWIM: Community Gathering, Sept. 6

In honor of Women in Medicine Month, we are excited to invite all Department of Medicine faculty and trainees to the Program for Women in Internal Medicine (PWIM) Community Gathering on Wednesday, September 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Honeysuckle at Lakewood.

The event will be a fun night of collaboration and good conversation, including:

• “Speed Mentoring,” where faculty will be stationed at different tables to answer trainee and faculty career questions; and a pearls of wisdom moment with special guest DOM Chair Dr. Kathleen Cooney, MD, MACP
• Beverages and snacks

Mark your calendars now and join us as we honor and recognize the contributions of women in medicine!

If you have questions or need additional information, please email Dr. Daniella Zipkin at daniella.zipkin@duke.edu.

Duke Caregiver Community Event

Sept. 7: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Durham, NC.

More information available. Registration required. $10 for family caregivers; $75 for professionals in the caregiving industry.

Duke Financial Fitness Week, Sept. 11-14

Duke HR invites all employees to participate in their upcoming Financial Fitness Week. They are offering a series of free webinars designed to assist you in assessing your retirement readiness, making informed financial decisions, and unlocking the potential for financial freedom.

The full schedule of events and registration links are available here: https://duke.is/c/qc2t 

CME: Special Care for Pregnant Hearts, Sept. 20

A newly developed CME offering for OBGYNs, PCPs, family medicine physicians and anesthesiologists will take place Wed., Sept. 20 from 6:30 – 8:30. Special Care for Pregnant Hearts, a multi-disciplinary approach to pregnant patients with cardiovascular disease will be held virtually. Presenters include Drs. Jeff Federspiel, Cary Ward, Tori Spates, Sarah Snow, and Marie-Louise Meng.

To learn more and for registration, please visit https://obgyn.duke.edu/education-training/continuing-medical-education.

Duke Football Healthcare Appreciation Day: Sept 30

Duke Football invites all Duke Health employees to Healthcare Appreciation Day on Saturday, September 30 when they take on Notre Dame in Wallace Wade Stadium! As a token of appreciation, all healthcare workers, families, and friends can purchase discounted tickets here: https://duke.is/9/ne4n

Sept. 30: Duke Football vs. Notre Dame. Time TBA.

SOM Academic New Faculty Orientation: Oct. 16 & 17

If you were hired in the past 3 years and haven’t attended New Faculty Orientation yet, please plan to attend. While content specifically targets newer faculty, all are welcome and many topics are applicable to all faculty, regardless of career stage. Event will be held in the Trent Semans Center and is hosted by the Duke School of Medicine.

To see the agenda and learn more, visit: https://medschool.duke.edu/about-us/faculty-resources/faculty-development/our-programs/school-medicine-academic-new-faculty.

To register: https://dukefacdev.wufoo.com/forms/qr1ae7g1aoyckd/

Questions? Contact the School of Medicine Office for Faculty at facdev@dm.duke.edu.  

Black Men in Medicine: Speed Mentoring

October 24, 5:30-7:00 p.m., Trent Semans, Classroom 4

Black Men in Medicine (BMIM) is introducing a “Speed Mentoring” event, where structured conversations will facilitate meaningful connections, potentially paving the way for future mentorships, research partnerships, and avenues for career advancement. The upcoming BMIM gathering presents an opportunity to expand your network, exchange ideas, and delve into collaborative ventures with individuals who share your aspirations and experiences.

Join us for an evening of inspiration and interaction, where the power of connection awaits.

Dinner will be provided – but registration is required!

Featured Faculty:

• Joseph Jackson, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics
• Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Neurosciences
• Kevin Thomas, MD, Professor of Medicine
• Leon Herndon, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology
• Opeyemi Olabisi, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine
• Rory Goodwin, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery
• Wilton Williams, PhD, Associate Professor of Surgery

Who Should attend? Any faculty member, trainee, or student in the Schools of Medicine and Nursing, of any race or gender, who supports the objective of BMIM are invited to attend. Black males in these roles are strongly encouraged to attend. This includes trainees and students across the continuum including medical, physical therapy, PA, MBS and residents, fellows, and post-doctoral candidates. 

Questions? Email fiona.johann@duke.edu

15^th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium

Nov. 17: The 15^th annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium will be held on Friday, November 17^th at the Durham Convention Center. Faculty directors will be H. James Ford, MD, director of the PH program at UNC, and Terry Fortin, MD, co-director of the Pulmonary Vascular Disease Center at Duke. Registration coming soon!

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:

August 25 — Sana Al-Khatib

Healio/Cardiology

Treating atrial high-rate episodes with edoxaban not effective, may be harmful

https://duke.is/p/mpnp

August 26 — Robert Mentz

ESC Newsroom

Trial of ferric carboxymaltose in heart failure does not meet primary endpoint

https://duke.is/4/wz5r

August 26 — Manesh Patel

tctMD

STOPDAPT-3: Don’t Skip Out on Aspirin Immediately After PCI

https://duke.is/9/z2z9

August 26 — Robert Mentz

HCP Live

Role of Intravenous Iron in Spotlight At ESC Congress 2023

https://duke.is/g/ve8g

August 26 — Robert Mentz

Healio/Cardiology

IV iron modestly improves HFrEF outcomes but misses prespecified endpoint: HEART-FID

https://duke.is/v/aft8

August 26 — Robert Mentz

Medscape

IV Iron Shows Only Modest Benefit in HF: HEART-FID

https://duke.is/z/x5xz

August 26 — Robert Mentz

tctMD

IV Iron in HF Misses (Again) in HEART-FID, but Meta-analysis Sees a Role

https://duke.is/m/9t6x

August 26 — Robert Mentz

Medpage Today

Iron Infusions Narrowly Miss the Mark for Clinical Benefit in Heart Failure

https://duke.is/w/22s4

August 26 — Robert Mentz

ACC Journal

HEART-FID: Ferric Carboxymaltose Fails to Significantly Improve Outcomes in Patients With HFrEF, Iron Deficiency

https://duke.is/6/tcbk

August 26 — Jacob Schroder

WKRC-TV/Local12.com (Cincinnati, OH)

Newer heart transplant method could allow more patients a chance at lifesaving surgery

https://duke.is/p/uey2

August 27 — Manesh Patel

tctMD

ADVENT: Pulsed-Field Ablation for Paroxysmal AF Performs Well vs Thermal Systems

https://duke.is/r/8fkm

August 28 — Allison Dimsdale

Health Leaders

What does nursing practice redesign look like at your organization?

https://duke.is/g/zz6d

August 28 — Christopher Granger

Medpage Today

Immune Suppressant Stumbles for Acute Myocarditis in Early Data

https://duke.is/8/mezz

August 29 — Renato Lopes

Medpage Today

No Aspirin After PCI? Extended P2Y12 Monotherapy? Trials Weigh In

https://duke.is/z/6gek

August 30 — Robert Mentz

Physicians Weekly

ESC: Treating Iron Deficiency May Not Aid Heart Failure Patients

https://duke.is/m/h6p3

Passing of Kimberley Evans, MD

The Duke Heart team joins the Department of Medicine in mourning the loss of Dr. Kimberley Evans, professor of medicine in nephrology, who died on Aug. 23. She was influential to many of our team members over the years – in teaching, mentoring, and in friendship — and we know her loss is felt deeply here and beyond Duke. In particular, we know she worked with many young faculty to help guide their research and support their career advancement.

In a message to the DOM, Drs. Kathleen Cooney, Miles Wolf, and Laura Svetkey shared, “Dr. Evans’ legacy is based on her sustained excellence and extraordinary contributions to clinical nephrology, leadership in implementing the Duke electronic health record, and creating a nurturing professional environment that fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion.

As the associate vice chair for DOM Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and chair of the department’s Minority Recruitment and Retention Committee (MRRC), she developed innovative initiatives to increase recruitment of URiM trainees, fostered career development and community, and helped the Department embed a DEI lens in all we do.”

In recognition of her contributions to diversity and inclusion within the Duke School of Medicine community, Evans was presented with the 2020 Michelle P. Winn Inclusive Excellence Award.

A GoFundMe has been established to help support her family. To read the full DOM message, please visit: https://medicine.duke.edu/news/honoring-dr-kimberley-evans.

8/29 UPDATE: Dr. Evans will be honored at a service at Duke Chapel on Thursday, Aug. 31. Visitation begins at 1 p.m.; Service begins at 2 p.m.

 

VA Heart Team Launches Watchman Program

Duke electrophysiologist Dan Friedman, MD and the Cardiology/Cardiac anesthesia team at the Durham VA Medical Center performed their first two Watchman cases to treat veterans with atrial fibrillation who were not ideal candidates for anticoagulation. Only a handful of VAMCs nationally are a Watchman center, and Durham is now the only VA in its regional network to offer the procedure. The Watchman procedures were performed at Durham VAMC on Aug. 21.

“I am incredibly proud of Drs. Friedman, Sun, and our EP group at the VA for their tireless efforts to initiate this program, and that our hospital leadership has supported our endeavors,” said Raj Swaminathan, VA Chief of Cardiology. “We can now offer this important procedure to veterans from our region in-house, which will reduce fragmentation of care as well as wait times.”

Congrats, Dan and our entire Durham VAMC heart team!

 

Kudos to Duke’s VAD Team!

Congratulations and a huge thank you to everyone involved in the Joint Commission site visit this week for VAD recertification. Our LVAD and Advanced Heart Failure teams did a tremendous job, along with the leadership of Drs. Stu Russell and Jason Katz, our medical directors, Dr. Carmelo Milano, our surgical director, and Stephanie Barnes, clinical director for advanced HF services, all of whom led the visit – all of you have been outstanding!

Duke had numerous best practices highlighted and, as the largest implanting center in America, had another year with zero findings. The multidisciplinary team across the entire Duke Heart Center – including surgeons, cardiologists, nurses, nursing care assistants, LVAD administrative team and equipment managers, APPs, nurse clinicians, perfusionists, cardiac anesthesiologists, cath lab nurses and technicians, social workers, dieticians, pharmacists, PTs, OTs, palliative care team, financial care counselors and sonographers – all of you, working together, make this possible.

Way to go!

 

Duke Cardiac Ultrasound Program Graduates Celebrated

Cardiac Ultrasound Certificate Program, led by Dr. Anita Kelsey and Richie Palma, graduated their third class of students on August 19. The event was held in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center for Health Education. Speakers included Kelsey, who is medical director for the program; Palma, director and clinical coordinator; Dr. Jill Engel, service line vice president of heart and vascular; Dr. Joe Kisslo, and student graduate Nicole Ward.

Certificates were awarded to Rosemary Davis, Ricky Dormon

, Grace McCord, Isabella Sabatini, Emily Schoendorf, Lorna Walker, Nicole Ward, and Forrest Zimmermann. Ward received the annual ‘Dr. Joseph Kisslo Outstanding Student in Cardiac Ultrasound’ award. She’s photographed below with Palma.

We’re thrilled to share that all of them passed the national credentialing exam and all of them received employment offers! Six of our graduates will be working here at Duke Health; one will be working at UNC Rex Hospital, and one will be with Atrium Health in Charlotte.

Congratulations to all!

 

 

Kittipibul, Senman Finalists for Northwestern Young Investigators’ Forum

Congratulations to cardiology fellows Mark Kittipibul and Balim Senman! Both were selected as finalists for this year’s Northwestern Cardiovascular Young Investigators’ Forum (NCYIF). The Forum will take place in Chicago from Sept. 28-30, 2023.

Kittipibul, in work with Marat Fudim, is presenting on prognostic implications of volume congestion. Senman, in work with Jason Katz and several other faculty members, is describing cardiopulmonary resuscitation and outcomes for durable LVAD patients. Svati Shah, MD, is an invited faculty member for this year’s forum.

The NCYIF is a program for clinician scientists designed to provide research and career development training through a variety of modalities, including interaction with a select group of esteemed faculty, peers, and public speaking experts. The session will include small group discussions and networking in addition to an oral presentation by each finalist. The NCYIF is presented by Creative Educational Concepts, LLC in collaboration with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Congratulations, Mark and Balim!

 

Regan Receives NIH LRP Award

Congratulations to cardiology fellow Jessica Regan! We learned recently that she has been awarded an NIH Loan Repayment Program award for her project on clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential. The award is for two years.

Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) is the presence of age-related somatic clones in hematopoietic stem cells and is associated with risk of hematologic malignancy and inflammation. CHIP is also associated with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease and is therefore an emerging cardiovascular disease biomarker.

Through her research, Regan seeks to determine the inflammatory and metabolic mechanisms by which CHIP impacts pericoronary adipose tissue, high-risk coronary plaque, and ultimately cardiovascular disease. Her research will be conducted using peripheral blood samples from 1800 participants from the PROMISE trial and 2300 participants from the Miami Heart Study. The long-term goal of her project is to improve risk prediction tools for patients with cardiometabolic disease and develop novel and more personalized therapeutic approaches to patient care.

Congratulations, Jessica!

 

Harrington Receives Mario Family Foundation Award

Congratulations to advanced heart failure and transplant fellow Josephine Harrington! She has received the Mario Family Foundation Award for her project, “The Relationship Between Obesity, Weight Loss and Heart Failure Severity.”

The one-year award includes $35,000 to support her research. The official announcement was made earlier this month by Kathleen A. Cooney, MD, the George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Medicine and chair, Department of Medicine.

Given annually to a physician-in-training within any of the divisions in the Duke Department of Medicine, the award has been made available thanks to the generosity of the Mario Family Foundation.

Ernest Mario, PhD, launched the foundation in his family’s name in 1997. Mario served on the Duke Board of Trustees, and was chairman of the Duke University Health System board of directors. He was named Trustee Emeritus of Duke University in 2007, and is the second longest serving trustee in the school’s history. He was awarded The University Medal in 2009, Duke’s highest recognition of service to the school.

Congratulations, Joey!

 

Kudos to Suleiman!

We received a terrific note this week celebrating the efforts of cardiology fellow Belal Suleiman and wanted to share it with our readers:

“Good morning, I worked the weekend shift when the huddle was first implemented and also this past weekend. The first time we huddled it was fine but it didn’t change the flow of the day/didn’t help with prioritizing. This past weekend, we arrived with ALL of the patients prioritized with numbers ranging from 1-4 based on importance by Belal. He also talked to us throughout the day as things changed and kept us updated, we didn’t actually meet at 11:30am due to patients arriving later than expected and a stat. The way he handled the list made the day SUPER efficient and easy despite regular issues that arise with transport, etc. It was the best weekend shift I have worked since starting four years ago! Kudos to him!” — Dallas Gardner, BS, RDCS, RVT, Cardiac Sonographer, Cardiac Diagnostic Unit

Great job, Belal!

 

 

Shout-out to Senman!

We received a warm reflection this month regarding cardiology fellow Balim Senman and wanted to share it widely with our readers.

“Good evening Dr Chamis! My name is Haramol Gill and I’m currently an attending working in the Emergency Department here at Duke. I wanted to shoot you a quick message regarding Dr. Senman. I have had the good fortune to work directly and indirectly with her while she was on the cardiology consult pager and I have been nothing but impressed. She has a fantastic attitude and clearly loves her job as well as the patients that she cares for. Every time I come into shift and find out that she is on the consultant pager, I know our patients are going to get the best care. I hope I’m not the only person who has emailed you about her performance because I know for certain that I am not the only one who feels this way!

Just wanted to pass along those thoughts to you Dr Chamis. I hope you have a great rest of your week!” — Haramol Gill, MD, Emergency Medicine

Way to go, Balim!

 

 

Kudos to Goodwin & Salah!

A big shout-out to cardiology fellows Nathan Goodwin and Husam Salah. Anna Lisa Chamis shared a note she received earlier this month:

“Good morning Anna Lisa, I was on call last night and was paged to come in around 2am. I just wanted to give a shout out to Nathan Goodwin, MD and Husam Salah, MD for their willingness to help last night. They were there with the patient when I arrived, let me know what was going on/what was needed, informed me of possible IR team coming, pushed the saline for the bubble study, and grabbed Definity from the lab while I was scanning. I am very grateful for their help as they made a midnight call super-efficient. Also, Nate did a great job of explaining why he was paging me; I didn’t have to ask any questions.” — Dallas Gardner, BS, RDCS, RVT, Cardiac Sonographer, Cardiac Diagnostic Unit

Nicely done, Nate and Husam!

 

Celebrating Scientific Discoveries that Advance Human Health

October 2-3, 2023, Page Auditorium, Duke University

“Celebrating Scientific Discoveries that Advance Human Health” is a scientific symposium in recognition of Robert J. Lefkowitz’s 50 years at Duke. Open to the public on October 2-3, 2023, in Page Auditorium, this event will include scientific presentations from 7 Nobel Laureates as well as other eminent scientists. The event also includes a special leadership session with Coach K, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean Mary E. Klotman, President Vincent Price, and Dr. Lefkowitz, led by Dr. Sim Sitkin.

All faculty, staff, trainees, and students are welcome to attend.

For more information, the full schedule, and event registration please visit: https://medschool.duke.edu/celebrating-scientific-discoveries.

 

SOM Magnify: Making Pregnancy Safer

In the United States, giving birth is more dangerous than in other wealthy nations. Much more dangerous. The reasons behind the increase are many, but one important factor is the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk factors among Americans – including women of child-bearing age. 

The latest issue of Magnify includes a piece that examines maternal mortality and Duke’s efforts to make the experience of pregnancy safer.

“Despite being highly industrialized and having advanced medical care available, we have the highest rate of maternal mortality of any developed nation,” said Brenna Hughes, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. “We also see that the maternal mortality rate is multifold higher in Black women than white women.” 

What’s worse, maternal rates for all racial and ethnic groups in the United States are rising. There have been ups and downs, with a significant uptick during the COVID-19 pandemic, but overall, “it’s been going up for decades,” according to Jerome “Jeff” Federspiel, MD, PhD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. 

A multifaceted problem requires a multifaceted approach, and Duke physicians are tackling this one in the clinic, with system-wide protocols, and through research. 

To learn more, check out the full story: Making Pregnancy Safer: Inside the Effort to Reduce Maternal Mortality, which includes Cary Ward, MD.

 

CME: Special Care for Pregnant Hearts, Sept. 20

A newly developed CME offering for  OB/GYN, PCPs, family medicine physicians, and anesthesiologists will take place Wed., Sept. 20 from 6:30 – 8:30. Special Care for Pregnant Hearts, a multi-disciplinary approach to pregnant patients with cardiovascular disease will be held virtually. Presenters include Drs. Jeff Federspiel, Cary Ward, Tori Spates, Sarah Snow, and Marie-Louise Meng.

To learn more and for registration, please visit https://obgyn.duke.edu/education-training/continuing-medical-education.

 

Join a Duke Heart Triangle Heart Walk Team – now through 8/31

Last week, DUHS issued a Heart Walk Challenge, giving all team coaches and any new registered walkers an opportunity to be entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card. We’d like to increase the number of walkers representing our Duke Heart teams! Join us and join the fun as we prepare for the 2023 Triangle Heart Walk on Sunday, Oct. 8 at the PNC Arena.

You can join one of our 10 Duke Heart teams by visiting this web page: https://duke.is/6/zzed

If you’re interested in leading a team for Duke Heart, it’s not too late to register as a coach. If you have any questions about the Walk or if you want guidance regarding building your team or fundraising, please contact Renee Potts from our local AHA affiliate.

The Challenge issued last week is for each of the Duke Health coaches to recruit all of their walkers by August 31. Every coach that hits their walker goal of 10 – 15 walkers will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card (walkers do not have to be Duke employees, but they do need to sign up for your team by August 31); and any walker registering with a Duke Health team during the same challenge period will also be entered for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card.

Let’s show our Duke Heart team pride as well as our support of the Triangle AHA – support one of our team captains: Manesh Patel, Jill Engel, Jason Stokes, Cathy Marlowe, Cindy Gomez, Bianca Rodriguez, Angela Ausburn, Abby Stierwalt, Erin Chambers, and Robert Stern — all of whom are showing their Duke Heart pride by leading a Heart Walk team!

 

PWIM: Community Gathering, Sept. 6

In honor of Women in Medicine Month, we are excited to invite all Department of Medicine faculty and trainees to the Program for Women in Internal Medicine (PWIM) Community Gathering on Wednesday, September 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Honeysuckle at Lakewood.

The event will be a fun night of collaboration and good conversation, including:

• “Speed Mentoring,” where faculty will be stationed at different tables to answer trainee and faculty career questions; and a pearls of wisdom moment with special guest DOM Chair Dr. Kathleen Cooney, MD, MACP
• Beverages and snacks

Mark your calendars now and join us as we honor and recognize the contributions of women in medicine!

If you have questions or need additional information, please email Dr. Daniella Zipkin at daniella.zipkin@duke.edu.

 

Flu Vaccination Season

As a reminder, DUHS requires all team members to comply with our flu vaccination policy by either being vaccinated annually against the flu or receiving an approved exemption. Our vaccination campaign begins on September 21!

Sept. 21 – Flu vaccination season begins

Oct. 24 – Application deadline for medical/religious exemption

Nov. 7 – (10 a.m.) Deadline for staff vaccination (or granted exemption)

Questions about the flu vaccine? Please contact StopTheFlu@duke.edu or EOHWflu@dm.duke.edu.      

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

 

Cardiac Fellows Conference

 Sept. 1: Cardiac Fellows Conference. 9 a.m. Zoom only.

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conferences

Aug. 28: Fellows Forum with Joseph Lerman. Noon, DMP 2W96

Sept. 1: EKG Review with Jonathan Piccini. Noon, Zoom only.

 

Medicine Grand Rounds

Sept. 1: No MGR today. Enjoy Labor Day Weekend!

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds is on hiatus for the summer. We’ll be back in the fall!

 

Deadline 8/31: DOM Fellows Research Academy

In September 2023, the Duke Department of Medicine (DOM) will be kicking off the latest cohort of the DOM Fellow Research Academy (FRA). The goal of the FRA is to maximize our research fellows’ grant writing and long-term career success. The FRA includes three components: a grant writing workshop, a research-focused career development workshop, and networking initiatives within DOM. View the brochure here.

The FRA is designed for DOM fellows who aspire to a career in research (i.e., for whom research will comprise >50% of their long-term time commitment). Organized FRA activities will require ~2 hours per month. Importantly, participation in the FRA will be a critical way for fellows to build connections with Dr. Cooney and DOM research leadership.

We encourage DOM fellows who are in their research years of fellowship and are interested in pursuing a research career to join the 2023-24 FRA cohort.

Please complete the brief registration form by COB August 31, 2023 through the FRA website.

Questions? Please email Saini Pillai.

 

Duke Caregiver Community Event

Sept. 7: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Durham, NC.

More information available. Registration required. $10 for family caregivers; $75 for professionals in the caregiving industry.

 

Duke Financial Fitness Week, Sept. 11-14

Duke HR invites all employees to participate in their upcoming Financial Fitness Week. They are offering a series of free webinars designed to assist you in assessing your retirement readiness, making informed financial decisions, and unlocking the potential for financial freedom.

The full schedule of events and registration links are available here: https://duke.is/c/qc2t

 

SOM Academic New Faculty Orientation: Oct. 16 & 17

If you were hired in the past 3 years and haven’t attended New Faculty Orientation yet, please plan to attend. While content specifically targets newer faculty, all are welcome and many topics are applicable to all faculty, regardless of career stage. Event will be held in the Trent Semans Center and is hosted by the Duke School of Medicine.

To see the agenda and learn more, visit: https://medschool.duke.edu/about-us/faculty-resources/faculty-development/our-programs/school-medicine-academic-new-faculty.

To register: https://dukefacdev.wufoo.com/forms/qr1ae7g1aoyckd/

Questions? Contact the School of Medicine Office for Faculty at facdev@dm.duke.edu.  

 

Black Men in Medicine: Speed Mentoring

October 24, 5:30-7:00 p.m., Trent Semans, Classroom 4

Black Men in Medicine (BMIM) is introducing a “Speed Mentoring” event, where structured conversations will facilitate meaningful connections, potentially paving the way for future mentorships, research partnerships, and avenues for career advancement. The upcoming BMIM gathering presents an opportunity to expand your network, exchange ideas, and delve into collaborative ventures with individuals who share your aspirations and experiences.

Join us for an evening of inspiration and interaction, where the power of connection awaits.

Dinner will be provided – but registration is required!

Featured Faculty:

• Joseph Jackson, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics
• Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Neurosciences
• Kevin Thomas, MD, Professor of Medicine
• Leon Herndon, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology
• Opeyemi Olabisi, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine
• Rory Goodwin, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery
• Wilton Williams, PhD, Associate Professor of Surgery

Who Should attend? Any faculty member, trainee, or student in the Schools of Medicine and Nursing, of any race or gender, who supports the objective of BMIM are invited to attend. Black males in these roles are strongly encouraged to attend. This includes trainees and students across the continuum including medical, physical therapy, PA, MBS and residents, fellows, and post-doctoral candidates. 

Questions? Email fiona.johann@duke.edu

 

Duke Football Healthcare Appreciation Day: Sept 30

Duke Football invites all Duke Health employees to Healthcare Appreciation Day on Saturday, September 30 when they take on Notre Dame in Wallace Wade Stadium! As a token of appreciation, all healthcare workers, families, and friends can purchase discounted tickets here: https://duke.is/9/ne4n

Sept. 30: Duke Football vs. Notre Dame. Time TBA.

 

15^th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium

Nov. 17: The 15^th annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium will be held on Friday, November 17^th at the Durham Convention Center. Faculty directors will be H. James Ford, MD, director of the PH program at UNC, and Terry Fortin, MD, co-director of the Pulmonary Vascular Disease Center at Duke. Registration coming soon!

  

Duke’s First Century

As part of Duke’s Centennial celebration in 2024, Working@Duke will create a commemorative publication. The editors are seeking help identifying big or small milestones, staff and faculty who have contributed to the community during Duke’s first century, as well as colleagues today who are painting a bold and inspiring vision for the next 100 years.

They are especially interested in hearing about the lesser-known staff and faculty – people in campus operations, research, teaching, clinical care and more – who have made significant contributions to Duke over the years.

Please complete this brief questionnaire by Sept. 1, 2023, to be included in a random drawing for a $50 Duke University Stores gift card.

Thanks for considering!

 

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:

August 16 — Svati Shah

HIT Leaders & News

Duke University Health System Launches OneDukeGen, a New Precision Medicine Study

https://duke.is/w/bery

August 21 — Duke University Hospital

Becker’s ASC Review

The best cardiology hospitals in the South

https://duke.is/8/tfav

August 21 — John Alexander

Greek Reporter

New Pill Cuts Cholesterol and Heart Attacks

https://duke.is/c/vc42

August 22 — DUHS

Forbes

America’s Best Employers By State

https://duke.is/9/ee2d

August 22 — Svati Shah, Daniel Parker, and Richard Lee

WBTV (Charlotte, NC)

Alzheimer’s, diabetes research using the MURDOCK Study in Kannapolis

https://duke.is/2/yeup

August 23 — Stephen Greene

AJMC

Sneak Peek at ESC Congress 2023 With Dr Stephen Greene

https://duke.is/j/9c85

August 23 — Andrew Wang

HCP Live

Impact of Cardiac Myosin Inhibitor Class on oHCM, with Anjali Owens, MD, and Andrew Wang, MD

https://duke.is/z/j5u3

August 23 — Pamela Douglas

tctMD

Deferred Testing in Low-Risk Patients Safe, May Curb Symptoms: PRECISE

https://duke.is/m/scwf

August 24 — Kristin Newby

Everyday Health

Daily Aspirin Can Help Prevent a Second Heart Attack or Stroke, But Only 2 in 5 Adults Take It

https://duke.is/4/7f3p

August 25 — Nishant Shah

USA Today

New weight-loss drug Wegovy has major heart benefits, too

https://duke.is/v/kpcg

Highlights of the week:

Shah to Lead OneDukeGen, a New Precision Medicine Study

Duke University Health System and the Duke School of Medicine are launching OneDukeGen, a precision medicine study that will advance healthcare through cutting-edge research and collaboration. In a partnership with nference, OneDukeGen will embark on a journey to unravel the intricate connections between genetics, health, and disease.

OneDukeGen will integrate comprehensive genomic data and health information to foster a deep understanding of hereditary disease susceptibilities. Led by cardiologist and Principal Investigator Svati Shah, MD, MHS, Associate Dean of Genomics, the study aims to exclusively recruit over 100,000 consented Duke patients to participate in this pivotal research. 

The study is committed to ensuring representation of diverse populations as well as equitable return of genetic sequencing results in research. The design of OneDukeGen is deeply rooted in inclusivity and was formed by incorporating a diverse range of perspectives gained from engaging community groups. 

Our collaborative approach brings together Duke researchers and clinicians who will work in tandem to integrate research findings into patient care. This synergy is the hallmark of precision medicine – a dynamic field that tailors medical interventions to individual characteristics, including genetics. By bridging the gap between scientific discovery and clinical practice, we are poised to usher in a new era of healthcare delivery.

This effort will fuel scientific discovery and facilitate insights that can potentially revolutionize our understanding of disease. Together, we are charting a path towards a healthier and more informed future.

Visit sites.duke.edu/onedukegen learn more about the OneDukeGen study and how Duke patients will be invited to participate.

Congratulations, Svati!

 

Cutrone, Culp Join CT Anesthesia Faculty

Mihai Podgoreanu, MD, chief, division of cardiothoracic anesthesiology at Duke, recently announced the team’s two newest faculty members – Drs. Michael Cutrone and Crosby Culp.  

“They are both very familiar faces, graduates of our outstanding specialty and subspecialty Duke training programs, and recipients of much knowledge and advice from you all over the years,” Podgoreanu said.

Michael Cutrone, MD, completed medical school at New York Institute of Technology COM, followed by residency and CT anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine fellowships at Duke. He started in the CT Division on August 1, and will practice in the CTORs, EP labs and the CTICU.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crosby Culp, MD, completed medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch, followed by residency and CT anesthesiology fellowship here at Duke University. He also started on August 1, and will practice both in the CTORs, EP labs, as well as the general transplant division putting his advanced knowledge to the service of liver transplant recipients.

Please give Michael and Crosby a warm welcome when you see them!

 

 

JC VAD Site Visit

The Joint Commission will be conducting an on-site visit to our VAD program this week (Aug. 21 and Aug. 22). If you have any questions, please reach out to Mary Lindsay, Jill Engel, or Stephanie Barnes.

Kudos to Harrington!

Congratulations to advanced heart failure and transplant fellow Josephine Harrington, MD! Harrington has received a NIH/NHLBI’s Loan Repayment Program Award for her proposal “The Impact of Obesity on Outcomes and Physiology in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction.”

The NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) are a set of programs established by Congress that are designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers.

As many of you are aware, the escalating costs of advanced education and training in medicine and clinical specialties are forcing some scientists to abandon their research careers for higher-paying private industry or private practice careers. The LRPs counteract that financial pressure by repaying up to $50,000 annually of a researcher’s qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in NIH mission-relevant research.

Way to go, Joey! We are excited for you!

 

Shout-Out to Carlisle!

We received a warm note recently from Cardiology PA Sandy Anton, “I just wanted to highlight EP Fellow Matt Carlisle. He always goes above and beyond to care for the EP lab patients. He even ended up helping the Cardiology APPs by doing an entire admission on a patient who was being admitted to the EP service from the EP lab. We appreciate all the things he does for our patients!” – Sandy

Nicely done, Matt!

 

 

 

 

Kudos to 7 East!

We’re pleased to share some photos from a recent celebration for team members on 7 East at Duke University Hospital. The team was celebrating an incredible year of accomplishments! Collectively, the team had an almost 50 percent reduction in Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries from FY22 to FY 23; a             76% reduction in Medical Device Related Pressure Injuries, and the lowest number of HAPIs for all DUH ICUs.

Excellent work, 7 East!

 

 

Shout-Out to Fajardo!

A warm congratulations to Johana Fajardo, DNP in our Heart Failure and Transplant section, on her outstanding Duke APP Grand Rounds presentation in July. 

She presented ‘Cardiac Amyloidosis: Clinical Nuggets for Everyday Practice’. Her clinical expertise was obvious and it was very well received by the audience. She represented the Duke Heart Center beautifully!

Duke APP Grand Rounds is an interprofessional lecture series held on the second Tuesday monthly at 7:30 a.m. via Zoom.

Great job, Johana!

 

 

 

Join a Duke Heart Triangle Heart Walk Team – now through 8/31

Last week, DUHS issued a Heart Walk Challenge, giving all team coaches and any new registered walkers an opportunity to be entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card. We’d like to increase the number of walkers representing our Duke Heart teams! Join us and join the fun as we prepare for the 2023 Triangle Heart Walk on Sunday, Oct. 8 at the PNC Arena.

You can join one of our 10 Duke Heart teams by visiting this web page: https://duke.is/6/zzed

If you’re interested in leading a team for Duke Heart, it’s not too late to register as a coach. If you have any questions about the Walk or if you want guidance regarding building your team or fundraising, please contact Renee Potts from our local AHA affiliate.

The Challenge issued last week is for each of the Duke Health coaches to recruit all of their walkers by August 31. Every coach that hits their walker goal of 10 – 15 walkers will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card (walkers do not have to be Duke employees, but they do need to sign up for your team by August 31); and any walker registering with a Duke Health team during the same challenge period will also be entered for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card.

Let’s show our Duke Heart team pride as well as our support of the Triangle AHA – support one of our team captains: Manesh Patel, Jill Engel, Jason Stokes, Cathy Marlowe, Cindy Gomez, Bianca Rodriguez, Angela Ausburn, Abby Stierwalt, Erin Chambers, and Robert Stern — all of whom are showing their Duke Heart pride by leading a Heart Walk team!

 

7th Annual Hitting with Heart Softball Tourney, Aug. 26

Our teams are set and we’re ready for some serious competition out on the fields!

Come join the fun on Saturday, Aug. 26 at Valley Springs Park, 3805 Valley Springs Rd, Durham, NC 27712. This is our largest softball tournament yet with 13 teams from across Duke University Health System. Cheer on your colleagues, grab a bite to eat and have fun with your kids! There will be two food trucks (Moonrunners & Ta Contento), Kona ice, and some fun activities for kids — including a bounce house and face painting. There will be a concession stand courtesy of DHTS and a jewelry booth with items custom made by one of our Duke nurses!

The double-elimination tournament starts at 8 a.m. and is expected to run until 4 p.m.

If you have any questions, please contact event coordinators Jason Stokes or Jessica Seabrooks, two of our incredible Duke Heart team members.

Get ready to cheer on teams from 7 West (A and B), 6 East, CSC, CTOR, Vascular IR, 3100/7300, DRAH Sleep Center, PRT, Clinical Engineering, the Duke Birthing Center, Duke E&O, and Duke’s Hospitalists.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Triangle Heart Walk. It’s going to be great!

 

Flu Vaccination Season

As a reminder, DUHS requires all team members to comply with our flu vaccination policy by either being vaccinated annually against the flu or receiving an approved exemption. Our vaccination campaign begins on September 21! 

• Sept. 21 — launch of flu vaccination season
• Oct. 24 — deadline for medical/religious exemption application
• Nov. 7, 10 a.m. — deadline for policy compliance through vaccination or granted medical or religious exemption

Questions about the flu vaccine? Please contact StopTheFlu@duke.edu or EOHWflu@dm.duke.edu.      

2023 SOM Academic New Faculty Orientation Announced

Starting a new faculty appointment is an exciting and challenging opportunity, and whether you joined Duke this month or last year, we want to make sure you have the tools and support to hit the ground running and to navigate your career here.

The SOM will host an orientation session for new academic faculty on Monday, Oct. 16 and Tuesday, Oct. 17 at the Trent Semans Center.

If you were hired in the past 3 years and haven’t attended NFO yet, please plan to attend. While content specifically targets newer faculty, all are welcome and many topics are applicable to all faculty, regardless of career stage.

Topics Addressed will include:

• Getting to know the institution and the organizational structure
• The History of Duke and Durham
• Supporting a climate of equity, diversity, and inclusion
• Appointments, promotion, and tenure
• Research resources and support for building your research career
• Community building
• And more!

Tailored registration pathways available: basic scientist in a basic science department; basic scientist in a clinical department; and clinician/clinical researcher.

To learn more, visit: https://medschool.duke.edu/about-us/faculty-resources/faculty-development/our-programs/school-medicine-academic-new-faculty.

To register: https://dukefacdev.wufoo.com/forms/qr1ae7g1aoyckd/

Questions? Contact the School of Medicine Office for Faculty at facdev@dm.duke.edu.  

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conferences

Aug. 23: G-Brief Session with Tony Galanos. Noon, DMP 2W96

Aug. 25: Adult Congenital with Richard Krasuski. Noon, Zoom only.

 

Medicine Grand Rounds

August 25: Fireside Chat with Kathleen Cooney. 8 a.m., DN 2002.

Cardiology Grand Rounds is on hiatus for the summer. We’ll be back in the fall!

 

DOM Fellows Research Academy

In September 2023, the Duke Department of Medicine (DOM) will be kicking off the latest cohort of the DOM Fellow Research Academy (FRA). The goal of the FRA is to maximize our research fellows’ grant writing and long-term career success. The FRA includes three components: a grant writing workshop, a research-focused career development workshop, and networking initiatives within DOM. View the brochure here.

The FRA is designed for DOM fellows who aspire to a career in research (i.e., for whom research will comprise >50% of their long-term time commitment). Organized FRA activities will require ~2 hours per month. Importantly, participation in the FRA will be a critical way for fellows to build connections with Dr. Cooney and DOM research leadership.

We encourage DOM fellows who are in their research years of fellowship and are interested in pursuing a research career to join the 2023-24 FRA cohort.

Please complete the brief registration form by COB August 31, 2023 through the FRA website.

Questions? Please email Saini Pillai.

 

Duke Caregiver Community Event

Sept. 7: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Durham, NC.

More information available. Registration required. $10 for family caregivers; $75 for professionals in the caregiving industry.

 

Duke Financial Fitness Week, Sept. 11-14

Duke HR invites all employees to participate in their upcoming Financial Fitness Week. They are offering a series of free webinars designed to assist you in assessing your retirement readiness, making informed financial decisions, and unlocking the potential for financial freedom.

The full schedule of events and registration links are available here: https://duke.is/c/qc2t

 

Black Men in Medicine: Speed Mentoring

October 24, 5:30-7:00 p.m., Trent Semans, Classroom 4

Black Men in Medicine (BMIM) is introducing a “Speed Mentoring” event, where structured conversations will facilitate meaningful connections, potentially paving the way for future mentorships, research partnerships, and avenues for career advancement. The upcoming BMIM gathering presents an opportunity to expand your network, exchange ideas, and delve into collaborative ventures with individuals who share your aspirations and experiences.

During this event, Faculty, Students and Trainees will engage with a group of accomplished faculty members who will share their inspiring career stories. Drawing from their wealth of knowledge and experience, they will provide invaluable insights into their professional journeys, offering guidance and inspiration. Furthermore, we have dedicated ample time for networking, ensuring you have the opportunity to connect personally with these individuals and your peers.

Join us for an evening of inspiration and interaction, where the power of connection awaits.

Dinner will be provided – but registration is required!

Featured Faculty:

• Joseph Jackson, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics
• Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Neurosciences
• Kevin Thomas, MD, Professor of Medicine
• Leon Herndon, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology
• Opeyemi Olabisi, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine
• Rory Goodwin, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery
• Wilton Williams, PhD, Associate Professor of Surgery

Agenda

5:00-5:30pm      Pre-event: Join us at any time and eat dinner

5:30-6:00pm      Featured Faculty Introductions

6:00-7:00pm      Breakout with Faculty, Students, and Trainees you want to get to know more about

Register – You must register to receive dinner.

Who Should Attend? Any faculty member, trainee, or student in the Schools of Medicine and Nursing, of any race or gender, who supports the objective of BMIM are invited to attend. Black males in these roles are strongly encouraged to attend. This includes trainees and students across the continuum including medical, physical therapy, PA, MBS and residents, fellows, and post-doctoral candidates. 

Questions? Email fiona.johann@duke.edu

 

Duke Football Healthcare Appreciation Day: Sept 30

Duke Football invites all Duke Health employees to Healthcare Appreciation Day on Saturday, September 30 when they take on Notre Dame in Wallace Wade Stadium! As a token of appreciation, all healthcare workers, families, and friends can purchase discounted tickets here: https://duke.is/9/ne4n

• Setp. 30: Duke Football vs. Notre Dame. Time TBA.

 

15^th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium

The 15^th annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium will be held on Friday, November 17^th at the Durham Convention Center. Faculty directors will be H. James Ford, MD, director of the PH program at UNC, and Terry Fortin, MD, co-director of the Pulmonary Vascular Disease Center at Duke.

 

Duke’s First Century

As part of Duke’s Centennial celebration, Working@Duke will create a commemorative publication. We would love your help identifying big or small milestones, staff and faculty who have contributed to the community during Duke’s first century, as well as colleagues today who are painting a bold and inspiring vision for the next 100 years.

The team is especially interested in hearing about the lesser-known staff and faculty – people in campus operations, research, teaching, clinical care, and more – who have made significant contributions to Duke over the years.

Please complete this brief questionnaire by Sept. 1, 2023, to be included in a random drawing for a $50 Duke University Stores gift card.

 

 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:

July 27 — Duke University

Good Morning America

Toddler undergoes first-of-its-kind heart transplant after 2 open-heart surgeries

https://duke.is/r/bryv

July 30 — Manesh Patel

Spectrum News

Duke doctor stresses importance of EKG exams for athletes in wake of Bronny James collapse

https://duke.is/5/yxg5

(*clip begins @ 09:14:03)

August 2 — William Kraus

Today Show/NBC

Cardiologists reveal their favorite heart-healthy snacks and foods they’d never eat

https://duke.is/y/tb3q

August 3 — William Kraus

Woman & Home

These are the snacks you should never eat, according to a cardiologist

https://duke.is/8/z5z8

August 3 — Charlotte Reikofski

AARC.org newsroom

The Hidden Cost of Turnover

https://duke.is/c/menc

August 4 — Duke University Health System

Becker’s Hospital Review

10 top heart hospitals to work at for women: Forbes

https://duke.is/w/jb6g

August 7 — William Kraus

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Forget 10,000 steps. 7 surprising strategies for step counters.

https://duke.is/6/ebtj

August 8 — Harry Severance

Becker’s ASC Review

‘The final straw’: Will declining physician pay be the disruptor that breaks the camel’s back?

https://duke.is/8/9bpr

August 10 — William Kraus

Vanguardia.com.mx (Mexico)

Meriendas que los cardiólogos nunca comen; qué elegir para una salud cardiovascular óptima

https://duke.is/m/ye8q

August 11 — William Kraus

Everyday Health

Just 4,000 Steps a Day Associated With Longer Life

https://duke.is/g/3z6m

August 14 — Manesh Patel, Sreekanth Vemulapalli, and Sean O’Brien

Vascular Specialist

Breaking ground: A trial to improve the care of uncomplicated type B aortic dissection

https://duke.is/m/8c9h

August 15 — Svati Shah and Mary Klotman

Precision Medicine Online (acct required)

Duke University Health System Aims to Enroll 100K Participants in Precision Medicine Study

https://duke.is/8/pe5k

August 15 — Callie Tennyson

Podcast: Becker’s Healthcare

Tennyson and Dr. Monica Sanford discuss their backgrounds and what can be done about the current nursing faculty shortage

https://duke.is/2/xqme

August 16 — Adrian Hernandez

RethinkingClinicalTrials.org

PCT Grand Rounds: Draft Revision of the ICH Good Clinical Practice Guideline

https://duke.is/z/7frp

August 16 — Svati Shah

Becker’s Health IT

Duke, Nference partner on precision medicine study

https://duke.is/v/5p4j

August 17 — Adrian Hernandez

USA Today

Fact Check: No, FDA did not ‘quietly approve’ ivermectin as COVID-19 treatment

https://duke.is/g/62ar

August 17 — Duke Clinical Research Institute

Cardiac Rhythm News

First patient enrolled in global study of heart failure device trial

https://duke.is/j/qzsq

August 17 — Andrew Wang

HCP Live

The Pathophysiology of Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (oHCM)

https://duke.is/9/b5q8

Highlights of the week:

Wegermann Joins Cardiology Faculty

We are pleased to have welcomed recent structural heart fellowship graduate Zach Wegermann, MD to the Duke cardiology faculty as an assistant professor of medicine. Wegermann is an interventional cardiologist who officially started with us July 1.

Originally from Mukilteo, Washington, Wegermann earned his MD in 2014 at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He then arrived at Duke for residency and three fellowships — cardiovascular disease, interventional cardiology, and structural heart disease.

Wegermann and his wife, Dr. Kara Wegermann, a gastroenterologist and liver transplant specialist who is also on faculty here, have two daughters.

“Our two young children, ages four and two, keep us quite busy,” he says. “So that is my main hobby right now, being a dad. I also love to ski. I grew up in the Northwest skiing, hiking, climbing, and I still enjoy all of those things, just on a different scale here in North Carolina.”

Wegermann originally chose to pursue medicine because, he says, “it offers the perfect combination of scientific problem solving and helping individuals with medical issues longitudinally, and then helping treat them definitively.”

“Balancing complex procedures with decision making about what’s right for patients and in their best interest is a challenge that I enjoy,” Wegermann adds.

As for why he was keen on joining the Duke faculty, Wegermann says, “I’ve enjoyed working with everyone here throughout my fellowships, and I really like the division, the university and Duke Health as a larger entity. I believe in the Duke mission so I’m excited to continue the journey as a faculty member.”

We’re excited to have you with us, Zach!

 

Duke Raleigh Earns 1^st GWTG-HF Award

Congratulations to the entire Duke Raleigh Hospital (DRaH) heart team! DRaH has earned a Silver Plus-level Get With the Guidelines – Heart Failure quality achievement award from the American Heart Association (AHA) for 2023, their first year of eligibility! Silver Plus is the highest level that can be earned in a hospital’s first year of eligibility.

GWTG-HF achievement awards are given by the AHA to honor the commitment an organization makes to improving outcomes for patients with heart failure – meaning reduced readmissions and more healthy days at home.

Program participants qualify by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for patients with heart failure. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also provide education to patients to help them manage their HF at home.

“Achieving this award is an important milestone for the DRaH program,” says Kishan Parikh, MD, assistant professor of medicine in cardiology and heart failure specialist at DRaH. “It represents a collaborative, system wide, and multidisciplinary effort. Our goal has been to provide consistent and excellent heart failure care in Raleigh, so this symbolizes what we have been working toward. I’m proud to have been part of this focused effort and am excited to see what lies ahead.”

“Being a part of this registry and achieving this level of recognition validates all the work that the team has been doing for several years,” says Julie Yamadi, MSN, RN, director of Heart Services at DRaH. “We have a dedicated core heart failure team comprised of people across hospital medicine, case management, heart failure, our APP team, and our quality and safety data teams. This group worked especially hard over the last year to focus their efforts on reviewing, discussing, collaborating, and seeking additional ways to improve what we’re doing for our HF patients. They looked to identify any other ways we could get even better and a lot of work has gone into this. To see the work validated with a silver plus award truly means a great deal to all of us.”

Additionally, DRAH qualified for recognition on two AHA honor rolls as part of the GWTG-HF program. The team earned Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll status.

Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll status indicates that DRaH meets specific criteria to improve medication adherence, provide early follow-up care and coordination, and enhance patient education. The goal is to further reduce hospital readmissions and help patients improve their quality of life in managing heart failure.

The Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll recognizes DRaH for ensuring that patients with Type 2 diabetes — who might be at higher risk for complications — receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to heart disease or stroke.

DRaH began participating in the Heart Failure registry in July 2022, so this is their first series of GWTG-HF awards, and they hit it out of the park with this Silver Plus recognition. Well done!

 

Narcisse Receives 2023 ACC/ABC Merck Research Fellowship Award

Congratulations to cardiology fellow Dennis Narcisse! We learned this week that he has been selected by the ACC Research Fellowship Awards Committee as one of three fellows across the U.S. to receive an American College of Cardiology/Association of Black Cardiologists Merck Research Fellowship Award. Each ACC/ABC Merck Research Fellowship award provides $100,000 as salary support for one year of research in adult cardiology, beginning Aug. 1.

Way to go, Dennis!

 

 

 

 

SEEDS Update: Fellow Projects Funded; Shah Joins Steering Committee

The Duke Department of Medicine Society for Early Education Scholars (SEEDS) Program this week announced 2023-2024 research funding for five research projects, including three being led by Duke Cardiology fellows.

   

Congratulations, Dan Loriaux, Ilia Shadrin, and Willard Applefeld!

Dan Loriaux, Critical Care Cardiology and Emily Sanders, Pulmonary Critical Care, project “Creating an Internal Medicine Resident Boot Camp and Procedure Day for ICU Rotations”

Ilia Shadrin, Cardiology, project “Improving Device Education for Cardiology Fellows on EP Rotations”

Willard Applefeld, Cardiology, project “Improving Education for Internal Medicine Residents Rounding in the CCU” 

SEEDS is a year-long mentored education program designed for fellows planning careers as clinician educators or education scholars. It provides fellows with required skills for successful future careers as clinician educator scholars and leaders of the future. 

In other SEEDS news, Nishant Shah, MD, associate director of the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship program has joined the SEEDS Steering Committee, which includes faculty from across disciplines within the DOM.

Shah has received a number of teaching accolades over the years including the DOM’s Excellence in Medical Education Award and the Thomas M. Bashore Teaching Award, both in 2022, and most recently the Eugene A. Stead Jr Teaching Award given by Duke’s Internal Medicine Residency program, which he received this past June.

Congrats to all!

 

Kudos to Sullivan!

This past week, cardiology fellow Lonnie Sullivan led an amazing case discussion on left ventricular outflow obstruction in a stress-induced cardiomyopathy and pathophysiology of various presentations of shock. The discussion was part of an international webinar organized by the NC chapter of the American College of Cardiology in partnership with the Chilean Society of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery, an affiliated member of the European Society of Cardiology. The event was held virtually on July 25.

       

He did a terrific job of representing Duke Heart on the international stage.

Nicely done, Lonnie!

 

Pignone Named Inaugural VC for Q&I, Duke DOM, Effective Nov. 1

Michael Pignone, MD, will join the Duke Department of Medicine (DOM) as the inaugural vice chair for quality and innovation, and serve as faculty within the Division of General Internal Medicine effective November 1. The announcement was made by Kathleen Cooney, MD, George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Medicine and chair, Department of Medicine on Wed., July 26.

As vice chair, Pignone will work with division chiefs and vice chairs to coordinate clinical quality improvement efforts across the DOM and help foster and grow clinical innovation.

In addition to his role with DOM, Pignone will have a secondary appointment in the Department of Population Health Sciences and serve as the faculty director for Primary Care Transformation and Innovation within the Margolis Center for Health Policy. The focus of Pignone’s research program is cancer screening to reduce health disparities and he will serve as the director for Cancer Screening Equity in the Duke Cancer Institute.

Pignone joins Duke from the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School where he serves as the inaugural chair for the Department of Internal Medicine and holds the Dr. Lowell Henry Lebermann Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine. He also serves as co-director of the program on Cancer Prevention and Control at Livestrong Cancer Institutes, and holds the academic rank of professor in Internal Medicine, and courtesy professor in the departments of Oncology and Population Health.

Before joining Dell Medical School, Pignone was a professor of medicine, chief of the division of General Internal Medicine and director of the Institute for Healthcare Quality Improvement at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received his medical degree and residency training in primary care internal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar and also received a master’s degree in epidemiology from the UNC School of Public Health.

Pignone’s research is focused on chronic disease screening, prevention and treatment, and on improving medical decision making and health equity. His main areas of interest include cancer screening and prevention, particularly colorectal cancer screening. He has developed and tested novel interventions, including decision aids, to mitigate literacy-related health disparities and to improve the use of appropriate preventive services. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed journal articles.

He has served on a number of national guideline and quality improvement panels, including the United States Preventative Services Task Force. Pignone is a member of the Society of General Internal Medicine and the Society for Medical Decision Making, and he is a master of the American College of Physicians.

We look forward to welcoming Dr. Pignone to the DOM!

 

Heart Walk Rally Day is Wednesday, Aug. 2

The American Heart Association is holding their annual Heart Walk Rally Day on Wednesday, Aug. 2. Duke Heart is once again the presenting sponsor of the Triangle Heart Walk. The goal of ‘Rally Day’ is to drive walker recruitment– and to see which company in the Triangle can increase their team walker numbers by the highest percentage in one day. So, if you haven’t yet joined a team — sign up on Wednesday!

Be on the lookout for an all-staff email message on Wednesday morning with additional details.

If you have any questions about the Walk or need guidance regarding fundraising, Renee Potts from our local AHA affiliate will be on-site at Duke Hospital (likely outside the Atrium cafeteria) from 1-4 p.m.

The date of the 2023 Triangle Heart Walk is still TBD, but hopefully, we will know the date this week.

 

Reminder:  Pulse will not be published Aug. 6 or Aug. 13.

As we mentioned last week, Pulse will be vacationing for a bit in August, as we hope many of you have done already. If not, we encourage you to find time for a break. We’ll return August 20. Please continue to send accolades and news to us.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Fellowship Conference

 July 31: Site Based Research with Marat Fudim. Noon, DMP 2W93

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conferences

Aug. 2: Dyslipidemia with Nishant Shah. Noon, DMP 2W96

Aug. 4: Hemodynamics and the Cardiac Exam with Tom Bashore. Noon, Zoom only.

Aug. 9: Guideline Directed Medical Therapy with Steve Greene. Noon, DMP 2W96

Aug. 11: Management of AFib with Jon Piccini. Noon, Zoom only.

Aug. 16: Hemodynamics with Tom Bashore. Noon, DMP 2W96

Aug. 18: EKG Review with Neil Freedman. Noon, Zoom only.

 

Medicine Grand Rounds

Aug. 4: Understanding Sex Differences in Cardiovascular Disease with Martha Gulati, MD, of Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars Sinai. 8 a.m., DN 2002.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds is on hiatus for the summer. We’ll be back in the fall!

 

Duke Caregiver Community Event

Sept. 7: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Durham, NC.

More information available. Registration required. $10 for family caregivers; $75 for professionals in the caregiving industry.

 

Black Men in Medicine: Speed Mentoring

October 24, 5:30-7:00 p.m., Trent Semans, Classroom 4

Black Men in Medicine (BMIM) is introducing a “Speed Mentoring” event, where structured conversations will facilitate meaningful connections, potentially paving the way for future mentorships, research partnerships, and avenues for career advancement. The upcoming BMIM gathering presents an opportunity to expand your network, exchange ideas, and delve into collaborative ventures with individuals who share your aspirations and experiences.

During this event, Faculty, Students and Trainees will engage with a group of accomplished faculty members who will share their inspiring career stories. Drawing from their wealth of knowledge and experience, they will provide invaluable insights into their professional journeys, offering guidance and inspiration. Furthermore, we have dedicated ample time for networking, ensuring you have the opportunity to connect personally with these individuals and your peers.

Join us for an evening of inspiration and interaction, where the power of connection awaits.

Dinner will be provided – but registration is required!

Featured Faculty:

• Joseph Jackson, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics
• Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Neurosciences
• Kevin Thomas, MD, Professor of Medicine
• Leon Herndon, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology
• Opeyemi Olabisi, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine
• Rory Goodwin, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery
• Wilton Williams, PhD, Associate Professor of Surgery

Agenda

5:00-5:30pm      Pre-event: Join us at any time and eat dinner

5:30-6:00pm      Featured Faculty Introductions

6:00-7:00pm      Breakout with Faculty, Students and Trainees you want to get to know more about

Register – You must register to receive dinner.

Who Should attend? Any faculty member, trainee, or student in the Schools of Medicine and Nursing, of any race or gender, who supports the objective of BMIM are invited to attend. Black males in these roles are strongly encouraged to attend. This includes trainees and students across the continuum including medical, physical therapy, PA, MBS and residents, fellows, and post-doctoral candidates. 

Questions? Email fiona.johann@duke.edu

15^th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium

The 15^th annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium will be held on Friday, November 17^th at the Durham Convention Center. Faculty directors will be H. James Ford, MD, director of the PH program at UNC, and Terry Fortin, MD, co-director of the Pulmonary Vascular Disease Center at Duke.

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:

July 21 — Harry Severance

Becker’s ASC Review

Physicians have become marginalized. Here’s how young physicians can change this.

https://duke.is/p/rr2x

July 21 — Duke University Hospital

Top 81 cardiac surgery hospitals by state, per Healthgrades

Becker’s Hospital Review

https://duke.is/4/dghd

July 21 — Harry Severance

Becker’s ASC Review

‘Will the last to leave please turn out the lights?’: The consequences of declining physician pay

https://duke.is/9/tmsf

July 23 — Jacob Schroder and Jason Banner

CBS News, Denver, CO

Medical heart breakthrough helps save more lives

https://duke.is/6/2sjz

July 25 — Kristin Newby

Blackdoctor.org

6 Things Black People With Heart Disease Should Avoid

https://duke.is/n/9ubq

July 25 — Jennifer Green and Jonathan Piccini

Time magazine

The Connection Between Diabetes and Heart Arrhythmias

https://duke.is/b/7gyr

July 25 — Manesh Patel

WRAL, NBC-5

Doctors urge people to learn CPR after Bronny James suffers cardiac arrest

https://duke.is/4/nhkj

July 25 — Christopher Granger

WTVD, ABC-11

Cardiac arrest & young athletes

https://duke.is/9/243p

July 25 — Robert Mentz and Stephen Greene

HCP Live

Implementation and Continuation of Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy (GDMT) in Heart Failure

https://duke.is/v/bn2c

July 25 — Manesh Patel

WRAL Sports Fan

Doctors, coaches, discuss how Bronny James’ cardiac arrest can be a teachable moment

https://duke.is/z/yhcg

July 25 — Jonathan Piccini

tctMD

Early Cognitive Dysfunction After AF Ablation Doesn’t Last

https://duke.is/w/zhbu

July 26 — Gerald Bloomfield

aidsmap.com

Statins and HIV: how can the REPRIEVE findings be implemented in the real world?

https://duke.is/j/trhn

July 26 — Brian Mac Grory (neurology)

newsroom.heart.org

$2.1 million awarded to research link between migraine, strokes and cardiovascular disease

https://duke.is/y/uxs8

July 26 — Sana Al-Khatib

Medscape

S-ICD Shows Virtues, Limits in ‘Real World’ Postmarket Study

https://duke.is/m/frtw

July 27 — Duke University Health System

Digital Journal

Expertscape Announces All-Around Expert Medical Centers

https://duke.is/z/v4t8

Highlights of the week:

Pineda Rejoins Duke Heart Team Effective July 1

We are pleased to welcome Andres M. Pineda Maldonado, MD, assistant professor of cardiology in the Duke Department of Medicine back to the Duke Heart team. He is an interventional cardiologist and structural heart disease specialist who started with us on July 1.

Many of you may remember Dr. Pineda from his Structural Heart Disease fellowship training at Duke, which he completed in 2017.

Originally from Bogota, Colombia, Pineda completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in 2012, where he also completed cardiology fellowship (2012-2015) and interventional cardiology fellowship training (2015-2016), prior to coming to Duke for training in structural heart disease.

Upon completion of his Duke fellowship in 2017, he joined the faculty of the University of Florida College of Medicine as assistant professor of medicine in the division of cardiology. At the University of Florida, Pineda served as Medical Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories for the University of Florida Health Cardiovascular Center in Jacksonville, FL for the past two years. He was also a member of the General Cardiology Fellowship Educational Committee, and a member of the STEMI and the Performance & Quality Improvement Committees for most of his time at Florida, and served as associate program director of their Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program until his departure in June.

Pineda says he was always inclined toward the sciences, and while studying medicine knew he wanted to do something with procedures and imaging, so interventional cardiology was an obvious choice for him. He says he is pleased to rejoin Duke, saying “I like the team here, the hospital, and the overall area, which I enjoyed during my training. I wanted to join a bigger program for structural heart disease with more opportunities for research and career development.”

Please give Andres and his wife, Barbara Correal, and their children Federico and Santiago a very warm welcome when you meet them. Welcome back to Duke, Andres!

 

Great Catch, Skowronek & Taylor!

Two members of our Cardiopulmonary Rehab team earned a great catch award this week. Barbara Taylor, RT, recognized a patient was not feeling well and had a new symptom of dizziness during cardiac rehabilitation. She escalated her concern to Lisa Skowronek, RN, who assessed the patient and identified a dysrhythmia. On further assessment, they identified chest discomfort and assisted the patient with self-administration of prescribed nitroglycerine. The patient was transported via EMS to Duke Hospital, where she was admitted for treatment. Lisa and Barbara’s rapid assessment and intervention enabled the patient to receive necessary emergency care.

Way to go! Lisa and Barbara are the 5th and 6th cardiac rehab team members to earn ‘great catch’ awards so far in 2023. Nicely done – keep up the great work!

 

Kudos to Duke Heart’s “Triple J” Team!

 

Big kudos to John Lazzari, Jaime McDermott, and Jessica Shumate — collectively known as the APP “Triple J” team — for excellent work and support this week! In a note from Chris Holley, MD, we learned they knocked out eight discharges in one day for him. “That is definitely a record for me, and an incredible amount of work for the team,” he said, and added special kudos to Lazzari who covered all 17 VAD patients on service with Holley last weekend, and then participated in the discharge spree.

In response to Holley’s note, Diane Sauro and Stephanie Barnes added additional shout-out’s to acknowledge the team.

“Our Inpatient Heart APPs are awesome and do a fantastic job. Triple J team — great work.  I know this weekend was challenging, but everyone stepped up to deliver the best care to the patients. Great work!” — Diane Sauro, MSN, Director, Advanced Practice

“Thank you for the note recognizing the Triple J team and their work on the Medicine VAD service. Jamie, Jessica and John: thank you all for doing it well and (I’m sure) doing it with a smile on your face. You rock!” — Stephanie Barnes, MSN, Clinical Director for Advanced Heart Failure Services

Nicely done, team! We love the opportunity to provide recognition to our team members — so please keep these terrific notes coming to Pulse!

 

 

 

NOTE:  Pulse will not be published Aug. 6 or Aug. 13.

Pulse will be vacationing for a bit in August, as we hope many of you have done already. If not, we encourage you to find time for a break. Whether you find mountains to climb, hammocks to rest in, beaches to walk, or refreshing waters to float on or dip your toes in … where ever you might find yourself this summer, we hope you find much needed rest and rejuvenation!

We’ll break for the weekends of August 6 and 13, then return August 20. Please continue to send accolades and news to us.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conferences

July 26: Hypertension Guidelines with Michael Blazing. Noon, Zoom only.

July 28: LVAD Basics with Jason Katz. Noon, DN 2001.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds is on hiatus for the summer. We’ll be back in the fall!

 

15^th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium

The 15^th annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium will be held on Friday, November 17^th at the Durham Convention Center. Faculty directors will be H. James Ford, MD, director of the PH program at UNC, and Terry Fortin, MD, co-director of the Pulmonary Vascular Disease Center at Duke.

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:

July 14 — Harry Severance

Becker’s ASC Review

What young physicians need to know

https://duke.is/6/zuvf

July 14 — Adam DeVore and Stuart Knechtle

Healio/Cardiology

Overhaul of ‘calcified’ US organ transplant system can expand donor pool, save lives

https://duke.is/p/sgb4

July 14 — Hayden Bosworth and Colleen Burke

tctMD

More Data Show Redlining’s Lasting Impact on CVD Risk

https://duke.is/r/jhx6

July 14 — Duke University

MedTech Intelligence

FDA Announces Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science Award Recipients

https://duke.is/5/44ub

July 18 — Duke Regional Hospital

Chief Healthcare Executive

Duke Regional Hospital named America’s most socially responsible hospital

https://duke.is/6/ggkx

July 18 — Sana Al-Khatib and Kevin Thomas

Circ/AHAjournals.org

Commentary: Advancing Equity in Sudden Cardiac Death Prevention: Beware of Making Assumptions About the Effectiveness of Primary Prevention Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators in Black Patients

https://duke.is/p/5mf6

July 19 — Dawn Coleman

Vascular Specialist

Crawford panel looks at opportunities to plug and extend vascular surgery workforce pipeline

https://duke.is/8/xrr5

July 20 — Kristin Newby

Heart.org

Warnings – and hope – from new heart disease treatment guidelines

https://duke.is/j/ugxj

July 20 — Kristin Newby

Newsroom/AHA

Symptom relief and healthy habits are top goals for treating chronic heart disease

https://duke.is/y/fmup

Highlights of the week:

Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill Awarded up to $50 Million from the FDA for New Research Center; Mentz to Serve as co-PI

Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will receive up to $50 million over five years from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The money will be used to establish the Research Triangle Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI). The center also includes collaborations with North Carolina State University and North Carolina Central University.

Triangle CERSI, the newest of five CERSIs nationally, will work with FDA scientists to perform scientific research to support the FDA’s needs.

The three principal investigators from Duke are Susan Halabi, PhD, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics and co-chief for the division of biostatistics at Duke University School of Medicine; Robert Mentz, MD, associate professor of medicine in cardiology and in population health sciences, and chief of the heart failure section of Duke Cardiology; and Ehsan Samei, PhD, Reed and Martha Rice Distinguished Professor of Radiology at Duke University and chief imagining physicist for Duke University Health System.

They will co-lead the new Triangle CERSI and collaborate with regulators, academia, and industry stakeholders to meet the FDA’s need for the most current scientific knowledge.

“We are uniquely positioned to leverage the tremendous strengths of Duke’s trial and observational research infrastructure, machine learning, statistical knowledge, in silico trials, and imaging expertise to answer meaningful questions for patients and other key stakeholders,” Mentz said.

The Triangle CERSI will include, but is not limited to, faculty from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, UNC School of Medicine, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC School of Data Science and Society, Duke University School of Medicine, Duke University Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University’s Center for Virtual Imaging Trials, the Duke Clinical Research Institute, the Colleges of Engineering and Veterinary Medicine at N.C. State, the NCCU College of Health and Sciences, NCCU College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, the NCCU Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise  and the NCCU Julius L. Chambers Biomedical and Biotechnology Research Institute.

“The Triangle CERSI is a significant opportunity for our scholarly communities to curate and direct our intelligence towards addressing an important societal need for proficient and efficient regulatory approval and oversight,” Samei said.

The center will provide new infrastructure and tools to shorten the drug and device development process, to advance public health, and to inform regulatory decision making and guidance documents that complements and enhances other CERSIs.

“The Triangle CERSI will equip the FDA with tools to overcome the challenges of the 21st century drug and device development process in order to rapidly advance public health interests,” Halabi said.

The 38 projects proposed in the grant application include statistical methodology, machine learning and artificial intelligence, imaging, pediatric pharmacology, and safety assessments.

 

New Thoracic Surgery Roles for Hartwig, Klapper

We are pleased to share a transition of leadership within Duke’s Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. Effective immediately, Matt Hartwig, MD, MHS, will serve as Surgical Director of Lung Transplantation, and Jacob Klapper, MD, will serve as Associate Surgical Director of Lung Transplantation.

Hartwig has spent the entirety of his career at Duke. He began his internship with Duke Surgery in 2001, and completed his residency in both General Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery here. He previously served in the role of Surgical Director for Lung Transplantation from 2015-2017. He also serves as Program Director for the Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery Fellowship program, a position he has held since 2015; he is an Executive Committee Member for the Duke Transplant Center, and Surgical Director of the Esophageal Center at Duke, and is a member of the Perioperative Executive Committee

Klapper completed his cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at Duke from 2011 through 2014. After a short departure to the Medical University of South Carolina, we were fortunate to recruit him back to Duke — he rejoined us as Associate Professor of Surgery in 2016. 

“The Duke Lung Transplant Program boasts one of the highest lung transplant volumes in the US.  John “Jack” C. Haney, MD, played a major role in this program’s success, and we are extremely grateful to Jack for his leadership and dedication while serving as Surgical Director,” said Edward P. Chen, MD, chief of the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. “We wish him the absolute best as he assumes the role of Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL at the end of September.”

The leadership announcement was made by Chen on Thursday. Please join us in congratulating Matt and Jacob on their new appointments!

 

Brenman Joins Duke Heart Team

We are pleased to welcome Gabi Brenman to Duke Heart’s administrative leadership team. Brenman has been working with Duke’s Performance Services team since 2019, supporting Heart and Oncology since 2021. Originally from Chapel Hill, NC, Brenman has her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Industrial and Systems Engineering from North Carolina State University.

She has recently supported several important initiatives at Duke including re-vamping the VAD Joint Commission data reporting, serving as project manager for the CACHE Prostate project, and assessing Respiratory Therapy workflow opportunities. In her new role, Brenman will partner closely with Jill Engel and Maria Carroll on Duke Heart & Vascular special projects, strategy and growth.

A fun fact about her is she loves to travel, and recently visited Iceland. We are thrilled to formally welcome Gabi to our team!

 

Duke CDU Awarded IAC Accreditation for the 23rd Year

The DUH Cardiac Diagnostic Unit is proud to announce that it has been granted Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) accreditation for the 23^rd consecutive year, demonstrating excellence in echocardiography. This recognition is a testament to Duke’s unwavering commitment to providing high-quality cardiac diagnostic services and upholding the highest standards of patient care.

IAC accreditation serves as a mark of distinction, affirming that the CDU has met and surpassed stringent evaluation criteria set forth by the IAC. Through rigorous assessments and comprehensive reviews, our facility has consistently demonstrated excellence in cardiac imaging services, placing us at the forefront of the industry. The CDU was awarded accreditation in Transthoracic Echo, Transesophageal Echo, as well as Stress Echo.

We extend our heartfelt appreciation to our entire team for their unwavering dedication and expertise. Additionally, we thank our patients and referring physicians for their trust and confidence in our services. The CDU team is committed to raising the bar in cardiac diagnostic excellence, ensuring that each patient receives the best care possible at Duke. We are grateful to be recognized again by the IAC.

Way to go CDU team!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conferences

July 19: Rapid Fire ECG with Thomas Bashore. Noon, Zoom only.

July 21: Basics of Heart Failure with Stuart Russell. Noon, Zoom only.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds is on hiatus for the summer. We’ll be back in the fall!

 

15^th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium

The 15^th annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium will be held on Friday, November 17^th at the Durham Convention Center. Faculty directors will be H. James Ford, MD, director of the PH program at UNC, and Terry Fortin, MD, co-director of the Pulmonary Vascular Disease Center at Duke.

 

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:

July 8 — Salvatore Pizzo, Svati Shah, Paul Ferrell, Kristi Oristian (Pathology; Pharmacology & Cancer Biology)

Independent Tribune (Hickory, NC)

MURDOCK Study samples speed heart failure discovery

https://duke.is/w/gtmr

July 10 — Adam DeVore

Healio/Cardiology

With heart transplant advances, a quest for ‘holy grail’ of tolerance, improved outcomes

https://duke.is/p/nch2

July 11 — Hayden Bosworth & Colleen Burke (Population Health)

Healio/Cardiology

Veterans with CVD from historically redlined neighborhoods have elevated risk for events

https://duke.is/w/4hp5

July 11 — Robert Mentz

WRAL (Raleigh/Durham)

FDA awards $50 million to Triangle universities for joint work on drug development process, regulatory oversight, public health information

https://duke.is/6/us64

July 11 — Robert Mentz

WNCN – CBS17 (Raleigh/Durham)

UNC, Duke getting $50M from FDA to create new research center

https://duke.is/p/frjw

July 12 — Robert Mentz

HCP Live

Foundations of Quadruple Therapy in Heart Failure

https://duke.is/j/grha

 

July 12 — Duke Health/Duke University Hospital

Becker’s Hospital Review

100 hospitals and health systems with great heart programs | 2023

https://duke.is/y/9xsq

July 12 — Adam DeVore

Healio/Cardiology

‘Access to care is key’: Closing the race disparity gap in heart transplant

https://duke.is/r/qn2u

July 12 — Joseph Turek

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

11-month-old’s partial heart transplant makes history in Texas. How doctors did it

https://duke.is/m/7rx2

July 13 — Hayden Bosworth (Population Health)

STAT News

Living in a historically redlined area linked to worse heart health, study finds

https://duke.is/z/nh4j

July 13 — Hayden Bosworth (Population Health)

PBS News Hour

Legacy of redlining linked to poor heart health among veterans, study finds

https://duke.is/c/2nbv

July 13 — Ehsan Samei (Radiology) & Susan Halabi (Biostatistics)

WTVD (Raleigh/Durham)

FDA gives $50M to Duke, UNC to establish world-class public health research center

https://duke.is/8/sxuy

Highlights of the week:

Parikh Joining Wake Med Team in October

Kishan Parikh, MD, assistant professor of medicine in cardiology, will leave his role with Duke Heart at the end of September. He will join the team at Wake Med in October as their director of advanced heart failure and pulmonary vascular care. His last day with Duke Heart will be September 30.

While it’s always difficult to bid farewell to our teammates, we are excited for Kishan as he moves into this new opportunity.

“It is tough to leave great friends and colleagues, but the opportunity to impact the growing population in Wake County is an exciting next step in my career. At the same time, I’m looking forward to maintaining relationships and building bridges between our programs,” said Parikh. 

He says he has been drawn to pulmonary hypertension and heart failure as an area of focus since he was a medical student on a team caring for a pulmonary hypertension patient. “The potential to significantly improve outcomes through earlier recognition/education and targeted therapies for this population continues to drive me.”

Parikh says that he’s most proud of the teamwork he has been a part of in Duke’s heart failure and pulmonary hypertension groups, building the HF/PH clinic in Wake County alongside the Duke Cardiology of Raleigh group, and research efforts including site-based research in HF with preserved EF, and creation of the Duke pulmonary hypertension database.

At Wake Med, he’ll be director of advanced heart failure and pulmonary vascular care, allowing him to work together with Dr. Stu Russell and nurse practitioner Tanaya Foster. His goal is to continue growing the program and provide expanded access.

“I think there are some really good opportunities to reach underserved populations,” Parikh added. “While here at Duke, I’ve worked with some of the most capable, compassionate colleagues in the world – and learned how to deliver true patient-centered care. I’ll apply these lessons and continue learning in this next step. I’m extremely grateful to my clinical and research mentors, as well as division leadership, for supporting me along the way since I started as a fellow 10 years ago.”

Parikh completed his MD in 2009 at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, and went on to residency at the University of Chicago, where he served as chief resident in internal medicine in 2012. He served as chief fellow for Duke Cardiology and completed his Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship in 2017; and the Advanced Heart Failure, MCS, and Transplant Fellowship in 2018 when he joined the faculty.

Congratulations, Kishan! 

 

Fellows Bootcamp Held for Newest CV Trainee Class

The new cardiovascular disease fellows’ orientation and bootcamp was held this past week. It was a tremendous effort organized by Rob Harrison, Nishant Shah, Brianna Small and Anna Lisa Chamis.

 

Chamis, director of the cardiovascular disease fellowship program, is very pleased with how the week went.

“I would like to thank the efforts of the cardiac sonographers, including Danny Rivera and the nurses who facilitated echo bootcamp with me on Monday. Additionally, I would like to thank the Durham VA cardiology faculty and staff who gave a warm welcome to the incoming fellows Wednesday. Furthermore, Rob Harrison organized a phenomenal CICU bootcamp on Thursday that included didactics and interactive experiences with Willard Applefeld, Jason Katz, Kristin Newby, Jennifer Rymer, Nishant Shah, Jeff Washam and Manesh Patel. For Friday, Nishant Shah organized a fantastic simulation center experience with the AMAZING Jennifer Rymer leading the way, and an outstanding EP bootcamp that included didactics and hands-on experiences with Emily Towery, Ilia Shadrin, Sana Al-Khatib, Zak Loring, Neil Freedman, and Steve Mann.”

Our new fellows began their rotations this weekend — so thank you once again to all team members for making them feel welcome!

 

Duke Heart Family Welcomes Two!

We’re excited to share with you the newest additions to the Duke Heart family. Please welcome David Lerman, born June 28!

Joe Lerman, David’s dad, says, “Mom and Baby are doing great, and Dad is remembering that sometimes you do sleep better at the hospital.”

And please also welcome Penelope Michele Loriaux, born on July 1. She is 8lbs 12 oz in weight, 21 inches in length.

 

Dan Loriaux, Penny’s dad, says “Everything went well in the hospital. Sandra and Penny are both healthy and home.”

Congratulations to the Lerman and Loriaux families!

 

James Peterson, MD, Retires from Duke Raleigh Practice

Congratulations to James Peterson, MD, cardiology faculty member at Duke Cardiology of Raleigh (DCR), on his retirement from Duke on June 30. Peterson, at Duke for the past decade, was celebrated by his closest colleagues from the DCR clinic, the Duke Raleigh Hospital (DRAH) Cath lab, and DRAH 2200 with a retirement dinner, luncheon, and after-hours event.

His retirement dinner was held on June 3 at Bloomsbury Bistro in Raleigh. Shown here, L-R, are: Radha Kachhy, Larry Liao, Bill Parsons, James Peterson, Mark Leithe, Stephen Robinson, Dan Friedman and James Mills.

Shown below are Peterson with the DCR group and their spouses, as well as Peterson’s two sons – Neil and Graeme. The two flew in to surprise him and join the team for dinner. His son Neil, to his right, joined from Portland, Oregon, and son Graeme, to his left, flew in from Boston, MA.

His clinical team hosted a luncheon in his honor in the Tryon Conference room, MOB6 on the campus of DRAH. Shown here are Peterson and several retired members of the DCR nursing team.

The DRAH cath lab team held an after-hours event to celebrate Peterson at Wilson’s Eatery/Lynnwood Brewing. There, he was presented with his cath lab retirement gift: a new putter!

Peterson with members of the DRAH cath team.

 

Peterson with his cath lab retirement gift — a new putter!  

Dr. Peterson and his wife Judy enjoying the evening.

Dr. Peterson with Betty Richardson of the DRAH Progressive Care Unit

Peterson, assistant professor of medicine in cardiology, received his MD from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1988. He went on to residency at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, and then completed cardiology training at the Ohio State University Medical Center. He will be missed here at Duke, but we know he’s having a blast with loved ones and hopefully enjoying some great rounds of golf with his new putter. Peterson is currently on a trip to Scotland (no doubt fitting in some great golf!) with his family.

We wish him the very best in retirement.

 

Dave Rendall, PA, Retires from Duke Health

David Rendall, PA-C for Duke Cardiology of South Durham and a long-time member of the Duke Heart team, officially retired on Monday, July 3 after 42 years at Duke, including 39 years on staff and three years in training with Duke’s Physician Assistant program!

“Now that I am retiring from Duke, I look back with appreciation and gratitude for the many years my wife and I had while working there,” says Rendall. “My career started in 1984 when I joined the Interventional Cardiology Program. In addition to assisting in interventional procedures, I was asked to help with patient follow-up which led to an opportunity at the DCRI for 25 years as a Project Leader in cardiovascular trials. I was able to supplement my clinical trials work with some part-time outpatient general cardiology work and eventually I spent the last ten years of my career in outpatient General Cardiology.

“As I look back on my career I think what I have found to be most personally rewarding to me has been the opportunity in clinical practice to make an important difference in another person’s life through the provider-patient encounter. It has not always been easy with time constraints and wide variations between patient circumstances, but it is labor that is inherently worthwhile and usually rewarding.”

His team helped celebrate him with a special dinner on Thursday, June 29 at the Washington Duke Inn. Colleague Carolyn Lekavich said it was a “very wonderful, heartfelt tribute to him and the career he has had with Duke Heart, the DCRI, and his other roles.”

Shown here, L-R are: Christopher Granger, Lekavich, Dave Rendall, Gail Cox, Jim Cox, Phyllis Upchurch, Edana Christy, Jeanna Riley, Stephanie Nicholls, Allen Stephens, Julie Marshall, Kristin Newby, and Bradi Granger.

We reached out to several of Dave’s current and former colleagues for their thoughts and here is what they had to say:

“Dave epitomizes the role of a physician assistant. Not only is he an excellent provider, but he is also one of the most compassionate and thoughtful human beings I’ve met. His compassion extends to his love of animals. I will miss the colorful animal calendars that he hung proudly in his office at Southpoint. Dave will be truly missed by all at Duke Cardiology!” – Allen Stephens, MHS, PA-C, Division of Cardiology and Duke Cardiology of Arringdon

“It has been a privilege to work with and get to know Dave during his many years with Duke Cardiology. Whether it was caring for the bird that had fallen out of its nest on the golf course, feeding the feral cats at Southpoint Clinic, or, especially, the clinical care he provided to his patients, Dave demonstrated a remarkable level of compassion and caring. He was committed to ensuring that every patient he saw in the clinic understood their illness and treatment and had the knowledge and manageable daily approaches to improving their heart health, tailored to their unique situation, and provided this despite clinic time-slot constraints. Dave’s heart is huge, and we in the Heart Center and the patients he served will miss working with him.” – Dr. Kristin Newby

“We’ve been friends for 35 years and have been professional colleagues. He’s the godfather to my kids, and we used to vacation together all the time. We first met when I was a fellow and he was a PA for interventional cardiologist Dr. Richard Stack – that was Dave’s first job out of PA school.

Dave was in charge of calling back patients as part of our registry study to understand restenosis rate – and the data that we collected was just seminal. Dave ran that and he was just so good at it. He just enjoyed talking to patients and getting them back in for caths to make sure that their artery was in good shape. He was so thorough with it, too. We had the highest follow-up rate of any study in the country at the time, at least that I was aware of, and that was because Dave was able to connect with patients so well. He did that for the first third of his professional career. Then he went to DCRI which is where we had hired him to be the project manager for the HF-ACTION study, which was one of the largest landmark studies conducted by the DCRI to look at exercise training for heart failure. He was again just superb with his management of people and ability to work with people – physicians, the patients, everyone.

But his real passion really blossomed in the last third of his career, when we brought him over into the clinic, where he first worked with Dr. Harry Phillips as a PA taking care of cardiac patients – particularly around prevention and cardiovascular education. He loved working with patients on how to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Dave’s dad was a very well-known physician in the Boston area – so this commitment to patients and education is really part of his DNA. I think his father would have been so proud of Dave for reestablishing those direct-care roots. And you know, when I left Duke, I had a big cohort of patients and quite a number of them said to me, “Well, we’re really disappointed that you’re leaving, but please tell us that Dave Rendall is not leaving!” And so I told them, no, Dave is staying and they were so grateful. I think that was a real testament to his dedication to patient care. My patient population that I transitioned to Mike Blazing and others, most of them were followed by Dave Rendall.” – Christopher O’Connor, MD, president of INOVA Heart and Vascular Institute, and the former division chief of Cardiology at Duke.

Dave, you’ve made a difference not only to your patients but to your colleagues – and also helped advance the work done via cardiovascular clinical trials. Incredible accomplishment! You will be missed – and we wish you all the best in retirement!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conferences

July 12: Management of NSTEMI with Jennifer Rymer. Noon, Zoom only.

July 14: Coronary Angiography with Andrew Wang. Noon, DN 2001. Lunch provided.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds is on hiatus for the summer. We’ll be back in the fall!

  

Duke SOM Call for Applications: Restorative Justice Pilot Program 

The Office for Faculty, in partnership with the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, is now accepting applications for a pilot program that will provide training and support for implementation of Restorative Justice interventions in the School of Medicine. Restorative Justice (RJ) is an ethical framework that focuses on building community by living our shared values of respect, honesty, responsibility, empathy, and inclusivity. RJ has its roots in indigenous traditions, which uphold the belief that people are interconnected and that focus on the role of community. Restorative practices can create the environment necessary for building and sustaining relationships, maintaining shared accountability, repairing damage caused by harmful behaviors, and ultimately improving team culture. 

About the program: Pilot participants will take part in an intensive RJ training program in fall 2023. Working with their teams and with support from experienced RJ practitioners, participants will develop and implement restorative interventions within their individual units in spring 2024. Participants will become part of a longitudinal learning community of individuals interested in exploring the use of restorative practices in the School of Medicine to shape culture and improve well-being. Participation will require significant time, including in-person classroom training sessions and asynchronous reading and reflection. There will be no charge to the participants or departments that participate. Participants will receive a stipend for participation and completion of activities.  

Who should apply: Applications should come from groups of 2-4 faculty and staff from the same organizational unit (department, division, program, etc.) within the School of Medicine. All applicants must have the support of their manager/leader and be able to commit to attending all training dates in person (view dates).  

Selection Criteria:  

• Team members have a demonstrated commitment to improving institutional culture and climate within the unit, including diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. 
• Team collectively has enough capacity, reach and local support to implement RJ practices within the unit. 
• Potential ideas for the application of RJ within the organizational unit. 
• Faculty and staff representation where possible
• Senior leadership support, including a statement confirming protected time for participants to attend all training sessions and participate in evaluation activities. The letter should confirm support for participants’ implementation efforts in the spring and address likely receptivity of the local unit to restorative interventions/mindset.The letter must be signed by the department chair or division chief for faculty applicants, and the manager(s) for staff applicants.  

Evaluation:   

Because this project is a pilot, program evaluators expect participants to provide feedback about their experience.  

Complete program information and application details are available online: https://medschool.duke.edu/shifting-paradigm-restorative-justice-framework-workforce-well-being  

Applications are due August 7.  

Questions? Contact Jessica Schonberg, MEd, Director of Educational Programs in the Office for Faculty, at jessica.schonberg@duke.edu  

 

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:

June 30 — Neha Pagidipati

Diabetes.org/ADA News Release

New Study Shows a Coordinated Care Approach Significantly Improves Quality of Care for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Disease

https://duke.is/m/rtkb

July 3 — Duke Health (transplant)

The Washington Post

Dispute threatens to disrupt flow of organs to transplant hospitals

https://duke.is/4/ht92

July 4 – Duke Health (transplant)

The Washington Post

Transplant group extends deadline that threatened flow of crucial organs

https://duke.is/9/ap5y

July 5 — Andrew Wang

Health Central

When Surgery Is Part of Your HCM Picture

https://duke.is/v/3ce4

July 5 — Jerome Federspiel (OB/GYN)

USNews.com

How to Care for Your Heart During a Pregnancy

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-07-05/how-to-care-for-your-heart-during-a-pregnancy

July 6 — Robert Mentz

Medpage Today

Q&A: Robert J. Mentz, MD on Iron Repletion in Heart Failure

https://duke.is/2/pyr6

July 6 — Sal Pizzo, Svati Shah, Paul Ferrel, and Kristi Oristian

WBTV (Charlotte, NC)

Kannapolis-based MURDOCK Study samples speed heart failure discovery

https://duke.is/g/gqvb

 

Highlights of the week:

Welcome New Cardiology Fellows!

Each academic year starts with new fellows joining us — and is a reminder of the amazing people we have at Duke, and the impact we have on so much of the future of the field with our training program.

Our brand-new class of Cardiovascular Disease Fellows is listed below. Please give a warm welcome to the following individuals:

• Jawan Abdulrahim, joining us from Duke’s residency program
• Aubrie Carroll, Duke, joining us from Duke’s residency program
• Jonathan Hanna, joining us from Yale’s residency program
• Seamus Hughes, joining us from UT Southwestern’s residency program
• DaMarcus Ingram, joining us from Duke’s residency program
• Ivan Nenadic Wood, joining us from the University of Michigan’s residency program
• Josh Rushakoff, joining us from Cedars Sinai’s residency program
• Husam Salah, joining us from the University of Arkansas residency program
• Aarti Thakkar, joining us from the Johns Hopkins residency program
• Eric Xie, joining us from the Johns Hopkins residency program

Please also welcome our incoming Interventional Fellows:

• Todd Looney
• Sameer Prasada

And our incoming Structural Heart Disease Fellow:

• Ezequiel Munoz

We’re thrilled to have them joining us. Our new team started with us on Saturday. A huge THANK YOU to Bradi and Chris Granger who hosted the fellows’ welcome party at their home last night! The cardiovascular disease fellows have orientation and bootcamp activities this week and will start on their services Saturday, July 8.

 

Transition and Welcome to DHIP!

As we kick off July and a brand-new fiscal year, we’re also entering into a Health System milestone: the Duke Health Integrated Practice (DHIP) launched yesterday.

Our deep gratitude to all team members for their patience during this transition, and to those who have been closely involved in the planning and rolling-out of DHIP. This was not an easy effort. The future is indeed bright at DUHS, and we are blessed to be part of the great Duke Heart team!

 

Klotman Named Exec. VP for Health Affairs

In a message sent to all Duke University and Health System faculty and staff on Friday, Vincent Price, president of Duke University, announced the appointment of Mary Klotman, MD, as Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, effective July 1.

In this newly-created role, Klotman will report to Price and will serve as the university official providing strategic oversight of university academic health affairs, in close coordination and collaboration with the Provost, Executive Vice President, and CEO of Duke University Health System (DUHS). She will be the chief academic officer of Duke Health, responsible for strategic, academic, and budgetary oversight and authority for the School of Medicine and its affiliated academic institutes and programs, and will also oversee the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore and, with the Provost, oversee other relevant interdisciplinary centers including the Global Health Institute and the Margolis Center for Health Policy.

In this role, Klotman will continue to serve as Dean of the School of Medicine, a position she has held since 2017. In that capacity, she will report to the Provost; Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, Dean of the School of Nursing, will also report to the Provost.

In the announcement, Price stated, “Mary is an exceptional physician-scientist, leader, and colleague who is deeply committed to advancing biomedical science and human health through education, research, and patient care. As Dean, she has overseen advancements in research, teaching, and administration that have propelled the School of Medicine to new levels of national recognition and research activity. Under her leadership, the school has implemented significant new programs to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion; assure scientific integrity; and recruit, retain, and reward outstanding faculty. Mary is also a quadruple Duke alumna, having earned her undergraduate and medical degrees, and completed both her medical residency and fellowship, here at Duke.”

Klotman’s appointment follows a restructuring of the leadership model for Duke Health’s academic and clinical missions, which were previously consolidated under Gene Washington, MD, who served as Chancellor for Health Affairs of Duke University, and President and CEO of DUHS.

As part of the announcement of the transition in leadership, Price also recognized Dr. Washington’s many contributions, and thanked him for his distinguished service to Duke over the past eight years.

Under the new leadership structure, Klotman will oversee Duke Health’s academic mission, and Craig Albanese, who was named CEO of DUHS earlier this year, will oversee the clinical enterprise, reporting jointly to the DUHS Board of Directors and to President Price. The new leadership structure, Price stated, will help position Duke for success in the face of the challenging landscape for academic medical centers, including the changing healthcare marketplace, the need for more efficient and effective patient care models, and the ongoing imperative to support high quality medical research. The health system and university governing boards will regularly monitor the effectiveness of this new leadership structure.

Klotman and Albanese will work in close partnership to build deep alignment between Duke’s academic and clinical missions, and will establish shared goals and strategies, closely aligned organizational performance metrics, and other mechanisms to ensure effective connectivity and coordination across Duke Health. Each of them will be accountable for building a shared culture that capitalizes on the ways in which health science research and discovery and health delivery benefit each other, including agreed-upon goals and strategies that will be reflected in their individual performance assessments and incentives.

In the coming weeks the two will be in touch with the Duke Health community to provide more specific updates about how they will operationalize the new leadership structure, Price added.

Their partnership will be informed by the recommendations of a consultative committee that recently worked on behalf of the Office of the University President to seek expert input and advice regarding the new Duke Health leadership structure.

“I am grateful to the members of the consultative committee, as well as the individuals they interviewed, for their valuable perspectives and thoughtful guidance,” Price said. “I am confident that, with Mary joining my leadership team as Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, we will be well positioned to meet the challenges and realize the opportunities ahead, and I hope you will join me in congratulating her on her appointment.”

Congratulations, Dr. Klotman!

TAVR Procedures Added to DUH Cath Lab; Lead Extractions to EP Lab

Congratulations to our interventional teams! The first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure to be conducted in the Duke University Hospital Cath Lab occurred on Wednesday. We are incredibly excited to celebrate this milestone and all those who made it possible.

A multidisciplinary team of TAVR cardiologists and surgeons, cath lab nurses and CV invasive specialists, anesthesiologists and CRNAs, members of Duke Heart’s Center of Excellence, Cardiac Diagnostic staff, Cardiac OR and Cath schedulers, CVSSU and 7West nurses, Heart APPs and operational leaders met weekly for months to map and test workflows, and performed dry runs in preparation for this day, according to Jill Engel, VP for Duke Heart Services.

“It is a really exciting time for our patients that are presenting now for TAVR because with the addition of the procedural space in the cath labs being able to perform TAVR safely for them we’re able to get them in quicker, said Anna Mall, MSN, Assistant Nurse Manager, Adult Cardiac Cath Lab.

Mall says the Duke team had been seeing patient volume that exceeded the capacity of the current traditional TAVR process that is done in the OR. By adding the ability for the cath lab team to do these procedures on patients who are at low-risk for their TAVR procedure will allow patients to move through the care system faster, so they can get the care that they need quicker – which is important for this patient population.

“Although there may be other cath labs within NC with the capability to perform low-risk TAVRs,  I think what sets Duke apart from other facilities is that now we have a greater ability to care for the patients that have complex needs and require the high-risk TAVR procedure in the OR, as well as the space for patients that are low-risk, as well,” Mall says. “We can be more all-encompassing now in our approach to ensuring that we’re able to care for any patient in need of TAVR in the most equitable way possible.”

To create a successful foundation for the discussions that began earlier this year, an interdisciplinary team of leaders was called together. By engaging different stakeholders from across the clinical space and the IT space, the team was able to get everyone on the same page to make sure that all of the processes for outpatient visits, the inpatient procedure, and transfer to the inpatient unit were all addressed.

“Major kudos to the entire Duke Heart Cath lab team for their tremendous effort as part of our commitment to expand services for patients. This initiative, led by Dr. Andrew Wang and Anna Mall, was masterfully planned and executed, said Engel. “This expansion of TAVR procedures to the Cath Lab demonstrates the tremendous skill and dedication of the entire team that makes Duke Heart a great place for our patients, families and staff.”

Great expertise from a talented multidisciplinary Duke Heart team is ensuring our patients can navigate cardiovascular care without major roadblocks.

“Our team was incredibly committed to getting this done for the patients. So much work went on behind the scenes to enhance how quickly patients can come for care to Duke. With this team and creating this process, the patients were completely at the center of everything that we did; everyone talked about ‘how can we improve care for the patients,’” Mall added.
“The process was amazing – the team was amazing – everyone working together to get this done. And then to see it in action this week and for it to go off so smoothly was an incredible testament to everyone’s contributions. The engagement of our teams is such a strong suit here at Duke Heart.”

Shown here are members of our cath lab recovery team, L-R: Mackenzie Sbashnig, Grace Eckler, Caroline Jenkins, and Anna Mall:

Great teamwork! L-R:  J.D. Serfas, MD; Brad Cash, CVIS; Jeff Gaca, MD; Dylan Skiscim, RN; Todd Kiefer, MD; Gordon Pusateri, RN; Cassidy Johnson, RCIS; Wanda Cooley, CVIS; Seth Hanson, CRNA; Kevin Yardley, RN; Andrew Wang, MD; Crosby Culp, MD; Anna Mall, RN, and Miriam Nguyen, RN.

And, in another great example of multidisciplinary teamwork in Duke Heart, we’ve formally added laser lead extraction capability in the EP Labs at DUH.

Due to the increasing volume of patients we are seeing in need of laser lead extractions, we’ve developed a process to identify low-risk candidates in need of laser lead extraction through a partnership across our electrophysiology, CT surgery and cardiac anesthesiology teams. Together, they developed a protocol and policy to permit low-risk laser lead extractions to occur in the electrophysiology lab. Traditionally, laser lead extractions are done in the Hybrid OR with perfusion and CT surgery on standby, said Shawn Johnson, nurse manager for adult cath/EP and the Short Stay Unit. “This addition expands the EP lab’s ability to serve a broader patient base.”

To qualify as a low-risk patient case, the individual would require an infection as the primary indicator for the lead extraction; a prior sternotomy; an implant dwell-time of less than five years; no high-risk CT scan findings, and agreement between CT surgery and electrophysiology to proceed as a low-risk candidate.

Amazing job, everyone! Congratulations to all!

 

Graduating IC Fellows, Structural Fellow Celebrated!

Our Duke Interventional Cardiology Fellowship graduates and Structural Heart Fellowship grad were celebrated at our annual End-of-Year dinner for them on Thursday evening, June 29, at The Rooftop of the Durham Hotel in downtown Durham. It was another wonderful evening of accolades and reminiscing! We wish each of our fellows the best as they transition as follows:

• Caitlin Drescher, MD, who is entering into private practice with Prisma Health Carolina Cardiology Consultants.
• D. Serfas, MD, who is joining the faculty at the University of Kansas and Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.
• Doosup Shin, MD, who will enter research/advanced fellowship at Saint Francis Hospital in Roslyn, NY.
• Zachary Wegermann, MD, is joining the Duke Heart faculty. He was out of town and missed the dinner, unfortunately, but we celebrated him nonetheless!

Congratulations, Caitlin, J.D., Doosup, and Zach!

Barnes Inducted into AAHFN

Congratulations to Stephanie Barnes, MSN, AGPCNP-C, CHFN, PCCN, Clinical Director for Advanced Heart Failure Services here at Duke! She was inducted to the Board of the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses (AAHFN) during the annual meeting of the AAHFN held this weekend in Boston. Barnes has chaired the annual meeting for the past two years; she will serve a four-year term with the Board.

“She represents the best of Duke’s Heart Failure team,” said Robert Mentz, MD, section chief for Heart Failure. “She’s a national leader in HF and we’re proud of her leadership.”

Way to go, Stephanie!

 

Palma, Swaminathan Recognized at ASE

Congratulations to Richie Palma, Director of the Duke Cardiac

Ultrasound Certificate Program   and Madhav Swaminathan, MD cardiothoracic anesthesiologist, for their well-deserved recognition at the 2023 American Society of Echocardiography Scientific Sessions, held June 23-26 in National Harbor, MD. Palma received ASE’s Cardiovascular Sonographer Distinguished Teacher Award, while Swaminathan received their Outstanding Achievement in Perioperative Echocardiography Award.

Congratulations! We’re so proud of you both and glad to have you on the Duke team!

 

Fox to Serve as Clinical Nurse Specialist, Effective July 3, 2023

 Duke Heart is pleased to announce that Allison Fox, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, PCCN will become Clinical Nurse Specialist for the DUH Heart Stepdown Units, Cardiac Diagnostic Unit, and Cardiac MRI effective Monday, July 3. As Clinical Nurse Specialist, she will collaborate across Heart Services to identify patient care problems, implement approaches to these problems, and evaluate the effectiveness of the approaches.

Allison joined the Duke Heart team in 2018 as a Clinical Nurse I on the DUH Cardiology Stepdown Unit, 7100.  During her time at Duke, Allison advanced to a Clinical Nurse III, served as a preceptor, charge nurse, diabetes champion, Tikosyn champion, and on the Orientation Committee. In 2021, Allison transferred to the Adult Cardiac Electrophysiology Lab. Allison is also a member of Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN), and the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS). Allison serves on the graduate education committee of the NACNS.

Allison earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from George Mason University in 2018 and a Master of Science in Nursing- Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist from East Carolina University in 2023. Her credentials include Progressive Care Certified Nurse and Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Please join us in congratulating and welcoming Allison to her new role!

 

Dial Named ANM for Adult Cath Lab

We are pleased to announce Rebecca Dial, RN as the new Assistant Nurse Manager of the Adult Cath Lab here at Duke University Hospital. Rebecca has worked in the Cath Lab at DUH since 2020 and previously served as a Charge Nurse.  Please welcome Rebecca to our HC Leadership Team!

Congrats, Rebecca!

 

 

 

 

Mall Named Clinical Nurse Specialist, Effective July 3, 2023

Duke Heart is pleased to announce that Anna Mall, MSN, APRN, ACCNS-AG, CCRN, CNL will become Clinical Nurse Specialist for the DUH Heart Center effective Monday, July 3, 2023. As Clinical Nurse Specialist, she will collaborate with Heart ICUs, Invasive Labs, CVSSU, and Patient Response Program to drive practice changes throughout the organization, and ensure the use of best practices and evidence-based care to achieve positive patient outcomes.

Anna joined the Duke Heart team in 2014 as a Clinical Nurse III in the Adult Cardiac Cath Lab. She has served in the department as the Assistant Nurse Manager since 2019. She leads the department’s Cath Lab Nursing Research Group and serves as a Principal Investigator on several study teams. Anna is highly engaged in the American Association of Critical Care Nursing as a member of the Clinical Advisory Workgroup. She is also a member of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists.

Anna earned a Diploma in Nursing from Watts School of Nursing in 2008 and a Master of Science in Nursing – Health Care Systems from UNC Chapel Hill in 2019. She then earned a Post-Masters Certificate – Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist from East Carolina University in May 2023.

Please join us in congratulating and welcoming Anna to her new role!

 

MURDOCK Samples Accelerate Heart Failure Discovery

The ease and speed of obtaining samples and data from a groundbreaking community-based biorepository at Duke Kannapolis helped to accelerate a recent heart failure discovery by Duke researchers.

A Duke Pathology research team led by Salvatore Vincent Pizzo, MD, PhD used biospecimens and more than 13 years of corresponding data from 690 MURDOCK Study participants to determine that serum pro‐N‐cadherin is an early marker of heart failure. The discovery has the potential to identify patients who would benefit from intervention before they show signs of disease, as reported in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

The Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) is making thousands of biospecimens and associated clinical outcomes data available to all Duke researchers through the MURDOCK Biorepository Transformation Initiative. Duke Kannapolis is part of the CTSI and directed by Svati H. Shah, MD, MHS.

With just a few clicks, a data exploration tool developed by CTSI enables Duke investigators to easily explore the 12,526-participant longitudinal cohort based in Kannapolis and encompassing Cabarrus County. The MURDOCK storefronts summarize data and samples at a glance.

“The demographics and outcomes of the participants over time is critical, and that is what sets MURDOCK apart from other biorepositories,” said Paul Ferrell, who manages Pizzo’s lab and quantified the new biomarker. “We would not have been able to correlate the biomarker with any meaning if we didn’t have that downstream outcome data.”

Tapping into the MURDOCK Biorepository

About a year ago, preliminary research indicated the protein could be a marker for heart failure. Pizzo’s team needed to expand their study and reached out to Duke Kannapolis, hoping to accelerate their research by tapping into the MURDOCK biorepository.

“Our goal was to understand the role of the biomarker effectively and rigorously without waiting a decade for a new, prospective study to accumulate years of data,” Pizzo said. “MURDOCK already had thousands of samples and years of follow-up, saving us an incredible amount of time while delivering the same level of rigorous data collection. The responsiveness of Duke Kannapolis saved us even more time.”

Total time from completing a brief interest form to the conclusion of the study was six months. By comparison, requesting and receiving samples from other biorepositories can take up to two years.

“MURDOCK has been the springboard,” said Kristi Oristian, the postdoctoral research consultant on the team. “We asked a question about the predictive nature of how something might work in the future, but we answered it using previously collected samples and data showing how health has changed over time, thanks to MURDOCK participants who had been completing annual follow-up for years.”

Next Steps

With the publication of the discovery, the research has drawn interest from collaborators and venture capitalists. The team’s next steps include repeating their initial findings in a different population, with additional techniques and a clinical approach.

Ultimately, they want to bring the biomarker to market and see it used in clinics and hospitals. The test for the biomarker is easy to administer and easy to understand, reducing the reliance on specialized equipment or expertise.

“Right now, there is no established community screening for heart failure,” Oristian said. “There are biomarkers that catch it at a later stage, but we are talking about detection well before people start to show symptoms.”

Duke Kannapolis provided Pizzo’s team with two cohorts from the MURDOCK Study. The participants all reported no heart failure when they enrolled in MURDOCK, and the two groups had very similar comorbidities and demographics. The participants who eventually suffered heart failure had the elevated biomarker. Those who never developed heart failure did not.

“It’s really important for us to see that against a background of common American comorbidities like high blood pressure and obesity, the biomarker was able to add additional predictive value to identify the folks who would develop heart failure,” Oristian said.

Providing More Evidence

Using such closely matched cohorts provided more evidence that the biomarker is an independent predictor of heart failure, Ferrell added.

“They have such a large amount of MURDOCK data and samples that they were able to match the cohort of people who did not develop heart failure with those who did,” Ferrell said. “That was a lot of the difficult work that Duke Kannapolis completed and then provided to us.”

The MURDOCK Biorepository Transformation Initiative makes thousands of biospecimens and associated clinical outcome data available to all Duke researchers. Investigators should complete this brief interest form as a first step toward.

 

Duke Statement Re: Affirmative Action Ruling

As you are aware, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions plans at Harvard and UNC-Chapel Hill, citing a 14th Amendment violation. The decision will undercut long-standing admissions policies at colleges and universities across the U.S. that use race as one of many factors in evaluating applicants.

In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, Vincent E. Price, president of Duke University, stated:

“Duke’s position continues to be that diversity is absolutely vital to our educational mission—everyone in our community, and the work they do, benefits from differing perspectives, opinions, and life experiences. We remain steadfastly committed to cultivating a racially and socially equitable Duke to the fullest extent permitted by the law. Over the coming weeks we will review the decision closely and determine what, if any, changes need to be made to our admission processes. We have already been planning for the many potential procedural implications. As this process unfolds, we remain committed to doing everything we can to foster a vibrant and diverse academic community.”

 

 

Shout-out to Clinic 2F/2G

A big shout-out to our team members in Clinic 2F/2G for taking time to support Pride Month at Duke Health! We have a diverse community throughout the Triangle and within Duke Health and Duke Heart – it takes all of us, together, to provide amazing care to our patients – thanks for having pride in each other.

Shown L-R are: Quivetta, Pat, Susan, Joey, Anna, Julie, Carolyn, Claire, Teressa, Chelsea, and Hannah of our 2F/2G care team.

Way to go!

Quick Reminders & Updates

“Real Talk” Year-in-Review: In the latest episode of the Real Talk video series, Craig Albanese, MD, MBA, Chief Executive Officer, DUHS, reflects on all that we’ve been through together. His message of gratitude highlights some of our greatest achievements and innovations over the past year. To view the recording, please visit: https://duke.is/m/jy94.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds is on hiatus for the summer. We’ll be back in the fall!

Watch this space for dates and times of upcoming CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conferences starting next weekend.

Duke SOM Call for Applications: Restorative Justice Pilot Program

The Office for Faculty, in partnership with the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, is now accepting applications for a pilot program that will provide training and support for implementation of Restorative Justice interventions in the School of Medicine. Restorative Justice (RJ) is an ethical framework that focuses on building community by living our shared values of respect, honesty, responsibility, empathy, and inclusivity. RJ has its roots in indigenous traditions, which uphold the belief that people are interconnected and that focus on the role of community. Restorative practices can create the environment necessary for building and sustaining relationships, maintaining shared accountability, repairing damage caused by harmful behaviors, and ultimately improving team culture.

About the program: Pilot participants will take part in an intensive RJ training program in fall 2023. Working with their teams and with support from experienced RJ practitioners, participants will develop and implement restorative interventions within their individual units in spring 2024. Participants will become part of a longitudinal learning community of individuals interested in exploring the use of restorative practices in the School of Medicine to shape culture and improve well-being. Participation will require significant time, including in-person classroom training sessions and asynchronous reading and reflection. There will be no charge to the participants or departments that participate. Participants will receive a stipend for participation and completion of activities.

Who should apply: Applications should come from groups of 2-4 faculty and staff from the same organizational unit (department, division, program, etc.) within the School of Medicine. All applicants must have the support of their manager/leader and be able to commit to attending all training dates in person (view dates).

 

Selection Criteria:

• Team members have a demonstrated commitment to improving institutional culture and climate within the unit, including diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
• Team collectively has enough capacity, reach and local support to implement RJ practices within the unit.
• Potential ideas for the application of RJ within the organizational unit.
• Faculty and staff representation where possible
• Senior leadership support, including a statement confirming protected time for participants to attend all training sessions and participate in evaluation activities. The letter should confirm support for participants’ implementation efforts in the spring and address likely receptivity of the local unit to restorative interventions/mindset.The letter must be signed by the department chair or division chief for faculty applicants, and the manager(s) for staff applicants.

 

Evaluation: 

Because this project is a pilot, program evaluators expect participants to provide feedback about their experience. 

Complete program information and application details are available online: https://medschool.duke.edu/shifting-paradigm-restorative-justice-framework-workforce-well-being

Applications are due August 7. 

Questions? Contact Jessica Schonberg, MEd, Director of Educational Programs in the Office for Faculty, at jessica.schonberg@duke.edu

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:

June 23 — Adam DeVore

tctMD

Global Numbers Paint Grim Picture of GDMT Uptake, Costs, and HF Outcomes

https://duke.is/w/sp7g

June 23 — Adam DeVore

News & Observer

Duke researchers say new heart transplant method could expand donor pool by 30%

https://duke.is/j/8y8j

June 23 — Robert Mentz

Medpage Today

ARNI Again Shows Modest Benefits in HF With Mid-Range EF

https://duke.is/b/j768

June 25 — Jacob Schroder and Jason Banner

CBS Eye On America

Revolutionary technology is making more heart transplants possible

https://duke.is/n/nmnn

June 26 — Neha Pagidipati

AJMC

Coordinated Care Significantly Improves Treatment Quality for Patients With T2D, Heart Disease

https://duke.is/y/pqbp

June 27 — Lynne Koweek (Radiology)

Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology

SCCT Issues New Expert Consensus, Provides Multi-society Update to Cardiac CT Medical Terminology

https://duke.is/r/ucxr

June 27 — Neha Pagidipati and Christopher Granger

Medpage Today

Protocol Optimizing Meds for T2D and CVD Pushed Beyond Cardiology Alone

https://duke.is/5/3eu9

June 27 — Neha Pagidipati

docwirenews

Multidisciplinary Approach Improves Care for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, Heart Disease

https://duke.is/6/c4c6

June 28 — Nishant Shah

Healio/Cardiology

Ezetimibe did not increase diabetes risk in IMPROVE-IT substudy

https://duke.is/p/rt4b

June 30 — Duke/NUS CVMD Program

Lab & Life Scientist (AU)

Stem cell-based regenerative therapy to treat heart failure

https://duke.is/7/nfq5