The Pulse – Powered by Duke Heart

Chief’s message:

This week in Duke Heart you will see the continued themes for our success (partnership with our community, focus on our people, team work for care, and innovation focusing on the use of data and AI partnerships).  This is all part of our work with our heart and vascular teams to ensure the discoveries and world class innovations get to all of our members in our community in this state and the region.  The week featured a trip to McLeod Regional Health System in Florence SC where we had a case review and great discussion with the cardiologists and cardio-thoracic surgeons in that center.  They are doing some amazing care and we look forward to partnering with them to ensure the people of NC and SC get access to all of the cardiovascular care they need.

You will also see stories of our teams working across the health system to ensure patients get the care they need – often innovating ways with multiple services to ensure that happens.  We also highlight the data/AI work going on with a partnership with SAS Institute in Raleigh (part of our grand rounds speaker last week), and the ongoing collaboration with DIHI within the Heart Center with a new RFA across the health system to improve the care workflow and outcomes of our patients

Finally – fall is starting to get here with football, college starts, and running season.  Sunday is the 1st day of fall, and we had our resident Stead tread yesterday for those who could make it to support the medicine residency.  The upcoming week will have part 2 of our ESC cardiology meeting update for cardiology grand rounds and the launch of some new studies in our clinical group that we will highlight in the upcoming weeks.  The week culminates with Geoff Ginsburg, MD, PhD, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer for the All of Us research program at the National Institutes of Health giving Medicine Grand Rounds.  Geoff is a former Duke Cardiology faculty member and currently is an adjunct professor of medicine in cardiology at Duke.

Highlights of the week

Celebrating APPs

This week is National Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Week, a celebration and awareness week honoring the contributions of Physician Assistants/Associates, Nurse Practitioners, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Certified Nurse Midwives, and Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants. The theme this year is “Innovate, Elevate, Celebrate: The Power of APPs.”

This important group of providers throughout Duke Health and the U.S. elevates the fields of medicine and nursing to ensure our patients and communities receive safe, high-quality, evidence-based care.

Our Heart APPs are amazing, supportive, terrific colleagues, so be sure to thank an APP this week!

 

Heart APPs Supporting Cancer Walk & 5K

Speaking of APPs… yesterday a number of our Heart APPs participated in the Gail Parkins Memorial Ovarian Cancer Walk and 5K Run to honor and celebrate one of our team members. All had a great time – and beautiful weather! 

The walk-and-run event is intended to raise awareness of ovarian cancer, raise money to provide financial support to research efforts, and pay tribute to those touched by ovarian cancer. Funds raised by the event go to support the Duke Ovarian Cancer Research Program. 

The Walk & 5K was held at Sanderson High School in Raleigh.

Shown L-R in the smaller group photo are Kelley Reid, Ashley Barba, Nikki Phillips, Diane Sauro, Lauren Clise, Mallory Bailey, Virginia Coe, Keisha Hall, Hayley Karan

Great job, APPs!

 

Shout-out to Interventional, Vascular & Cardiac Anesthesia Team Members!

On behalf of Duke Heart & Vascular leadership and Schuyler Jones, a huge shout-out to team members who collaborated on a tough case last week:

“A complex vascular patient presented today with STEMI, and had a history of occluded aorta, occluded right brachiocephalic, and occluded left subclavian/axillary arteries. The interventional team – Dr. Raj Swaminathan (cath lab attending), Dr. Dennis Narcisse (IC fellow), Dylan Skiscim (DUH cath charge nurse), and Anna Mall (ANM-emeritus and general problem solver) worked together with Dr. Adam Johnson (vascular surgery) and Dr. Negmeldeen Mamoun (cardiac anesthesiology) to do a carotid cutdown, sheath insertion, coronary angiogram and LAD PCI in Cath Lab 5. We may not have made the door-to-balloon time metric for this patient, but it’s incredible to watch how this team worked together to solve a complex problem. Really great job to all involved!” – Schuyler Jones, MD

Phenomenal collaboration, everyone!!

 

Friday MGR to Feature Geoff Ginsburg

Please join us on Friday, Sept. 27 at 8 a.m. for Medicine Grand Rounds. The speaker will be our very own Geoff Ginsburg, MD, PhD, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer for the All of Us research program at the National Institutes of Health and adjunct professor of medicine in cardiology at Duke.

His presentation, The All of Us Research Program: Advancing Precision Medicine for the Nation, begins at 8 a.m. Join us in Duke North 2002 or via Zoom.

 

 

 

Stablein Receives HFC SBR Award

Josh Stablein, a clinical research coordinator in the Duke Heart Center Clinical Research Unit, has been awarded a Top Study Coordinator Award by the Heart Failure Collaboratory (HFC) in partnership with the American Heart Association. He was nominated by a team from Bristol Myers Squibb for his outstanding performance on the MAVA-LTE clinical trial.

Stablien is one of 14 site-coordinator award recipients who will be recognized by the HFC on Sunday, Nov. 17 during the 2024 AHA Annual Scientific Sessions being held in Chicago.

Way to go, Josh!

 

 

It’s a Girl! Duke Heart Grows by One

Congratulations to Duke cardiovascular fellow Andrew Andreae and his wife Kathryn on the birth of their first child, Aspen, on Thursday evening.

We are thrilled to welcome her into our Duke Heart family! Mom and baby are healthy and doing well.

Exciting news, Andrew!

 

2024 Flu Campaign Underway & Updated Masking Guidance

The 2024 Duke Flu Campaign launched on Thursday, Sept. 19. The deadline for immunization compliance is October 29 at 10 a.m. Questions? StopTheFlu@duke.edu

• DUHS employee vaccination sites

Keep in mind: Winter Respiratory Virus Season Masking Guidance

As respiratory virus season ramps up, Duke’s Infection Prevention/Infectious Disease specialists anticipate another “tripledemic” related to COVID-19, influenza, and RSV. Patients, visitors, and team members should protect themselves and others using established prevention strategies.

We strongly recommend masking for patients, visitors, and team members during respiratory virus season – September 18, 2024, through March 1, 2025. Masking is still required in high-risk clinical areas, during clusters or outbreaks, and during the active COVID-19 infectious period.

For more details, masking guidance documents can be found on SharePoint.

 

Duke Health and SAS Formalize Strategic Analytics and AI Collaboration

Duke Health has formalized a two-year collaboration with SAS, a global leader in data and AI, headquartered in Cary, N.C.

The strategic effort builds on the two organization’s previously announced collaboration to leverage cutting-edge technology to transform healthcare operations and patient care through advanced operational analytics, AI, and machine learning.

Building on Duke Health’s successful partnerships with industry leaders such as Microsoft and nference, the collaboration with SAS is set to expand Duke Health’s capabilities in operational efficiency and data-driven decision-making. The initiative aims to create innovative AI-powered tools that will drive healthcare delivery process improvements, ultimately enhancing the quality of care provided to patients.

“We are pleased to expand our relationship with SAS, our neighbor in the Research Triangle,” said Jeffrey Ferranti, MD, senior vice president and chief digital officer at Duke Health. “This relationship marks a significant milestone in enhancing our analytics capabilities by leveraging AI in a responsible and ethical manner. Together, we will unlock new opportunities to transform health care.”

(Full news release available here.)

 

Please Register to Vote!

Are you new to North Carolina, or have you moved to the Triangle area from elsewhere in the state? Don’t forget to register to vote!

Find all the information you need about registering to vote and voting in upcoming elections at these websites:

North Carolina State Board of Elections

Durham County Board of Elections

Orange County Board of Elections

Wake County Board of Elections 

Thank you!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

• Sept. 15 to Oct. 15: Hispanic Heritage Month
• Sept. 23 to Sept. 27: National APP Week
• Sept. 29: World Heart Day

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Sept. 24: ESC Wrap-up 2024, part 2 with Christopher Granger and Bernard Gersh. 5 p.m., DN2002 or via Zoom.

All Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

DCRI Research Forum

Tuesday, Sept. 24:  Fireside Chat with Dr. Holden Thorp.  Noon-1:00 p.m., via Zoom.

Duke Clinical Research Institute is excited to welcome Holden Thorp, PhD, as the featured speaker for their 2024-25 DCRI Research Forum series opener. Dr. Thorp is the Editor-in-Chief of the Science family of journals. Attend to learn more about the inner workings of the journals, how they maintain a robust scientific record, and the responsibility of journals for both fielding concerns and standing up for solid research.

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Sept. 25: No conference. Interview Day.

Sept. 27: DHP Fellows’ Case Presentation with Joshua Sink. Noon, via Zoom.

 

AAMC Professional Development Webinar

Wednesday, Oct. 2:  GFA Professional Development Webinar: Innovative Programs for Mid-Career Faculty in Academic Medicine, Noon-1 p.m. Register here. 

Our own Cary Ward, MD, Associate Dean for Faculty Development for Duke School of Medicine will be a featured speaker during this AAMC webinar — she’ll be speaking on faculty development programs for mid-career faculty in academic medicine. Registration is required.

 

 

Duke Heart Fall 2024 CME Courses

The following symposia will be held this fall:

October 12: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium at Trent Semans Center, 7:55 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Course directors are Drs. Sreekanth Vemulapalli and Anita Kelsey.

November 1: the 16th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium at Durham Convention Center, 8:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Course directors are Dr. Terry Fortin and Dr. Jimmy Ford (of UNC).

Questions? Contact Christy Darnell.

 

New Faculty Orientation

October 22 & 23: 2024 School of Medicine Academic New Faculty Orientation, Trent Semans Center. Registration is required. Questions? Contact the SOM Office for Faculty at facdev@dm.duke.edu.

All faculty hired in the past three years are welcome to attend. While content specifically targets newer faculty, many topics apply to all faculty regardless of career stage.

 

DIHI – Innovation Projects RFA 2025

The Duke Institute for Health Innovation (DIHI) announces the next emerging ideas and innovation funding cycle. Applications are open to faculty, staff, trainees, and students of Duke University and Duke University Health System. Proposed innovation projects should address actual and important problems encountered by care providers, patients, and their loved ones in our clinical enterprise and represent urgent health challenges nationally.

For the 2025 funding cycle, priority will be given to ideas aligned with the thematic area of improving provider and staff experience, the patient journey, and clinical outcomes using advanced technology solutions.

Due Date: Proposals are due by 11:59 p.m., October 25, 2024.

The application packet can be found here.

Up to ten applications will be selected for support. Most proposals are expected to request funding in the range of $25,000 to $60,000 over one year.

Questions? Please email DIHIrfa@duke.edu.

 

Call for Nominations: MLK Humanitarian Award

Nominations are now open for Duke’s first Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award. This initiative is inspired by Dr. King’s enduring legacy and will celebrate Duke Health faculty and staff who embody his vision of “It starts with me…” The award will honor those who have gone above and beyond in their dedication to a nonprofit’s mission in keeping with the principles of Dr. King.

Nominations will be accepted through October 29. The awards will be announced during Duke’s annual recognition of the MLK holiday in January.

Learn more about the award here.

 

SOM Leadership Development Programs Update

Applications for the 2025 SOM Leadership Development Programs are now open. This includes the ADVANCE-UP, ALICE, DCLP, and LEADER programs.

Applications are due by Friday, Nov. 1. To learn more, click here. Programs are hosted by the SOM Office for Faculty.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may interest our team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

September 13 — Christopher Granger

JAMA Network

Even After CPR, Surviving Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Might Be Influenced by Race, Sex

September 13 — Manesh Patel

Physician’s Weekly

OCEANIC-AF: Asundexian Does Not Meet Expectations for Stroke Prevention in AF

September 16 — Betty Tong

Medscape

Missed Opportunities for Early Lung Cancer Detection

September 16 — Robert Mentz

tctMD

Subcutaneous Furosemide Enables HF Patients to Address Congestion at Home

September 16 — Stephen Greene

Consultant Live

HCPLive Five at ESC 2024

September 17 — Nia Schwann Mitchell (internal medicine)

The Columbian (WA)

New tool targets high blood pressure

September 19 — Matthew Sparks (nephrology)

Medscape/InDiscussion Cardiorenal Metabolic Syndrome podcast

MRAs and Potassium Binders

September 19 — Payal Kohli

VerifyThis.com

Yes, you can get the COVID-19 vaccine and the flu shot at the same time

Chief’s message:

 This last week we had grand rounds from Andrew Grace in Cambridge on innovation in cardiac rhythm management.  This was a great way to start the year off an a good reminder of ways we can collaborate to innovate.  Today we also had the Invasive labs event at the Durham Bulls game with faculty, fellows, and staff at the game to spend some time and get to engage with our family and co-workers.  Pictured included below.  You will see highlights of this last week with Tri-Clip use in some patients and this upcoming week we have highlights that include the Stead Tread and research/grand rounds highlights.

Highlights of the week:

Two TriClip TEER Procedures Performed at Duke Health

Congratulations to cardiologist Andrew Wang, MD, and our entire structural heart team on the completion of Duke’s first TriClip cases – both performed on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at Duke University Hospital. Duke is the second hospital in NC to initiate use of TriClip, but the first in the Triangle region and eastern part of the state.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the TriClip transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) system in April. The TriClip TEER procedure, performed in the cath lab, offers a minimally invasive approach designed to repair severe tricuspid regurgitation, or a leaky tricuspid valve, in patients with severe symptoms.

We’ll have a full story next weekend on the procedure, why it’s an exciting addition to our treatment offerings, and which patients could benefit most.

 

HFSA Scientific Statement on Device-Based Therapies in HF

Congratulations to Marat Fudim, Husam Salah, and co-authors on their latest publication in the Journal of Cardiac Failure (JCF)!

The Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) Scientific Statement: Update on Device-Based Therapies in Heart Failure, published Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, provides a state-of-the-art scientific overview and update of the rapidly evolving field of device-based therapies for heart failure (HF), including a clinical pathway to implementation of these technologies alongside pharmacologic therapies.

While tremendous advances have been made to reduce hospitalizations and improve outcomes for patients with HF in the past decade, the residual risk of optimized guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) remains on par or worse than other major cardiovascular diseases. Some established medical devices, such as implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), are widely used alongside pharmacologic therapies. However, in some high-risk patients who exhibit an intolerance for certain drugs, novel device therapies may prove highly effective in producing promising outcomes.

The Update on Device Based Therapies in Heart Failure scientific statement defines how these novel device therapies may bridge current gaps in HF treatment and outcomes and proposes a clinical pathway to implement FDA-approved device-based therapies that align with current HF management workflow.

Great work!

 

Miller Announces Retirement from DUHS, Effective Sept. 30

After 37 years of service at Duke, Cory Miller has announced she will retire at the end of this month. Miller joined Duke in 1987 after working in California hospitals for three years.

Cory has seen remarkable changes through the years and achieved a great deal. She spent 27 years as a clinical nurse providing outstanding clinical care in Duke’s Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, becoming CCRN certified in 2013; she spent five years as a Clinical Nurse Educator, and five years in Duke Heart’s Center of Excellence helping to drive analytics and provide clinical expertise to support complex technical systems, including our outcomes databases.

During her time with Duke, she served as either Chair or Co-Chair of several committees, including Code Blue Oversight, Cardiac Monitoring, and the CICU Research committees. Over the years, she has evaluated the BLS skills of hundreds of team members across Duke Health –- possibly even yours!

Cory has served as a guest speaker more than 20 times, has had 17 poster presentations, co-authored five publications, and received at least seven honors and awards – including The Great 100 of North Carolina, a Triangle Business Journal Health Care Hero award, and in 2018 Duke’s Palliative Care Advocacy award. She has also traveled on several medical mission trips to Kenya since 2014.

Her fierce patient advocacy, excellent provider communications, great collaborative skills, coaching and learning skills, positive energy, compassion, dedication, ability to make people laugh, and to spark conversation and find commonalities between us all, will be sorely missed.

Cory… enjoy your retirement knowing you made a huge and lasting impact here at Duke!

Please drop her a line via email at cory.miller@duke.edu to congratulate her.

 

Kudos to Bowers!

Congrats to Midge Bowers for her presentation this past week at the 13th International Council of Nurses NP/APN Network Conference (ICN), held Sept. 9-12 in Aberdeen, Scotland. The ICN conference is one of the largest global forums for advanced practice nurses to network and collaborate on contemporary topics and future trends relevant to their practice. This year’s conference theme was “Advanced Practice Nursing: an invaluable investment for global health.”

Bowers and her team presented ‘Transatlantic Interrelations in Advanced Practice Nursing in Guideline Directed Heart Failure Management’.

Way to go, Midge!

 

Blue Celebrates 45 Years with Duke

The Heart Failure and VAD teams celebrated with Laura Blue this week – she is celebrating an incredible 45 years of service with Duke.

Congratulations, Laura!!!

 

HF Collaboratory Recognizes Duke’s ALLAY-HF Team

The Heart Failure Collaboratory (HFC) this week, in a post to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, recognized our Duke Heart Center ALLAY-HF trial team as winners of their newest award, “Excellence in Site-Based Research” which will be awarded to sites, principal investigators, and site coordinators who consistently demonstrate excellence in their work and have received a previous site-based research award.

The HFC recognized Rob Mentz as a Top Principal Investigator, and Matthew Gray and Lacey Taylor as Top Site Coordinators. Marat Fudim is closely involved and instrumental in the trial.

Way to go, team!

 

New RFAs Announced

Two new requests for applications (RFA) were announced this past week – both great opportunities! Please note the application deadlines, as one of them is this week:

Heart Center Leadership Council Awards: Focus on Innovation and Collaboration

We are excited to announce that we will again have a Heart Leadership Council Award competition this year.

Eligibility: This award is available to Early Career Faculty in cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery (defined as within 10 years of completing training). If residents or fellows apply -– they should have an early career faculty member mentoring or primarily involved in the project.

Award: Two awards providing $40K in support each will be awarded to two faculty for research in their selected fields. The awards will be determined based on finalist presentation to the Heart Center Leadership Council on Friday, November 8, 2024.

Application Process: Please provide your CV and a two-page application (one page proposal + one-page draft budget). The proposal should include any background or preliminary data, hypothesis, and proposed methods. As noted, the focus should be on innovation, high-risk – high-reward projects, and projects that cross-collaborate across the Heart Center.

Due Date: Proposals are due to christy.darnell@duke.edu by 5 p.m. September 20.

Notification: Finalists will be notified by October 4 for the presentation in November. Our team will work with finalists on the 10-minute presentation for the Heart Center Leadership Council.

 

Duke Institute for Health Innovation – Innovation Projects RFA 2025

The Duke Institute for Health Innovation (DIHI) announces the next emerging ideas and innovation funding cycle. Applications are open to faculty, staff, trainees, and students of Duke University and Duke University Health System. Proposed innovation projects should address actual and important problems encountered by care providers, patients, and their loved ones in our clinical enterprise and represent urgent health challenges nationally.

For the 2025 funding cycle, priority will be given to ideas aligned with the thematic area of improving provider and staff experience, the patient journey, and clinical outcomes using advanced technology solutions.

Due Date: Proposals are due by 11:59 p.m., October 25, 2024.

The application packet can be found here.

Up to ten applications will be selected for support. Most proposals are expected to request funding in the range of $25,000 to $60,000 over a one-year period.

Questions? Please email DIHIrfa@duke.edu.

 

Please Register to Vote!

Are you new to North Carolina, or have you moved to the Triangle area from elsewhere in the state? Don’t forget to register to vote!

Find all the information you need about registering to vote and voting in upcoming elections at these websites:

North Carolina State Board of Elections

Durham County Board of Elections

Orange County Board of Elections

Wake County Board of Elections 

Thank you!

 

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

In a letter to Duke Health team members this week, Antwan Lofton, vice president of human resources for DUHS, wrote:

More than 4,100 of our colleagues at Duke identify as Hispanic/Latino, and we join with them to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (also known as Latinx Heritage Month), which runs from Sept. 15 – Oct. 15.

During the month, I encourage you to take time to celebrate the diverse cultures, achievements, histories, and legacy of contributions by members of these vibrant communities.

As you know, inclusion is a core value at Duke, and one of the ways we live this value is by supporting Employee Resource Groups such as ¡DALHE! (Duke Advancing Latine-Hispanic Excellence). This group provides a welcoming and supportive environment for those who identify as Latino/a/x/é and/or Hispanic and their allies. The group is hosting various events and activities during the month, including a panel discussion on Sept. 16 called “Duke: Pasado y Perspectiva (Past and Perspective).” A similar group for DUHS team members called Juntos is also hosting events during the month.

For those of you looking for a stronger sense of belonging within this large and complex institution, I encourage you to connect with an ERG or learn more about how to start a new group that might bring together others who share common bonds and are bound by a commitment to advancing excellence at Duke.

 

2024 Flu Campaign Launches This Week

The 2024 Duke Flu Campaign launches on Thursday, Sept. 19. 

Deadline for immunization compliance: October 29 at 10 a.m.

• DUHS Flu Ordering Survey Link (peer to peer)
• Access to OESO Vaccination Report: cachafeiro@duke.edu
• Questions? StopTheFlu@duke.edu

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Sept. 17: Update from ESC 2024 with Manesh Patel. 5 p.m., DN2002 or via Zoom.

 

All Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Sept. 18: HF/TX Fellows’ Case Presentation with Jemi Galani. Noon, DMP 2W96.

Sept. 20: Bradyarrythmia with Sana Al-Khatib. Noon, via Zoom.

Sept. 25: No conference. Interview Day.

Sept. 27: DHP Fellows’ Case Presentation with Joshua Sink. Noon, via Zoom.

 

2024 Annual Stead Tread 5K

Join the Duke Department of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency Program on Saturday, September 21 at 9 a.m. for the annual Stead Tread 5K Run/Walk, held at Solite Park, 4704 Fayetteville Rd, Durham. All proceeds will benefit the Lincoln Community Health Center, a federally qualified health center dedicated to meeting the health care needs of medically underserved patients in Durham.

The event draws 300+ participants annually and is named in honor of former Dept. of Medicine Chairman Dr. Eugene Stead (1947-1967), and his legacy of community service and contributions to the Duke and Durham communities.

 

Entry Fees

For participants 13 and older, registration is $35 per person. For Lincoln patients and children 12 years and younger, registration is free.

Deadlines

Sign up by Friday, September 1 and you are guaranteed to receive a t-shirt. After September 1, t-shirt size and availability are not guaranteed.

Register and/or Donate

Visit steadtread.org to register. Can’t join us on September 21? Stead Tread also accepts individual and corporate donations of any amount (steadtread.org/donate). Contributions of $90 or greater are recognized on our website and at the event.

Questions?

For questions or additional information, contact Caroline Sloan, MD, assistant professor, Division of General Internal Medicine.

 

Catalyzing Climate Connections: Researcher Forum

Date: Thursday, October 10, 2024

Time: 3:30-6:30 p.m.

Venue: Great Hall, Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Center for Health Education

Please register soon. Questions? Contact Blake Tedder.

The Office of Climate & Sustainability and the Climate Commitment Advisory Council invites the Duke research community to mark calendars for the Catalyzing Climate Connections Researcher Forum, a dynamic three-hour event designed to spark creativity and collaboration among Duke’s climate researchers and those interested in linking their research into the climate space. This forum will feature moderated panel conversations that explore broad climate research themes from multiple disciplinary perspectives.

Attendees will also participate in engaging table conversations, offering deeper discussions and networking opportunities. With refreshments provided, there will be ample time for informal interactions and idea exchanges.

Who Should Attend:

• Faculty, postdocs, and graduate students from all university schools and units
• Researchers and staff interested in expanding their research into the climate space.

Goals of the Event:

• Foster relationships and connectivity among Duke researchers.
• Inspire fresh ideas and creativity in addressing climate change.
• Spark new lines of research by emphasizing idea generation over specific expertise.
• Facilitate connections between climate and health researchers.

Why Attend?

This forum is a unique opportunity to build connections, inspire new lines of research, and effectively address the challenges of climate change. Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of this exciting event!

 

New Faculty Orientation

October 22 & 23: 2024 School of Medicine Academic New Faculty Orientation, Trent Semans Center. Registration is required. Questions? Contact the SOM Office for Faculty at facdev@dm.duke.edu.

All faculty hired in the past three years are welcome to attend. While content specifically targets newer faculty, many topics apply to all faculty regardless of career stage.

 

Duke Heart Fall 2024 CME Courses

The following symposia will be held this fall:

October 12: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium at Trent Semans Center, 7:55 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Course directors are Drs. Sreekanth Vemulapalli and Anita Kelsey.

November 1: the 16th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium at Durham Convention Center, 8:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Course directors are Dr. Terry Fortin and Dr. Jimmy Ford (of UNC).

Questions? Contact Christy Darnell.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may interest our team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

August 30 — Neha Pagidipati

ACC News

Semaglutide Improves Heart Health Outcomes Beyond Weight Loss

 

August 30 — Robert Mentz

First for Women

Fortified Eggs Won’t Affect Your Cholesterol Levels, a Recent Study Finds: What This Means for You

 

August 30 — Neha Pagidipati

Express (UK)

Scientists hail ‘remarkable’ drugs set to unlock ‘Fountain of Youth’ and slow ageing

 

September 1 — Renato Lopes

ESC News/Press Office

Wearable heart monitor increases diagnoses of common heart rhythm disorder by 50%

 

September 1 — Manesh Patel

ESC News/Press Office

Asundexian inferior to apixaban for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation

 

September 1 — Manesh Patel

Cardiology Now News

OCEANIC AF – Asundexian is inferior to apixaban for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation

 

September 1 — Manesh Patel

Healio/Cardiology Today

Asundexian did not prevent stroke, systemic embolism vs. apixaban in atrial fibrillation

 

September 2 — Renato Lopes

International Business Times (IN)

Wearable Monitor Boosts Atrial Fibrillation Diagnosis; What It Means For Cardio Care

 

September 2 — Renato Lopes

Medical Dialogues

Wearable Heart Monitor Increases Diagnosis of Irregular Heart Rhythm

 

September 2 — Renato Lopes

Technology Networks

Wearable Heart Monitors Detect More Atrial Fibrillation but Don’t Lower Stroke Rates

 

September 2 — Manesh Patel

tctMD

Asundexian for AF? More Details on the Sinking of OCEANIC-AF

 

September 2 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live

Don’t Miss a Beat: Finerenone’s Role in Heart Failure from ESC Congress Data

 

September 2 — Renato Lopes

pharmaphorum

iRhythm wearable heart monitor raises AFib diagnoses by 52%

 

September 2 — Renato Lopes

Tribune India

New wearable heart monitor to boost irregular heart rhythm diagnosis

*also carried by 20+ news affiliates in India

 

September 3 — Neha Pagidipati

Neuro Rehab Times (UK)

Semaglutide improves heart health outcomes beyond weight loss

https://duke.is/g/8m8c

 

September 3 — Manesh Patel

EP Lab Digest

Asundexian Inferior to Apixaban for Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation

https://duke.is/v/e4tn

 

September 4 — Renato Lopes

Health Day News/United Press International

In new study, wearable heart monitor increases A-fib detection

 

September 6 — Christopher Granger

tctMD

STEEER-AF: Educating Healthcare Workers Improves Adherence to Guidelines

 

September 6 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live

Cardiology Month in Review: August 2024

 

September 6 — DCRI/Rob Mentz

Women’s World magazine

Cholesterol Myths and Facts Debunked: Varieties, Age, More | Woman’s World

 

September 11 — William Kraus

Alimente (Spain)

Ni aceitunas ni pistachos: un cardiólogo explica cuál es el aperitivo que siempre recomienda para cuidar el corazón

 

September 11 — Duke Children’s (Heart Center)

BVM Sports

Duke Tennis Teams Launch Fundraiser for Children’s Heart Center

 

September 11 — Robert Lefkowitz

The Brainy Business (podcast)

Episode 427. The Mentorship Mindset: Nobel Insights with Dr. Bob Lefkowitz

 

September 12 — Renato Lopes

Healio/Cardiology Today

Mass ECG screening for atrial fibrillation in older adults does not seem to prevent stroke

 

 

 

 

Chief’s message:

 We had the Triangle Heart walk this morning with over 150 people from Duke Health joining teams from around the triangle to celebrate and raise awareness for heart disease.  This is the centennial for Duke University and the 100 year anniversary for the American Heart Association.  The event featured survivor stories, CPR training tents, a Kids Zone, and the Duke Health Tent with games and meet ups. We were lucky to have family, pets, and many of our own patients that we serve that joined us in the Heart walk.  It was esepcially rewarding to see team members across the Duke Health, from all three hospitals, from the EMS services, primary care, ED, DHTS, DCRI, and Duke Heart center all at the Heart walk.  Some photos are below to show some of the fun.  Duke Health System was one of three companies in the triangle and the only Health system that raised over 100K dollars for the AHA for this event.  Thanks to all of you who came out to walk, those of you who joined my team Duke Heart and Sole, and all of you that work everyday to improve the cardiovascular health of our community.

Triangle Heart Walk Celebrated Today

 

 

 

Highlights of the week:

ESC24:  Wearable Heart Monitor Increases Diagnosis of Irregular Heart Rhythm

Wearable, long-term continuous heart monitors helped identify 52 percent more cases of atrial fibrillation compared to usual care, but that did not lead to a reduction in hospitalizations due to stroke, according to a study led by the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

The findings, reported Sept. 1 at the European Society of Cardiology meeting and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, provide inconclusive data about whether atrial fibrillation screening lowers stroke rates. The COVID pandemic led to an early halt of the study before fully enrolling, so it did not have enough participants to establish definitive results about stroke.

“Atrial fibrillation is often undiagnosed and can increase the risk of ischemic stroke, which is largely reversible by oral anticoagulation,” said lead author Renato Lopes, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine in cardiology and member of the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

 “We still need definitive evidence that diagnosis of atrial fibrillation through systematic screening can lead to subsequent treatment with oral anticoagulation and therefore, lower stroke risk,” Lopes said.

The study enrolled approximately 12,000 patients in the U.S. who were at least 70 years old with no history of atrial fibrillation. Roughly half the patients were randomly assigned to receive a long-term (14 days) continuous monitoring device, and the other half usual care.

Over a median of 15 months of follow-up, the study reported a 52 percent increase in the number of cases of atrial fibrillation diagnosed among the device-wearers compared to those in usual care. There was no increase in rates of hospitalization for bleeding, and no significant reduction in the rate of hospitalizations for all stroke compared with usual care.

The study was originally designed to enroll 52,000 patients, which would have given it the power to determine whether screening reduces the number of strokes. A large study population is needed because strokes occur in a subset of patients with atrial fibrillation.

“Despite the inconclusive results, we have a lot of lessons learned that might inform future studies,” Lopes said. He said the study’s design, which enabled patients to be enrolled and screened online in a virtual format with self-applied patch devices in their homes with only remote support, could be duplicated in future studies.

In addition to Lopes, study authors include Steven J. Atlas, Alan S. Go, Steven A. Lubitz, David D. McManus, Rowena J. Dolor, Ranee Chatterjee, Michael B. Rothberg, David R. Rushlow, Lori A. Crosson, Ronald S. Aronson, Michael Patlakh, Dianne Gallup, Donna J. Mills, Emily C. O’Brien, and Daniel E. Singer.

The study received funding support from the Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer Alliance.

 

Tuesday: CGR Returns

We are thrilled to announce the start of a new season of Cardiology Grand Rounds. We are kicking off this week with Dr. Andrew Grace, professor of experimental cardiology in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. Grace will present Innovation, Impact and the Cardiac Rhythm  at 5 p.m. Join us in DN 2002 or via Zoom.  The event is also listed below.

 

 

 

Please Register to Vote!

Are you new to North Carolina, or have you moved to the Triangle area from elsewhere in the state? Don’t forget to register to vote!

Find all the information you need about registering to vote and voting in upcoming elections at these websites:

North Carolina State Board of Elections

Durham County Board of Elections

Orange County Board of Elections

Wake County Board of Elections 

Thank you!

 

2024 Flu Campaign

The 2024 Duke Flu Campaign launches on Thursday, Sept. 19.

Deadline for immunization compliance: October 29 at 10 a.m.

• DUHS Flu Ordering Survey Link (peer to peer)
• Access to OESO Vaccination Report: cachafeiro@duke.edu
• Questions? StopTheFlu@duke.edu

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

We’re back! Please join us for a new season of CGRs:

Sept. 10: Innovation, Impact and the Cardiac Rhythm with Dr. Andrew Grace of the University of Cambridge. 5 p.m., DN2002 or via Zoom.

All Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Sept. 11: EP Fellows’ Case Presentation with Nishkala Shivakumar and Mugdha Joshi. Noon, DMP 2W96.

Sept. 13: No Conference. Interview Day.

Sept. 18: HF/TX Fellows’ Case Presentation with Jemi Galani. Noon, DMP 2W96.

Sept. 20: Bradyarrythmia with Sana Al-Khatib. Noon, via Zoom.

Sept. 25: No conference. Interview Day.

Sept. 27: DHP Fellows’ Case Presentation with Joshua Sink. Noon, via Zoom.

 

2024 Annual Stead Tread 5K

Join the Duke Department of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency Program on Saturday, September 21 at 9 a.m. for the annual Stead Tread 5K Run/Walk, held at Solite Park, 4704 Fayetteville Rd, Durham. All proceeds will benefit the Lincoln Community Health Center, a federally qualified health center dedicated to meeting the healthcare needs of medically underserved patients in Durham.

The event draws 300+ participants annually and is named in honor of former Dept. of Medicine Chairman Dr. Eugene Stead (1947-1967), and his legacy of community service and contributions to the Duke and Durham communities.

Entry Fees

For participants 13 and older, registration is $35 per person. For Lincoln patients and children 12 years and younger, registration is free.

Deadlines

Sign up by Friday, September 1 and you are guaranteed to receive a t-shirt. After September 1, t-shirt size and availability are not guaranteed.

Register and/or Donate

Visit steadtread.org to register. Can’t join us on September 21? Stead Tread also accepts individual and corporate donations of any amount (steadtread.org/donate). Contributions of $90 or greater are recognized on our website and at the event.

Questions?

For questions or additional information, contact Caroline Sloan, MD, assistant professor, Division of General Internal Medicine.

 

Catalyzing Climate Connections: Researcher Forum

Date: Thursday, October 10, 2024

Time: 3:30-6:30 p.m.

Venue: Great Hall, Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Center for Health Education

Please register soon. Questions? Contact Blake Tedder.

The Office of Climate & Sustainability and the Climate Commitment Advisory Council invites the Duke research community to mark calendars for the Catalyzing Climate Connections Researcher Forum, a dynamic three-hour event designed to spark creativity and collaboration among Duke’s climate researchers and those interested in linking their research into the climate space. This forum will feature moderated panel conversations that explore broad climate research themes from multiple disciplinary perspectives.

Attendees will also participate in engaging table conversations, offering the opportunity for deeper discussions and networking. With refreshments provided, there will be ample time for informal interactions and idea exchanges.

Who Should Attend:

• Faculty, postdocs, and graduate students from all university schools and units
• Researchers and staff interested in expanding their research into the climate space.

Goals of the Event:

• Foster relationships and connectivity among Duke researchers.
• Inspire fresh ideas and creativity in addressing climate change.
• Spark new lines of research by emphasizing idea generation over specific expertise.
• Facilitate connections between climate and health researchers.

Why Attend?

This forum is a unique opportunity to build connections, inspire new lines of research, and effectively address the challenges of climate change. Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of this exciting event!

 

New Faculty Orientation

October 22 & 23: 2024 School of Medicine Academic New Faculty Orientation, Trent Semans Center. Registration is required. Questions? Contact the SOM Office for Faculty at facdev@dm.duke.edu.

All faculty hired in the past three years are welcome to attend. While content specifically targets newer faculty, many topics apply to all faculty regardless of career stage.

 

Duke Heart Fall 2024 CME Courses

The following symposia will be held this fall:

October 12: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium at Trent Semans Center, 7:55 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Course directors are Drs. Sreekanth Vemulapalli and Anita Kelsey.

November 1: the 16th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium at Durham Convention Center, 8:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Course directors are Dr. Terry Fortin and Dr. Jimmy Ford (of UNC).

Registration is open. Questions? Contact Christy Darnell.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

News coverage returns next weekend!

Chief’s message:  European Cardiology Meeting, New Faculty Profiles, and One week to Heart Walk

Hopefully many of you are getting a restful Labor Day weekend.  This weekend also has had the European Society of Cardiology meeting in London with many of our faculty and fellows presenting. We will share highlights and updates in upcoming weeks from the meeting where the science, the interaction with colleagues, and the ability to think about the future of cardiovascular care has been invigorating.  (some photos included)

This week we also start our new faculty highlight series with Dr. Samantha Minc joining our vascular surgery division.  We are excited to have her join.  Finally, we are one week away from the AHA heart walk next Sunday – please sign up, come out and enjoy that day with a walk and support for the AHA. Pets, kids,  grandparents – all welcome. 

Highlights of the week:

Minc Among Newest Faculty to Join Duke Heart & Vascular

Samantha Minc, MD, MPH joined Duke’s vascular surgery faculty as of August 12. She is an alumna of Tufts University, where she received a BA in anthropology with a minor in astrophysics, and went on to earn her MD. She earned both a Certificate of Research in Health Disparities and a Master of Public Health from the University of Chicago. She trained in general surgery at Yale-New Haven Hospital, and in vascular surgery at the University of Chicago. Minc joined us from West Virginia University at Morgantown where she served as associate professor in the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery.

Minc’s research focus is on health disparities and the application of community-engaged research principles to prevent amputation in patients with diabetes and vascular disease. Her current NIH-funded research is focused on creating a community-based intervention to allow vascular surgeons to collaborate with community providers and patients in high-risk rural areas to provide education, coordinate care, and empower communities to reduce amputation rates and decrease disparities.

She will primarily see patients at Duke Regional Hospital where she is serving as the site lead for Vascular Surgery, and will be responsible for leading DRH strategic initiatives including threatened limb optimization and hemodialysis access. Nationally, Minc serves on the Society for Vascular Surgery Patient Safety Organization’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and is a member of the Research Advisory Committee of the Vascular Quality Initiative.

Welcome to Duke, Sam!

As of August 1, additional new faculty members within Duke Heart & Vascular are:

Araba Ofosu-Somuah, MD, recently completed a fellowship in Interventional Cardiology with the University of North Carolina Health System. She officially joined our cardiology faculty on August 12.

Karen Flores Rosario, MD, a recent graduate of our Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology fellowship program, officially joined the cardiology faculty on August 19.

Willard Applefeld, MD, a recent graduate of our Cardiovascular Disease fellowship program and the 2024 recipient of the annual Brandt and Belinda Louie Award. He officially joined the cardiology faculty on Friday, Aug. 30.

Stay tuned for additional profiles on Araba, Karen, and Willard in an upcoming Pulse.

 

Duke Cardiac Ultrasound Program Graduation Held

Congratulations to the following students who graduated last weekend from the Duke Cardiac Ultrasound Certificate Program:

Mariah Byington, Madison Kidd Daniel, Alexandra King, Sarah Lahie, Anna Lise McGowan, Vy Nguyen, Morgan Osborne, and Ashton Webster.

Speakers included Manesh Patel, Anita Kelsey, Richard Palma, and Joseph Kisslo as well as Osborne and McGowan, who each spoke as representatives of their class.

The annual Outstanding Service Awards for Clinical Instructors were presented to Dylan Davis and Janay Key. The Joseph Kisslo Outstanding Student in Cardiac Ultrasound award was given to Anna Lisa Mc Gowen.

We are very pleased to announce that we again had a 100 percent pass rate for national certification. Three of our graduates have taken positions here at Duke and the rest are spreading out to Charlotte, Tennessee, Cleveland, Oregon, and Florida.

Earlier this year, three of our graduates were recognized nationally with scholarships and grant awards to attend the 35^th annual American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) Scientific Sessions, held June 14-15 in Portland, OR.

Morgan Osborne received the Cardiac Credentialing International (CCI) Aaron White Scholarship. This is the second consecutive year a student from our program has received this award. Congratulations, Morgan!

Mariah Byington received a 2024 Alan D. Waggoner Student Scholarship award, given annually by the ASE Foundation. Anna Lisa McGowen received the Katanick Student Scholarship Award, established in honor of Sandy Katanick, RN, RVT, CAE for her more than 25 years of service as CEO of the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission. The Katanick Award, given annually by the ASE Foundation, recognizes the highest-ranking Waggoner scholarship applicant in the country. Congratulations, Mariah and Anna Lisa!

This is the 3rd consecutive year that students in our program have received these top honors. Impressive!

Congratulations to each of our graduates and to our gifted instructors and program leaders. We are so excited for all of you!

 

ICYMI: Fajardo Study Published in JCF

Please join us in congratulating Johana Fajardo and colleagues on their newly published research paper, “Clinical Outcomes of Chronic Intravenous Inotropic Support in Cardiac Amyloidosis” published online in the Journal of Cardiac Failure on Aug. 21.

Fajardo, clinical services director of the Duke Precision Cardiomyopathy Program, conducted the study along with colleagues from MedStar Washington Hospital, Georgetown University School of Medicine, and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis while she was with MedStar Washington Hospital.

Congratulations, Johana! We are thrilled to have you with us at Duke helping to advance our care of patients!

 

 

Hitting With Heart Tournament Results

We had a terrific turnout of fans supporting last weekend’s Hitting with Heart Annual Softball tournament! Thanks to all who joined us.

We are pleased to announce the overall champions for 2024: Duke Health Engineering & Operations. Congratulations!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tournament included 13 teams vying to become our 8th trophy winners. Teams represented a range of areas across Duke Health: teams from DMP, DUH, Duke Birthing Center, DRAH Sleep Lab, Vascular IR, and E&O.

Huge kudos to Jessica Seabrooks and Jason Stokes, who have been outstanding co-planners for the annual tournament since its beginning! A very special shout-out to Jessica Seabrooks and her husband Claude, Annie Jaeger, Ashley Anderholm, and Stephanie Stokes (who filled in for Jason) who helped manage the day. Stephanie did a great job filling in for Jason, who unfortunately had to miss the tournament due to illness.

We are excited to announce the tournament raised approximately $1500.00 to support Duke’s fundraising effort for next weekend’s AHA Triangle Heart Walk. Great job everyone and congrats once again to Duke Health E&O!

 

CVRC Gets Visit from Local AHA Team

Duke’s Cardiovascular Research Center invited presenters from the Triangle American Heart Association (AHA) to meet with them this past week so they could learn how to support local AHA efforts and how the national AHA helps to support Duke.

Jake Williams, development director, and Allison Gubitz, senior development director, both of the Triangle AHA joined a regular CVRC team gathering on Wednesday afternoon in the CARL building. Drs. Howard Rockman and Doug Marchuk each shared the important positive impact AHA funding has had on their labs and careers.

Many thanks to Maria Price-Rapoza, executive director of the CVRC, for welcoming the AHA to speak to the group!

 

 

Heart Walk 2024 – Next Weekend!

The 2024 Triangle Heart Walk is next weekend, Sunday, Sept. 8 at PNC Arena. Please note the Walk will take place earlier this year – we’re kicking things off at 9 a.m. when all festivities will open to teams and other supporters. The walk itself will take place at 10:30 a.m.

The Triangle chapter of the American Heart Association is still accepting registrations for volunteers who would like to help out at the Walk – if you or anyone you know is interested please check out the online form located here. Duke volunteers who register using their Duke email address can be stationed at the Kids Zone, which Duke Heart is sponsoring.

Yes, you can still join Manesh Patel’s team: Duke Heart and Sole!

Register Here!

The 2024 Heart Walk will be a terrific event – and it’s a wonderful way to support our cardiovascular patients and their families. Together, we are making a significant impact.

To see some of the many reasons Duke team members are participating this year, please check out this recent story posted on Duke Health Now: “Why I walk” featuring stories about experiences with heart disease by Heart Walk Coaches across the Health System.

Cardiovascular disease hits home for so many of us. Thanks to all who are participating next weekend!

 

Shout-out to Hughes!

We received the following note this week regarding cardiology fellow Seamus Hughes. It was originally shared with Schuyler Jones and Anna Lisa Crowley, who shared it with us:

“Good morning! I’m reaching out to you to share with you some extraordinary work by one of our diagnostic fellows, Seamus Hughes.

I’m sure you heard about our call case Monday evening – we were paged out a few moments after clocking out from our scheduled day of work for a STEMI and ultimately worked that case until 0130 the next morning. This patient was initially asymptomatic, but was found to have a 100% proximal RCA occlusion and after shooting the coronaries became bradycardic and hypotensive, which he remained for the majority of the case. During that time, we defibrillated at least six times, placed a TVP and then an IABP, started dopamine and later norepinephrine, intubated, fixed, placed a MAC and leave-in Swan, did a right heart catheterization, debated ECMO cannulation and placed an RP Flex.

Seamus was the CCU Fellow that night, and he did something that I have not seen another CCU Fellow do – he stayed the entirety (over six hours!) of the case with us, and was in the room in lead, helping titrate drips, managing the IABP, assisting with calling additional resources and monitoring our patient. Even with his assistance, Sarah and I were without a free moment – I cannot stress enough that there is absolutely no way that we would have been able to provide that level of care without his assistance.

We want to make sure he gets the praise he deserves!” — Grateful, Melissa Rogan

Excellent teamwork, Seamus – way to go!

 

Registration Now Open: Cardiac Imaging Symposium

Registration is now open for the Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium being held at the Trent Semans Center on October 12. You can access registration here and further down under ‘Upcoming Events & Opportunities.’ Course directors are Drs. Sreekanth Vemulapalli and Anita Kelsey.

 

Forbes Names DUHS Among North Carolina’s Top Workplaces for 2024

Duke University and Duke University Health System have been named to the Forbes 2024 list of “America’s Best Employers By State.” The list recognizes workplaces where employees feel satisfied and that are considered desirable destinations for workers in the state.

“This recognition is a testament to the exceptional dedication and compassion of our Duke Health talent force,” said Duke University Health System Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Rhonda Brandon. “It reflects our steadfast commitment to putting our people first and our pride in knowing that they choose Duke Health as their preferred workplace and care provider.”

Earlier this year, DUHS was also included on the Forbes 2024 list of “America’s Best Employers for Women,” and its “America’s Best Employers for Diversity” list.

Thank you to all of our team members and leaders who make our organization an amazing place to work!

 

New to NC? Register to Vote!

Are you new to North Carolina, or have you moved to the Triangle area from elsewhere in the state? Don’t forget to register to vote!

Find all the information you need about registering to vote and voting in upcoming elections at these websites:

North Carolina State Board of Elections

Durham County Board of Elections

Orange County Board of Elections

Wake County Board of Elections 

Thank you!

 

2024 Flu Campaign

The 2024 Duke Flu Campaign launches on Thursday, Sept. 19.

Deadline for immunization compliance: October 29 at 10 a.m.

• DUHS Flu Ordering Survey Link (peer to peer)
• Access to OESO Vaccination Report: cachafeiro@duke.edu
• Questions? StopTheFlu@duke.edu

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Our regular CGR season has ended. We will resume later this month. All Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Sept. 4: NO CONFERENCE. Interview Day.

Sept. 6: Hemorrhagic Shock Management with Nazish Hashmi. Noon, via Zoom.

Sept. 11: EP Fellows’ Case Presentation with Nishkala Shivakumar and Mugdha Joshi. Noon, DMP 2W96.

Sept. 13: No Conference. Interview Day.

Sept. 18: HF/TX Fellows’ Case Presentation with Jemi Galani. Noon, DMP 2W96.

Sept. 20: Bradyarrythmia with Sana Al-Khatib. Noon, via Zoom.

Sept. 25: No conference. Interview Day.

Sept. 27: DHP Fellows’ Case Presentation with Joshua Sink. Noon, via Zoom.

 

2024 Annual Stead Tread 5K

Join the Duke Department of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency Program on Saturday, September 21 at 9 a.m. for the annual Stead Tread 5K Run/Walk, to be held at Solite Park, 4704 Fayetteville Rd, Durham. All proceeds will benefit the Lincoln Community Health Center, a federally qualified health center dedicated to meeting the healthcare needs of medically underserved patients in Durham.

The event draws 300+ participants annually and is named in honor of former Dept. of Medicine Chairman Dr. Eugene Stead (1947-1967), and his legacy of community service and contributions to the Duke and Durham communities.

Entry Fees

For participants 13 and older, registration is $35 per person. For Lincoln patients and children 12 years and younger, registration is free.

Deadlines

Sign up by Friday, September 1 and you are guaranteed to receive a t-shirt. After September 1, t-shirt size and availability are not guaranteed.

Register and/or Donate

Visit steadtread.org to register. Can’t join us on September 21? Stead Tread also accepts individual and corporate donations of any amount (steadtread.org/donate). Contributions of $90 or greater are recognized on our website and at the event.

Questions?

For questions or additional information, contact Caroline Sloan, MD, assistant professor, Division of General Internal Medicine.

Catalyzing Climate Connections: Researcher Forum

Date: Thursday, October 10, 2024 

Time: 3:30-6:30 p.m.

Venue: Great Hall, Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Center for Health Education

Please register soon. Questions? Contact Blake Tedder.  

The Office of Climate & Sustainability and the Climate Commitment Advisory Council invite the Duke research community to mark calendars for the Catalyzing Climate Connections Researcher Forum, a dynamic three-hour event designed to spark creativity and collaboration among Duke’s climate researchers and those interested in linking their research into the climate space. This forum will feature moderated panel conversations that explore broad climate research themes from multiple disciplinary perspectives.

Attendees will also participate in engaging table conversations, offering the opportunity for deeper discussions and networking. With refreshments provided, there will be ample time for informal interactions and idea exchanges.

Who Should Attend:

• Faculty, postdocs, and graduate students from all university schools and units
• Researchers and staff interested in expanding their research into the climate space.

Goals of the Event:

• Foster relationships and connectivity among Duke researchers.
• Inspire fresh ideas and creativity in addressing climate change.
• Spark new lines of research by emphasizing idea generation over specific expertise.
• Facilitate connections between climate and health researchers.

Why Attend?

This forum is a unique opportunity to build connections, inspire new lines of research, and effectively address the challenges of climate change. Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of this exciting event!

 

New Faculty Orientation

October 22 & 23: 2024 School of Medicine Academic New Faculty Orientation, Trent Semans Center. Registration is required. Questions? Contact the SOM Office for Faculty at facdev@dm.duke.edu.

All faculty hired in the past three years are welcome to attend. While content specifically targets newer faculty, many topics apply to all faculty regardless of career stage.

 

Duke Heart Fall 2024 CME Courses

The following symposia will be held this fall:

October 12: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium at Trent Semans Center, 7:55 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Course directors are Drs. Sreekanth Vemulapalli and Anita Kelsey.

November 1: the 16th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium at Durham Convention Center, 8:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Course directors are Dr. Terry Fortin and Dr. Jimmy Ford (of UNC).

Registration has recently opened for both events, as indicated by the links above. Questions? Contact Christy Darnell.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

August 23 — Rajesh Swaminathan

tctMD

Study Supports Cost-effectiveness of Renal Denervation for Hypertension

August 24 — Nia Schwann Mitchell (internal medicine)

The Star (Malaysia)

Looking at high blood pressure complication risks when it comes to drugs

August 24 — William Kraus

Primecia (Venezuela)

¿Por qué el maní sin sal es un snack saludable?

August 26 — Renato Lopes

tctMD

AUGUSTUS Analysis Clarifies Antithrombotic Choice for ACS in AF Patients

Chief’s message:  Pipelines and the Next Generation of CV Leaders

 Increasingly in medicine, especially academic medicine, there is an urgent need to keep and attract the best and brightest minds. This is likely in all professional fields, but in a field where people spend so much of their time training to become some of the most qualified, experienced professionals, the ability to have these individuals meaningful impact our future will be critical for our continued success.  In fact, as health systems and universities, like all organizations, work through the ups and downs of changing economies and healthcare finances, finding ways to support and engage people in the clinical and academic mission as lifelong careers will be our highest priority.  We are blessed in Duke Heart in that we have many such leaders in our faculty and leadership the help exemplify our goals for patient care, discovery, and training.  We will be working to highlight our cross cutting programs, see the Sonography School Graduation and CVRC summer research programs for future scientists in this weeks edition, along with the fellows and faculty that continue to strive and accomplish our mission.  We appreciate all of you who support our faculty and trainees.

In the upcoming weeks we will have some busy times and important updates.  This next weekend will have the European Society of Cardiology meeting with several cardiovascular presentations by our faculty, and the following week we will have the AHA Triangle Heart Walk.  We will spend the upcoming weeks providing updates on these events and time highlighting all the new faculty joining our team.

Highlights of the week:

Regan Secures NHLBI K38 Award to Study CHIP

Congratulations to Duke cardiology fellow Jessica Regan! We learned this week that she has been awarded a K38 award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to study clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) in cardiovascular disease.

CHIP is the age-related presence of expanded somatic clones in hematopoietic stem cells and represents a hyperinflammatory state associated with cardiovascular disease. Regan plans to test CHIP and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) associations in samples from the STRRIDE and HF-ACTION cohorts.

“We hope to determine if CHIP is associated with impaired CRF, a marker of poor CV outcomes and if CHIP can predict heterogeneity in response to exercise training,” Regan says. “Additionally, we will test associations of CHIP and targeted metabolomics data to determine if dysregulated metabolism mediates the relationship between CHIP and impaired CRF.”

Regan hopes this work will identify CHIP as a novel risk marker for impaired CRF and that they will uncover dysregulated metabolic pathways that may give insight into future therapeutic targets for patients with CHIP.

More broadly, she says, “I hope to treat patients with CHIP and cardiometabolic disease and discover ways to improve cardiovascular outcomes.”

Regan became interested in the role of genetics in cardiovascular disease (CVD) as a sophomore undergraduate student at the University of Arizona while studying sarcomeric mutations in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). As a medical student, she learned more about the role of inflammation in CVD. As an internal medicine resident in 2018, learning about the intersection of CHIP, inflammation and CVD piqued her interest in this space and, she says, felt like a perfect intersection with her prior work.

The two-year award for Regan’s project, Age-Related Clonal Hematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential (CHIP) in Exercise Responsiveness will begin Sept. 1.

Congratulations, Jessica!

Cardiac Sonography Graduation Held this weekend

Four years ago in the midst of COVID-19, we had Anita Kelsey and Richie Palma start the cardiac sonographer school after lots of work and support from the SOM and Health system to get this program going.  This Saturday we held the annual graduation that helps train and provide world-class cardiac sonographers for our health system and many others around the country.  Joe Kisslo provided some words on lifelong learning, and we had awards for the best instructors along with national awards and recognitions for our graduates.  In the upcoming week we will highlight some of these individuals – but wanted to ensure we shared some of the photos from this weekends event.

 

 

Shah to Kick Off ‘Before They Were Stars’ Forum

Svati Shah, MD, MHS, Ursula Geller Distinguished Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases, will be the featured speaker on Sept. 6 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. as the Department of Medicine kicks off their ‘Before they were Stars’ series for 2024-2025.

Shah will share her story as a world-renowned researcher, educator, and clinician. The series is open to all DOM faculty and trainees. Light food and refreshments will be served. RSVP to Pamela Williams, senior program coordinator, by August 30.

 

 

 

Noon Conference Hits a High Note with Dr. Kate Lee’s Music Therapy Performance

When Senior Resident Kate E. Lee, MD, MS, picked up a flute for the first time in third grade, she never imagined that one day as a physician she would use it as a therapeutic tool to soothe critically ill ICU patients waiting for heart transplants. 

In her recent Senior Associate Resident (SAR) Noon Conference presentation, “Music for Healing,” Dr. Lee’s out-of-the-box topic resonated with all those in attendance—along with each bright note she coaxed from her flute. 

“I play music but I don’t think music therapy research is something that comes up often in our rounds in the hospital,” said Dr. Lee, her nimble fingers dancing over the keys in a blur as she warmed up to perform. “The hospital can be a very difficult place, stark and sterile, but when you are able to bring a little piece of your outside life and share that with patients and staff, it makes for a very unique, whimsical bonding experience. I’ve had some of my best patient-doctor interactions from that.” 

This story was published last week on the Dept. of Medicine website. To read this story in its entirety, click here.

 

Empowering Future Scientists: CVRC Summer Programs Foster Research and Confidence

The following undergraduate perspective article was written by Duke Heart/CVRC summer intern, Charity Smith, who was participating in the Science Communicators of North Carolina (SCONC) Summer Internship Program.

On May 20^th, 2024, twelve students entered the doors of Duke’s Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC) open to exploring cardiovascular research through the lens of a physician-scientist. Students got the unique opportunity to see how research that can ultimately affect patients starts in the laboratories of Duke’s physician-scientists. It puts everything within perspective being able to see how research begins its journey toward the patients you hope to treat.

“Duke is an incredible place… there’s not another group where you can walk around and there’s two dozen labs all in the same building that share equipment, and most of them are run by physician-scientists who see patients. That is special, and it means better science for us — science that can reach the bedside,” says Andrew Landstrom, MD, PhD, a pediatric cardiologist and a principle investigator with the CVRC who worked with undergraduates this summer.

This motivation and experience are seen throughout their astounding projects that were cultivated from mentorship and diligence. After they each presented their research to the CVRC faculty and staff, undergraduates left feeling supported, career-driven, and proud of their independent research work.

Duke Cardiovascular Research Center offers two summer internship programs for undergraduate students over the course of ten weeks: the Cardiovascular Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) and the Supporting Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE).

CURE Program

The Cardiovascular Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) is an Edna and Fred L. Mandel Jr. Foundation-funded program for Duke undergraduate students who want to further enrich their knowledge and skill set at the CVRC. The program is only for Duke undergraduate students who want to focus on their independent research with their CVRC primary faculty member. The goal is to foster an environment where students can hone in on their unique research projects, network, and be with peers along the same pathway. At the end of the program, students present their work to the CVRC faculty and staff.

SURE Program

The Supporting Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) is an American Heart Association (AHA) funded program for undergraduate students from underrepresented communities pursuing cardiovascular research. Each intern will be assigned a CVRC primary faculty member based on their research interests. Throughout the program, there are multiple enrichment and networking events that allow the students to gain access to the CVRC mentorship, and expertise from various physician-scientists, and connect with peers.  At the end of the program, students present their work to the CVRC faculty and staff and at a virtual AHA symposium for SURE students at multiple institutions across the nation.

Why do Summer Research at the CVRC?

The CVRC is unique due to the center’s leading physician-scientists who are more than willing to provide mentorship to the next generation. Sudarshan Rajagopal, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine in cardiology and co-director of the Duke Pulmonary Vascular Disease Center remarked on his time as a mentor and director of the SURE program:

“It’s important to provide guidance to folks into different career options. There’s almost too much information now. It’s saturated with the internet and social media. At the end of the day, what really needs to guide people is their experience and their personal experience in a particular area. That’s what our goal is here — to provide undergraduate students with that experience to see what it looks like to work in a lab.” 

“It’s great when someone has this experience and they realize they want to have a career in medicine or research, Rajagopal adds. “It’s also good when someone goes through this experience and says, ‘This isn’t for me,’ because regardless, it will help them on their path.”

Students, in turn, benefitted from the expertise of the CVRC faculty mentors. This year’s participants say they found the internship to be enriching, helping them bridge the gap between the classroom and research through developing their own research projects, along with recognizing and coping with their imposter syndrome. In an interview, Jor’Dan Whitt, a rising junior at North Carolina Agriculture & Technical State University (NC A&T) a part of the SURE program, mentioned her feelings of overcoming imposter syndrome for the first time:

“To be honest, I didn’t know what imposter syndrome was until recently…. NC A&T had these speakers that came in that talked about imposter syndrome… I’ve never been in certain spaces before to feel that way, and when I came into the internship, I definitely felt that way. I felt like I didn’t deserve to be here, and I’m in a space where people were so much more educated than me. I have had moments like yesterday where people were like, ‘Wow you’ve really taught me something new.’ It’s like, oh I belong here.”

 

These summer programs not only help students develop research skills but allow them to be more confident in who they are in spaces where their brilliant minds can be explored.

Additional cardiology faculty members involved with the CVRC summer undergraduate programs are Chris Holley, MD, PhD, and Svati Shah, MD, MHS.

For more information about the SURE or CURE program, visit the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center Website under Cardiovascular Undergraduate Research Experience.  For any additional questions or comments, please contact CVRC executive director Maria Rapoza, PhD or Cheryl Woodard, program coordinator for the CVRC.

 

Updated: Heart Walk 2024 – Less Than a Month Away!

The Triangle chapter of the American Heart Association is currently accepting registrations for volunteers who would like to help out at the Walk – if you or anyone you know is interested please check out the online form located here. Duke volunteers who register using their Duke email address can be stationed at the Kids Zone, which Duke Heart is proudly sponsoring this year.

Additionally, Walker recruitment and fundraising are still underway. We are just a few weeks out from the event! The 2024 Triangle Heart Walk is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 8 at PNC Arena. Please consider joining us – it is not too late!

Earlier start time! Please note the Walk will take place earlier this year – we’re kicking things off at 9 a.m. when all festivities will open to teams and other supporters. The walk itself will take place at 10:30 a.m.

Join Manesh Patel’s team: Duke Heart and Sole or start your own team under “Duke Heart & Vascular”. We want to have a huge team representing Duke Heart this year to celebrate not only the AHA’s Centennial but Duke University’s 100^th birthday. Please join us!

Register Here!

To sign up as a Coach, click the button above and on the AHA site, choose the red “Create a Team” button. Walkers can also sign up and join teams on the same site by clicking the red “Join a Team” button.

Let’s come together to make this our best year yet and demonstrate our unwavering dedication to cardiovascular health. Together, we can make a significant impact and pave the way for a healthier future.

The 2024 Heart Walk will be a terrific event and a wonderful way to support our cardiovascular patients. Thanks to all who are participating!

 

New to NC? Register to Vote!

Are you new to North Carolina, or have you moved to the Triangle area from elsewhere in the state? Don’t forget to register to vote!

Find all the information you need about registering to vote and voting in upcoming elections at these websites:

• North Carolina State Board of Elections
• Durham County Board of Elections
• Orange County Board of Elections
• Wake County Board of Elections 

Thank you!

 

DUHS Leadership Announcement

Kelly Sullivan, DNP, RN, NE-BC has been named Vice President of Nursing and Patient Care Services, Ambulatory for Duke University Health System. Kelly brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of leadership in nursing and healthcare management. In this role, Kelly will report to Terry McDonnell, DNP, RN, ACNP-BC, Chief Nursing Executive and Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services for DUHS.

Kelly has been an integral part of Duke Primary Care since 2014, where she has held various leadership roles, including Associate Chief Nursing Officer and Director of Nursing and Patient Care Services. Her dedication to improving healthcare delivery and processes, coupled with her dynamic leadership skills, has significantly contributed to DPC operations.

In her new role, Kelly will be working to continue improving our ability to serve the growing communities across the ambulatory platform, including DHIP, DPC, and Hospital-Based Clinics. She will work in partnership with medical leadership, operations, and human resources to develop the patient care services staff of the future and system standards that meet the unique needs of Ambulatory Care. This work supports our vision and strategic plan to better align across the health system to meet the needs of our people — excellent physicians, APPs, clinical staff, and team members — in the ever-growing and increasingly complex and diverse ambulatory environment. This role will help us continue to improve access for the communities we serve and to grow Duke Health as the preferred place to receive care in our region.

 

2024 Flu Campaign

The 2024 Duke Flu Campaign launches on Thursday, Sept. 19. Deadline for immunization compliance: October 29 at 10 a.m.

• DUHS Flu Ordering Survey Link (peer to peer)
• Access to OESO Vaccination Report: cachafeiro@duke.edu
• Questions? StopTheFlu@duke.edu

 

2024 Annual Stead Tread 5K

Join the Duke Department of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency Program on Saturday, September 21 at 9 a.m. for the annual Stead Tread 5K Run/Walk, held at Solite Park, 4704 Fayetteville Rd, Durham. All proceeds will benefit the Lincoln Community Health Center, a federally qualified health center dedicated to meeting the healthcare needs of medically underserved patients in Durham.

The event draws 300+ participants annually and is named in honor of former Dept. of Medicine Chairman Dr. Eugene Stead (1947-1967), and his legacy of community service and contributions to the Duke and Durham communities.

It’s A Family Affair!

The event is open to the entire family! Pets and strollers are welcome on the course. There are options to participate with or without official chip timing.

Entry Fees

For participants 13 and older, registration is $35 per person. For Lincoln patients and children 12 years and younger, registration is free.

Deadlines

Sign up by Friday, September 1 and you are guaranteed to receive a t-shirt. After September 1, t-shirt size and availability are not guaranteed.

Bragging Rights?

Of course! Only chip-timed participants will be eligible for awards including top 3 overall, fastest Duke Internal Medicine resident, fastest faculty, fastest stroller, fastest pet, and so many more.

Recognition will also be given to the Medicine Division or non-Medicine Department with the most participants. Anyone ready to take the trophy from Dermatology?

Register and/or Donate

Visit steadtread.org to register. Can’t join us on September 21? Stead Tread also accepts individual and corporate donations of any amount (steadtread.org/donate). Contributions of $90 or greater are recognized on our website and at the event.

Questions?

For questions or additional information, contact Caroline Sloan, MD, assistant professor, Division of General Internal Medicine.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Our regular CGR season has ended. We will resume after Labor Day. All Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Aug. 28: Post Arrest Care with Rob Harrison. Noon, 2W96.

Aug. 30: Fellows Forum with Paula Rambarat. Noon, via Zoom.

Sept. 4: NO CONFERENCE. Interview Day.

Sept. 6: Hemorrhagic Shock Management with Nazish Hashmi. Noon, via Zoom.

 

Catalyzing Climate Connections: Researcher Forum

Date: Thursday, October 10, 2024

Time: 3:30-6:30 p.m.

Venue: Great Hall, Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Center for Health Education

Please register soon. Questions? Contact Blake Tedder.

 

The Office of Climate & Sustainability and the Climate Commitment Advisory Council invites the Duke research community to mark calendars for the Catalyzing Climate Connections Researcher Forum, a dynamic three-hour event designed to spark creativity and collaboration among Duke’s climate researchers and those interested in linking their research into the climate space. This forum will feature moderated panel conversations that explore broad climate research themes from multiple disciplinary perspectives.

Attendees will also participate in engaging table conversations, offering the opportunity for deeper discussions and networking. With refreshments provided, there will be ample time for informal interactions and idea exchanges.

Who Should Attend:

• Faculty, postdocs, and graduate students from all university schools and units
• Researchers and staff interested in expanding their research into the climate space.

Goals of the Event:

• Foster relationships and connectivity among Duke researchers.
• Inspire fresh ideas and creativity in addressing climate change.
• Spark new lines of research by emphasizing idea generation over specific expertise.
• Facilitate connections between climate and health researchers.

Why Attend?

This forum is a unique opportunity to build connections, inspire new lines of research, and effectively address the challenges of climate change. Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of this exciting event!

 

New Faculty Orientation

October 22 & 23: 2024 School of Medicine Academic New Faculty Orientation, Trent Semans Center. Registration is required. Questions? Contact the SOM Office for Faculty at facdev@dm.duke.edu.

All faculty hired in the past three years are welcome to attend. While content specifically targets newer faculty, many topics are applicable to all faculty regardless of career stage.

 

Duke Heart Fall 2024 CME Courses

The following symposia will be held this fall:

October 12: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium at Trent Semans Center, 7:55 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Course directors are Drs. Sreekanth Vemulapalli and Anita Kelsey.

November 1: the 16th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium at Durham Convention Center, 8:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Course directors are Dr. Terry Fortin and Dr. Jimmy Ford (of UNC).

Registration has recently opened for our Nov. 1 event, indicated by the links above. Questions? Contact Christy Darnell.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

August 19 — Monique Starks

Daily Montanan

Rescue from above: How drones may narrow emergency response times

August 19 — Daniel Edmonston (DCRI)

tctMD

Both SGLT2 and GLP-1 Drugs Help Heart and Kidneys in Type 2 Diabetes

August 20 — Robert Mentz

Cardio Nerds podcast

(Episode 388) Ironing out the Data: Iron Deficiency in Heart Failure with Dr. Robert Mentz

August 20 — Leanna Ross

The Financial Express (India)

What to do with excess belly fat?

August 21 — Jennifer Rymer and Manasi Tannu

JAMA Surgery

Quality of Life and Clinical Outcomes in Symptomatic Peripheral Artery Disease (Invited Commentary)

August 22 — Manasi Tannu

Medpage Today

Counseling for PAD Walking Issues Might Hold Cardiovascular Benefit

August 23 — Nishant Shah

infobae.com

Por qué es vital comenzar a ejercitarse antes de los 30 años

August 23 — Michael Pencina

STAT News

AI in medicine: A national registry could help increase transparency, experts say

Duke Heart Pulse – August 18, 2024

Chief’s message:  Summer coming to a close as the new Academic Training Season Starts

As we get into the full swing of the Academic training year – the summer comes to an end with many kids starting school and/or college in the next few weeks.  This time each year marks the work of ensuring all of our families are supported as they work to transition into the next academic year for their children.  Similarly, we continue to support and welcome our new trainees, residents, and fellows.  This weekend we had a wonderful event at Dr. Milano’s house where the new residents and fellows in cardiothoracic surgery and their families were welcomed to Duke.  It was a nice opportunity to get to know the residents and fellows in a relaxed atmosphere and get to know their families that will support them through this last step in training.  Betty Tong (pictured) welcomed the trainees and had them share fun facts about themselves – which demonstrated just how talented and diverse our trainees in CT surgery are. 

This week we also had our teams continued to innovate with patients including enrolling a patient into Drain HF (evaluating a new possible device for heart failure) – thanks to Marat Fudim.  In the next few weeks we will also have a few more advances shared by our CT surgery and Advanced Heart Failure teams for patients awaiting heart transplantation.  Additionally, our cardiovascular teams are preparing for the European Cardiovascular Society Meeting at the end of the month.  We will have several faculty and fellow presentations we will share after the meeting.  This week we also had some important leadership changes in cardiology as we continue to maximize the way we integrate our clinical practice while continuing to discover and deliver the future of cardiovascular science and health.  Exciting to see such great people willing to help us continue our tradition of cardiovascular excellence and take these important next steps. 

Finally, I want to thank all of our operational teams in the cardiology and the heart center including Mike Blazing our faculty leader at the Arringdon clinic, as they worked to help with the surprise pipe bursting and flooding the clinic on the second floor and some of the first floor.  All week we were able to see patients and help move them to locations to be seen.  Thanks to all of our faculty and staff to continue to support caring for our patients.

Highlights of the week:

Camille Frazier-Mills MD, MHS named as Vice Chief for Clinical Services in Cardiology

Camille will serve as our Vice Chief for Clinical Services. In this role she will oversee the in-patient and outpatient clinical practice. This will include supporting our section chiefs and procedural & imaging lab spaces and optimizing clinical programs and operations. Camille will also meet regularly with Department of Medicine Vice-Chief group and support the Heart & Vascular Service line when needed around clinical integration and care. Camille brings a wealth of experience and interest in this role having helped set up the syncope clinic, the outpatient monitoring of cardiovascular devices program, directing electrophysiology clinics and aligning their clinical practice with general cardiology clinics.

 

As noted at the faculty meeting last month, I would personally like to thank Andrew Wang, MD who most recently led our Clinical mission as Vice Chief.

Svati Shah, MD, MHS named as Vice Chief for Research in Cardiology

Svati will serve as the Vice Chief for Research in the Division of Cardiology. She currently also serves as the Associate Dean for Translational Research and Director of the Precision Genomics Collaboratory and Center for Precision Health.  In this new role for the Division, Svati will help enhance support for our investigators, especially junior and mid-career faculty, and work with our leaders across DCRI, CVRC, CRU, CTSI, and Heart Innovation Hub to help develop and implement our research strategy. This work will help bring multi-disciplinary faculty and trainees together around key research initiatives and build infrastructure to support our faculty in competing for transformative research grants.

Anita Kelsey, MD, MBA to serve as Vice Chief for Faculty Affairs and Operations in Cardiology

Anita will serve as Vice Chief for Faculty Affairs and Operations in Cardiology.  In this new role for the Division, she will be the leader responsible for comprehensive faculty affairs and division operations of significant impact, with delegated authority from the Division Chief. In this role she will establish and support an inclusive culture of excellence in the development of our talent and operating performance. Anita will oversee and lead efforts across missions and working with our section chiefs and other division leaders to lead our overall divisional faculty hiring, management and support. Anita will work closely with other Vice Chiefs to ensure overall excellence in Cardiology.

Schuyler Jones, MD named as Director of Invasive Labs across Duke University Health System

Schuyler will serve as the director of our Invasive labs across Duke University Health System.  In this role he will collaborate with individual site cath lab and EP lab directors across the different health system procedural spaces to develop and support the staff, faculty, and administrative teams to deliver Duke Heart & Vascular care to patients undergoing invasive procedures.  As we look to both innovate and deliver on our legacy of high-quality care, he will work with our teams to ensure integration of our missions in our procedural lab spaces.  Schuyler will continue to serve as the DUMC cath lab director and will collaborate with our Network Services teams to ensure our procedural spaces and clinicians in Duke Heart affiliated labs are engaged and supported. 

Please welcome these individuals in these new roles, and we are excited to have them help Cardiology and our Heart and Vascular Service line continue to excel in the upcoming years.

 

Invented at Duke to Feature Califf

The 6^th Annual Invented at Duke celebration has been scheduled for Nov. 20, 2024, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Duke’s Penn Pavilion. The featured speaker will be none other than Duke cardiology-trained U.S. FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf. The event will showcase groundbreaking inventions and provide networking opportunities with the entrepreneurial community at Duke and beyond – all with an added “Centennial flair” (HBD, Duke U!).

Invented at Duke is a yearly celebration of the incredible inventors and innovations of the Duke community. It’s organized by the Duke Office for Translation & Commercialization. Registration is free, but required.

Come learn more about our innovation ecosystem and hear an informative presentation by Dr. Califf.

Thanks to all of you that expressed interest and met with our team for the leadership positions discussed at the recent faculty meeting.  In an effort to continue to improve the effectiveness of our Division and Service Line, we have worked to strengthen and enhance our organizational structure. This evolution will support the next phase of growth in Cardiology across all missions. As we have witnessed in our faculty celebrations & visiting lectures, Duke Cardiology has a tremendous legacy of innovation, excellence, and teamwork.  I am excited about the future of Heart & Vascular discovery and delivery at Duke, advancing into new frontiers and ensuring equitable care in all places we are privileged to care for patients and their families.

 

Great Catch, Morin!

Kristin Morin, CNIII, of 7 West was recognized this week with a Great Catch award. Morin noticed a medication ordered for her patient was not in the Alaris Infusion Pump Guardrails library, a safety mechanism to support safe medication delivery. As a result, she had to pursue a workaround to administer the drug as ordered by using the basic infusion setting on the infusion pump. This increased the potential for error or harm if settings were manually entered incorrectly. After careful review and ensuring accuracy, Kristin escalated this safety concern via SRS to help prevent potential future mistakes and/or harm to patients due to incorrect infusion settings for this medication. As a result of this SRS report, the Pharmacy will adjust Alaris pump guardrails to better support future administration of this medication.

Way to go, Kristin!

 

Shout-out to the Cardiology Team at Arrington

You never know what surprises a Monday morning may hold.

Last weekend, a water pipe burst on the second floor of the cardiology clinic at Arringdon, flooding the second and much of the first floor. The cardiology team jumped into action early Monday morning converting in-person appointments to telehealth visits, and moving patients to other clinics in the area. Clinic staff helped direct patients to their appointments and kept operations moving smoothly. Our providers were adaptable to the unexpected change and flexible to meet the needs of our patients. Special recognition to our scheduling team for their hard work in contacting hundreds of patients!

Construction crews worked around the clock all week to repair damaged drywall with hopes of the clinic being operational again this coming week.

Your efforts truly exemplify the excellence of our Duke Cardiology team. Outstanding teamwork, everyone!

 

Softball Tourney Next Weekend

The annual Duke Hitting with Heart Softball Tournament takes place next Saturday, August 24, at Valley Springs Park in Durham. The games begin at 8 a.m. and will be played across all three of the Valley Springs softball fields. The park is located at 3805 Valley Springs Road.

Which teams are vying for a title? 7 West (Team A); 7 West (Team B); Duke Birthing Center; Unit 3100 (Team A); Unit 3100 (Team B); 6 East; DRAH Sleep Lab; DRAH; PRT/BRT; Vascular IR, Duke Hospital Medicine; Duke Engineering & Operations, and Unit 6300! Our 13 teams are set and ready to compete. Spectators are welcome and encouraged to cheer them on!

Our event organizers have arranged for Ta Contento, Smash Masters, and Kona Ice to be at the tournament to sell refreshments to all our fans, so bring your appetite, your enthusiasm, and some cash!

Yes, you can also bring your pup — dogs are permitted. Restrooms and picnic areas are available.

A portion of the proceeds will go to support overall Duke fundraising for the 2024 Triangle Heart Walk. Go Duke!

 

Updated: Heart Walk 2024 – Less Than a Month Away

The Triangle chapter of the American Heart Association is accepting registrations for volunteers who would like to help out at the Walk – if you or anyone you know is interested please check out the online form located here. Duke volunteers who register using their Duke email address can be stationed at the Kids Zone, which Duke Heart is proudly sponsoring this year. 

Additionally, Walker recruitment and fundraising are still underway. We are just a few weeks out from the event! The 2024 Triangle Heart Walk is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 8 at PNC Arena. Please consider joining us – it is not too late!

Earlier start time! Please note the Walk will take place earlier this year – we’re kicking things off at 9 a.m. when all festivities will open to teams and other supporters. The walk itself will take place at 10:30 a.m.

Join Manesh Patel’s team: Duke Heart and Sole or start your own team under “Duke Heart & Vascular”. We want to have a huge team representing Duke Heart this year to celebrate not only the AHA’s Centennial but Duke University’s 100^th birthday. Please join us!

Register Here!

To sign up as a Coach, click the button above and on the AHA site, choose the red “Create a Team” button. Walkers can also sign up and join teams on the same site by clicking the red “Join a Team” button.

Let’s come together to make this our best year yet and demonstrate our unwavering dedication to cardiovascular health. Together, we can make a significant impact and pave the way for a healthier future.

The 2024 Heart Walk will be a terrific event and a wonderful way to support our cardiovascular patients. Thanks to all who are participating!

 

New to NC? Register to Vote!

Are you new to North Carolina, or have you moved to the Triangle area from elsewhere in the state? Don’t forget to register to vote!

Find all the information you need about registering to vote and voting in upcoming elections at these websites:

• North Carolina State Board of Elections
• Durham County Board of Elections
• Orange County Board of Elections
• Wake County Board of Elections 

Thank you!

 

Registration is Open for 2024 PH Symposium

The online registration page is now available for the 16th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium being held on Nov. 1, 2024, at the Durham Convention Center from 8:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Course directors are cardiologist Dr. Terry Fortin of Duke and pulmonologist Dr. Jimmy Ford of UNC. To learn more and register, please visit: PH Symposium.

 

Did you know? Duke Explore App

Interested in the history of Duke? There’s an app for that! A new little gem is now available for history buffs, Duke alums, fans of Durham, and anyone who enjoys a good self-guided walking tour.

In celebration of Duke’s Centennial, a new Campus History Tour section launched this week in the Duke Explore app. To read all about the newest tour, check out the Duke Today story here.

Oh wait, you didn’t know about the Duke Explore app?! Neither did we! The Duke Explore app offers several guided tours, including one for employees new to DUHS — pretty handy! Duke Explore is free and available in the App Store.

 

2024 Flu Campaign

The 2024 Duke Flu Campaign launches on Thursday, Sept. 19.  

Deadline for immunization compliance: October 29 at 10 a.m.

• DUHS Flu Ordering Survey Link (peer to peer)
• Access to OESO Vaccination Report: cachafeiro@duke.edu
• Questions? StopTheFlu@duke.edu

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Our regular Cardiology Grand Rounds season has ended. We will resume after Labor Day. All Duke CGR recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Aug. 21: Diagnostic Coronary Angiogram with Andrew Wang. Noon, 2W96.

Aug. 23: Topic TBD with TBD. Noon, via Zoom.

Aug. 28: Post Arrest Care with Rob Harrison. Noon, 2W96.

Aug. 30: Fellows Forum with Paula Rambarat. Noon, via Zoom.

 

New Faculty Orientation

October 22 & 23: 2024 School of Medicine Academic New Faculty Orientation, Trent Semans Center. Registration is required. Questions? Contact the SOM Office for Faculty at facdev@dm.duke.edu.

Schedule:

Oct. 22, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.: All pathways

Oct. 23 — 8 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.: Clinician/clinical researcher pathway

—  9:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.: Basic scientist in clinical department pathway, and Basic scientist in a basic science department pathway

Breakfast and lunch are provided on each day.

At registration, you will be prompted to select the pathway that best describes your faculty role. These pathways are suggestions to take the guesswork out of registration and ensure the content you receive is tailored toward how you spend your time. See a session that is outside your pathway but feels relevant? E-mail facdev@dm.duke.edu and they will provide you with the details.

All faculty hired in the past three years are welcome to attend. While content specifically targets newer faculty, many topics apply to all faculty regardless of career stage.

 

Duke Heart Fall 2024 CME Courses

The following symposia will be held this fall:

October 12: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium at Trent Semans Center, 7:55 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Course directors are Drs. Sreekanth Vemulapalli and Anita Kelsey.

November 1: the 16th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium at Durham Convention Center, 8:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Course directors are Dr. Terry Fortin and Dr. Jimmy Ford (of UNC).

Registration has recently opened for our Nov. 1 event, as indicated by the link above. Questions? Contact Christy Darnell.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may interest our team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

August 8 — William Kraus

El Comercio (Peru)

El snack que te recomienda consumir un cardiólogo para proteger tu corazón y bajar de peso

 

August 9 — Duke Health

Becker’s Clinical Leadership

2024 charts multiple 1sts in transplantation

 

August 12 — Nia Schwann Mitchell (internal medicine)

MSN News/AHA News

New cardiovascular risk tool could guide who needs medication for high blood pressure

 

August 12 — Daniel Edmonston (nephrology)

Healio

Kidney, CV outcomes similar for SGLT2 inhibition vs. GLP-1s for diabetes

 

August 14 — Nishant Shah

Time.com

The 1 Heart-Health Habit You Should Start When You’re Young

 

August 15 — Stephen Greene

tctMD

Only Small Minority of Eligible Patients Prescribed SGLT2 Inhibitors

 

August 16 — William Kraus

La Opinión A Coruña (Spain)

Los cardiólogos recomienda este fruto seco para proteger el corazón y adelgazar

Highlights of the week:

Thakkar, Shah Present at IANANC Event

Duke Cardiology fellow Aarti Thakkar, MD, MPH, and cardiologist Nishant Shah, MD were keynote speakers at a community education event sponsored by the North Carolina chapter of the Indian American Nurses Association (IANANC). The event, “Heart Matters,” aimed at raising awareness of cardiovascular risks in South Asian populations was held yesterday, Aug. 10, 2024, at the Lourdes Matha Catholic Church in Apex, NC.

“Being of South Asian ethnicity is a risk enhancer in the current prevention guidelines,” says Shah. “Many South Asians are unaware of how high their cardiovascular risk is and frequently would benefit from preventive therapies early to avoid premature cardiovascular events.” 

Thakkar and Shah spoke about risks specific to South Asian populations and management strategies to optimize cardiovascular risk. 

Established in 2010, the IANANC has held numerous community events to help raise awareness of critical healthy habits. Sheela Sajan, a cardiovascular nurse manager with the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, currently serves as local chapter president. Sajan, who works closely with cardiology faculty members at the VAMC, is particularly passionate about promoting community awareness around cardiovascular health issues.

Way to go, Aarti and Nishant! Thanks for supporting our community and for taking the time to spread reliable health information!

Kevin Cox Named to NC Great 100

Congratulations to Kevin Cox! He has been named to the 2024 Great 100 Nurses of North Carolina.

Additional 2024 recipients from Duke include Lorraine Wilson Batts of Duke Regional Hospital; Charmaine Duckie of Duke Primary Care; Amie Koch of Duke University School of Nursing; Carolina Kroninger of Duke University Health System, and Malinda Teague of Duke University School of Nursing.

Recipients will be celebrated at the 2024 Gala scheduled to be held on Sept. 28 at the Hilton Embassy Suites in Concord.

The Great 100 Nurses is a grassroots organization established in 1989 to celebrate nursing excellence in North Carolina and is designed to recognize the importance of RNs in diverse practice settings, positively impact the image of nursing and nursing as a profession, acknowledge 100 NC nurses annually who demonstrate excellence in practice and commitment to their profession and, importantly, to contribute funds for scholarships for RN education in NC.

Recipients are selected for their outstanding professional ability and for the contributions they have made to improving healthcare services in their community. Cox joins a distinguished list of Duke nurses selected for this honor over the years, including Bradi Granger, Myra Ellis, Laura Dickerson, Miranda Flowers, Jill Engel, Laura Blue, Cory Miller, Rex Ruiz, and many others from our cardiovascular teams.

Congratulations, Kevin!

Welcome to Tran! 

Please welcome Lillian Tran, MD to Duke Heart & Vascular as of August 1!

Tran is a 1st year fellow (PGY-6) in the Vascular Surgery Fellowship Training Program. She has joined us from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Tran earned her MD at Georgetown University School of Medicine in 2016 and is a 2010 University of California Los Angeles graduate.

Welcome to Duke, Lillian!

 

 

 

Shout-out to the ‘Fantastic Fifty’

A big shout-out to all those who participated in what has been described as a “Hail Mary” late-day case in the OR at Duke Hospital on Thursday.

Surgeon David Harpole, who led the case, described exceptional collaboration among at least 50 people from a variety of cardiovascular specialties and support teams including CT surgery, electrophysiology, nursing, anesthesiology, respiratory therapy, perfusion — all of whom dropped what they had been doing elsewhere to come together and support a difficult patient case, resulting in a good outcome.

Harpole says everyone was amazing and demonstrated incredible teamwork and determination. He says the case underscores just how unique a place Duke is, adding “This couldn’t have happened anywhere else because no one has the expertise available and all the necessities ready to go the way we do.”

We hope to share more about this case in the coming weeks but in the meantime… Dr. Harpole extends his deepest gratitude to all who assisted in the OR. For now, we’ll call this group the ‘Fantastic Fifty’ but names are forthcoming!

Way to go, team!!!

Shout out for Cardiology and CT surgery caring for Acute PE patient:
This week we also had Dr. Imran Aslam work with our CT surgery team and star trainees Drs. Dan Loriaux in cardiology and Andrew Vekstein in CT surgery to care for a sick patient with a massive pulmonary embolism.  They were able to deploy ECMO and do suction thrombectomy of large clot in the lung arteries leading to improvement in the patient’s condition (such that ECMO could be decanulated at the end of the case).  The CDU with Dr. Nishant Shah helped with TEE and overall all the staff and team worked to help with this complex patient.  Kudos to Drs. Aslam, Loriaux, Vekstein, and Shah along with cath and perfusion / ECMO teams to help this patient.

 

Heart Walk 2024 – Less Than a Month Away!

Walker recruitment and fundraising are still underway as we get ever closer to the 2024 American Heart Association’s Triangle Heart Walk, scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 8. Please consider joining us – it is not too late!

Join Manesh Patel’s team: Duke Heart and Sole or start your own team under “Duke Heart & Vascular”. We want to have a huge team representing Duke Heart this year to celebrate not only the AHA’s Centennial, but Duke University’s 100^th birthday. Please join us!

Register Here!

To sign up as a Coach, click the button above and on the AHA site, choose the red “Create a Team” button. Walkers can also sign up and join teams on the same site by clicking the red “Join a Team” button.

Let’s come together to make this our best year yet and demonstrate our unwavering dedication to cardiovascular health. Together, we can make a significant impact and pave the way for a healthier future.

The 2024 Heart Walk will be a terrific event and a wonderful way to support our cardiovascular patients. We’ll be talking about Heart Walk all summer with lots of opportunities to join in the fun. Thank you for your ongoing support!

2024 Flu Campaign

The 2024 Duke Flu Campaign launches on Thursday, Sept. 19. The deadline for immunization compliance is October 29 at 10 a.m.

• DUHS Flu Ordering Survey Link (peer to peer)
• Access to OESO Vaccination Report: cachafeiro@duke.edu
• Questions? StopTheFlu@duke.edu

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Our regular CGR season has ended. We will resume after Labor Day. All Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Aug. 14: Dyslipidemia with Nishant Shah. Noon, 2W96.

Aug. 16: EKG Review with Michelle Kelsey. Noon, via Zoom.

Aug. 21: Diagnostic Coronary Angiogram with Andrew Wang. Noon, 2W96.

Aug. 23: Topic TBD with TBD. Noon, via Zoom.

Aug. 28: Post Arrest Care with Rob Harrison. Noon, 2W96.

Aug. 30: Fellows Forum with Paula Rambarat. Noon, via Zoom.

 

New Faculty Orientation

October 22 & 23: 2024 School of Medicine Academic New Faculty Orientation, Trent Semans Center. Registration is required. Questions? Contact the SOM Office for Faculty at facdev@dm.duke.edu.

Schedule:

Oct. 22, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.: All pathways

Oct. 23 — 8 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.: Clinician/clinical researcher pathway; 9:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.: Basic scientist in clinical department pathway, and Basic scientist in a basic science department pathway

Breakfast and lunch will be provided each day. During registration, you will be prompted to select the pathway that best describes your faculty role. These pathways are suggestions to take the guesswork out of registration and to make sure the content you receive is tailored toward how you spend your time. See a session that is outside your pathway but feels relevant? E-mail facdev@dm.duke.edu and they will provide you with details. All faculty hired in the past three years are welcome to attend. While content specifically targets newer faculty, many topics apply to all faculty regardless of career stage.

 

Duke Heart Fall 2024 CME Courses

The following symposia will be held this fall:

October 12: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium at Trent Semans Center, 7:55 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Course directors are Drs. Sreekanth Vemulapalli and Anita Kelsey.

November 1: the 16th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium at Durham Convention Center, 8:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Course directors are Dr. Terry Fortin and Dr. Jimmy Ford (of UNC).

Registration/landing pages are not yet available but will be shared in Pulse once they are. Questions? Contact Christy Darnell.

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may be of interest to our team. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon on Wednesdays will be considered for weekend inclusion.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

August 2 — Duke University Hospital

Becker’s Hospital Review

Boston Children’s performs elective partial heart transplant

August 6 — Robert Mentz

Everyday Health

Weight Loss and Diabetes Drug Tirzepatide Slashes Heart Failure Risks

August 6 — Nishant Shah

Cosmopolitan

Beta Blockers Can Calm Your Nerves Before a Big Event—Here’s What You Need to Know

August 7 — Monique Starks

VPM.org/NPR

Rescue from above: How drones may narrow emergency response times

Chief’s Message:  Discovery to Delivery of Health – Duke Heart and Vascular

Over the last year we have spent much of our time highlighting the clinical work and people (faculty, residents, fellows, and staff) that help us deliver world class care to our patients.  This is always central to our mission and hopefully will be even more possible in our new aligned clinical structure under the Duke Health Integrated Practice (DHIP).  However, often the key differentiator at Academic Medical Centers (AMC’s) is the academic or discovery portion of the work that our faculty and fellows/residents do.  Much of this work either directly or indirectly plays a role in fundamentally helping us better understand how to treat and care for cardiovascular disease.  Importantly it is also how we determine the areas where our clinical care should evolve to prevent and improve health.  Our local and regional communities come to us for access to this care and to understand health, and our global community looks to us to engage and participate to help determine the course for years to come. Over the next several months in addition to updates on our structural changes – we will work to highlight the continued excellence across our group in the research mission.  Today’s Pulse starts with some of those recent research awards – and we will ensure we continue to highlight the research work, the grants, presentations, and impact that we are making.  We see a future of care that is truly powered by these discoveries put into clinical practice – powered by Duke Heart and Vascular.

Highlights of the week:

$9.4 Million in Funding Awarded to Cardiology Faculty in June

We’re excited to announce a compilation of funding awards received in June 2024 by faculty in the Duke Division of Cardiology. Sponsored research funding, all from the National Institutes of Health, was awarded to:

 

Adam DeVore received an award (1UG3-HL173571-01) from the National Institutes of Health for a project entitled “1/2 Spironolactone Initiation Registry Randomized Interventional Trial in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction Extension Trial.” Total funding will be $877,758.

Marat Fudim received an award (1R01-HL171305-01) from the National Institutes of Health for a project entitled “Splanchnic Nerve Modulation In Heart Failure (Splanchnic X).” Total funding will be $2,533,785.

Svati Shah received an award (1R01-HL168940-01A1) from the National Institutes of Health for a project entitled “Machine Learning Guided Precision Genetic Testing for Identification of Monogenic Cardiovascular Disorders.” Total funding will be $2,706,567.

Additionally, industry-sponsored funding has been awarded as follows:

Marat Fudim received an award from Tenax Therapeutics, Inc. for a project entitled “A Phase 3, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study of Levosimendan in Pulmonary Hypertension Patients With Heart Failure With Preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction(PH-HFpEF); LEVEL: LEVosimendan to Improve Exercise Limitation in Pa.” Total funding will be $488,289.

Neha Pagidipati received an award from Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for a project entitled “Bayer AG – CKD Implementation -Multi-funded.” Total funding will be $2,354,263.

Jennifer Rymer received an award from Abiomed, Inc. for a project entitled “Protect IV.” Total funding will be $446,788.

That’s more than $9.4 million in research funding across five faculty members. Extraordinary! Congratulations to all and we look forward to learning more about the projects.

 

Great Catch Award for Nikia Beavers!

Nikia Beavers, CNII, was helping the admitting nurse on 7 West at Duke University Hospital when she identified an incorrect order set for a post-op esophagectomy patient. While the ‘other’ order set used was similar, there are critical differences in the management of NGT and J-tubes. 

Not only did she recognize the tube management plan (based on order) was incorrect, she intervened to prevent incorrect care and escalated her concerns to ensure clarity was obtained from the provider. Further, this great catch led to awareness around opportunities for broader education regarding the care standard for this low-volume/high-risk patient population.

Nikia was an excellent role model in this situation by escalating her concerns through the nursing channels and then to the providers.

Way to go, Nikia!

 

Seeking Coaches & Walkers: Heart Walk 2024

We are still seeking Walkers for the 2024 American Heart Association’s Triangle Heart Walk, scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 8. Walker recruitment and fundraising efforts are well underway and we are almost a month away from the event. Please consider joining us – it is not too late!

Join Manesh Patel’s team: Duke Heart and Sole or start your own team under “Duke Heart & Vascular”. We want to have a huge team representing Duke Heart this year to celebrate not only the AHA’s Centennial, but Duke University’s 100^th birthday. Please join us!

Register Here!

To sign up as a Coach, click the button above and on the AHA site, choose the red “Create a Team” button. Walkers can also sign up and join teams on the same site by clicking the red “Join a Team” button.

Let’s come together to make this our best year yet and demonstrate our unwavering dedication to cardiovascular health. Together, we can make a significant impact and pave the way for a healthier future.

The 2024 Heart Walk will be a terrific event and a wonderful way to support our cardiovascular patients. We’ll be talking about Heart Walk all summer with lots of opportunities to join in the fun. Thank you for your ongoing support!

 

DUHS Leadership Announcements

Several leadership changes at Duke Health and DHIP were announced over the past couple of weeks:

• Doug Heron, associate vice president for State Relations, will be leaving Duke to become the Senior Vice President at the North Carolina Hospital Association (NCHA), effective August 16. In an announcement from Craig Albanese, MD, MBA, chief executive officer for DUHS and Chris Simmons, vice president of Government Relations for Duke University, the two stated, “Since Doug joined Duke more than ten years ago, he has transformed Duke State Relations, boosting the visibility of Duke and Duke Health in Raleigh and across North Carolina’s healthcare sector. His impact on legislation and regulations, whether shaping, drafting, or opposing them, has been substantial and noteworthy.”
• Mangoné Fall has been selected as Duke Health’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), effective September 9th. The announcement was made by Jeff Ferranti, MD, MS, senior vice president and chief digital officer for DUHS. Fall will join us from Cleveland Clinic, where he served as the executive director of cybersecurity and deputy CISO. “A transformational leader with more than 30 years of experience in cybersecurity, technology, and business enablement, he has a proven track record of driving cultural and organizational change to achieve business goals and leading cross-functional teams to create value, enhance productivity, and implement complex technical solutions,” said Ferranti.

Two of Duke Health Integrated Practice’s leaders have been promoted to Vice President roles as of August 1:

• Sara Holleran, MPH, is now DHIP’s Vice President of Growth and Network Development. In her new role, Sara plans to significantly enhance clinical capacity through the alignment and acquisition of mid-to-large-scale physician practices and spearhead the clinical development of new facilities and the establishment of novel practices within Duke Health.
• Brittany Komansky, MHA, BSN, RN, CEN, NEA-BC, is DHIP’s new Vice President of Ambulatory Operations. In her new role, Brittany will work alongside Tammy Berry, VP of DHIP Ambulatory Operations, to support DHIP’s clinicians and team members by streamlining and optimizing workflows, implementing best practices, and ensuring Duke’s quality and safety remain uncompromised. Together Tammy and Brittany will continue to cultivate strong, collaborative partnerships between our clinics and departments, and across DHIP and DUHS, with the intent of reinforcing Duke’s status as a national leader in ambulatory care.

Congratulations to all!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Our regular CGR season has ended. We will resume in August/September. All Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Aug. 7: Congenital Heart Disease, Part 1 with Richard Krasuski. Noon, 2W96.

Aug. 9: Congenital Heart Disease, Part 2 with Richard Krasuski. Noon, via Zoom.

Aug. 14: Dyslipidemia with Nishant Shah. Noon, 2W96.

Aug. 16: EKG Review with Michelle Kelsey. Noon, via Zoom.

Aug. 21: Diagnostic Coronary Angiogram with Andrew Wang. Noon, 2W96.

 

RFA: Duke CTSI CDA Program

The Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute CTSI Career Development Award Program (CDA) is now accepting applications. The Duke CTSI CDA provides skilled and personalized mentoring, a coordinated and tailored scientific and career development curriculum, and the opportunity to conduct clinical or translational (bench to bedside) research.  The CTSI CDA is particularly committed to increasing the diversity of the research workforce.  Members of underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

Up to two Scholars will be awarded 75% total protected effort for 2 years, up to $20,000/year for research expenses, and up to $2,500/year for travel to professional meetings.  Funding will start in January 2025.  Applications are due September 9, 2024.

Individuals considering applying to the Duke CTSI CDA are strongly encouraged to submit a Letter of Intent by August 1, 2024 via MyResearchProposal. For more information about the CTSI CDA and how to apply please visit https://ctsi.duke.edu/career-development/duke-ctsi-cda.

For questions about the program, please email CTSI CDA Program Manager: Stephanie Molner, MSW, or one of the program directors:  Laura Svetkey, MD, MHS, Kimberly Johnson, MD, or Rasheed Gbadegesin, MBBS, MD.

 

Duke Heart Fall 2024 CME Courses

The following symposia will be held this fall:

October 12: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium at Trent Semans Center, 7:55 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Course directors are Drs. Sreekanth Vemulapalli and Anita Kelsey.

November 1: the 16th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium at Durham Convention Center, 8:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Course directors are Dr. Terry Fortin and Dr. Jimmy Ford (of UNC).

Registration/landing pages are not yet available but will be shared in Pulse once they are. Questions? Contact Christy Darnell.

 

New Faculty Orientation Dates

October 22 & 23: 2024 School of Medicine Academic New Faculty Orientation, Trent Semans Center.

All faculty hired in the past three years are welcome to attend. While content specifically targets newer faculty, many topics apply to all faculty regardless of career stage. Registration is required. Questions? Contact the SOM Office for Faculty at facdev@dm.duke.edu.

 

Have news to share?

If you have news to share with the Pulse readership, contact Tracey Koepke, director of communications for Duke Heart & Vascular at tracey.koepke@duke.edu. We would love to hear about your latest accomplishments, professional news, cool happenings, and any events or opportunities that may interest our Duke Heart family. Please call with any questions: 919-681-2868. Feedback on Pulse is welcome and encouraged. Submissions by Noon, on Wednesdays, will be considered for weekend inclusion.

Duke Heart in the News:

July 28 — Carmelo Milano, Jacob Schroder, and Matthew Moore

Innovando News

Gino Gerosa: “In two years the prototype of the tailor-made artificial heart”

*The article is officially dated February 20, 2024

July 30 — Monique Starks

The Washington Post

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a medical response drone.

July 30 — Monique Starks

WHRO (Norfolk, VA)/KFF Health News

Rescue from above: How drones may narrow emergency response times in Virginia and elsewhere

July 31 — Duke University Hospital

Becker’s Hospital Review

How US News’ top hospitals fared with CMS star ratings

Duke Heart Pulse – July 28, 2024

Chief’s message: Sports, Cardiovascular Health, and the opening weekend of the Olympics

This last week was been highlighted by a convergence of sports, cardiovascular health topics and the opening weekend of the Olympics.  I was fortunate enough to support the Joel Cornette Foundation last week that has partnered with the AHA and Duke to support several projects aimed as improving cardiovascular science and health in athletes.  At the fundraiser last weekend, I was able to spend sometime with the Keynote speaker – Coach Tom Izzo – Head Basketball Coach of the Michigan State Spartans since 1995 – with 8 trips to the final four and a championship in 2000.  He was thoughtful and knowledgeable about the goals to increase CPR, science for athletes heart, and the national effort for a registry with the AHA and Cornette Foundation to understand cardiac conditions in athletes with cardiac conditions.  He also had thoughts on college athletics, NIL, and where the sport and amateurism is going.

 

Fittingly, the weekend started the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics to be hosted by France.  Sports provide an opportunity for many of the people around the world to come together in community and see the similarities and humanity that unites us all, something that is much needed in our current times. Additionally, the Olympics often provide an opportunity to recognize and understand the stories of the amazing people that have worked tremendously hard, committed, and sacrificed to be as world-class as possible.  Many similarities exist for those of us that see the many young men and women that we train in the cardiovascular fields of cardiology, anesthesia, vascular surgery, and cardiothoracic surgery.  We were lucky enough to start our week off (based on visiting our son doing a summer quarter) in the south of France for the opening weekend seeing the national team playing soccer in the opening rounds (picture).  Hopefully over the next two weeks the Olympics will be able to provide the opportunity for people to see athletes and countries competing and coming together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highlights of the week:

Duke Regional Earns 2024 NCDR Platinum Award for Chest Pain-MI

Duke Regional Hospital has received the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) Chest Pain-MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2024, based on 2023 data.

Duke Regional Hospital has demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry for two consecutive years (2022 and 2023) and performed at the highest level for specific performance measures to receive this 2024 award. Additionally, they moved from 3 stars to 4 stars for the All MI care composite score.

The Chest Pain – MI Registry, part of the American College of Cardiology’s Quality Improvement measurement system, is the go-to registry for hospitals and health systems applying American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) clinical guideline recommendations.

Congratulations to all DRH team members – way to go!

 

 

ICYMI: AED Drone Delivery Research Featured by NHLBI

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has highlighted research into drone delivery for AEDs on their news site. The article features research by Dr. Monique Starks and team members with the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

Great job!

This article also appears in news coverage below.

 

CVRC’s Roy Earns New Investigator Travel Award

Bipradas Roy, PhD, a postdoctoral associate in the laboratory of Dr. Sudha Shenoy recently received a New Investigator Travel Award to attend the AHA’s Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Scientific Sessions held July 22-25, 2024 at the Hilton Chicago in Chicago, Illinois.

Roy’s abstract, Inflammation-induced endothelial cell activation and angiogenic sprouting are downmodulated by ubiquitin-specific peptidase 20, was selected for oral presentation in the session ‘Early Career Pre-Conference Session 2: Next Best Thing session. His co-authors include Jiao-hui Wu, Neil J. Freedman, and Sudha K. Shenoy.

Congratulations, Bipradas!

 

Kudos to the Heart COE team!

On behalf of the entire Duke Heart & Vascular team, Jill Engel and Manesh Patel sent the following note to our COE team:

“A big thanks and kudos to the Heart Center of Excellence team. Last week when the Crowd Strike outage occurred, the COE team rapidly deployed to support not only the Heart & Vascular Center areas, teams and interfaces but also deployed to any and all sites in need of support.

The team displayed great dedication and energy and truly impacted our ability to provide clinical care.”

Great job, everyone!

Kudos to Carroll, Ingram & Schwennesen!

We received the following note praising cardiovascular fellows, Hannah Schwennesen, Damarcus Ingram, and Aubrie Carroll this week:

“I have to give kudos to Hannah, Damarcus, and Aubrie for their extraordinary work this week. There were several very tough activations and transfers this week, and these three managed them so well. Aubrie helped to get a very sick patient over from the VA to Duke, and went beyond her role as a diagnostic fellow to stay with the patient in the PACU at the VA, verify bleeding risk and communicate to Duke, and arrange transportation herself. Hannah and Damarcus have been fielding 5-6 activations a day and dozens of calls, all while teaching new housestaff. I am convinced that no other program could match our fellows- they are smart, effective, professional and most importantly, really good people.” — Jennifer Rymer, MD

Nicely done!

 

Shout-out to all Move-Team Members

A big thank you to all who assisted with our unit moves in Duke University Hospital last week! Our moves were efficient and successful – great job!

 

Seeking Coaches & Walkers: Heart Walk 2024

Duke Health’s recruitment of Coaches and Walkers for the 2024 American Heart Association’s Triangle Heart Walk, scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 8, is well underway, but we are not yet at our goal! Won’t you join us?

Join Manesh Patel’s team: Duke Heart and Sole or start your own team under “Duke Heart & Vascular”. We want to have a huge team representing Duke Heart this year to celebrate not only the AHA’s Centennial, but Duke University’s 100^th birthday. Please join us!

Register Here!

To sign up as a Coach, click the button above and on the AHA site, choose the red “Create a Team” button. Walkers can also sign up and join teams on the same site by clicking the red “Join a Team” button.

Let’s come together to make this our best year yet and demonstrate our unwavering dedication to cardiovascular health. Together, we can make a significant impact and pave the way for a healthier future.

The 2024 Heart Walk will be a terrific event and a wonderful way to support our cardiovascular patients. We’ll be talking about Heart Walk all summer with lots of opportunities to join in the fun. Thank you for your ongoing support!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Our regular CGR season has ended. We will resume in August/September. All Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

July 31: Dyslipidemia with Nishant Shah. Noon, 2W96.

 

RFA: Health Disparities Research Curriculum, Duke CTSI & REACH Equity

The Duke CTSI and the Center for Research to Advance Healthcare Equity (REACH Equity) are pleased to announce a call for applications for the Health Disparities Research Curriculum (HDRC).  PDF: HDRC RFA 2024-2025

If you’re interested in participating in the 2024-2025 curriculum, a brief online application must be submitted by August 5, 2024. 

HDRC is designed to increase knowledge and skill in the design and conduct of health disparities research. Although the curriculum focuses primarily on racial and ethnic disparities, the principles, methods, and examples will be broadly applicable to other health disparity populations (e.g. socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, underserved rural populations, sexual and gender minorities, etc.).

The curriculum consists of didactic and interactive sessions approximately every two to three weeks on Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:00 pm; September 2024 through June 2025. The 2024-2025 HDRC will be entirely virtual.

The curriculum addresses:

• Foundational knowledge for design and conduct of research to address racial and ethnic health disparities, including:
  • Nomenclature and framework for approaching research involving health disparities
  • Contributors to health disparities
  • Role of implicit bias in disparities research
• Health disparities research methods across the translational spectrum
• Conduct of health disparities research focused on the clinical encounter and health systems
• Funding sources and strategies for disparities research

Please note that this curriculum is not designed to teach basic research design, and participants should have some foundational knowledge on the general principles and issues in research design.

Acceptance into the HDRC curriculum will be determined based on capacity, commitment to conducting health disparities research, and the applicant’s rationale for taking the course. Applicants will be notified of acceptance via email. You must be affiliated with Duke University or North Carolina Central University to participate in this curriculum.

Additional program information, syllabus and the application.

For additional information or questions about the HDRC, please contact: Stephanie Molner, MSW.

 

RFA: Duke CTSI CDA Program

The Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute CTSI Career Development Award Program (CDA) is now accepting applications. The Duke CTSI CDA provides skilled and personalized mentoring, a coordinated and tailored scientific and career development curriculum, and the opportunity to conduct clinical or translational (bench to bedside) research.  The CTSI CDA is particularly committed to increasing diversity of the research workforce.  Members of underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

Up to two Scholars will be awarded 75% total protected effort for 2 years, up to $20,000/year for research expenses, and up to $2,500/year for travel to professional meetings.  Funding will start January, 2025.  Applications are due September 9, 2024.

Individuals considering applying to the Duke CTSI CDA are strongly encouraged to submit a Letter of Intent by August 1, 2024 via MyResearchProposal. For more information about the CTSI CDA and how to apply please visit: https://ctsi.duke.edu/career-development/duke-ctsi-cda.

For questions about the program, please email CTSI CDA Program Manager: Stephanie Molner, MSW or one of the program directors:  Laura Svetkey, MD, MHS, Kimberly Johnson, MD, or Rasheed Gbadegesin, MBBS, MD.

 

New Faculty Orientation Dates Announced

October 22 & 23: 2024 School of Medicine Academic New Faculty Orientation, Trent Semans Center.

All faculty hired in the past three years are welcome to attend. While content specifically targets newer faculty, many topics are applicable to all faculty regardless of career stage. Registration is required. Questions? Contact SOM Office for Faculty at facdev@dm.duke.edu.

 

Duke Heart Fall 2024 CME Courses

The following symposia will be held this fall:

October 12: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium at Trent Semans Center, 7:55am-3:30pm. Course directors are Drs. Sreekanth Vemulapalli and Anita Kelsey.

November 1: the 16th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium at Durham Convention Center, 8:00 a.m. – 3:15p.m. Course directors are Dr. Terry Fortin and Dr. Jimmy Ford (of UNC).

Registration/landing pages are not yet available, but will be shared in Pulse once they are. Questions? Contact Christy Darnell.

 

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 19 — Monique Starks

Davidson News

Drones as first responders: Enhancing emergency response with AED deliveries

 

July 22 — Monique Starks

KFF Health News

Rescue from above: How drones may narrow emergency response times

 

July 22 — Monique Starks

Journal of Emergency Medical Services

This is how drones may narrow emergency response times

 

July 22 — Duke Clinical Research Institute/Monique Starks

Becker’s Clinical Leadership

Medical care in the air: City to use drones for some 911 calls

 

July 23 — Manesh Patel

North Carolina Health News

The case against plastic waste grows as more studies point to potential harm

 

July 23 — Monique Starks

Medscape

How drones may narrow emergency response times

 

July 23 — Manesh Patel

Q City Metro (Charlotte, NC)

The case against plastic waste grows as more studies point to potential harm

 

July 24 — Duke University Hospital

Spectacular Magazine

4 NC Hospitals Ranked in Top 100 in the World

 

July 24 — Duke University Health System

Forbes

46 hospitals, health systems among best employers for women: Forbes

 

July 24 — Monique Starks

NHLBI News/Research Feature

To the rescue: Drones could deliver defibrillators for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests

 

July 25 — Nia Schwann Mitchell (Internal Medicine)

Reach MD

Why It Is Important to Think About Your Heart Risk Beyond 10 Years

 

July 25 — Duke University Hospital (#16)

Becker’s ASC Review

Top 25 cardiac hospitals in US: Newsweek

 

July 25 — Jennifer Rymer

tctMD

For Pragmatic RCTs, Patient-Reported ‘Hard’ Events Fall Short

 

July 26 — Monique Starks

Philly Voice

Rescue from above: how drones may narrow emergency response times

 

 

 

 

Duke Heart Pulse – July 21, 2024

Chief’s message:  Visiting Lectures and Global IT issues

This week was a whirlwind in the health system with inspiring talks and interaction with the Commissioner of the FDA – Robert M. Califf.  He provided two talks on what the cardiovascular clinicians will need to do in the future and what the future Heart and Vascular Centers should do – with a look back at the origins of Duke Heart.  It was great to see the next generation of our leaders interacting with him.

Unfortunately, the week ended with the IT issues tied to the CrowdStrike update (patch) on many of our Microsoft computer systems in the Health system and School.  The command center starting early Friday morning and many of our leaders worked together to ensure systems were up as soon as possible and we were able to work through much of our patient care in the cath labs, EP labs and OR.  Also wanted to give a special thanks to Jill Engel who is served as the administrative lead for a lot of the health system and service line response on Friday into this weekend and upcoming week.  We ask our Faculty, Staff, and learners to read the special notes about the IT outage below to ensure we stay vigilant on many of the IT attempts to infiltrate our cyber security.  The upcoming week will hopefully have some return to normalcy for our clinical and research work.

Finally – you will also see some amazing stories of new additions to our Heart and Vascular Family – with some amazing and heart warming stories of care our team provided.

Highlights of the week:

FDA Commissioner Presents CGR & 18^th Annual Reves Lecture

We welcomed Robert M. Califf, MD, back to Duke Health this week. Califf, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner, gave a special Cardiology Grand Rounds presentation on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday morning, he gave the 18th Annual Jerry G. Reves, MD Lecture during Duke Anesthesiology Grand Rounds in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center for Health Education at Duke.

Califf’s Reves Lecture, ‘What Should a Heart and Vascular Center Do in the Next Decade,’ drew a large audience, as did his CGR presentation, ‘The Cardiovascular Specialist in a Time of Decline in American Cardiometabolic Health’. Thanks to all who joined us both in person and via Zoom.

Jerry Reves, MD, a recognized pioneer in modern anesthesiology and for whom the lectureship is named, began his Duke career when he became a faculty member with the Duke School of Medicine in 1984. The very next year he designed the anesthesia protocol for Duke’s first heart transplant. Soon thereafter, Reves – along with then-chair of surgery David C. Sabiston Jr., MD, and then-chair of medicine Joseph C. Greenfield, MD, co-founded the Duke Heart Center in 1987.

Dr. Califf is an adjunct professor of medicine in cardiology at Duke and the founding director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute. It was a delight to have him and Reves back among us this week.

Shown here, L-R, are Drs. Manesh Patel, Dawn Coleman, Jerry Reves, Robert Califf, Carmelo Milano, Mihai Podgoreanu, and Joe Mathew.

If you were unable to join us for Cardiology Grand Rounds, a link to the recording can be found here: https://warpwire.duke.edu/w/9BYIAA/ (access requires a NET ID and passcode). A link to the Reves Lecture was not yet available.

Bleecker Named DUHS VP of Finance

Leigh Bleecker, MBA, MHA, has been promoted to Vice President of Finance for Duke University Health System. She assumes this role as she continues to serve as the Divisional Chief Financial Officer for Duke Regional Hospital and Duke Raleigh Hospital. The announcement was made Thursday, July 18 by Lisa Goodlett, senior VP and CFO, Treasurer of DUHS.

Since joining Duke in 2002, Leigh has made considerable contributions to the health system and is a visionary leader for our teams. Over the past 13 years, she has served as Assistant Vice President for Finance at DUHS and as Divisional Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Duke Raleigh. She has also served as Interim President of the Duke Raleigh campus twice. In 2023, her role at Duke Raleigh expanded to Duke Regional Hospital, making her CFO of the community hospital platform.

Congratulations, Leigh!

 

A New Addition to Duke Heart & Vascular Family

We are excited to share that we’ve added another new family member to our growing team! Rocky Matthew Davis was born on July 3rd, weighing 9lb 5oz. Rocky is the third child of Ashlee Davis and her husband, Matt Davis. Ashlee is chief technologist for the Cardiac Diagnostic Unit at Duke University Hospital. She and the baby are doing great and “Big brother Rex and big sister Goldie are in love!”

Congratulations to the Davis family – Rocky’s a cutie and we look forward to meeting him soon!

 

Kudos to Peds Heart Surgery Care Teams as our Heart Family Grows Again!

We received the following note from Adam Tulp, PA-C, co-team lead, Advanced Practice Providers for the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit at Duke University Hospital, whose newborn son required care at Duke. He asked that we share his message with Pulse readers:

“My son, Patrick Tulp, was born on June 14 and admitted to the Pediatric Cardiology Intensive Care Unit (PCICU) immediately after birth for management of borderline Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. He underwent a Norwood procedure with Drs. Doug Overbey and Joe Turek on June 19; transferred to Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Stepdown on July 3 and ultimately discharged home on July 9. My wife, Kelly, and I want to express our sincere gratitude to every staff member who cared for Patrick during this time. While this was definitely a difficult experience for our entire family, it was made easier by your care and support during his admission.

As I mentioned to many of you during his hospitalization, I am in awe of your ability to provide high-quality patient care for these tiny little humans… I’ll stick to much larger humans, myself. Our experience on the ‘other side of the bed rail’ was quite eye-opening for both Kelly and me. We have learned a great deal from each of you that we will carry forward in both our personal and professional lives.

Our sincere gratitude to all members of the PCICU, cardiac OR team, anesthesia team, stepdown, echocardiogram sonographers, PT/OT, speech therapy, pharmacy, nutrition, and many other members of the multidisciplinary team. Your professionalism, expertise, and kindness led to Patrick’s (relatively) uneventful recovery from surgery and ultimately allowed us to quickly bring him home to be reunited with his big sister, Amelia.” — Adam Tulp, PA-C

We have an amazing team at Duke. Great job to everyone and on behalf of the Heart & Vascular team, a big welcome to baby Patrick — we’re glad to have another new family member among our growing team!

 

Global IT Outage Update: Remain Vigilant Online

Duke’s IT team has been working tirelessly this weekend to restore systems following the global IT outages caused by a CrowdStrike update and we continue to make good progress toward restoring full functionality across the health system.

Though the outage itself is not the result of a cyber-attack, there is a growing risk of hackers exploiting the situation and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has warned of increased phishing and malicious activity. You are urged to use extreme caution as fake websites and phishing attempts are on the rise, pretending to be CrowdStrike support.

Examples of fake sites include:

• crowdstrikebluescreen[.]com
• crowdstrikefix[.]com

To protect yourself:

• CrowdStrike will NOT contact you directly.
• Only Duke IT will apply patches or fixes.
• Duke IT will NEVER charge you to restore systems.
• Duke IT staff will NOT ask for your password or sensitive information.
• All official communication will come from an “@duke.edu” email address.

If you suspect a phishing attempt or have visited a suspicious site, contact the Duke Information Security Office (ISO) at security@duke.edu. Report suspicious emails using the “Report” button in your Duke email. Please remain vigilant.

Overall Functionality Update:

Duke continues to make good progress toward restoring full functionality across the hospital. All clinical systems appear to be online and functioning properly. As of Saturday afternoon:

• Omnicell is now fully online.
• PowerShare function has been restored.
• HAIKU is operational on phones.
• Overall functionality is at 80% for the ED and ICUs.
• Remaining inpatient units are at 50% functionality.

The team is prioritizing work to restore functionality for ambulatory clinics by Monday morning. DHTS has access to all ambulatory clinics and should not need to contact staff for assistance.

DHTS is taking care of all updates to the Power Outage Issue Tracker; staff do not need to continue this work.

Action required:

• Continue to escalate any concerns you may have about systems that should be on the priority list– as well as any system challenges or issues you continue to encounter – to your leaders.
• Monitor your emails for the latest updates regarding the outage.

 

Additional information:

DHTS teams have been working throughout the weekend to bring more clinical computers online to regain full functionality. If you have an urgent issue, please call the Help Desk at 919-684-2243.

They will begin to address issues with impacted office computers – including team members who are working remotely – early next week.

For guidance on manual entry of data for the Maestro Care downtime, refer to the DUHS Downtime Procedure policy.

Thank you to everyone for the tremendous effort during this time to ensure safe clinical care for our patients. Your support and cooperation are greatly appreciated. We will continue to provide updates as they become available.

 

Change in Move Plan for DUH 3100, 3200 & 7200

Several cardiovascular unit moves are scheduled for Duke University Hospital next week ahead of a planned 100 Tower refresh. 

The global IT outage and resulting Code Black on Friday involved extensive work by multiple disciplines, diverting team members from move preparations on 6100 to instead addressing the priority Code Black. As a result, CT Surgery DUH 3100 will move to 6100 on Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. (prep work will occur on Monday) and DUH Units 3200 and 7200 (cardiology) will move to 7100 on Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. 

Thanks to everyone for their efforts on Friday. We appreciate your patience as we conduct the unit relocations this week. Please call the Command Center at 919-681-6851 with any questions.

DUH, Duke Raleigh Earn GWTG Gold Awards

We are pleased to announce that both Duke University Hospital and Duke Raleigh Hospital have achieved the American Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines Gold status awards with Target Honor Roll for the following areas:

Duke University Hospital:

• Get With The Guidelines®-Coronary Artery Disease NSTEMI Gold with Target: Type 2 Diabetes
• Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Gold Plus
• Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll
• Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

 

Duke Raleigh Hospital:

• Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Gold Plus
• Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll
• Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

  

The awards are based on each hospital’s respective Get With The Guidelines data from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023. 

Congratulations to all!

 

Cardiac Sonographers Present to DUSON NPs

Duke Heart cardiac sonographers Andrew, Naomi, and Danny shared their cardiac ultrasound expertise with cardiology nurse practitioner students last weekend at Duke University School of Nursing. Thanks to Midge Bowers for sharing with Pulse!

 

Seeking Coaches & Walkers: Heart Walk 2024

Duke Health’s recruitment of Coaches and Walkers for the 2024 American Heart Association’s Triangle Heart Walk, scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 8, is well underway, but we are not yet at our goal! Won’t you join us?

Join Manesh Patel’s team: Duke Heart and Sole or start your own team under “Duke Heart & Vascular”. We want to have a huge team representing Duke Heart this year to celebrate not only the AHA’s Centennial but Duke University’s 100^th birthday. Please join us!

Register Here!

To sign up as a Coach, click the button above and on the AHA site, choose the red “Create a Team” button. Walkers can also sign up and join teams on the same site by clicking the red “Join a Team” button.

Let’s come together to make this our best year yet and demonstrate our unwavering dedication to cardiovascular health. Together, we can make a significant impact and pave the way for a healthier future.

The 2024 Heart Walk will be a terrific event and a wonderful way to support our cardiovascular patients. We’ll be talking about Heart Walk all summer with lots of opportunities to join in the fun. Thank you for your ongoing support!

 

Qualtrics Update

The Duke Office of Information Technology announced this week that they had reached a pricing agreement with Qualtrics and that there is no longer a risk of disruption with the Duke University/DKU-wide Qualtrics license at the end of this calendar year. The new license covers the current volume of Qualtrics survey responses through Dec 31, 2029.

Who is covered under the new contract?

The contract that has been under negotiation includes users of the existing University and DKU service, as well as two other services used by the Health System:

• Academic CoreXM (University/DKU)
• Patient Experience (Duke Health)
• Discover for Contact Centers DHAS & DPC Triage (Duke Health)

How do I know which survey tool is right for me?

The Office of Information Technology has developed a comparison chart to help Duke community members decide among various survey and forms tools – https://oit.duke.edu/help/articles/kb0037717.

For additional information, contact the OIT Service Management Team at survey-tools@duke.edu.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Our regular CGR season has ended. We will resume in August/September. All Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are housed on Warpwire. To access recordings please visit:

• 2024 CGR Recordings

NET ID and password are required. Enjoy!

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

July 24: Basics of Heart Failure with Stuart Russell. Noon, DMP 2W96.

July 26: Wide Complex Tachycardias with Zak Loring. Noon, Zoom only.

July 31: Dyslipidemia with Nishant Shah. Noon, 2W96.

 

RFA: Duke CTSI CDA Program

The Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute CTSI Career Development Award Program (CDA) is now accepting applications. The Duke CTSI CDA provides skilled and personalized mentoring, a coordinated and tailored scientific and career development curriculum, and the opportunity to conduct clinical or translational (bench to bedside) research.  The CTSI CDA is particularly committed to increasing the diversity of the research workforce.  Members of underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

Up to two Scholars will be awarded 75% total protected effort for 2 years, up to $20,000/year for research expenses, and up to $2,500/year for travel to professional meetings.  Funding will start in January 2025.  Applications are due September 9, 2024.

Individuals considering applying to the Duke CTSI CDA are strongly encouraged to submit a Letter of Intent by August 1, 2024 via MyResearchProposal. For more information about the CTSI CDA and how to apply please visit: https://ctsi.duke.edu/career-development/duke-ctsi-cda.

For questions about the program, please email CTSI CDA Program Manager: Stephanie Molner, MSW, or one of the program directors:  Laura Svetkey, MD, MHS, Kimberly Johnson, MD, or Rasheed Gbadegesin, MBBS, MD.

 

New Faculty Orientation Dates Announced

October 22 & 23: 2024 School of Medicine Academic New Faculty Orientation, Trent Semans Center.

All faculty hired in the past three years are welcome to attend. While content specifically targets newer faculty, many topics apply to all faculty regardless of career stage. Registration is required. Questions? Contact the SOM Office for Faculty at facdev@dm.duke.edu.

 

Duke Heart Fall 2024 CME Courses

The following symposia will be held this fall:

October 12: Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium at Trent Semans Center, 7:55 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Course directors are Drs. Sreekanth Vemulapalli and Anita Kelsey.

November 1: the 16th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium at Durham Convention Center, 8:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Course directors are Dr. Terry Fortin and Dr. Jimmy Ford (of UNC).

Registration/landing pages are not yet available but will be shared in Pulse once they are. Questions? Contact Christy Darnell.

 

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, will be considered for inclusion that weekend.

 

Duke Heart in the News:

July 10 — Harry Severance

Medpage Today

The Physician and Social Media: ‘To Be or Not to Be’ On?

July 10 — Elisabetta Politi

Everyday Health

Artificial Sweetener Xylitol Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

July 11 — Nina Nouhravesh

Everyday Health

The Last Word: Are Eggs Good (or Bad) for You?

July 11 — Michael Pencina and Mary Klotman

North Carolina Medical Journal

The Crucial Role of Academic Medical Centers in Preparing for the Future of Health AI

July 12 — Sreekanth Vemulapalli

tctMD

Valvular Heart Disease Has a Diversity Problem

July 15 — Duke University Hospital

Cardiovascular Business

The 25 best heart hospitals in the United States

July 15 — Nia Schwann Mitchell (Internal Medicine)

Heart.org

New cardiovascular risk tool could guide who needs medication for high blood pressure

July 16 — Duke University Hospital

U.S. News & World Report

America’s Best Hospitals: the 2024-2025 Honor Roll and Overview

July 16 — Duke University Hospital

Becker’s Healthcare

US News Best Hospitals 2024-25 Honor Roll

July 16 — Duke University Hospital

Business North Carolina

US News rates Duke as top N.C. hospital; ECU moves up to fifth

July 17 — William Kraus

The Grio

Stepping into wellness: How much can walking really improve your health?

July 18 — Monique Starks

CBS News

Emergency responders turning to drones to try to get people help faster

July 18 — Christina Cui (Vascular Surgery)

Vascular Specialist Online

Corner Stitch: Navigating pregnancy as a vascular surgery trainee

July 18 — Duke University Hospital

Becker’s Hospital Review

The best hospitals for cardiology, heart and vascular surgery in 2024: US News