The Pulse – Powered by Duke Heart

Chief’s message: Gratitude and Community

Dear Duke Heart community, this time of year allows for some reflection and certainly some continued work on our hope to improve the lives and health of our community.  I wanted to send a note before this thanksgiving break extending our sincere gratitude for the entire Duke team – including our staff, faculty, residents, fellows, nurses, researchers, Heart Center leadership council, all of our ambassadors, supporters, and most importantly our patients who allow us the privilege of caring for them.  As the complexity of healthcare and research increases at Academic Medical Centers, we can sometimes lose site of the immense opportunity and privilege we have in working as part of our cardiovascular team.  Everyday, as we work in the clinics, hospitals, research labs, we see the continued dedication and effort.  I am grateful for the tremendous resilience, grit, and spirit of the cardiovascular team and focus on the mission of improving health outcomes, and making the journey of health care better for our patients and teams while we develop a sustainable model to continue to do research and make meaningful discoveries. Perhaps most gratifying is the opportunity to be part of this Duke Heart community and the ability to live a life of purpose and service.  We want to specifically, thank those of you who will be working over the holiday times to ensure we continue to care for our patients.  Hopefully, all of you will get some time with family and friends over the upcoming thanksgiving holiday or weeks to come.

We were personally lucky to get to travel to Spartanburg South Carolina this weekend to see the Division 3 Cross Country National Championship races.  Pictured is our son, Sanju, who is a junior at UChicago, part of the men’s team that finished 12th overall.  He placed high enough to win All-American honors – something he has been striving for several years. We were blessed to be present for the race.  I believe the team will be shaving the mustache’s for the holidays but that is yet to be seen.

 

 

 

Highlights of the week:

First-of-Its-Kind U.S. Study Launched; Drones Now Delivering AEDs During 911 Calls

Every minute counts when someone’s heart stops. In the U.S., more than 350,000 people suffer cardiac arrest each year, and fewer than 10% survive. Most of these emergencies happen at home, far from lifesaving equipment.

Now, for the first time in the United States, a coalition of researchers, public safety agencies, and community partners – led by Duke Health and coordinated through the Duke Clinical Research Institute – is testing a new way to save lives.

Drones carrying automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are being dispatched during real 911 calls in Forsyth County, North Carolina. The effort is part of a clinical trial that aims to see if drones can deliver AEDs to patients faster than traditional emergency services.

“This study represents a major step forward in how we respond to cardiac arrest in the United States,” said Monique Starks, MD, principal investigator and associate professor of medicine in cardiology at Duke. “By integrating drone technology into emergency care, we’re working to close the critical gap between cardiac arrest and treatment, and that has the potential to save thousands of lives.”

According to previous research, if an AED can be used within 2 to 3 minutes of cardiac arrest, survival rates can jump to 70%. But EMS often takes 8 to 10 minutes to arrive. That’s where drones come in.

The study is happening in Clemmons, NC, where the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office was already using drone technology as part of its law enforcement operations.

When a 911 call comes in for cardiac arrest in Clemmons, a drone carrying an AED is launched immediately. At the same time, the standard of care is still in place and EMS is also deployed.

The 911 dispatcher coordinates with a drone pilot who launches the drone to fly autonomously to the location of the cardiac arrest. The drone flies at 200 feet, lowers to 100 feet, and winches the AED safely to the ground. The 911 dispatcher then guides the bystander on getting and using the device.

“Launching drone-delivered AEDs is a promise to our citizens that their safety and quality of life are paramount,” said Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough, Jr. “When seconds matter, this technology gives us the ability to reach people in need faster than ever before. It’s about saving lives, building trust, and showing our community that we will always lead with care and commitment.”

The research team hopes to reduce AED delivery time to under five minutes for more than half the population in the study area. The trial also includes James City County, Virginia.

The work is supported by the American Heart Association and involves more than a dozen partners, including University of Washington, Hovecon Consulting, Emory University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and University of Toronto.

“This project is laying the groundwork for what we hope will become a large, multi-center randomized clinical trial,” said Joseph Ornato, MD, co-principal investigator on the study and professor of emergency medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University. “That future research will help us understand critical questions about how well this works, what it costs, and how we can get AEDs to people as quickly as possible whether they live in a city or rural community.”

“Forsyth County Fire/EMS 911 is proud to partner with Duke Health and the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office in this groundbreaking drone AED project, which has the potential to save lives by delivering critical care faster than ever before,” said James Fore, director of Forsyth County 911 Fire/EMS. “By integrating this technology into our emergency response system, we are strengthening our ability to serve the community when every second counts.”

“Our teams have worked tirelessly to set a new standard in cardiac arrest care by integrating drone delivery of AEDs during 911 calls,” said Stephen Powell, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and member of the study team. “This collaboration between telecommunicators and drone pilots—built through extensive planning and drills—aims to save precious minutes and, ultimately, lives. It’s incredible to see what’s possible when dedicated people come together for a single purpose.”

“While much of the excitement around drone delivery has centered on faster packages and e-commerce convenience, today marks a pivotal shift,” said Basil Yap, vice president of Hovecon. “This program is about life-saving deliveries of critical medical equipment in the form of AEDs, and we have achieved that only by making rigorous safety and full regulatory compliance the foundation of everything we do.”

“Drones can meaningfully shorten the most critical moments between collapse and care,” said Betsy Sink, battalion chief at James City County Emergency Medical Services. “They won’t replace traditional response systems, but they can strengthen them by placing lifesaving equipment in the hands of bystanders when it matters most. This project allows us to better understand how far this innovation can go in improving survival and will shape the future of emergency medicine.”

“We’re excited about the potential drones bring to public safety,” said Sgt. Tiara Suggs, specialized response team commander with the James City County Police Department. “Whether it’s delivering AEDs, locating missing persons, or getting eyes on a scene faster than we ever could before, drones help us respond smarter and faster. In rural areas especially, where access can be limited, they’re a force multiplier that’s helping us save lives and protect our communities in ways we couldn’t just a few years ago.”

(Media coverage appears below)

 

Applefield Selected for 2026 ACC Emerging Faculty Academy

Congratulations to Willard Applefield, MD! We learned this week that he has been selected for the 2026 American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) Rick Nishimura, MD, MACC and Patrick T. O’Gara, MD, MACC Emerging Faculty Leadership Academy.

The program is designed to develop early career faculty in cardiology who have shown promise as educators. It aims to enhance participants’ skills as ACC educators and prepare them for leadership roles within the ACC organization.

Well-deserved, Willard!

 

 

 

Visiting Scholar Wraps Up Time with Duke Heart Team

We are pleased to have recently welcomed Diego Diaz, MD, of Colombia, South America, to Duke Heart and Vascular Services. Diaz practices electrophysiology and heart failure, and was here to spend some time rounding with and interacting with our team. Diaz arrived at Duke on November 10^th for a two-week visit. He is shown here with Marat Fudim, MD.

His visit is part of a long-standing relationship via Alex Barbagelata, MD, adjunct professor in the Duke Department of Medicine, who helps facilitate our annual hosting of physicians from South America.

We enjoyed having Diego with us!

 

 

Clarivate’s Most Highly Cited Researchers 2025

Thirty-one researchers from across Duke are named to Clarivate’s Most Highly Cited Researchers list for 2025. Of the 31, four are faculty members within the Duke Heart & Vascular team. Those making the list rank in the top 1 percent of their field for publication citations.

Congratulations to Chris Granger, Adrian Hernandez, Renato Lopes, and Bill Kraus!

For the full Duke Today article, please visit https://today.duke.edu/2025/11/duke-scholars-featured-highly-cited-researchers-2025-list.

 

Cardiology APPs Gather

Our cardiology APP team held a social event for cardiology ambulatory APPs, nurses, and Heart Center staff to meet new people and foster enhanced working relationships across the disciplines. The team gathering was held on Nov. 16 at Hi-Wire in Durham.

Hat tip to Julie Marshall, APP team lead, for sharing this photo with us!

 

DUH Serving Up Appreciation at Thanksgiving

We are deeply grateful for the incredible dedication of all our Duke University Hospital team members, and we are especially thankful for those who will be serving our patients and team members on Thanksgiving Day.

Your commitment ensures that our patients receive exceptional care every day of the year, and we couldn’t be more thankful for your service and compassion. To show our appreciation, Duke Hospital administration is offering a complimentary meal at the Atrium Café in Duke North for all staff working on Thanksgiving Day. Learn more about the schedule and meal options here.

 

Nov. 24: Clinical & Translational Research Town Hall

“Demystifying Clinical Research Administration” is the third installment of the School of Medicine’s research town hall series with the objective of engaging directly with research faculty on relevant and/or emerging research resources, services, and needs. This is intended to provide a forum for bi-directional discussion and will leverage case examples to highlight challenges and solutions to conducting research at Duke.

All clinical and translational researchers are invited to join the SOM on Monday, November 24, 4-5 pm for TED-style presentations followed by a 30-minute panel discussion including Q&A.

Please join us in person in the Trent Semans Great Hall or participate via Zoom (link available upon registration).

Event Details

Register

Please contact the SOM at somclinicalresearch@duke.edu if you have questions about the event. 

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Nov. 25: No CGR/holiday.

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Nov. 26: No conference/holiday

Nov. 28: No conference/holiday

Dec. 3: Match Day Review with Anna Lisa Chamis. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 5: SVT with Jon Piccini. Noon. Zoom only.

Dec. 10: EP Case Presentation with Mugdha Joshi and Chad Kloefkorn. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 12: Board review with Nishant Shah and Anthony Lin. Noon, via Zoom.        

Dec. 17: DHP Case Presentation with Verda Arshad. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 19: DHP Case Presentation with Harriet Akunor. Noon, Zoom only.

 

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Nov. 27: NO CONFERENCE (Thanksgiving)

Dec. 4: Echo Imaging to Optimize Cardiac Resynchronization Pacing with Josh Sink

Dec. 11: RV Failure or Pericardial Disease TBD with Cosette Champion

Dec. 18: TBD with Vincent Delgado

Dec. 25: NO CONFERENCE (Christmas)

 

Upcoming CME Activities:

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here. 

 

2026 Duke Heart CMEs Announced

The dates for the following 2026 Duke Heart symposia have been set. We will announce others as they are added.

• Duke Heart Failure Symposium – Saturday, June 6, 2026. Course directors are Marat Fudim, Rob Mentz, Richa Agarwal, and Stephanie Barnes. Location: Durham Convention Center, Durham, NC.
• 18^th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium – Friday, October 30, 2026. Course directors are Terry Fortin, Sudar Rajagopal, and Jimmy Ford. Location: Durham Convention Center, Durham, NC.

Please save the dates!

 

Have news to share?

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

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

November 17 — Manesh Patel

NBC News

New heart disease calculator predicts 30-year risk for young adults

November 18 — Manesh Patel

Hindustan Times

Can young adults be at risk of heart disease? Here’s what new calculator says

November 18 — Manesh Patel

La Opinion

Nueva calculadora de riesgo en línea puede predecir enfermedades cardíacas desde 30 años antes

November 19 — Manesh Patel

Medscape

Dual Antithrombotic Therapy: Is Shorter Better for Patients With AF Undergoing PCI?

November 19 — Monique Starks

Popular Science*

Drones are delivering life-saving defibrillators to 911 calls

*carried by Yahoo News and affiliates

November 19 — Monique Starks

WTVD

Duke Health, Forsyth County launch study, delivering AEDs by drone to cut cardiac arrest response times

November 19 — Monique Starks

Becker’s Hospital Review

Duke Health delivers AEDs by drone

November 19 — Monique Starks

Blue Ridge Public Radio

Drones set to deliver emergency AEDs in Forsyth County pilot study

November 19 — Monique Starks

WDC TV News (Washington DC)

Drones are delivering life-saving defibrillators to 911 calls

November 19 — Monique Starks

WFMY (Greensboro, NC)

AEDs to be dispatched by 911 to help save lives

November 19 — Monique Starks

Cardiovascular Business

Drones deliver AEDs for the first time in the United States

November 19 — Monique Starks

WRAL (Raleigh)

Duke Health program has drones delivering life-saving AEDs in North Carolina

November 21 — Monique Starks

Gizmodo

North Carolina Town First in U.S. to Deploy Defibrillator Drones During Actual 911 Emergencies

November 21 — Sana Al-Khatib

Healio/Cardiology Today

Shortened dual antithrombotic duration after PCI may be safe in patients with AF

Highlights of the week:

Fall HCLC Meeting Held

Our Heart Center Leadership Council held its Fall meeting on Friday, November 14 at the JB Duke Hotel and Conference Center. After a welcome from HCLC Chair Bob Keegan, the Council members heard updates from Drs. Manesh Patel and Carmelo Milano. Presenters included Dr. Chad Hughes of Duke Aortic Center and Dr. Joseph Turek from our pediatric heart team, who each spoke about innovations in cardiovascular surgery; Dr. Svati Shah, who presented on our research vision for cardiovascular care, and then from Drs. Manesh Patel and Sreekanth Vemulapalli, and Keegan, for a discussion about the importance of philanthropy and collaboration for driving innovation in the cardiovascular space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CT Cardiac Scoring Available at Multiple Duke Locations

Do you have patients in need of CT Cardiac Scoring (CT Calcium Scoring) to evaluate plaque in the heart vessels? Duke Health offers this at three convenient locations, including Duke Medical Pavilion via Hospital Imaging Services, at Duke Imaging Arringdon, and Duke Imaging Heritage for a patient self-pay rate of $150.00, which includes the exam, professional reading, and technical services.

To download a flyer, click here: MC-4081 CT Cardiac Scoring FlyerNoCrop  

If you have any questions, please reach out to Barbara Willis, BSN, RN, Imaging Physician Liaison.

 

NC/SC VAD Event Held

Ventricular Assist Device coordinators from throughout North and South Carolina came together last week in Raleigh for an event focused on best-practice sharing and community building. Although the groups have held numerous such events over the years, gathering slowed during COVID. This is the second regional event the group has hosted since the pandemic. Event planners were Duke’s Laura Blue along with Jen Hajj of the Medical University of South Carolina.

Team members from every VAD Center throughout the region were invited to attend, says Blue. “It’s a great outreach event that brings nurses and nurse practitioners, and coordinators together to collaborate, discuss the latest research, and to provide mutual support to one another over challenges that all VAD centers and providers face.”

She added that such collaborative efforts are a great way to network with teams at regional VAD Centers and to share best practices, and that it can help facilitate patient referrals.

The event was held at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel in Research Triangle Park on Friday, Nov. 7. Sponsors included Abbott and Acelis.

 

Respiratory Care Team Member Spotlight: Andrew Almond

Duke University Hospital Respiratory Care Clinical Team Lead Andrew Almond is featured this week in a team member spotlight on the Duke Health Careers website!

In his youth, Andrew had a personal diagnosis that sparked his passion for health care. It’s this calling to care – and a family history in the field – that eventually led him to Duke Health, where he’s found a rewarding career in respiratory care. Watch his story.

 

 

Respiratory Care Team Retirements

Our Respiratory Care Team is celebrating two retirements after many years of service at Duke:

Paul Robbins, Respiratory Care Services, Advanced Respiratory Care Practitioner, 41 years of service

Congratulations to Paul Robbins on his retirement! For four decades, Paul was not only a compassionate caregiver, but a cornerstone of the Respiratory Care Services medical team. Throughout his career, including during the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Paul didn’t just care for patients—he helped shape the future of Duke University Hospital.

His commitment extended far beyond his role in patient care. Paul served as an invaluable mentor, teaching countless respiratory therapists, medical doctors, advanced practice providers, and registered nurses the complexities of pulmonary medicine.

But perhaps most importantly, Paul exemplified the power of resilience. In the face of overwhelming circumstances—during COVID, flu seasons, and the uncharted territory of a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape—Paul continued to model strength, adaptability, and a willingness to learn. By passing on his newfound knowledge, Paul ensured that our practices would continue to evolve, benefiting not only those who worked alongside him but also newer staff members who will carry his legacy forward.

Paul’s sharp wit and incredible depth of knowledge are unmatched — whether the topic is history, movies, books, cars, music, whiskey, or just about anything else. He has always been able to hold a great conversation with anyone, from all walks of life. His presence, his humor, and the conversations we’ve shared will be deeply missed. Thank you, Paul, for your impact on all of those you served and worked with at Duke.

 

Lloyd Freeman, Respiratory Care Services, Advanced Respiratory Care Practitioner, 33 years of service

Congratulations, Lloyd, on your retirement! Lloyd has made a lasting impact over his 33 years of service at Duke. He is deeply respected and appreciated by respiratory therapists, nurses, physicians, and staff across the hospital.

Lloyd has played a key role in teaching and mentoring new generations of clinicians, sharing not only his clinical expertise but also his calm, steady approach to patient care. His dedication to supporting others, fostering teamwork, and upholding high standards has shaped the culture of our department.

Colleagues will remember Lloyd for his kindness, his quiet confidence, and the way he made everyone around him feel supported. The impact he made isn’t just in the skills he taught—it’s in the way he made people feel valued and capable. Lloyd’s legacy will continue in the many clinicians he helped train and in the compassionate, patient-centered care he modeled every day. Thank you, Lloyd, for your dedication to your patients and colleagues at Duke!

Congratulations, Paul and Lloyd!

 

SURE Program Scholars at AHA

Several Duke Cardiovascular Research Center Supporting Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE) Program Scholars attended and presented posters at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in New Orleans last weekend.

The CVRC ran multiple undergraduate summer programs this year, including two AHA programs. Sudar Rajagopal led the AHA CVRC SURE program while Svati Shah oversaw the AHA Sarnoff SURE program. The following scholars are shown here:

Daliya Rizvi worked with the Lefkowitz Lab (CVRC SURE)

Bailey Herfindahl, who was mentored by Andrew Landstrom (CVRC SURE). In a LinkedIn post last weekend, Herfindahl, a heart disease survivor, wrote, “This weekend, I had the privilege of presenting my research poster at the American Heart Association’s annual international Scientific Sessions. This work was a result of my summer spent as an AHA SURE Scholar in the Landstrom Lab at Duke University, investigating a gene-specific treatment for a rare pediatric arrhythmia condition. In addition to being a SURE Scholar, I was recognized as a patient representative and had the opportunity to share my own cardiac story throughout the weekend. To be a part of this organization and contribute to the incredible life-saving research that has saved my own life was profoundly inspiring. A huge thank you to the American Heart Association‘s SURE Program, Dr. Andrew Landstrom, and Gio Monaco, as well as the rest of the Landstrom lab, for your support and mentorship.”

 

Inioluwa Olabode who was mentored by Andrew Landstrom (Sarnoff SURE)

Fabian Madera who was mentored by Joseph Turek (Sarnoff SURE)

Not shown is the last undergrad in our AHA-supported program, Casey James Powell, mentored by Satyanarayana Achanta (CVRC SURE).

Way to go, Scholars!

 

CVRC Food Drive – Contribute by Nov. 21

Reminder! The Karra Lab in the Cardiovascular Research Center is holding a food drive to support the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC.

Any donation of non-perishable food items would be appreciated. The most in-demand food items are peanut butter and jam (in large plastic containers); chicken, tuna, or salmon (in either pouches or pop-top cans); canned fruit and vegetables; soup, ravioli, and other ready-to-eat meals (pop-top cans preferred). Many people in crisis may not have access to manual or electric can openers!

A donation box has been set up on the first floor of the CARL building, as well as in CARL 247. Please plan to bring in donations by Friday, November 21.

If you have any questions, please contact Lauren Parker (lep52@duke.edu), Duke School of Medicine MD/PhD candidate, Karra Lab.

 

Holiday Decorating Safety Reminders: Keep it Festive and Fire-Safe

As we begin to decorate our spaces this holiday season, let’s keep safety at the heart of our celebrations. Here are a few friendly reminders to help us all stay merry and mindful:

Do’s:

• Use UL-approved artificial trees—fiber optic and pre-wired are great options!
• Choose battery-operated candles and LED lights to avoid fire risks.
• Keep decorations flame-retardant and non-combustible.
• Appoint a team member to turn off lights daily to prevent overheating.
• Avoid door decorations as these are now allowed by Fire Code and Joint Commission.
• Use flame-retardant cotton substitutes like Magic-Glass.

Don’ts:

• No live greenery, metallic trees with electric lights, or aerosol sprays (sorry, no fake snow!).
• Avoid extension cords and never plug power strips into each other.
• Don’t place cords under rugs or across doorways.
• Keep corridors clean, no hanging or draped decorations, and don’t cover more than 25% of wall space.
• Never block fire exits, doors, or safety equipment with decorations.
• Don’t use space heaters. If you are uncomfortable in your workspace, contact Engineering.

Let’s make this season bright—and safe—for everyone. Download and print this flyer to hang in your department. If you have questions, reach out to your department’s safety rep or local OESO office. Read more here.

 

Campus Construction & Renewal Updates

If you’ve been on campus lately, you know there is a lot of construction taking place all over Duke. For a list of updates and target completion dates, you can read all about what Duke Facilities Management is doing right here.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Reminder – Nov. 18 is the deadline for flu vaccination compliance.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Nov. 18: Wearables for Disease Detection and Monitoring with Jessilyn Dunn. 5 p.m. DN 2002 and via Zoom.

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Nov. 19: EP Case Presention with Alex Gunn and Yoo Jin Kim. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Nov. 21: Adult Congenital, part 2 with Rich Krasuski. Noon. Zoom only.

Nov. 26: No conference/holiday

Nov. 28: No conference/holiday

Dec. 3: Match Day Review with Anna Lisa Chamis. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 5: SVT with Jon Piccini. Noon. Zoom only.

Dec. 10: EP Case Presentation with Mugdha Joshi and Chad Kloefkorn. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 12: Board review with Nishant Shah and Anthony Lin. Noon, via Zoom.        

Dec. 17: DHP Case Presentation with Verda Arshad. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 19: DHP Case Presentation with Harriet Akunor. Noon, Zoom only.

 

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Nov. 20: Multi-Modality Imaging for LVH with Mugdha Joshi

Nov. 27: NO CONFERENCE (Thanksgiving)

Dec. 4: Echo Imaging to Optimize Cardiac Resynchronization Pacing with Josh Sink

Dec. 11: RV Failure or Pericardial Disease TBD with Cosette Champion

Dec. 18: TBD with Vincent Delgado

Dec. 25: NO CONFERENCE (Christmas)

 

Upcoming CME Activities:

 

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here. 

 

2026 Duke Heart CMEs Announced

The dates for the following 2026 Duke Heart symposia have been set. We will announce others as they are added.

• Duke Heart Failure Symposium – Saturday, June 6, 2026. Course directors are Marat Fudim, Rob Mentz, Richa Agarwal, and Stephanie Barnes. Location: Durham Convention Center, Durham, NC.

 

• 18^th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium – Friday, October 30, 2026. Course directors are Terry Fortin, Sudar Rajagopal, and Jimmy Ford. Location: Durham Convention Center, Durham, NC.

Please save the dates!

 

Have news to share?

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

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

November 7 — Svati Shah

Pharmacy Times

Targeting Mitochondrial Metabolism in Heart Failure: From Genetic Drivers to Fuel Modulation Therapies

 

November 8 — Nishant Shah

NBC News*

Harmful cholesterol levels cut in half with one-time gene editing drug in early trial

*carried by affiliates nationally

 

November 8 — Kristin Newby

CNN*

Experimental daily pill may lower cholesterol in patients who don’t see enough benefit with statins alone, study finds

*carried by affiliates nationally

 

November 8 — Manesh Patel

Healio/Cardiology Today

Left atrial appendage closure may not confer benefit vs. drug therapy in high-risk AF

 

November 8 — Manesh Patel

Healio/Cardiology Today

Ongoing anticoagulation may not be necessary after successful atrial fibrillation ablation

 

November 8 — Sana Al-Khatib and Manesh Patel

tctMD

One Month of Dual Antithrombotic Therapy May Be Enough After PCI in AF Patients

 

November 9 — Kristin Newby

CNN Espanol

Una píldora podría reducir el colesterol en pacientes que no obtienen suficiente beneficio solo con estatinas, según estudio

 

November 10 — Robert Califf

Contagion Live

2024-25 COVID-19 Vaccines Effective Against JN1 Subvariants

 

November 10 — Robert Califf

The Medical Independent

Cardiovascular disease in ‘tumultuous times’

 

November 10 — Nishant Shah

PHLatames.com

Un solo tratamiento genético reduce a la mitad el colesterol “malo” en humanos

 

November 11 — Christopher Granger

tctMD

CELEBRATE: Zalunfiban, a Novel Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitor, Helps in STEMI

Highlights of the week:

AHA Scientific Sessions & Duke Annual Reception

The American Heart Association 2025 Scientific Sessions is taking place this weekend in New Orleans. Our annual Duke reception was held last night at the New Orleans Marriott in the Warehouse Arts District.  We had several facutly and fellows presenting across a broad range of topics and commenting on Late Breaking Clinical science.  The big science coming out of the meeting we will review in upcoming weeks – many advances in cardiometabolic health, atrial fibrillation and anti-thrombotic treatment, heart failure including a first in-man gene study presented by Marat, and some new data on lifestyle changes and caffeine.  Please see some pictures from the conference including standing room only of Neha’s presentation in the cardiometabolic LBS session, some pictures around the conference.  Also some shots of the presidential session with Stacey Rosen from Northwell Health and the Northwell Health Nurses Choir.  Special shout out’s to our fellows Allie Levin who had two posters on causes of death in Congenital heart disease patients and outcomes in Fontan patients, and Hubie Haywood had a poster in heart failure.  

 

Memorial Service for Estes Announced

A memorial service for E. Harvey Estes, Jr., MD, will take place from 1-2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Few Chapel in Croasdaile Village, 2600 Croasdaile Parkway, Durham, NC.

Estes, a former Duke cardiologist who died on October 16, was highlighted by The Duke Chronicle in a news piece last week. To read that story, please click here or see below, under News.

 

 

 

 

What Happens to the Body in Space?

As humans prepare for longer missions to the moon and Mars, scientists are trying to understand how space affects the human body. One of the biggest concerns is space radiation — high-energy particles from the sun and distant galaxies that can pass through spacecraft and into bodies.

Unlike Earth, which is protected by a magnetic field and atmosphere, space is not. This means astronauts are exposed to radiation that could harm their health during and long after their missions end.

Dawn Bowles, PhD, assistant professor in surgery at Duke, is collaborating with NASA to study how space radiation affects the heart. Bowles is co-director, along with Carmelo Milano, MD, of the Duke Human Heart Repository.

Originally trained as a virologist, Bowles was among nine principal investigators recruited by NASA into its Space Radiation Element program to mitigate the harmful effects of space radiation on astronauts’ health.

Her team conducts its research at a unique facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, home to the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory.

“It’s a really neat, nifty, unique thing that NASA has developed,” she said. “They actually can simulate as closely as possible what the radiation environment looks like in space here on Earth.”

Trying to understand the cardiovascular risk of space radiation exposure from astronaut data has been challenging due to the lack of data. Only 24 Apollo lunar astronauts have traveled beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) into the complex space radiation environment. Of those individuals who have traveled further, the amount of time spent there has been less than 50 days.

Bowles explained: “Astronauts who are going to be traveling to Mars or who are going to be living on the moon are going to be continually hit, bombarded with this kind of radiation. It is a serious risk for human health.”

Although astronauts have spent extended periods of time in space aboard the International Space Station, they remain within the protective environment of a magnetic field, known as the magnetosphere, and are not exposed to significant amounts of radiation.

As a result, other studies that have examined the cardiovascular effects of space radiation on astronauts have been unable to generate firm conclusions.

Studies in animals have shown that radiation can lead to stiffening of the arteries, damage to the heart’s structure, and changes in how the heart beats.

“We’ve identified that there might definitely be a problem, at least in animal models,” said Bowles. “We’re doing additional studies to understand the mechanisms behind this problem and whether we can remedy it.”

Clues from the Lab and from Space

Bowles and her team use advanced tools to study how radiation affects tissues at the molecular level. “We do a lot of very advanced molecular omics — genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics,” she said, referring to the study of DNA, RNA, and proteins. “We try to look at the tissues or cells very holistically.”

In addition to exploring ways to protect astronauts from radiation damage, Bowles’ team is investigating whether existing medications could help. “We have a paper under review where we analyzed our data to see if there were any drugs that could be repurposed,” she said. “NASA’s just looking at ways to do this as economically as possible. If something already exists, why not use it?”

While her team hasn’t yet studied dietary changes, she believes their data could be used to explore that too.

“NASA really invests in these deep characterizations because these data sets go into their repository,” she said. “There’s a whole group of scientists at NASA doing data mining to gain new insights.” That information, Bowles noted, can be made available for other scientists to evaluate.

Though the research is focused on space, it could also benefit people on Earth. “There’s personnel in the medical field, like interventional cardiologists, who are exposed to low levels of radiation over time, who might develop similar cardiovascular effects,” Bowles noted. “Maybe we can find something protective for the heart for a patient undergoing cancer treatment. There is potential for saving human lives.”

Does Radiation Affect People Differently?

There’s still much to learn, especially about how radiation affects different sexes and species. “Most early studies were done with male mice,” Bowles said. “Now we’re doing studies with both sexes to see if there are differences.”

She added that they are also adding another component to the study — microgravity or weightlessness to better mimic the full space environment.

Bowles’ research, until now, has been funded by NASA. Despite funding uncertainties, Bowles remains optimistic.

“I’m very blessed to be able to work in an exciting field like this,” she said. “We’re uncovering biological mechanisms and responses that no one’s really looked at before. It’s all new ground and it’s very exciting.”

*this story was written for Duke Today and published on Nov. 4, 2025.

 

17^th Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium Held

Our 17th annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium was held on Oct. 31. We welcomed just over 130 CME provider-attendees, and 30 patients and their guests who attended the “Patient Day” part of the symposium. The Patient Day session ran concurrent to the provider-based CME and was specifically designed for patients, family members and other caregivers so they could learn more on topics such as understanding pulmonary hypertension; existing non-medical therapies and testing expectations; how to navigate insurance, medications, and patient-assistance resources, and how to get and remain active while living with PH.

Course directors were Terry Fortin, MD, and Jimmy Ford, MD, of UNC-Chapel Hill, and presenters from Duke included Sudar Rajagopal, MD, Benjamin Trichon, MD, Willard Applefeld, MD, Richard Krasuski, MD, and Jordan Whitson, MD. A full list of presenters and their topics can be found here.

 

Heart Team Members Conduct Teaching Session on PAD

Several members of our Duke Heart team were invited to speak at a men’s group that is part of Morehead Avenue Baptist Church in Durham’s West End this past week. The men’s group had asked for providers to speak with them on a health topic, and our team chose peripheral artery disease (PAD). Providers included Victor Ayeni, MD; cardiology fellow DaMarcus Ingram, MD, and cardiologist Dennis Narcisse, MD.

According to Ayeni, a PG-2 Duke internal medicine resident who has been interning with electrophysiologist Camille Frazier-Mills, MD, the event ended up as a round-table discussion about not just PAD but cardiovascular health and wellness overall. He let us know that Narcisse even accepted one of attendees as a new patient!

The men’s group is interested in having Ayeni, Ingram, and Narcisse speak with them again, and would welcome other providers as well.

The event, Ayeni says, “was really heart-warming for both sides, and one of the community members specifically said that it meant a lot that we came to them, talked to them bidirectionally (rather than just lectured), and presented ourselves as part of the bigger Durham community.”

Way to go, Victor, Dennis, and DaMarcus! The world needs more of this.

 

DUH Earns Healthgrades Award for Cardiac Surgery

Congratulations to our CT Surgery team!!! We learned this week that Healthgrades selected Duke University Hospital for their latest America’s 50 best Hospitals for Cardiac Surgery Award!

What a terrific accomplishment and well-deserved recognition for our team. Great work, everyone!

 

Duke Heart Grows Again

Congratulations to cardiology fellow Cosette Champion, MD, and her husband, Brian!

They welcomed their daughter, Madeline, on October 7. She weighed in at 7 lbs, 11 oz., and is just gorgeous. We are so excited for them!

 

2026 Duke Heart CMEs Announced

The dates for the following 2026 Duke Heart symposia have been set. We will announce others as they are added.

• Duke Heart Failure Symposium – Saturday, June 6, 2026. Course directors are Marat Fudim, Rob Mentz, Richa Agarwal, and Stephanie Barnes. Location: Durham Convention Center, Durham, NC.
• 18^th Annual NC Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium – Friday, October 30, 2026. Course directors are Terry Fortin, Sudar Rajagopal, and Jimmy Ford. Location: Durham Convention Center, Durham, NC.

Please save the dates!

 

Veteran’s Day is Tuesday, Nov. 11

Please join Duke in honoring service members at its Veterans Day Ceremony on Nov. 11. Duke University will recognize the service and sacrifice of its roughly 2,200 employees and 450 students who are military veterans during the annual Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. on November 11 in Duke Chapel.

The event will feature remarks from President Vincent E. Price, Vice President for Human Resources Antwan Lofton, and Chapel Dean Luke Powery, with a keynote by Maj. Ryan Allen of the U.S. Air Force and a wreath-laying ceremony in the Memorial Garden.

 

Karra Lab of CVRC Launches Food Drive

Ravi Karra, MD, and his lab team in the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center are hosting a food drive to support the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC.

Any donation of non-perishable food items would be appreciated. The most in-demand food items are peanut butter and jam (in large plastic containers); chicken, tuna, or salmon (in either pouches or pop-top cans); canned fruit and vegetables; soup, ravioli, and other ready-to-eat meals (pop-top cans preferred). Many people in crisis may not have access to manual or electric can openers!

A donation box has been set up on the first floor of the CARL building, as well as in CARL 247. Please plan to bring in donations by Friday, November 21.

If you have any questions, please contact Lauren Parker (lep52@duke.edu), Duke School of Medicine MD/PhD candidate, Karra Lab.

 

Supporting Each Other During Times of Need

Health System leadership issued a statement this week related to the temporary shut-down of federal food-assistance programs. Please share this information with your team. The resource information below has been vetted and confirmed so you can feel confident in sharing it with others.

“The recent federal shutdown temporarily suspended federal food assistance programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), impacting individuals and families across our community. At Duke University Health System, we remain committed to Putting People First and connecting those in need with meaningful support.

Please find below verified resources to help team members, patients, and families navigate this challenging time. Whether you’re seeking assistance or looking for ways to help, we hope you find these resources valuable.

We know this is a difficult time for many. Let’s continue to lead with compassion, dignity, and respect as we support one another. Share these resources, check on neighbors, and stay connected. If you have questions, please reach out to your leadership or send an email to caringforeachother@duke.edu.”

Resources for Those in Need of Assistance

• Food Finder Tools: Locate nearby food assistance through the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC and Second Harvest Metrolina.
• Case Management Support: Patients and team members can be referred to Community Health Worker Navigation or Care Management to access help related to financial insecurity (ex. food, housing, transportation).
• Caring for Each Other Peer Support Program: Speak confidentially with a Duke colleague about personal or professional stressors.
• Personal Assistance Service (PAS): Free counseling and referrals are available at no cost to team members. Call 919-416-1727 to make an appointment.
• Financial Resources: The Earned Wage Access program allows team members to access already earned wages while the Caring for Each Other Fund* provides emergency financial support for team members.

Resources for Those Looking to Assist

• Emergency Relief Fund through Duke Doing Good: Team member contributions support local nonprofits focused on education, health, housing, and disaster relief.
• Root Causes Fund: (Donation link) Root Causes is a student-led initiative addressing food insecurity in Durham and among patients.
• Green Family Student Emergency Fund: (Donation link) Provides grocery gift cards to medical students facing emergencies.
• Duke Healthy Lifestyles Food Market: An in-clinic pantry serving patients through a partnership among Duke Children’s, Internal Medicine, and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.
• Caring for Each Other Fund*: (Donation link) Provides emergency financial aid for DUHS team members experiencing short-term crises. *Please note the Caring for Each Other Fund cannot be used to replace SNAP or WIC benefits but can support other immediate needs.
• Family Meal Trays Program: (Donation link) Offers meals to hospitalized children and families experiencing food insecurity.

 

New Duke CTSI Pilot Funding Opportunities: 2025–2027 IMPaCTS Challenge Awards

The Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) is pleased to announce two new pilot funding opportunities through the Improving Clinical and Translational Science (IMPaCTS) Challenge, designed to accelerate the advancement of scientific discoveries into real-world health solutions.

Each award provides $25,000–$50,000 in direct costs for up to one-year projects. The opportunities are open to investigators from Duke University and partner institutions (North Carolina Central University, Durham Tech, Lincoln Community Health Center, and others).

Funding Opportunities:

1. The Duke IMPaCTS Challenge: General Pilot Awards program supports projects that develop scalable solutions to overcome common bottlenecks in the translational research process—from basic discovery to clinical and community implementation.
2. The Duke IMPaCTS Challenge: Enhancing the Participant Experience Awards program focuses on improving research participation, engagement, and trust through innovations that make research more inclusive, efficient, and participant-centered.

Key Dates:

• Virtual Information Session: November 13, 2025, 2:00–3:00 p.m. ET. Register to attend.
• Letter of Intent (mandatory) deadline: December 5, 2025
• Full Application Deadline: January 15, 2026
• Award Notifications:March 2026

Funding Period Start Dates:

• April 1, 2026
• August 1, 2026

Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with the CTSI Pilot Program Team before submission to ensure alignment with program goals.

Learn more about these opportunities and application instructions on the Duke CTSI Funding website or contact Eman Ghanem (ctsifunding@duke.edu) with questions.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

November 9-15: National Nurse Practitioner Week & Perioperative Nurses Week.

November 18: Deadline for flu vaccination compliance.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Nov. 11: Perioperative atrial fibrillation after noncardiac surgery with Michael Wang. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Nov. 12: DHP Case Presentation with Krunal Amin. Noon, DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Nov. 14: Fellows’ Forum with Anthony Lin. Noon. Zoom only.

Nov. 19: EP Case Presention with Alex Gunn and Yoo Jin Kim. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Nov. 21: Adult Congenital, part 2 with Rich Krasuski. Noon. Zoom only.

Nov. 26: No conference/holiday

Nov. 28: No conference/holiday

Dec. 3: Match Day Review with Anna Lisa Chamis. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 5: SVT with Jon Piccini. Noon. Zoom only.

Dec. 10: EP Case Presentation with Mugdha Joshi and Chad Kloefkorn. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 12: Board review with Nishant Shah and Anthony Lin. Noon, via Zoom.        

Dec. 17: DHP Case Presentation with Verda Arshad. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 19: DHP Case Presentation with Harriet Akunor. Noon, Zoom only.

Friday 14-Nov 12:00 Virtual Fellows’ Forum Anthony Lin, APDs
Wednesday

Nov. 19: EP Case Presention with Alex Gunn and Yoo Jin Kim. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Nov. 21: Adult Congenital, part 2 with Rich Krasuski. Noon. Zoom only.

Nov. 26: No conference/holiday

Nov. 28: No conference/holiday

Dec. 3: MATCH DAY REVIEW with Anna Lisa Chamis. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 5: SVT with Jon Piccini. Noon. Zoom only.

Dec. 10: EP Case Presentation with Mugdha Joshi and Chad Kloefkorn. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 12: Board review with Nishant Shah and Anthony Lin. Noon, via Zoom.

Dec. 17: DHP Case Presentation with Verda Arshad. Noon. DMP 7E39 and via Zoom.

Dec. 19: DHP Case Presentation with Harriet Akunor. Noon, Zoom only.

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Nov. 13: Topic TBD with Jemi Gelani

Nov. 20: Multi-Modality Imaging for LVH with Mugdha Joshi

Nov. 27: NO CONFERENCE (Thanksgiving)

Dec. 4: Echo Imaging to Optimize Cardiac Resynchronization Pacing with Josh Sink

Dec. 11: RV Failure or Pericardial Disease TBD with Cosette Champion

Dec. 18: TBD with Vincent Delgado

Dec. 25: NO CONFERENCE (Christmas)

 

Upcoming CME Activities:

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here. 

 

Have news to share?

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

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

November 3 — Sreekanth Vemulapalli

American Heart Association Newsroom

New effort launched to support earlier diagnosis, treatment of aortic stenosis

 

November 3 — Mary Klotman, Justine Strand de Oliveira, and Howard Eisenson

The Duke Chronicle

‘Transcended his own era’: E. Harvey Estes remembered for pioneering community-centered health care

November 3 — Nishant Shah

Newz 9

Is Your Year-Long Supplement Routine Harming Your Heart? Discover the Surprising Truth

November 3 — Nishant Shah

NBC News*

What taking melatonin could reveal about your heart health

*carried by affiliates nationally

November 3 — Nishant Shah

America Zeit

El uso crónico de suplementos de melatonina puede aumentar el riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular

November 4 — Renato Lopes

Medical Dialogues

Positive results revealed from first prospective trial in heart failure due to Chagas disease

November 4 — Nishant Shah

Newsmax TV/American Agenda

Discussion : Melatonin & Your Health

November 4 — Robert Califf

tctMD

What Makes MedTech Great—or Not—and Envisioning Its Future

November 5 — Sujay Kansagra

New York Times

Is Melatonin Bad for Your Heart? Here’s What to Know.

November 5 — Nishant Shah

Juta Medical Brief

Regular melatonin use could indicate heart issues – US study

Highlights of the week:

AHA Scientific Sessions & Duke Annual Reception Next Weekend

The American Heart Association 2025 Scientific Sessions is taking place later this week (Nov. 7-10) in New Orleans. This year’s theme is The Future of Cardiovascular Science Starts Here. We know a lot of you are going and we’re looking forward to seeing you there – don’t forget to join us at the annual Duke reception on Sat., Nov. 8!

We have more than 100 presentations, panels, posters, and sessions moderated by Duke faculty and fellows coming up next weekend. It promises to be a great weekend to get together, network, and celebrate the research and clinical advances made not only at Duke but throughout the cardiovascular space.

 

Coleman Inducted into ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators

Dawn Coleman, MD, professor of surgery and chief, Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Duke, has been inducted into the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Academy of Master Surgeon Educators.

Coleman is among a group of 103 esteemed surgeon educators who received this honor on Sept. 19, 2025, in Chicago. This is the eighth cohort of members inducted into the Academy.

A dedicated surgeon educator and mentor, Coleman previously served as interim Program Director for the Duke Vascular Surgery Integrated Residency Program and as Program Director for the Integrated Vascular Surgery Residency and Fellowship at the University of Michigan. 

Coleman additionally holds leadership positions in several professional societies and associations. She is currently the 2024-2025 President for the Association of Program Directors in Vascular Surgery, Secretary for the Vascular and Endovascular Surgical Society, Vice-Chair of the Program Committee for the Society of Vascular Surgery and is a member of the Society of University Surgeons and the Excelsior Surgical Society, among others.

“I’m honored to be inducted into the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators and grateful to join a community so deeply committed to advancing surgical education,” says Dr. Coleman. “Throughout my career, I’ve been inspired by the educators, trainees, and colleagues who elevate our field through mentorship, innovation, and collaboration. I look forward to contributing to the Academy’s mission and helping shape the future of surgical training.”

The ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators works to advance the science and practice of education across all surgical specialties. Individuals are selected as Members, Associate Members, or Affiliate Members following a stringent peer review process.

Once inducted, Academy members actively engage in advancing the Academy’s programs and goals, which are to advance the science and practice of innovative lifelong surgical education, training, and scholarship in the changing milieu of health care; foster the exchange of creative ideas and collaboration; support the development and recognition of faculty; underscore the importance of lifelong surgical education and training; positively impact quality and patient safety through lifelong surgical education and training disseminate advances in education and training to all surgeons; and offer mentorship to surgeon educators throughout their professional careers.

Congratulations, Dawn!

 

LT Team Celebrated by Pauly

Greg Pauly, president of Duke University Hospital, this week celebrated our lung transplant team in his monthly letter to team members. His message, sent Thursday, reads:

I want to recognize an exceptional accomplishment by our Lung Transplant Team who recently performed nine lung transplants in just one week – and a total of 20 for the month. This remarkable feat reflects not only the extraordinary skill of our transplant teams but their deep compassion and commitment to our patients. Dr. Jacob Klapper, Surgical Director of Lung Transplantation, shared,  

“In order for us, as the surgical team, to bring nine patients to transplant, we rely on the unwavering dedication of our anesthesiologists, nurses, critical care teams, and transplant pulmonologists. Everyone involved in the care of these patients has a shared vision for what needs to be done. This spirit has always defined our institution. As the surgical director, I am immensely grateful to all who helped us care for these individuals over the last seven days. It was a special week.”

Duke’s Transplant Program is recognized for having some of the shortest wait times and highest survival rates in the country. When the national median wait for a lung transplant is 58 days, at Duke it is 15 days. This milestone is especially meaningful as we observe Healthy Lung Month.

To every member of the Transplant Program, thank you. Your work embodies the very best of Duke Health: Excellence, teamwork, and a profound commitment to hope, health and healing.

Way to go!

 

May Named Exec Director of Development for MSCC

Congratulations to our major gifts officer, Jessica Baga May! Following a national search, she has been selected as the Executive Director of Development for Medicine, Surgery, and Clinical Care (MSCC), effective immediately.

In this role, Jessica will lead the MSCC fundraising team supporting the Division of Cardiology and Duke Heart Center; the Departments of Medicine, Ophthalmology, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Head and Neck Surgery and Communication Sciences (HNSCS), Dermatology, and Orthopedic Surgery; Duke Transplant Center; Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, and the Duke Eye Center. Her deep familiarity with Duke Health and her collaborative approach will be a great asset as she transitions into this expanded leadership role. In addition to leading the MSCC team, Jessica will continue to serve as our lead development officer for Heart services.

Congratulations, Jessica — well deserved!

 

Bashore Collection Celebrated

We were delighted to see several faculty members at last week’s celebration and grand opening of the Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection at the Rubenstein Library on Duke University’s west campus on Wednesday afternoon.

Bashore, with his trademark humor, delivered an excellent and informative lecture on the history of medicine and medical devices. Many thanks to all who joined us, including the Kelsey’s, Sketch’s, Califf’s, Dr. Harvey Cohen, Blue Dean, and numerous other friends.

Congratulations, Dr. Bashore!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

November 18: Deadline for flu vaccination compliance.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Nov. 4: Building a sustainable acute cardiovascular care program in western Kenya, the journey and lessons learned with Felix Ayub Barasa. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.  

Nov. 11: Perioperative atrial fibrillation after noncardiac surgery with Michael Wang. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Nov. 5: EP Case Presentation with Verda Arshad and Rebecca Steinberg. Noon, DMP 6E39 or via Zoom.

Nov. 7: EKG Review with Neil Freedman. Noon. Zoom.

 

2025 Victor J. Dzau Lecture Seminar Series

Nov. 5: Mechanisms of sarcomere assembly and local translation in cardiomyocytes with Nicole Dubois, PhD, associate professor, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Mount Sinai. Noon-1 p.m., Nanaline Duke Bldg, Room 147. Sponsored by The Mandel Center for Hypertension and Atherosclerosis.

 

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Nov. 6: Multi-Modality Imaging for Infiltrative Disease with Hubie Haywood

Nov. 13: Topic TBD with Jemi Gelani

Nov. 20: Multi-Modality Imaging for LVH with Mugdha Joshi

Nov. 27: NO CONFERENCE (Thanksgiving)

Dec. 4: Echo Imaging to Optimize Cardiac Resynchronization Pacing with Josh Sink

Dec. 11: RV Failure or Pericardial Disease TBD with Cosette Champion

Dec. 18: TBD with Vincent Delgado

Dec. 25: NO CONFERENCE (Christmas)

 

Upcoming CME Activities:

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here. 

 

Have news to share?

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

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

October 28 — Jennifer Rymer

The Healthy

Does Daylight Saving Time Cause Heart Attacks? Not So Fast, Says New Study

October 29 — DCRI/RACE-CARS

The Richmond Observer

Improving Emergency Response: Richmond County deputies now equipped with AEDs

Chief’s message:

Hope you all are having a good weekend.  As we get near the end of the year – this week we saw many continued events that point towards our future care.  We were able to present some of our innovations and work to the Duke Board of Visitors group, we had faculty and fellows presenting at the TCT (Trans-Catheter-Therapeutics) meeting, and our teams have continued to work on areas where we can improve care with quality rounds and innovations in the procedures we do.

Updates and Highlights of the week:

Innovation in Duke Heart

We are excited to note that Jeff Gaca and Andrew Wang earlier this week accomplished the first percutaneous tricuspid valve replacement at Duke. The patient has recovered uneventful. These two individuals along with the entire structural heart team including our heart center staff, nurses, and administrative leaders have driven innovation in the transcatheter valve space.  This work serves as an example of the type of innovation we are excited foster and committed to across the entire cardiovascular service line.

In Memoriam: E. Harvey Estes, Jr., MD

Harvey Estes, Jr., MD, a pioneering physician, educator, and leader whose contributions to Duke have left an enduring legacy, passed away on October 16, 2025, after having celebrated his 100th birthday this past May.

Estes joined Duke’s faculty as a cardiologist in 1956 and served for a decade in the Department of Medicine before being named the founding chair of the newly created Department of Community Health Sciences. Under his leadership, the department (later renamed Community and Family Medicine, then Family Medicine and Community Health) became a national model for interdisciplinary care and community-focused health initiatives. In 1967, he assumed responsibility for the Physician Assistant Program — founded by his mentor Eugene Stead, MD, helping to shape a profession that has transformed healthcare delivery across the country.

“Estes was instrumental in shaping the history and identity of the Duke University School of Medicine. His vision and leadership helped define Duke’s commitment to community-based care, interdisciplinary education, and innovation in health professions training,” said Mary E. Klotman, MD, executive vice president for health affairs at Duke University and dean of the Duke University School of Medicine, in an announcement on Tuesday.

Estes was deeply passionate about family medicine and preventive care. In the 1970s, he turned his focus to creating a family medicine residency program and building coalitions to place family physicians, PAs, and nurse practitioners in underserved communities. Even after stepping down as department chair in 1985, he continued to lead the family medicine and geriatrics divisions until his retirement in 1990.

Estes’s influence also extended far beyond Duke. He authored more than 100 scientific articles and co-authored a book, and he later served as the founding director of the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) Foundation’s Community Practitioner Program. He held leadership roles in the NCMS and the NC Institute of Medicine, and he served nationally as chair of the American Medical Association’s Council on Scientific Affairs, president of the Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine, and chair of the Institute of Medicine’s Steering Committee for Primary Health Care Workforce Policy.

A full obituary for Dr. Estes can be found on the Hall Wynne site. Our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved him.

In lieu of flowers, his family has requested donations in his memory be made to Duke University in honor of the PA Program General Scholarship Fund.

 

Lung Transplant Team Has Milestone Week

Congratulations to our entire lung transplant team at Duke! The team recently completed nine lung transplants in seven days – a program record – and all patients are doing well.

“This represents an incredible devotion to our patients, said Carmelo Milano, MD, Joseph and Dorothy Beard Professor of Surgery and division chief of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Duke. “There are few institutions in the world that can achieve such a volume. Please congratulate the members of this team when you see them.”

Duke surgeons have performed more than 2,700 lung transplants since our program launched in 1992, making ours one of the largest programs in the U.S. Additionally, our multidisciplinary faculty researchers have made significant contributions to the field of lung transplantation, notably our understanding of risk factors for chronic rejection, the impact of cytomegalovirus infection and gastroesophageal reflux on lung transplant outcomes, and the various forms of chronic lung allograft dysfunction.

“Nine transplants in one week is only possible through the dedication of nursing, anesthesia, critical care, transplant pulmonology and surgery,” said Jacob Klapper, MD, associate professor of surgery and lung transplant surgeon. “This collective spirit has always made Duke special in the past and continues to this day.”

Incredible work!

 

Celebrating Respiratory Therapists

National Respiratory Care Week was celebrated this past week (Oct. 19-25) with a number of activities across Duke to help recognize our respiratory care staff. Our RCS team is an amazing and vital part of the care we provide throughout Duke Heart & Vascular services!

Shown here are two awards that were presented at Duke University Hospital this week – Paul Robbins, RRT, RCP was awarded the Huston R. Anderson Award in Leadership Excellence and Misty Swanger, BSRT, RRT, RCP was awarded Adult Respiratory Care Services Respiratory Therapist of the Year Award.

Also shown are team members prepping treats for our RCS staff. Congratulations, Paul and Misty!

 

Celebrating Annette Moore; Retiring Nov. 4

With deep gratitude, we announce the retirement of Annette Moore, HCA/NM, a dedicated and skilled registered nurse and manager, who has been an integral part of the Duke team for 40 years. Annette’s commitment to excellence and her unwavering dedication to patient care have made a significant impact on our organization.

Annette began her career with us in 1985 after earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Over the years, she has held various roles in Cardiology, including Staff Nurse, Charge Nurse, Nurse Manager, and Health Center Administrator demonstrating exceptional leadership and management skills. Her contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Friends of Nursing Award and the Nan and Hugh Cullman Heart Center Award for Excellence in Nursing.

Throughout her career at Duke, Annette’s caring demeanor and patient first focus have truly been her most influential accomplishment.  She has been instrumental in the development and implementation of clinical services, staff training, and care design. She has managed multiple teams, ensuring the highest standards of patient care and compliance with regulatory requirements.

As Annette embarks on this new chapter of her life, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for her years of service and wish her all the best in her retirement. Her presence will be greatly missed, but her legacy will continue to inspire us all.

Annette, thank you for all your efforts, kindness, and mentorship over the years!

Please join us in celebrating Annette’s remarkable career and wishing her a happy and fulfilling retirement! Her last day with us will be November 3^rd.

 

Kudos to Kelly!

Joe Kelly, director of Duke Heart & Vascular Informatics and Center of Excellence, received a Kudos this week for his efforts in helping the team at Lake Norman during their go-live.

“Joe shared a URL for MAP4 this morning that is a complete game-changer for Case Management and Utilization Management at DHLN. We were in a pickle where we needed MAP4 documentation to be able to plan discharges and the app had disappeared off of our CHS Citrix. He saved the day. Thank you, Joseph!” – Megan Warren

Jill Engel, service line VP for Heart & Vascular added, “I have heard from numerous people you have been invaluable during their go live. Thanks for everything you do for our patients and teams!”

Way to go, Joe!

 

Shout-out to Rivera and Goodwin

We received a terrific shout-out this week for Danny Rivera, RCS, ACS, echocardiographer, and for Nate Goodwin, interventional cardiology fellow, this week from Schuyler Jones as well as Sreekanth Vemulapalli regarding a challenging case they were on.

“Danny Rivera and Nate Goodwin did such an incredibly good job of echo imaging, planning/communication, and echo-guided pericardiocentesis in the MICU room. I was really impressed-which doesn’t happen that much. Wanted to give kudos to them both.” — Schuyler Jones, MD

“A good example of great teamwork between a great interventional attending, a great interventional fellow, and a great sonographer…” — Sreekanth Vemulapalli, MD

Excellent work, Danny and Nate!

 

Duke Heart & Vascular Welcomes Newest Family Member

Congratulations to Aarti Thakkar, MD and Eric Xie, MD, two of our cardiovascular disease fellows, on the birth of their daughter, Asha! She arrived just after Noon on Oct. 21, weighing in at 7 lbs 13 oz. We are so happy for you!

 

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

November 18: Deadline for flu vaccination compliance.

 

AHA.25 Duke Annual Reception

The annual Duke reception at the upcoming American Heart Association Annual Scientific Sessions will be held on Nov. 8. (Please see email from DCRI for your official invitation.)

The upcoming Sessions will be held Nov. 7-10, 2025, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. This year’s theme is The Future of Cardiovascular Science Starts Here.

We look forward to seeing you!

Reminder: Please let Tracey Koepke know if you are making a presentation at Sessions so that she can plan to include your findings in Pulse. Thank you!

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Oct. 28: The Duke STRONGER Prehabilitation and Rehabilitation Service: The Future of Personalized Prehab/Rehab for the Cardiac and Transplant Patient with Paul Wischmeyer. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and.

Nov. 4: Building a sustainable acute cardiovascular care program in western Kenya, the journey and lessons learned with Felix Ayub Barasa. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

 

Medicine Grand Rounds

Oct. 31: Contemporary Issues in Transplant Allocation and Procurement with Chet Patel, Adam DeVore, Matt Ellis, John Reynolds, Lindsay King. 8 a.m., Duke South Amphitheater or via Zoom.

 

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Oct. 30: Cardiovascular Imaging in Pregnancy with Nish Shivakumar

Nov. 6: Multi-Modality Imaging for Infiltrative Disease with Hubie Haywood

Nov. 13: Topic TBD with Jemi Gelani

Nov. 20: Multi-Modality Imaging for LVH with Mugdha Joshi

Nov. 27: NO CONFERENCE (Thanksgiving)

Dec. 4: Echo Imaging to Optimize Cardiac Resynchronization Pacing with Josh Sink

Dec. 11: RV Failure or Pericardial Disease TBD with Cosette Champion

Dec. 18: TBD with Vincent Delgado

Dec. 25: NO CONFERENCE (Christmas)

 

CME Activities:

17th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium — October 31

This symposium will explore optimal diagnostic strategies for treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, treatment selection, and timely referrals to specialized PH centers. Clinically challenging presentations, including CTD-PAH, CPPC PH, CTEPH, PH associated with ILD, COPD, portopulmonary hypertension, and PH in end-stage renal disease, will be addressed — with a focus on frontline providers — through interactive lectures and robust case-based discussions. Durham Convention Center. Register here.

 

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here.

 

Community Events:

Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection Opening – October 29

The collection opening celebration is scheduled for October 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the Holsti Anderson Family Assembly Room, Room 153, Rubenstein Library, Duke University, West Campus.

 

Have news to share?

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

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

October 17 — Duke University Hospital

tctMD

Cardiac Transplant in Midst of ‘Revolution,’ but Public Trust Is Fragile

 

October 20 — Marat Fudim

Cardio Care Today

SCD-PROTECT: Wearable Defibrillators Key in First Months After Heart Failure Diagnosis

 

October 21 — Kristie Barazsu

Becker’s Health IT

GE HealthCare collaborates with 2 health systems on AI

 

October 22 — Renato Lopes

NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory

Rethinking Clinical Trials GR–Studying Neglected Diseases: Insights From the PARACHUTE-HF Trial

 

October 23 — Jennifer Rymer

Medscape

Understanding the Real Impact of Time Changes

 

October 23 — Duke Health

Popwire

The 10 Medical Breakthroughs You’ll See In the Next 15 Years (#6)

Chief’s Message:

Hope you are all having a good weekend.  We are nearing the last few meetings for cardiovascular medicine this year with TCT and the AHA.  We will be sure to give you updates in the coming weeks.

Highlights of the week:

Happy Diwali

Sending everyone warm wishes for Diwali – we hope this time is filled with love, joy, and prosperity. Happy Diwali!

 

 

 

 

 

Shah Receives Swann Lee Award Funding

Congratulations to Svati Shah! Her team is one of five research teams from Duke University School of Medicine selected to receive a Swann Lee Award from the Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Through the Swann Lee Awards, CTSI is distributing a combined $2 million across the teams to support the development of strategies aimed at reducing chronic disease risk through nutrition-focused approaches.

Shah’s team project is entitled, Dietary Effects and Modifiability of Ectopic Fat Depots and Metabolism in Heart Failure, which will investigate how GLP-1 receptor agonists and dietary ketones impact systemic metabolism in patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF). By integrating AI-assisted imaging and addressing barriers to care access, the study aims to refine therapies for a condition with significant clinical impact and limited treatment options.  The project leader is Jenifer Allen, PhD; Shah is the principal investigator.

The  Swann Lee Awards for Prevention of Chronic Diseases Using Diet and Nutrition are supported by a generous gift to Duke University School of Medicine from the estate of Swann Lee, who specified that these funds be used “solely for nutritional and laboratory research focused solely on preventive care and health maintenance” — not for medical treatment or disease cures.

In addition to funding, the teams receive project management support from CTSI project leaders for the duration of the 24-month funding cycle.  The projects funded exemplify translational innovation, multidisciplinary collaboration, and a strong commitment to healthy lifestyles.

“We are thrilled to support these researchers whose work represents the leading edge of nutrition science and chronic disease prevention,” said Susanna Naggie, MD, MHS, director of the Duke CTSI. “These projects are not only innovative but deeply rooted in the values of health promotion and community engagement.”

Congratulations, Svati!

 

NC Great 100 Celebrated

The 37^th Annual NC Great 100 Gala was held on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at The Maxwell Center in Goldsboro, NC. Our very own Kelly Kester, DMP, senior nursing director with Duke Heart & Vascular, was one of the honorees!

Kester is one of five Duke nurses selected for the NC Great 100 Class of 2025. The others include Melinda Busi and Kathy Sandel with Duke Regional Hospital; Derrick Glymph with Duke School of Nursing; and Blaise Nieve with Duke University Hospital.

Congratulations, Kelly!

 

 

 

Kudos to Curtis

Kudos to Mary Curtis, a financial care counselor in the Duke Heart & Vascular cardiac catheterization lab! Jenn Rymer, MD, says, “Mary always helps the providers in the Cath lab with getting approvals for our patients and answering our questions. She is a wealth of information on financial situations and always an incredible advocate for our patients.”

 

Thank you for your hard work, kindness, and advocacy, Mary!

 

Shout-out to Vekstein

Lisa Clark Pickett, MD, sent a wonderful note regarding Andrew Vekstein, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon.

“Good morning, Andrew. I wanted to reach out and thank you for the compassionate and skilled care you delivered to a recent patient we shared. Despite the surgical complexity and her extreme illness, you beautifully managed her surgical care with a remarkable focus on her as a person.  Her husband was grateful for your frequent and clear communication, and it made a difference to their family at this difficult time. Your clinical excellence and humanity are clear and appreciated.” — Very best wishes, Lisa Clark Pickett MD, assistant professor of surgery, Division of Trauma, Acute and Critical Care Surgery; assistant professor of medicine, Palliative Care

Great work, Andrew!

 

 

Kudos to Gardin

We received a terrific note this week from Mihai Podgoreanu, chief of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology and Critical Care, regarding Taylor Gardin, a critical care nurse with the Duke Heart CTICU.

 

“I wanted to take a moment and recognize Taylor Gardin for her exceptional leadership and dedication in the CTICU. Always proactive in coordinating complex care, supporting the team through high-acuity situations, maintaining a calm and compassionate presence, and being an asset under fire. Complemented by great communication, a desire to learn, and a focus on staff well-being – from mentoring to bringing snacks. We have some awesome charge nurses in the CTICU, and Taylor is an invaluable one.” — With great appreciation, Mihai Podgoreanu, MD, Chief, Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology and Critical Care

“Taylor, thank you for your leadership presence creating a calm atmosphere in a complex environment. We appreciate everything you do for our patients and team.” — Mary Lindsay, DNP, Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Duke Heart & Vascular

“Taylor, thank you for all you do each day to make Duke Heart such a great place for our patients, their families and our teams!” –Best, Jill R. Engel, DNP, Service Line Vice President – Heart & Vascular

 

 APP Transplant Symposium Held at Duke

The Duke Transplant Advanced Practice Provider Symposium was held last weekend on Sunday, Oct. 12 at the Duke University School of Nursing. Jade Clausen and Courtney Young – two of our amazing Heart & Vascular APPs – were part of the presentation team.

Way to go, Jade and Courtney!

 

Did you know? Tidbits about Duke’s Impact on Durham

Duke University pays for all city water usage through two master meters and has implemented innovative sustainability measures, including the reuse of 70 million gallons of stormwater via Duke Pond for campus cooling.

Additionally, Duke independently owns and manages more than 34 miles of water and sewer infrastructure across its campus, saving the City of Durham an estimated $10 million annually in maintenance and operational costs!

Go Duke!

 

DUHS Updates:

COVID vaccine update:

Resources related to the anticipated go-live date for the next phase of COVID-19 vaccine administration across ambulatory practices have been posted to Sharepoint. The updated DUHS Ambulatory COVID-19  Vaccine Administration for Patients Standing Order has been finalized and approved and is now accessible on the Policy Center.

Masking Guidance:

Starting on Wednesday, October 15, masking will be strongly recommended throughout all clinical areas in addition to the areas with year-round mandatory masking. Find more details about masking at DUHS in addition to epidemiology updates, testing, treatment, and employee health guidance for team members in the 2025-2026 Respiratory Virus Season Toolkit.

Leadership changes:

John Yeatts, MD, MPH, will be stepping down from his Population Health Management Office (PHMO) leadership position and leaving Duke Health on November 2, 2025, after serving for more than 13 years. In the interim, Daniel Costello, PHMO’s Chief Operating Officer, will assume primary operating responsibilities and report directly to Matthew Barber, MD, MHS, Senior Vice President, Ambulatory Services and Physician Practices, DUHS.

Diane Reidy-Lagunes, MD has been appointed Physician Vice President, Cancer Services for Duke University Health System, effective November 1, 2025. She will also maintain her current role as Chief of the Division of Medical Oncology for the Duke Department of Medicine. In this expanded leadership role, Dr. Reidy-Lagunes will serve as the physician executive for the cancer service line, responsible for shaping the clinical vision and advancing strategic priorities across all cancer services. She will oversee program development, research integration, and patient-centered care across Durham, Wake, Charlotte, and new markets.

Finally, reminders:

Open Enrollment is underway through October 24. Please review your 2026 elections for medical, dental, vision, and reimbursement accounts. Duke’s annual flu vaccination campaign is also underway. The deadline for compliance is Nov. 18.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

October 6-24: Open Enrollment period for 2026 medical benefits

October 19-25: National Healthcare Quality Week

AHA.25 Duke Annual Reception

The annual Duke reception at the upcoming American Heart Association Annual Scientific Sessions will be held on Nov. 8. (Please see email from DCRI for your official invitation.)

The upcoming Sessions will be held Nov. 7-10, 2025, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. This year’s theme is The Future of Cardiovascular Science Starts Here.

We look forward to seeing you!

Reminder: Please let Tracey Koepke know if you are making a presentation at Sessions so that she can plan to include your findings in Pulse. Thank you!

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Oct. 21: Bridging the gap between physician and patient: a view from the other side with Christopher Kontos. 5 p.m. DN 2002 and via Zoom.

Nov. 4: Building a sustainable acute cardiovascular care program in western Kenya, the journey and lessons learned with Felix Ayub Barasa. 5 p.m., DN 2002 and via Zoom.

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Oct. 23 Topic TBD with Tess Allan

Oct. 30: Cardiovascular Imaging in Pregnancy with Nish Shivakumar

CME Activities:

17th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium — October 31

This symposium will explore optimal diagnostic strategies for treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, treatment selection, and timely referrals to specialized PH centers. Clinically challenging presentations, including CTD-PAH, CPPC PH, CTEPH, PH associated with ILD, COPD, portopulmonary hypertension, and PH in end-stage renal disease, will be addressed — with a focus on frontline providers — through interactive lectures and robust case-based discussions. Durham Convention Center. Register here.

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here.

 

Community Events:

Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection Opening – October 29

The collection opening celebration is scheduled for October 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the Holsti Anderson Family Assembly Room, Room 153, Rubenstein Library, Duke University, West Campus.

 

Have news to share?

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

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

October 10 — Duke Health/CHAI

Becker’s Health IT

Tensions rise over health AI oversight and regulation

October 12 — Robert Mentz

The Economic Times

Are eggs on your plate damaging your heart health? Study claims higher consumption of eggs may lead to early death; here’s what you need to know

October 15 — Neha Pagidipati

Green Me

Heart attacks and strokes: major global study reveals that 99% of cases are linked to these 4 risk factors (all 4 modifiable)

October 16 — Duke Health (partial heart tx)

Bluewin/Swisscom

Novel heart transplant applied in Europe for the first time

Chief’s Message:
It was great to see so many of the Duke Health and Duke Heart team our yesterday morning for the AHA Heart Walk.  See the pictures and note below.  The impact we make in our community and in our patients lives was on full display and hopefully you all will get a chance to see some of that in the stories we share about patient care, research, and training our fellows, residents, and community members in CPR and heart healthy lifestyles.  You will also see HTN champions work at the Lincoln clinic and multiple different groups working with our AHA and Duke Teams to raise awareness around cardiovascular disease.

We also had the cardiac imaging symposium last weekend with great turnout.  Again we provided relevant and engaging cases based discussions with advanced and routine cardiovascular imaging in ways that our local groups of patients and clinicians can appreciate.

Highlights of the week:

Triangle Heart Walk Held Yesterday

The 2025 Triangle Heart Walk took place yesterday, October 11 at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, NC. Thank you to all who joined us! We are so proud of each of our entity leaders, team captains, and walkers who committed time to work on behalf of raising these important funds. Combined, Duke Health’s teams raised  $120,074  as of this morning for the American Heart Association and was the leading Health system and the #2 company behind Xylem,Inc. in the areas for fundraising for the AHA – great work, everyone! A special thanks to Katie Norcross and Stephanie Galloway of Duke Health marketing for arranging our activation tent, a “reflections experience” that dovetailed nicely with the launch of our new marketing campaign this past week!

 

 

Cardiac Imaging Symposium Success!

The Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium was held Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, at the Trent Semans Center. We had more than 150 people register to join us — nearly double from last year! Twelve companies exhibited, and we had a wide range of learners – cardiac sonographers, MDs, PAs, nurses, NPs, fellows, residents, and students. The annual symposium is dedicated to exploring the latest advancements and techniques in echocardiography through engaging presentations, interactive discussions, and hands-on learning opportunities.

The agenda and a full list of all the speakers can be found on the event website. A big shout-out to Sreek Vemulapalli, Anita Kelsey, Richie Palma, Ashlee Davis, Alicia Armour, and Christy Darnell for working to plan a very successful CME event!

 

Burkett, McGugan Presenters at Piedmont PA Conference

Melissa Burkett, PA-C, Team Leader of the Duke Aortic Center APPs and Lynn McGugan, NP in the CTICU 7W presented at the Piedmont Association of Physician Assistants Annual Fall Seminar on Saturday, Oct. 11. The duo shared their expertise on how APPs provide continuity of care for aortic surgery patients. The conference was held at Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center in Winston Salem, NC.

Way to go!

 

 

 

Arringdon Service Access Lead Wins Impact Award

Congratulations to Tevin Wilson, Service Access Team Lead at Duke Cardiology Arringdon! Wilson is a co-winner of the 2025 Sharon L. Davis Vision Award as part of the Impact Awards given annually by the Duke Patient Revenue Management Organization (PRMO). Wilson was nominated by Sergio Membreno. His co-winner is Alison Ervin.

This year’s awards were presented on September 25, during a ceremony at Trent Semans Hall. The awards celebrate the extraordinary achievements of individuals and teams aligning with Duke Patient Revenue Management Organization’s (PRMO) focus areas and demonstrating Duke’s values.

More than 115 people were nominated for the 2025 awards, and the top three finalists from each category were invited to the event with their nominators. Keith Stover, Vice President, Finance and Chief Revenue Cycle Officer for PRMO, kicked off the program by welcoming guests. Tom Owens, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, DUHS, joined to give the keynote address, highlighting the vital role PRMO team members play in shaping the patient experience at Duke Health.

Guests were also welcomed by Christie Bowes, Director of Hospital Billing & Collections and Executive Champion of the awards committee, along with emcees Paula Allard, Director, Professional Coding, and Todd Beedy, Manager, Coding Operations.

Tevin is shown here with Keith Stover.

A full list of winners can be found on the Duke Sharepoint site at this link.

Congratulations, Tevin!!!

 

Did you know? Tidbits about Duke’s Impact on Durham

Over the past two decades, Duke University and Health System has helped create more than 1,000 affordable homes and units and invested more than $22 million with trusted local financial institutions such as Latino Community Credit Union, Mechanics and Farmers Bank, and Self-Help to provide capital for affordable housing developers and local small businesses.

By working at Duke Health, you make a difference not only in the health of people we treat, but with a collective impact throughout our community. Go Duke!

 

DUHS Updates:

Reminders: Open Enrollment is underway through October 24. Please review your 2026 elections for medical, dental, vision, and reimbursement accounts. Duke’s annual flu vaccination campaign is also underway. The deadline for compliance is Nov. 18. Thank you!

 

Mitchell Named Health System Operations Center Director

As of Oct. 1, Diane Mitchell, MHA, BSN, RN, has been named Health System Operations Center Director. In this new role, Diane will oversee the team of operations administrators and coordinators across all Duke Health acute care hospitals. This transition is part of a broader DUHS initiative to centralize and unify patient flow link operations across all entities and their respective operations centers. 

Since joining Duke Raleigh in 1996, Diane has held a variety of key positions—starting as a bedside nurse and progressing to her current role as director of operations administration. Join us in congratulating Diane on this leadership role expansion and thanking her for her almost three decades of service at Duke Health.

Congratulations, Diane!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

September 15-October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

October 6-24: Open Enrollment period for 2026 medical benefits

October 9: Flu vaccination season launch

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Oct. 21: Bridging the gap between physician and patient: a view from the other side with Christopher Kontos. 5 p.m. DN 2002 or via Zoom.

 

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Oct. 16: Quality in the Echo Lab with Ashlee Davis

Oct. 23 Topic TBD with Tess Allan

Oct. 30: Cardiovascular Imaging in Pregnancy with Nish Shivakumar

 

AHA.25 Duke Annual Reception

The annual Duke reception at the upcoming American Heart Association Annual Scientific Sessions will be held on Nov. 8. (Please see email from DCRI for your official invitation.)

The upcoming Sessions will be held Nov. 7-10, 2025, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. This year’s theme is The Future of Cardiovascular Science Starts Here.

We look forward to seeing you!

Reminder: Please let Tracey Koepke know if you are making a presentation at Sessions so that she can plan to include your findings in Pulse. Thank you!

 

CME Activities:

17th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium — October 31

This symposium will explore optimal diagnostic strategies for treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, treatment selection, and timely referrals to specialized PH centers. Clinically challenging presentations, including CTD-PAH, CPPC PH, CTEPH, PH associated with ILD, COPD, portopulmonary hypertension, and PH in end-stage renal disease, will be addressed — with a focus on frontline providers — through interactive lectures and robust case-based discussions. Durham Convention Center. Register here.

 

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here. 

 

Community Events:

Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection Opening – October 29

The collection opening celebration is scheduled for October 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the Holsti Anderson Family Assembly Room, Room 153, Rubenstein Library, Duke University, West Campus.

 

 

 

 

 

Have news to share?

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

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

October 3 — Stephen Greene

Consultant Live

Expert Perspectives: Top News in Heart Failure from HFSA Annual Scientific Meeting 2025

October 6 — Stephen Greene

AJMC/Commentary

Aggressive Therapy Recommendations Following the STRONG-HF Trials: Stephen J. Greene, MD

October 6 — Duke Health (Duke Children’s #3)

Cardiovascular Business

The best children’s heart hospitals in the US

October 7 — Neha Pagidipati

AARP

99 Percent of Heart Attacks and Strokes Are Linked to Modifiable Risk Factors

October 9 — Robert Califf

tctmd

What’s Going to Be Hot at TCT 2025

October 10 — Neha Pagidipati

Medscape

Considering Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Are There Fewer SMuRF-less Patients Than We Thought?

Highlights of the week:

To Those Observing Recent Holidays

We hope all who observed Yom Kippur this past week had a meaningful and peaceful fast. A belated happy new year to all who celebrated Rosh Hashana Sept. 22-24. May this season foster renewal, peace and rejuvenation within you and your family.

 

 

 

Duke Health, Trase Systems Partner to Develop AI Health Care Tools

Duke Health and Trase Systems have entered a strategic partnership to create advanced AI agents aimed at reshaping health care delivery.

Trase Systems is a developer of agentic artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, a type of AI that can that make choices and act on its own to reach goals. Duke Health and Trase Systems plan to build a comprehensive AI-powered ecosystem that integrates automation ensuring data is brought to action for clinical care to improve outcomes and reduce cost.

The aim of the agentic AI technology is to streamline administrative assignments and optimize the allocation of resources, while also enhancing clinical functions such as patient scheduling requests, care coordination, and access to clinical studies.

Duke Heart staff will co-develop and test agentic AI products with Trase Systems aimed at enhancing clinician workflows, elevating the patient care experience, and improving health outcomes. The first phase of development will begin at the Duke Heart Center, which treats more than 65,000 people with heart disease every year.

“At Duke Health and Duke Heart, we are committed to advancing health care through innovation and research,” said Manesh R. Patel, MD, Chief of the Division of Cardiology at the Duke University School of Medicine.

“AI has the potential to help our doctors, nurses, and researchers maximize the use of information to personalize cardiovascular care for our patients,” said Patel. “We strive to develop proven and trusted tools that will improve health outcomes and create a better experience for patients and care teams alike.”

Clinical leaders will be working to see whether integrating AI into everyday workflows will allow care teams to better understand each patient’s unique health history, lifestyle, and biology and lead to more personalized care.

In addition to more personalized care, the AI-powered ecosystem aims to reduce administrative burden. In a recent survey by the American Medical Association, 75% of physicians said AI could make their work more efficient, and more than half believed AI could help with stress and burnout.

“AI holds enormous potential to transform health care—whether by automating time-intensive administrative tasks, improving patient care and outcomes, or streamlining hospital workflows—yet industry-wide adoption has been slow,” said Grant Verstandig, CEO of Red Cell Partners (incubator of Trase systems), and co-founder and CEO of Trase Systems. “By collaborating directly with the doctors, nurses, and administrators of Duke Health, we’ll be rapidly developing the agents they want and that deliver the highest value. We are excited to be pushing the boundaries of what AI can achieve so we can get that much closer to realizing its transformative impact on health care.”

 

ICYMI: SOM Leadership Town Hall Recording

Dean Klotman hosted a School of Medicine Town Hall: Financial and Operational Strategy Updates on Tuesday, Sept. 30. If you were unable to join us you can view the recording right here.

 

More from HFSA

We received more great photos from Heart Failure Society of America attendees this week, enjoy!

Above, left, Haya Aziz, MD, former AHFTC fellow, now AHFTC cardiologist at McGill University, presented a poster on a project she worked on with Karen Flores Rosario, MD. They are joined by Benjamin Trichon, MD, in the next photo, above right. 

Above left, Jacob Schroder presenting to HFSA attendees; above center and right, Duke team members connecting! Photos courtesy of Stephanie Barnes and Karen Flores Rosario.

 

Campaign Launching this Week

As mentioned last month, Duke Health will launch an Access Campaign this week with three commercial spots – two of them dedicated to orthopedic and cardiovascular care. You can see the spots here: General Access; Heart, and Ortho.

 

AHA.25 Duke Annual Reception

The annual Duke reception at the upcoming American Heart Association Annual Scientific Sessions will be held on Nov. 8. (Please see email from DCRI for your official invitation.)

The upcoming Sessions will be held Nov. 7-10, 2025, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. This year’s theme is The Future of Cardiovascular Science Starts Here.

We look forward to seeing you!

Reminder: Please let Tracey Koepke know if you are making a presentation at Sessions so that she can plan to include your findings in Pulse. Thank you!

 

DUHS Updates:

Agreement reached with Aetna

On Friday, Duke Health and Aetna®, a CVS Health company, announced a new multi-year agreement that provides Aetna Commercial and Medicare Advantage members continued in-network access to high-quality, affordable care at Duke Health. This agreement includes all Duke Health locations and providers and reflects a shared commitment to putting patients and members first. 

“Throughout this negotiation, we have remained committed to our nonprofit mission of serving the best interests of our patients and community,” said Thomas A. Owens, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Duke University Health System.  “We came to the table together to reach an agreement that covers the cost of care. Our agreement with Aetna prioritizes efficiency, promotes high-quality care, and helps drive down health care costs.” 

“Duke Health is a valued partner in delivering high-quality, convenient care to Aetna members in North Carolina,” said Amelia Lee, Aetna Vice President of Network, Southeast Region. “We look forward to continuing to work together to meet the needs of our shared members and patients.” 

With this new agreement, both organizations look forward to continuing their partnership to provide high-quality health care while exploring new, innovative opportunities that focus on population health, value-based care, and other areas to benefit the health of members and patients in North Carolina. 

“We came together to do what is best for patients and worked together to make this positive outcome possible,” said Owens. “Patients and families will continue to have access to the Duke Health doctors and care teams they know and trust.”

Patients who may have rescheduled or canceled any appointments are encouraged to call their provider’s office to resume care.

 

Pencina Heading to UnitedHealthcare

Dean Mary Klotman announced this week that Michael J. Pencina, PhD, chief data scientist for Duke Health and vice dean for data science, director of Duke AI Health, and professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics at the Duke University School of Medicine, will be leaving Duke to take a position with UnitedHealthcare as their chief AI scientist.

Pencina joined the Duke faculty in 2013. He co-founded and co-chaired Duke Health’s Algorithm-Based Clinical Decision Support (ABCDS) Oversight Committee and served as co-director of Duke’s Collaborative to Advance Clinical Health Equity (CACHE). He spearheaded Duke’s role as a founding partner of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), whose mission is to increase trustworthiness of AI by developing guidelines to drive high-quality health care through the adoption of credible, fair, and transparent health AI systems.

We wish him all the best in his new role – he will be missed here at Duke!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

September 15-October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

October 6-24: Open Enrollment period for 2026 medical benefits

October 9: Flu vaccination season launch

 

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Oct. 9: RV Guidelines with Fawaz Alenezi

Oct. 16: Quality in the Echo Lab with Ashlee Davis

Oct. 23 Topic TBD with Tess Allan

Oct. 30: Cardiovascular Imaging in Pregnancy with Nish Shivakumar

 

CME Activities:

17th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium — October 31

This symposium will explore optimal diagnostic strategies for treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, treatment selection, and timely referrals to specialized PH centers. Clinically challenging presentations, including CTD-PAH, CPPC PH, CTEPH, PH associated with ILD, COPD, portopulmonary hypertension, and PH in end-stage renal disease, will be addressed — with a focus on frontline providers — through interactive lectures and robust case-based discussions. Durham Convention Center. Register here.

 

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here. 

 

Community Events:

2025 Triangle Heart Walk – October 11 at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, 3801 Rock Quarry Rd, Raleigh, NC 27610. Festivities begin at 7:30 a.m.; Duke Health Team Photo will be at 8:15! The welcome program will begin at 8:45 a.m. with the Walk immediately following. The event venue will be open through 11 a.m.

 

Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection Opening – October 29

The collection opening celebration is scheduled for October 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the Holsti Anderson Family Assembly Room, Room 153, Rubenstein Library, Duke University, West Campus.

 

Have news to share?

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

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

September 28 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live/Don’t Miss a Beat podcast

Don’t Miss a Beat: Debating Oral Diuretic Intensification as an Endpoint in Heart Failure Trials

September 28 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live

Understanding Residual Risk and Hyperkalemia in Heart Failure, With Steve Greene, MD

September 29 — Neha Pagidipati

STAT News

Warning: Serious cardiovascular events don’t come out of the blue

September 29 — Sreekanth Vemulapalli

The Cardiology Advisor

Idorsia Collaborates With Stanford, Duke to Update Difficult-to-Treat Hypertension Care

September 30 — Adam DeVore

Becker’s Health IT

Digital health boosts medication adherence: Duke study

September 30 — Duke Health

Medpage Today

Constipation and CVD; Lp(a) Testing Still Rare; New Echocardiography Guideline

September 30 — Duke Heart

Becker’s Health IT

Duke Health developing agentic AI tools

September 30 — Manesh Patel

Healthcare Innovation

Venture Capitalists See Big Opportunity for Agentic AI in Healthcare

October 1 — Jennifer Rymer

European Medical Journal

ACS Unplugged: PCI and Antiplatelet Therapy

October 2 — Monique Starks, Christopher Granger, and Lisa Monk

The Clemmons Courier

Drone AED Delivery Program gains traction; Clemmons leads rural initiative of improving response times and survival from cardiac arrest

October 2 — Michael Pencina

Stat News

UnitedHealth taps Duke scientist to lead AI efforts

October 3 — Stephen Greene

Medscape

Reduced Mortality May Offset Hyperkalemia Risk With Optimal RAS Inhibitor, MRA Therapy for Heart Failure

Chief’s message:  Heart Failure Society Meeting with HFDA Presidential Address from Mike Felker

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  For those of you not watching the Ryder Cup or other sporting events – this weekend also marked the Heart Failure Society of America Meeting with several key cardiovascular faculty and fellows presenting.  Perhaps the most notable was Mike Felker – President of HFSA giving the presidential address on 5 trends in Heart Failure and cardiovascular care.  He highlighted many of the trends we have discussed around personalization, importance of emerging therapies based on these features, and the increasing ability to remotely monitor our patients and manage their health.  Rob Mentz joined as Editor of JCF and provided some insights from his perspective.  Below you will see other Science that was lead by our teams including Adam DeVore.  Included are some pictures courtsey of people at the meeting that included a standing room only session on Devices and heart Failure that Marat Fudim was an integral part of.  We will have more in upcoming weeks but congratulations to all who continue to help us improve the science around our HF patients.

Highlights of the week:

HFSA: Remote Health Care Helps Heart Failure Patients Get the Right Medications Faster

For millions of Americans living with heart failure, getting the right medications at the right doses can be a slow and frustrating process, which can lead to delayed treatment adjustments, undertreatment and risks for worsening symptoms.

A new study led by Duke Health shows that a remote digital program may offer a safe, faster way for heart failure patients to get the care they need from home.

The study, presented as a late-breaker at the Heart Failure Society of America’s Annual Scientific Meeting, highlights a critical issue in heart care access. Nearly half of U.S. counties don’t have a cardiologist, leaving many patients without expert guidance.

“We need scalable tools to reach people where they are,” said Adam DeVore, MD, associate professor of medicine in cardiology at the Duke University School of Medicine and the study’s lead author. “If you look across the roughly 3,100 counties in the United States, 46% don’t have a cardiologist.”

“People who live in areas without that access experience more heart disease and are more likely to die from heart problems,” DeVore said. “Add to that, appointments for medication titration are a real challenge in heart failure care. There are a lot of real-world barriers that make it really difficult.”

The research was funded by Innovaccer Inc., which developed Story Health, the digital care platform evaluated in the trial.

The study found patients who used the remote program to connect with care for the management of heart failure medications saw greater improvements in their regimens compared to those receiving usual care, and no increase in hospitalizations or emergency visits.

The multicenter randomized clinical trial, coordinated by the Duke Heart Center, enrolled 178 patients across seven U.S. health systems. Participants used blood pressure cuffs and scales that connected to their mobile device to track their health daily.

Their data was sent to clinicians through the secure digital platform, which also provided personalized medication recommendations. Health coaches helped patients navigate logistics like lab tests and pharmacy access, making it easier to adjust medications without needing frequent in-person visits.

The digital program improved medication use across all four foundational therapies for heart failure. Patients were more likely to reach target doses of key drugs that help manage heart failure and reduce hospitalizations (beta-blockers, ARNI, MRA and SGLT2 inhibitors.)

Dr. DeVore believes the findings offer a promising new option for clinicians and health systems looking to improve care for heart failure patients.

“A remote platform offers a scalable option for both clinicians and health systems to try to improve the care we’re already providing to patients with heart failure,” DeVore said.

“If we can get people on the right doses and the right number of medicines sooner,” DeVore said, “they have the possibility of living longer and staying out of the hospital more.”

In addition to DeVore, study authors include Cynthia L. Green, Nancy M. Albert, Amir R. Haghighat, Sunit-Preet Chaudhry, Hirak Shah, Mosi K. Bennett, Tom Stanis, Ashul Govil, Trejeeve Martyn, Jaime McDermott, Mirza S. Khan, and Andrew J. Sauer.

 

Kunal Patel, MD, Receives NIH K01 Research Scientist Development Award

Kunal Patel, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, has been granted a K01 Research Scientist Development Award from the National Institutes of Health for his project titled, The Post-Lung Transplant Impact of Alveolar Macrophage Senescence in Aged Donor Lungs.

The purpose of the K01 award program is to provide support and protected time for an intensive, supervised career development experience in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences leading to research independence.

Patel’s project will determine the role of senescent alveolar macrophages in allograft failure and the poor outcomes associated with aged donor lungs, which will provide the field with clinically relevant, therapeutic targets to increase the utility and viability of aged donor lungs for lung transplant.

Congratulations, Kunal!

 

 

Reminder: SOM Leadership Town Hall on Tuesday

Dean Klotman will host a School of Medicine Town Hall: Financial and Operational Strategy Updates on September 30 at 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. All faculty, staff, students, and residents are invited to attend. 

Speakers include:
• Host: Mary Klotman, MD, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, Duke University; Dean, Duke University School of Medicine; Chief Academic Officer, Duke Health
• Panelist: Colin Duckett, PhD, Executive Vice Dean for Basic and Preclinical Science, Duke University School of Medicine
• Panelist: Heather Hamby, MPH, Executive Vice Dean for Administration, Duke University School of Medicine
• Panelist: Geeta Swamy, MD, Associate Vice President for Research, Duke University; Executive Vice Dean for Clinical Sciences and Research Administration, Duke University School of Medicine
• Panelist: Scott Elengold, JD, Associate University Counsel, Duke University
• Panelist: Catherine Liao, MSPH, Vice President for Government Relations, Duke Health

Join the Zoom webinar here. A copy of the recording will be available on the SOM website the next day.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

September 15-October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

October 6-24: Open Enrollment period for 2026 medical benefits

October 9: Flu vaccination season launch

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Sept. 30: ESC Update (Session 2) with Jennifer Rymer. 5 p.m. DN 2002 or via Zoom.

 

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Oct. 2: Aortic Stenosis with Bharathi Upadhya

Oct. 9: RV Guidelines with Fawaz Alenezi

Oct. 16: Quality in the Echo Lab with Ashlee Davis

Oct. 23 Topic TBD with Tess Allan

Oct. 30: Cardiovascular Imaging in Pregnancy with Nish Shivakumar

 

CME Activities:

Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium — October 4

This year’s symposium is designed to address emerging clinical questions in echocardiography, updated guideline recommendations, and new imaging modalities through case-based learning and practical applications. The 2025 agenda features expert-led sessions on updated ASE guidelines, coronary artery disease evaluation, strain imaging in cardiomyopathies, tricuspid valve disease, cardiac POCUS, and technical skills development through hands-on breakout sessions. Trent Semans Center, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

To register, please visit https://duke.is/b/vd87.

 

17th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium — October 31

This symposium will explore optimal diagnostic strategies for treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, treatment selection, and timely referrals to specialized PH centers. Clinically challenging presentations, including CTD-PAH, CPPC PH, CTEPH, PH associated with ILD, COPD, portopulmonary hypertension, and PH in end-stage renal disease, will be addressed — with a focus on frontline providers — through interactive lectures and robust case-based discussions. Durham Convention Center. Register here.

 

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here. 

 

Community Events:

2025 Triangle Heart Walk – October 11

Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, 3801 Rock Quarry Rd, Raleigh, NC 27610. Festivities begin at 7:30 a.m.; our Duke Health Team Photo will be at 8:15! The AHA welcome program will begin at 8:45 a.m. with the Walk immediately following. The event venue will be open through 11 a.m.

 

Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection Opening – October 29

The collection opening celebration is scheduled for October 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the Holsti Anderson Family Assembly Room, Room 153, Rubenstein Library, Duke University, West Campus.

 

Have news to share?

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

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

September 23 — Harry Severance

Becker’s ASC Review

How Stark law could be keeping physicians from leadership

 

September 25 — Duke Clinical Research Institute (Rymer)

Diabetes.co.uk

Seasonal changing of the clocks not linked to increased heart attack risk

Chief’s message:  Information, Data, AI and information Networks

 The fall is starting to come to North Carolina and this time of year is one of the more beautiful times in our area. Hopefully, you all are getting to spend sometime outside over the next few weeks.  This week Duke Heart continues to work to accomplish our missions in an ever evolving world.  We were able to collaborate on some important projects in the last week and had some clear examples of where our teams can make a difference.  We are in full swing for recruiting fellows in cardiology and faculty for the upcoming years.  Please take a look at some of the upcoming events including a launch of advertising for Duke Heart, the AHA Heart Walk, and APP week upcoming.

Additionally, in keeping with our reading list – if you have the chance – I would recommend consider reading the novel Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari. The book traverses a vast timeline, examining how humans have communicated and shared information from ancient times to the modern era, culminating in the age of artificial intelligence. The book is structured chronologically, beginning with the earliest forms of communication in the Stone Age, such as cave paintings and oral traditions. It progresses through significant historical developments, including the invention of writing, the printing press, and the telegraph, highlighting how each innovation transformed societal structures and information dissemination.As the narrative advances, Harari delves into the digital age, discussing the rise of the internet, social media, and the burgeoning influence of AI on information networks. Each chapter is rich with historical anecdotes, technological insights, and analyses of the societal impacts of these networks. The author successfully illustrates the interconnectedness of communication advancements and societal change, the role of humans in shaping and changing stories and information – making the book both enlightening and thought-provoking. His exploration of AI’s role in modern information networks is particularly relevant and timely, given current technological trends.  As we continue to work on getting scientific and medical information out to our communities – this book provides an interesting and important perspective for our health systems.

These themes will help us with our work to communicate our focus on aligning our clinical growth with our research missions in cardiovascular health.

 

Highlights of the week:

Heart Access Advertising Campaign to Launch Oct. 6

We are pleased to announce the pending launch of an advertising campaign designed to feature the accessibility of Duke Heart services throughout our area.

Marketing research of patients in our community has found that more than half of respondents prioritize ease and accessibility when choosing specialty health care. While Duke Heart already offers same-day and next-day appointments, over the past year our team has worked to expand access through online scheduling, template changes, and new hires.

As a result of these efforts, a new multi-channel, consumer-facing marketing campaign will be launched on October 6 to highlight Duke Health’s 48-hour access to specialty care — focusing on our heart and orthopedic service lines, albeit in dedicated ads.

The campaign will run throughout our primary market through June 2026. Ads will appear at various times across an assortment of platforms, including:

• Television commercials (digital and cable), including one specifically for heart services.
• Digital ads
• Radio ads (digital and traditional)
• Outdoor advertisements in Wake county — including billboards, bus ads, and display ads in outdoor malls.
• Ads in Raleigh-Durham International Airport
• Triangle Heart Walk (Oct. 11) tie-in via the Duke Health team shirts and an ‘activation’ tent in the walker activities area.

This Access initiative aligns with Duke Health’s strategic pillars of people, access, and growth, and reflects our commitment to meeting patients where they are—both geographically and in their healthcare journey.

We know patients value efficiency and flexibility. Our marketing campaign will emphasize ease of scheduling and timely access to care across Duke Heart locations.

Thank you for the exceptional care you provide every day. Your work continues to place patients and their families at the center of everything we do. We are excited about this campaign and we appreciate your help and attention to ensuring our patients can be seen quickly throughout our clinical areas.

 

Celebrating APPs

This week (Sept. 22-26) 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 “Racing Toward the Future: Celebrating APPs.”

We recognize and celebrate providers who are certified and licensed to assess, diagnose, treat, and manage illnesses, prescribe medications, perform clinical procedures, and conduct clinical research in the management of our patients. 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.

The Duke Heart APP team is filled with amazing, supportive, terrific colleagues, so be sure to thank an APP this week!

 

Relocation of Duke North 3300 to Duke North 6300 Completed

Duke North 3300 relocated to 6300 (31-bed unit) on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025.  There is no change in the patient population on this unit. 6300 was specifically chosen as the move location because of the proximity to both of our other CT step-down Units (6100 and 6E).  

Thanks to everyone who helped ensure a smooth transition!

 

Service Line Leadership Strategic Meeting Held

The Duke Heart service line gathered our operational leaders on Friday, Sept. 19, for a strategic meeting to discuss year-end performance and an overview of our strategic growth plan. Jill Engel and Manesh Patel led the presentation.

Many thanks to our Center of Excellence team for hosting the meeting in their space!

 

AI at Duke Newsletter

Are you interested in learning more about how Duke is shaping the future of AI in research, teaching, and learning? AI at Duke has launched a monthly newsletter, which will share highlights about the interdisciplinary AI work happening across Duke and updates on the university’s evolving strategic framework around AI.

The first edition can be viewed here, which provides a recap of AI stories from this summer. If you would like to subscribe, click here.

As information regarding Duke Heart’s projects in AI becomes available, we may share information with the AI at Duke team for their newsletter consideration.  We have several projects working with partners and will be sharing in upcoming weeks.

 

System Updates:

TJC Visit: DUH received a full accreditation award letter from The Joint Commission this week. Congratulations to all!

Use of Patient Transport Elevators (DUH): Please remind your teams to refrain from using patient transport elevators. New signage has been installed to indicate which elevators in DN and the DCT are designated for patient transport only and should not be used by staff for non-patient transport activities. Your support is appreciated as we work to efficiently care for each patient.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

September: National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month

September 15-October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

October 6-24: Open Enrollment period for 2026 medical benefits

October 9: Flu vaccination season launch

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Sept. 23: ESC Update (Session 1) with Manesh Patel. 5 p.m., 2002 DN or via Zoom.

Sept. 30: ESC Update (Session 2) with Jennifer Rymer. 5 p.m. DN 2002 or via Zoom.

 

MMCVI Grand Rounds

Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging Grand Rounds: A multi-imaging approach to cardiovascular disease cases. Thursdays, Noon to 1 p.m., via Zoom.

Sept. 25: Mitral Stenosis with Jon Owensby

Oct. 2: Aortic Stenosis with Bharathi Upadhya

Oct. 9: RV Guidelines with Fawaz Alenezi

Oct. 16: Quality in the Echo Lab with Ashlee Davis

Oct. 23 Topic TBD with Tess Allan

Oct. 30: Cardiovascular Imaging in Pregnancy with Nish Shivakumar

 

CME Offerings:

Duke Cardiac Imaging Symposium — October 4

This year’s symposium is designed to address emerging clinical questions in echocardiography, updated guideline recommendations, and new imaging modalities through case-based learning and practical applications. The 2025 agenda features expert-led sessions on updated ASE guidelines, coronary artery disease evaluation, strain imaging in cardiomyopathies, tricuspid valve disease, cardiac POCUS, and technical skills development through hands-on breakout sessions. Trent Semans Center, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

To register, please visit https://duke.is/b/vd87.

 

17th Annual NC RTP Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium — October 31

This symposium will explore optimal diagnostic strategies for treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, treatment selection, and timely referrals to specialized PH centers. Clinically challenging presentations, including CTD-PAH, CPPC PH, CTEPH, PH associated with ILD, COPD, portopulmonary hypertension, and PH in end-stage renal disease, will be addressed — with a focus on frontline providers — through interactive lectures and robust case-based discussions. Durham Convention Center. Register here.

 

Duke Cardiovascular MR Practicum & Board Review – December 8-12

The Fall 2025 course will be held December 8-12 in the Penn Pavilion at Duke University. For more information, contact Michele Parker. The full course brochure and registration link are available here. 

 

Other Events:

SOM Leadership Town Hall – September 30

Dean Klotman will host a School of Medicine Town Hall: Financial and Operational Strategy Updates on September 30 at 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. All faculty, staff, students, and residents are invited to attend. A Zoom link will be available closer to the date of the event.

 

2025 Triangle Heart Walk – October 11

The 2025 Triangle Heart Walk will take place on October 11 at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, 3801 Rock Quarry Rd, Raleigh, NC 27610. Festivities begin at 7:30 a.m.; a brief “Welcome” program will officially open the walk at 8:45 a.m., with the walk immediately following. The event venue will be open through 11 a.m.

 

New Faculty Orientation – October 13

The School of Medicine’s annual Academic New Faculty Orientation will be held Monday, October 13, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center. To learn more and register, please visit https://duke.is/SOM-NFO.

 

Dr. Thomas Bashore Collection Opening – October 29

The opening celebration of the Bashore Collection is scheduled for October 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the Holsti Anderson Family Assembly Room, Room 153, Rubenstein Library, Duke University, West Campus.

 

Have news to share?

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

 

Duke Heart in the News: 

September 14 — Jennifer Rymer

Breaking MED

Daylight Savings Time Not Associated with Heart Attack Rates

September 15 — David D’Alessio

Medscape

Real-World Study Finds Over 50% Stop GLP-1s Within 1 Year

September 15 — Kunal Patel and Kenneth Boccaccio

The Duke Chronicle

‘Extend the lifesaving benefit’: Duke surgeons pioneer robotic bilateral lung transplant

September 15 — Harry Severance

Newsweek

Philips exec: What the U.S. manufacturing push means for health care

September 15 — Robert Califf

The Medical Independent

RCPI meeting to explore ‘healthcare horizons’

September 15 — Dawn Coleman

Vascular News

Dawn Coleman (profile)

September 16 — Duke University Hospital

The Hearty Soul

France Introduces Artificial Heart That Could Last A Lifetime Without Donors

September 17 — Joseph Turek

The Telegraph Online (India)

The Alternative: Partial heart transplants in children and their success rate