The Pulse – Powered by Duke Heart

Highlights of the week:

Happy Thanksgiving!

In advance of the Thanksgiving holiday, we hope each of you – whether you’re staying close to home or traveling to see loved ones — has a safe and wonderful holiday! Thank you for all you do each day to care for our patients and to advance our collective understanding of cardiovascular disease and treatments. We all contribute in myriad ways to the success of Duke Heart and to the relationships we have with our patients and our community. We are truly blessed to have a terrific team. Enjoy the holiday! 

 

 

AHA Scientific Sessions Recap

The American Heart Association’s Annual Scientific Sessions held in Philadelphia last weekend saw terrific representation by Duke faculty and fellows! We had two Late-Breaking sessions, 21 presentations, 19 moderated sessions, and more than 38 poster presentations by Duke team members. Impressive!

Our Duke team included the following authors, presenters, and moderators/discussants:

Kevin Thomas, Larry Jackson, Emily Obrien, Svati Shah, Jason Katz, Joseph Lerman, Brittany Zwischenberger, Nishant Shah, Schuyler Jones, Stephen Greene, Jennifer Rymer, Vishal Rao, Christopher Granger, Marat Fudim, William Kraus, Dennis Narcisse, Fawaz Alenezi, Leanna Ross, Melissa Daubert, Bradi Granger, Josephine Harrington, Andrew Landstrom, Jonathan Piccini, Manesh Patel, Sana Al-Khatib, Renato Lopes, Sudarshan Rajagopal, Camille Frazier-Mills, Sean Pokorney, Sarah Snow, Zak Loring, Robert Mentz, Jessica Duran, Dan Friedman, Balim Senman, and Alina Nicoara.

Highlights from across the weekend included:

Jason Katz, participated in the Contemporary Debates in STEMI. This education session was planned by the Committee on Scientific Sessions Program and was moderated by Chris Granger. The pro/con debates addressed controversial areas of management in ACS. Particularly, this debate addresses an important issue in ICU care. Katz reviewed a few case studies that suggest implementing a risk-based triage strategy could be a better alternative to the current strategy where patients with STEMI are typically admitted to the CICU.

In summary, the CICU admission decision for STEMI patients will continue to be based on individual judgment and traditional protocols rather than robust and evidence-based risk prediction models.

As part of a Saturday morning session examining controversies in high-risk PCI procedures focusing on calcium modification and bifurcation lesions, Jennifer Rymer participated in a debate on a one-stent vs. two-stent strategy for Bifurcation Disease, detailing scenarios in which a one-stent approach would be appropriate.

Rymer emphasized that her position in favor of a provisional, one-stent strategy should be the default for many, but not all bifurcation lesions.

Pointing first to a meta-analysis of nine randomized controlled trials co-authored by her debate opponent Margaret McEntegart, Rymer noted that the one-stent strategy showed reduced mortality compared to a two-stent strategy over a longer-term follow-up.

Rymer reviewed further evidence from the Nordic bifurcation study, EBC Two, and EBC main trials, among others, showing that the provisional single-stent strategy was more favorable than a two-stent strategy. Still, Rymer acknowledged that the one-stent strategy is not the definitive answer in every case.

“There’s significant evidence that a provisional stent strategy with often one stent can be a viable strategy for many bifurcation lesions,” Rymer said. “However, it’s key to assess and examine the anatomy and features of the bifurcation lesions, particularly within the left-main bifurcation. There isn’t always a one-size-fits-all approach in any aspect of medicine and certainly in these lesions there’s not.”

In rebuttal, McEntegart largely agreed that a one-stent strategy is best when treating simple bifurcations, while highlighting the exceptions — when treating more complex bifurcations — in which a two-stent strategy is a better approach.

As a discussant for the late-breaking science session “Heart Failure – VADS, Kids, and Money,” Stephen Greene shared details of recent heart failure trials and reflected on how patient outcomes can be improved by treating heart failure with a greater sense of urgency, more efficient trial enrollment, and a focus on implementation.

He shared examples of innovative trial designs such as the CHIEF-HF study and TRANSFORM-HF trial that reduced the burden on patients and sites and then emphasized a focus on implementation as the missing link in heart failure outcomes.

“Even when we know what is quote-unquote best for patients — we know the answer, what makes them live longer, stay out of the hospital, feel better, spend more time at home with their families — history has told us that we do not routinely act on this information,” Greene said. “And, as a result, the grim reality is that every day in this country, many patients with heart failure are dying and being hospitalized without ever having the opportunity to receive medicines definitively proven to prevent these events, despite the patient being eligible for them.”

Greene cited “persistent and pervasive” gaps in the use of guideline-directed medical therapy, including less than one in 10 eligible patients being discharged on quadruple medical therapy, and less than one in three eligible patients going home on triple therapy.

“While of course quadruple therapy should be our goal for HFrEF patients, just think how much better off it would be for the heart failure community if we did complete, equitable, and timely initiation of even just three generic heart failure medications,” Greene said.

“Traditional scientific investment in heart failure is largely focused on discovery science, and thankfully we’ve gotten enormous therapeutic advancements, but with these advancements comes the responsibility to get these therapies to our patients. … Regardless of any specific implementation strategy, there’s an overarching need to change the culture of care from therapeutic hesitancy to one of therapeutic urgency.”

Marat Fudim shared predictions for the future of treatment for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) during an afternoon session packed with attendees eager to better understand what’s next. A more tailored approach with endo- and phenotyping, he said, is what will advance treatment for these patients, and machine learning may be able to help.

First outlining the need for more specialized research in HFpEF, Fudim noted that the subgroup makes up more than half the heart failure population and continues to grow. Yet the most helpful research for this subgroup has largely come by happenstance.

“In the past, we have applied therapeutic successes from the HFrEF space, which is much easier to diagnose and conceptualize, and applied that to the heart failure preserved ejection fraction space,” Fudim said. “We’ve really seen no positive trials over the two decades that we’ve been testing it until we started getting lucky with therapies which are actually primarily not cardio-centric — cardiometabolic drugs such as SGLT2s, GLP1RAs.”

But that approach will not be sustainable moving forward, he said.

“The future of HFpEF, I believe, will be looking as follows — we will have to do phenotyping,” Fudim said. “You can call it endotyping or phenotyping, and it will have to involve some form of superficial or deep phenotyping looking at clinical variables as well as biopsies or blood work that might tell us a little bit more about the patient, and then apply specific mechanisms of treatment to the diagnostically identified mechanism of pathology.”

Fudim provided the example of a case where spironolactone was found to be more therapeutically beneficial when matched to the proper phenotypical group.

“Certain groups will simply benefit more from certain interventions, even possible interventions found not to be significantly beneficial,” he said.

Machine learning is already applied with screening echocardiograms, Fudim noted, and could also be useful in identifying specific disease processes and matching with specific drugs, as well as identifying patients for future clinical trials where specific endotypes or phenotypes could be matched to a specific drug.

During an early morning Sunday session highlighting the pros and cons of controversial therapies for arrhythmia management in special and vulnerable patient populations, Sana Al-Khatib, shared evidence against catheter ablation for supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) in pregnant patients.

Following Kamala Tamirisa who took the “pro” position in favor of catheter ablation for SVT to avoid drug therapy, Al-Khatib argued that ablation should be avoided in these patients. Despite the presentation title, Al-Khatib cited guidelines and an expert consensus statement recommending that medications can and should be used to safely manage these patients. Al-Khatib went on to recommend that ablation could be considered either before or after pregnancy.

“Of course, I completely agree with my friend Dr. Tamirisa that we have to optimize safety, we have to make sure that we know about the properties of these medications that we use, when we can use them, when we cannot use them, dose them appropriately, see if we can get away with lower doses,” Al-Khatib said. “In fact, many of us have been able to manage pregnant women with lower doses of these medications.”

A lot has changed since the 2002 AFFIRM study showed a rhythm-control strategy offered no survival advantage over a rate-control strategy, according to Jonathan Piccini. On the contrary, data from more recent observational and randomized trials demonstrate that early initiation of rhythm control in patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib) can improve outcomes, Piccini said.

Presenting as part of a learning studio session on treating patients with AFib, Piccini reviewed recent evidence on early rhythm control such as the EAST-AFNET 4 trial, and discussed the applications of early rhythm control among different types of patients.

Which patients benefit most from early rhythm control?

“Some of the greatest benefit may be in patients who have more comorbidities,” Piccini said.

“I’d argue that we have good data that early rhythm control improves outcomes in persons with Afib and there appears to be a pretty durable 20% relative risk reduction in cardiovascular events. Persons with heart failure, left ventricular dysfunction, high degrees of comorbidity, and who have AFib progression or who are at risk for developing AFib progression are particularly important candidates for early rhythm control.”

Renato Lopes detailed how randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and real-world evidence can help inform clinical practice and shared examples of successful RCTs for atrial fibrillation.

“We always ask this question, what is the best type of study?” Lopes said. “Is it randomized trials, or is it the real-world type of study? …The right answer should be another question, ‘What is the question that I will answer?’ Because depending on the answer that I want to have from a clinical perspective, I might have different types of studies that might be the best.”

Randomized controlled trials are the gold standard for determining treatment effect, he added. “I really need randomization to be able to define cause and effect relationships.”

However, for determining real-world application and understanding patterns of care — such as what dose people are using of a particular drug — real-world evidence studies are a better approach. So, a combination of the two types of studies is helpful to support clinical decisions, he continued.

Lopes summarized two pivotal trials on atrial fibrillation with Apixaban — ARISTOTLE and AVERROES. Both RCTs, ARISTOTLE compared Apixaban to Warfarin, and AVERROES compared Apixaban against Aspirin. ARISTOTLE was able to show that Apixaban was not only non-inferior to Warfarin, but superior to it in terms of reducing stroke, risk of bleeding, and all-cause mortality.

“We couldn’t believe when we saw that we were able to meet every single endpoint of the trial. That’s what we call a home run,” Lopes said. “To hit every single endpoint, preserving your alpha was a really unique moment.”

During a session on heart failure guidelines and implementation of therapies, Stephen Greene advocated for rapid titration of quadruple therapy for every eligible heart failure patient. Greene outlined the extreme risk associated with heart failure and emphasized the need for a more urgent therapeutic response. The status quo approach of introducing medications slowly using a one-move-at-a-time, serial, and selective approach, he said, has substantial risks associated as it can take 28 to 58 weeks before guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) is fully implemented at the targeted doses.

Simultaneous or rapid-sequence initiation of GDMT, on the other hand, treats heart failure with the urgency that it deserves, he said, and the clinical benefits become noticeable within days to weeks.

“If you delay therapy, even a couple of weeks in an eligible patient, you’re exposing them to excess clinical risk,” Greene said. “And when you remember that the benefits of all four of these drugs are completely additive to each other, and when you further remember that we’re talking about an extreme risk condition that needs all the help it can get, we need to fully take advantage of these medicines ASAP.”

In rebuttal, University of Kentucky Healthcare’s Craig Beavers presenting on behalf of Alanna Morris, argued that while the rapid titration approach is ideal, it wasn’t rooted in real-world thinking. Beavers outlined barriers to quadruple guideline-directed medical therapy for heart failure, including lack of provider knowledge, side effects, administrative burden, Medicare prescription drug coverage, high out-of-pocket costs, and clinical inertia. He also outlined barriers to rapid titration therapy, including polypharmacy, side effects, financial toxicity, and patients failing to understand the rationale for changes.

Beavers concluded that while he agrees that an approach of rapid titration of quadruple therapy is needed for eligible heart failure patients, the current system is not set up to achieve it.

Presenting as part of an afternoon session on arrhythmia treatment, electrophysiologist Jonathan Piccini acknowledged that catheter ablation will not be needed by every patient. Most patients, though, will benefit from catheter ablation — “Absolutely yes, beyond a shadow of a doubt,” he said.

Piccini went on to outline reasons to ablate — it can suppress atrial fibrillation, improve quality of life, and reduce symptoms in patients.

“It’s not a cure, but it’s a highly effective form of suppressing active episodes of AFib,” Piccini said. “This forms the foundational pathophysiology and rationale on which catheter ablation is built.”

The EAST trial showed a 20 percent risk reduction in cardiovascular mortality, stroke, and hospitalization for both heart failure and coronary syndrome over five years, Piccini shared. In CABANA, the procedure showed similar risk reduction in deaths and cardiovascular hospitalization.

Like any procedure or drug prescribed in patients or intervention, applying it to the appropriate patients is critically linked to effectiveness and safety, he noted.

“Does every (AFib patient) need an ablation? No. But most people will probably benefit from ablation because at some point they will have symptoms. Or at some point they are going to benefit from rhythm control,” Piccini said. “EAST shows us that’s probably the beginning of their journey. … If we diagnosed it upfront and implemented early rhythm control, there is a very large role for catheter ablation in their health.”

In additional AHA news, Lesley Curtis, chief of the Department of Population Health Sciences at Duke was selected to receive the QCOR Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Heart Association’s Council on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research (QCOR). Congratulations, Lesley!

Jay Lusk, a resident physician at Duke, was named a finalist in the American Heart Association’s Lp(a) Data Challenge. His project, titled “A Random Survival Forest Model for Cardiovascular Risk Prediction from Electronic Health Record Data” was presented Nov. 12. Way to go, Jay!

Congratulations to all!

 

 

Duke Heart Faculty Among World’s Most Influential

Congratulations to Chris Granger, Renato Lopes, and Adrian Hernandez! They, along with 27 other Duke faculty members, made Clarivate‘s Most Highly Cited Scientists list of most cited researchers for 2023. Nearly 7,000 were named to this year’s list. Hernandez has been named to the list for each of the last five years, while Granger has been included each year since 2014. This year marks Lopes’ first appearance on the list. 

Data used to evaluate and select the honorees are procured from Clarivate’s Web of Science citation index and analysis by bibliometric experts and data scientists at the Clarivate’s Institute for Scientific Information.

Nicely done!

ICYMI: Editorials in JAMA

Adrian Hernandez and Christopher Lindsell as well as Mike Felker and Joe Rogers have editorials in the November 11, 2023 online issue of JAMA. Hernandez, director of the DCRI and Lindsell, professor of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics are coauthors of The Future of Clinical Trials: Artificial to Augmented to Applied Intelligence, while Felker, professor of medicine in Cardiology and head of cardiovascular research at DCRI, and Rogers, president and CEO of the Texas Heart Institute are coauthors of Addition by Subtraction in Mechanical Cardiac Support. Both are worth checking out!

Duke Heart Grows by One!

We are thrilled to share Duke Heart’s latest addition with you. Miguel Yaport, one of our cardiac anesthesia fellows, and Allie Levin, a cardiology fellow, welcomed their daughter, Noa Yaport, on August 15th. Miguel and Allie ask for your forgiveness for this delayed announcement, and hope to make up for it with cute photos! 

Despite only being three months old, Noa can calculate EROAs like a pro (thanks to dad’s nightly TEE textbook reading with her, as depicted below). When she is not learning about valve pathologies, she loves tummy time, strolls in the neighborhood, and brunch with her co-fellow Willard.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome, Noa! Congratulations, Allie & Miguel!!!

 

Duke Heart Celebrates Nurse Practitioners

This past week, we celebrated National Nurse Practitioner Week (Nov. 12-18), in recognition of the NP profession and the many contributions NPs make to Duke Heart and Duke Health. There are more than 355,000 certified NPs in the U.S. caring for patients of all ages. We are deeply grateful for the efforts and contributions these vital Duke Heart team members make each and every day.

As highly skilled team members and healthcare leaders, NPs provide exceptional patient care in virtually all healthcare specialties and settings. NPs are pivotal in the health care delivery of Duke Heart and Duke Health, serving in critical roles throughout clinical care, education, health administration, leadership, and research.

A very special thank you to all NPs in Duke Heart and throughout Duke Health. We hope all of you had a great week!

 

5th Annual Invented at Duke Celebration

Duke’s Office for Translation & Commercialization (OTC) will hold its 2023 ‘Invented at Duke’ celebration next week on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, from 4:30-7 p.m. at Duke’s Penn Pavilion. Their annual showcase of Duke inventors and inventions will include remarks from Vincent Price, president of Duke University, Robin Rasor, head of OTC, and Jungsang Kim, the Schiciano Family Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and co-founder of IonQ.  

Whether you’re already part of the Duke entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem or you’re just starting to explore how to bring your research out to the public – or perhaps you’re a member of the wider Triangle technology commercialization ecosystem – there will be something to learn and celebrate.

The event is free, but registration is required. You’ll receive an e-ticket to present at the door. Attire is business casual. Parking can be found at the Bryan Center Parking Garage – follow event signs and tell the attendant at the entrance and exit that you’re there for Invented at Duke and you will receive free parking.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

• November is Native American Heritage Month; Men’s Health month, and Lung Cancer Awareness month.
• Masking is strongly recommended throughout all clinical areas during respiratory virus season, from now through early March.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Nov. 21: There will be no CGR this week.

All 2023 Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are uploaded to Warpwire. Recordings can be accessed via this link: https://duke.is/DukeCGR; NET ID and password required. Our newest recording is of Dr. Holger Thiele of the Heart Center Leipzig at University of Leipzig, Germany, who presented Cardiogenic shock treatment: Between clinical practice and current evidence on Nov. 14.

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Nov. 22: Journal Club with Ivan Nenadic Wood. DMP 2W96.

Nov. 24: No CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference today.

 Call for Abstracts: Duke’s Annual Quality & Safety Conference

Save the date for Duke’s Annual Quality and Safety Conference scheduled for April 11 in the Trent Semans Center. Click here to view Abstract Guidelines. Abstracts are due by 5 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2023. Late submissions will not be accepted. Contact cynthia.gordon@duke.edu or kyle.rehder@duke.edu with any questions.

 A&H Winterfest 2023

The dates for Winterfest Marketplace 2023, the annual holiday art show and sale hosted by Arts & Health at Duke, will take place across six Thursdays in November and December, local North Carolina-based artisans will display and sell their work to Duke Health employees, visitors and patients in the main concourse of Duke Hospital.

The event begins on November 2 and runs until December 14. During Winterfest, art will be available for purchase on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Featured artisans will include Beth Ann Taylor, Chapel Hill Woodturners, Bonnie Toney, and Justin Leitner.

A portion of the proceeds from Winterfest will go back to Arts & Health at Duke, which provides support to patients through music, visual art activities, and journaling. This is a great opportunity to support local artists, and the Arts & Health programming at Duke Health, and to score some beautiful holiday gifts for loved ones!

  

 

Have news to share?

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

Duke Heart in the News:

November 10 — Michael Pencina and Nicoleta Economou (Duke AI Health)

Healthcare IT News

Vanderbilt and Duke awarded $1.25M to study HCO AI maturity

November 11 — G. Michael Felker

Medpage Today

No Aspirin Needed After LVAD, ARIES-HM3 Trial Says

November 12 — Manesh Patel

Medpage Today

DOAC Cuts Stroke Risk From Subclinical Afib

November 12 — Manesh Patel and Jonathan Piccini

tctMD

AZALEA-TIMI 71: Bleeds Plunge With Abelacimab vs Rivaroxaban in AF, but Stroke Impact Unclear

November 13 — Renato Lopes

Mirage News (Au)

Apixaban Proves Effective in Stroke Prevention for Atrial Fibrillation Patients

November 13 — Renato Lopes

Drug Today Online

Apixaban is effective in preventing strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation detected by devices, finds study

November 13 — Susan Spratt (Endocrinology)

Today Show (NBC)

Ozempic sister drug Wegovy reduces risk of heart attack and stroke by 20%, study finds

November 13 — Renato Lopes

Medical Dialogues (In)

Apixaban may substantially prevent strokes in patients with device-detected AF

November 14 — Katherine Young (Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care)

Physician’s Weekly

Social Frailty Linked With Poorer Health in Patients With COPD

November 14 — Pamela Douglas

Healio/Cardiology Today

Pitavastatin lowers plaque volume, progression in lower-risk patients with HIV

November 15 — G. Michael Felker

MedTech Dive

Abbott study links aspirin-free regimen to better outcomes in heart pump patients

November 15 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live

Experts’ Perspectives: Top News in Cardiology for 2023

 

Highlights of the week:

Trifecta Weekend: AHA, Alumni, & Veteran’s Day

It’s AHA Scientific Sessions weekend and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to gather together once again in Philadelphia! We will send scientific updates and Duke Presentations next week as the meeting goes on until Monday.

It’s also Duke Alumni Weekend — we hope all those who were on campus this weekend had a great time.

Just as importantly, it’s Veteran’s Day weekend. As we see rising discord across the world, we continue to be humbled by the dedication, sacrifice, and commitment of our military members and their families. Our Duke Heart team has long valued the health and well-being of veterans in our region, and we’ll continue to do so for as long as they need us.

Please share photos and highlights with us from throughout the weekend by emailing anything you’d like to share in next weekend’s Pulse. You can send items via email to either Tracey Koepke or Manesh Patel (or both!).

 

Clark Joins Duke Heart Team

Duke Heart is pleased to welcome Brian Clark, MD to our team! Clark, a congenital heart surgeon, is the newest faculty member to join the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery’s Section of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery. Clark joined the Duke School of Medicine on Nov. 1 as a professor of surgery and of pediatrics and will transition into the roles of Executive Co-Director of the Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center and Director of the Congenital Cardiac Surgery Fellowship program over the coming months.

Clark was born into a military family in eastern North Carolina — his father was a pilot in the Marine Corps, and his mother was a school teacher. Their family moved often, with several stops on the East Coast, plus stays in California and Japan. He returned to complete high school in eastern North Carolina, and his parents have since retired in the New Bern area. 

With the support of a full-tuition college scholarship from the Air Force, Clark obtained his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He then served on active duty as a civil engineering officer at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona. Following his military service, he again returned to NC to attend medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He stayed at UNC for the next step in training, completing a residency in general surgery as well as a two-year NIH-funded research fellowship.

He subsequently went on to complete fellowship training in cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and then congenital cardiac surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital. In 2007, he joined the faculty at the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where he ultimately became Professor of Pediatrics and Surgery and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery. During his 16-year tenure, the Penn State pediatric heart program was nationally recognized for superior patient outcomes. His research contributions focus on pediatric cardiopulmonary bypass, mechanical circulatory support, and neuroprotection. He has authored numerous publications in these areas and has served as a co-investigator on multiple long-term NIH grants for the development of pediatric and congenital heart assist devices. 

Brian and his wife Carol have two children, Jack and Kate. We are excited for them to be back home in NC! Please give them a warm welcome when you meet them.

 

AHA.23: Yibin Wang Receives AHA’s 2023 Basic Research Prize

Congratulations to Yibin Wang, PhD, FAHA, of Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore and Duke University School of Medicine! The American Heart Association (AHA) presented its 2023 Basic Research Prize to Yang during the Presidential Session of the AHA’s Scientific Sessions.

Wang’s research focuses on the fundamental molecular and genetic mechanisms of cardiovascular physiology and cardiometabolic diseases. Under Wang’s leadership, his laboratory has developed innovative approaches to unlock the key molecules and pathways in which cells in mammals respond to pathological stress. His lab is credited with discovering new regulatory paradigms in molecular, epigenetic, and metabolic reprogramming during cardiac maturation and pathological remodeling. Wang’s work has directly contributed to many clinical studies and new trials for heart diseases.  During his career, his research has been funded by the American Heart Association, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Defense, as well as the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health in Singapore.

“Dr. Yibin Wang was selected for this prize because of his commitment to learning more about the genetic, molecular, and cellular mechanisms behind cardiovascular disease,” said Joseph C. Wu, MD, PhD, 2023-2024 volunteer President of the AHA. “Additionally, his research applies discoveries made about stress signaling networks to new methods of treatment for heart disease and the management of heart failure. Congratulations, Dr. Wang!”

Wang is a professor and director of the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders Signature Research Program of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders at Duke-NUS and a professor in medicine at Duke University School of Medicine. He is the scientific founder of a biotech start-up Ramino Bio and the principal investigator leading a 12-person research team that is developing new therapies based on what they have learned about cellular stress responses related to heart and metabolic diseases. He has written more than 270 peer-reviewed scientific articles, and two of his patents were licensed for evaluating and treating cardiometabolic disorders including heart failure, diabetes, and obesity.

“I’m truly humbled by this award from the Association, an organization that I am very fortunate to call home since the very beginning of my academic career,” said Wang. “However, this recognition is not for me alone but for all the team members and our collaborators over the years, who have devoted their talents and hard work in order to uncover new knowledge that can one day lead to new therapies for people with heart disease. I am very grateful to each of them and will use this award as a constant reminder that heart disease is still the number one killer and a challenge we must overcome with more research and better knowledge.”

Wang studied biochemistry at Fudan University during his undergraduate education. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the State University of New York and a doctoral degree in cell biology and molecular genetics from Baylor College of Medicine. He completed a research fellowship in neurobiology at Scripps Research Institute and a second research fellowship in molecular cardiology at the University of California San Diego. Wang was previously recognized by the AHA with the Established Investigator Award in 2005 and the Thomas Smith Memorial Lectureship in 2016. He has served on several AHA leadership committees at the national level including as a member of the Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Council.

Congratulations, Yibin!

 

Patel Delivers 2023 Stead Lecture:

Manesh Patel, MD, Richard Sean Stack, M.D. Distinguished Professor, delivered the Annual Eugene A. Stead Jr. Memorial Lecture as part of Medicine Grand Rounds on Friday morning, Nov. 10 in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center for Health Education at Duke. In case you missed his terrific lecture, Antithrombotic Therapy and Vascular Disease Management: Moving towards Precision CV care and the Duke Databank 3.0, you can watch a recording here.  

The lecture was very well attended and included FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD.

 

LEADS: Caring for Hospitalized Patients at the End-of-Life

Please join the Department of Medicine for their next LEADS: Caring for Hospitalized Patients at the End-of-Life, on November 14, 2023, from 12:15-1:00 p.m. in Duke North 2002 or via Zoom. 

Presenters for this session will be Neha Kayastha, MD, and Roberta Turner, MD, both assistant professors of medicine in Duke’s Division of General Internal Medicine.

Learning Objectives:

• Use the physical exam to provide a prognosis in a dying patient.
• Identify helpful ways to provide anticipatory guidance about difficult changes at the end-of-life.
• Develop a treatment approach to the common physical symptoms that arise at the end-of-life.
• Describe the hospice benefit and Duke-specific resources.

To learn more about the LEADS program and to see their current schedule, please visit: https://duke.is/y/vvrk.

 

Duke’s Annual Quality & Safety Conference Announced

Save the date for Duke’s Annual Quality and Safety Conference scheduled for April 11 in the Trent Semans Center. Click here to view Abstract Guidelines. Abstracts are due by 5 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2023. Late submissions will not be accepted. Contact cynthia.gordon@duke.edu or kyle.rehder@duke.edu with any questions.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

• November is Native American Heritage Month; Men’s Health month, and Lung Cancer Awareness month.
• This week is National Nurse Practitioner Week (Nov. 12-18). Thank an NP for all they do!
• Masking is strongly recommended throughout all clinical areas during respiratory virus season, from now through early March.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Nov. 14: Cardiogenic shock treatment: Between clinical practice and current evidence with Holger Thiele of the Heart Center Leipzig at University of Leipzig, Germany. 5 p.m., DN 2002 or via Zoom.

All 2023 Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are uploaded to Warpwire. Recordings can be accessed via this link: https://duke.is/DukeCGR; NET ID and password required. Our newest recording is of Dr. Sandra Ofori of McMaster University who presented to us Nov. 8 on Perioperative Smoking Cessation.

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Conference information was not provided for the coming week ahead of publications. We’ll add dates/times as they are received. Sorry for any inconvenience.

2023 Barbara Hertzberg Women’s Health Lectureship

Nov. 16: Coronary Artery Disease in Women: Where are we in 2023? with Leslee J. Shaw, PhD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai. 7:30 a.m., DN 2002 or via Zoom.

THIS WEEK! 15^th Annual Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium

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

A&H Winterfest 2023

The dates for Winterfest Marketplace 2023, the annual holiday art show and sale hosted by Arts & Health at Duke, will take place across six Thursdays in November and December, local North Carolina-based artisans will display and sell their work to Duke Health employees, visitors and patients in the main concourse of Duke Hospital. 

The event begins on November 2 and runs until December 14. During Winterfest, art will be available for purchase on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Featured artisans will include Beth Ann Taylor, Chapel Hill Woodturners, Bonnie Toney, and Justin Leitner.

A portion of the proceeds from Winterfest will go back to Arts & Health at Duke, which provides support to patients through music, visual art activities, and journaling. This is a great opportunity to support local artists, and the Arts & Health programming at Duke Health, and to score some beautiful holiday gifts for loved ones!

 

5th Annual Invented at Duke Celebration

Duke’s Office for Translation & Commercialization (OTC) invites you to the 2023 ‘Invented at Duke’ celebration, their annual showcase of Duke inventors and inventions. This year, the event will take place on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Duke’s beautiful Penn Pavilion.

Remarks are expected from Vincent Price, president of Duke University; Robin Rasor, head of OTC; and Jungsang Kim, the Schiciano Family Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, co-founder of IonQ and a strong supporter of the translation and commercialization community on campus.

The remainder of the event will feature booths hosted by Duke inventors, drinks and hors d’oeuvres, gifts for Duke inventors who register and attend, and more. The celebration will showcase innovations and companies that have not only been started by Duke faculty and students but have also been supported through funding and mentoring by a variety of Duke translational funds, incubators, and more.

Whether you’re already part of the Duke entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem or you’re just starting to explore how to bring your research out to the public – or perhaps you’re a member of the wider Triangle technology commercialization ecosystem – there will be something to learn and celebrate.

Attire: business casual.

Parking: at the Bryan Center Parking Garage – follow event signs and tell the attendant at the entrance and exit that you’re there for Invented at Duke and you will receive free parking.

The event is free, but registration is required. You’ll receive an e-ticket to present at the door.

  

Have news to share?

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

Duke Heart in the News:

November 4 — Renato Lopes

Healio/Nephrology

Lower rates of access thrombosis for patients with CKD who receive daprodustat vs. EPO

November 4 — Robert Lefkowitz

Spectrum News Charlotte  **(*clip begins @ 04:31:34)

Researcher marks 50 years of science (updates 10/30 story)

November 5 — Joseph Turek

CBS-17 (Raleigh-Durham)

NC baby gets new heart, donates valves to another in state’s 1st domino partial heart transplant at Duke

Fox-8/WGHP (Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem)

North Carolina baby gets new heart, donates valves to another in state’s 1st domino partial heart transplant at Duke

Yahoo.com

NC baby gets new heart in state’s 1st domino partial heart transplant at Duke

November 6 — Duke Raleigh Hospital

WUNC, 91.5/NC Public Radio

Cursed at. Shoved. Punched. Bitten. Violence against doctors and nurses is rising. A new N.C. law aims to help protect them.

November 6 — DUH & Duke Raleigh

Becker’s Clinical Leadership

56 US hospitals honored for surgical patient care

November 7 — Duke Health

Triangle Business Journal*

Duke Health, WakeMed shine as NC stays among top states for hospital safety

*subscription required; for a PDF, contact Tracey

November 7 — Yuichiro Yano (Family Medicine/Community Health)

Cardiovascular Business

ChatGPT tackles hypertension: Popular AI model a helpful resource for patients with high blood pressure

November 9 — Nishant Shah

NBC News

What to know about Zepbound, Eli Lilly’s new weight loss drug

*also carried by NBC News affiliates, Yahoo, MSN & AOL.com News, and Chiang Rai News (China)

November 10 — Nishant Shah

NBC Today Show

Weight loss drug Zepbound approved by FDA: Woman who lost 123 pounds shares story

November 10 — Zubin Eapen

DotMed Healthcare Business News

One company’s approach to advancing wearable defibrillators

Chief’s message:

Hope you all are having a good weekend. For those of you who didn’t see it – NY Times highlighted 36 hours in Durham today.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/11/02/travel/things-to-do-durham-nc.html

Highlights of the week:

This week: AHA Scientific Sessions in Philly!

We know a lot of you will be traveling to Philadelphia this week to attend and perhaps present at the 2023 American Heart Association’s Annual Scientific Sessions. We hope you’ll share photos and highlights with us from throughout the weekend. Please email photos and write-ups on anything you’d like to share in an upcoming issue of Pulse by sending items via email to either Tracey Koepke or Manesh Patel (or both!).

Annual Duke Reception at AHA Scientific Sessions

If you’ll be attending the 2023 AHA Scientific Sessions later this week, please join us at the Duke Annual Reception! 

When: Saturday, November 11 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Where: Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, 1201 Market Street. Level 4, Franklin Hall 8.

Sponsors: Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke Cardiology, Duke Heart Center

Questions?:  Please email Elizabeth.evans@duke.edu or willette.wilkins@duke.edu

We look forward to seeing you there!

 

Duke Shines at 3^rd Annual NYU Langone Critical Care Symposium

The 3^rd Annual NYU Langone Critical Care Cardiology Symposium was held two weekends ago (October 20-21, 2023) in New York City. Duke had outstanding representation there – including fellows Willard Applefeld and Balim Senman, as well as nurse practitioner and School of Nursing faculty member, Callie Tennyson, DNP, who each were invited faculty on the symposium. 

Senman also served on the symposium’s planning committee and was selected as overall “Best Abstract” winner in the Research Category (an award endorsed by the CardioNerds program). Additionally, Garima Dahiya – one of the current Critical Care Cardiology trainees at Duke – was selected as a “Best Abstract” winner in the Quality Improvement Category. Finally, Dr. Cherylee Chang – Professor of Neurology and Division Chief of Neurocritical Care here at Duke – also participated as an invited faculty member and was instrumental in helping to cultivate and champion the multidisciplinary focus of the symposium.

“It was great to see Duke’s influence on this maturing discipline,” said Jason Katz, MD, advanced heart failure and critical care specialist. Katz is a long-time champion of cardiology critical care training and support. You can read an interview he did for the ACC/Cardiology Magazine here.

Way to go, Willard, Balim, and Callie!

 

Mario Foundation Awardees Profiled by DOM

Back in August, we shared the great news that advanced heart failure and transplant fellow, Josephine Harrington, MD, won a 2023 Mario Foundation Award. Harrington and her fellow awardees were profiled this past week in the Department of Medicine’s This Week in Medicine. We wanted to share her profile here with you:

Josephine Harrington, MD

Josephine Harrington, MD, is an advanced heart failure and transplant fellow. She attended medical school at the University of Massachusetts Worcester before going to the University of Texas Southwestern for her residency. Dr. Harrington completed her cardiology training at Duke, including two years at the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) on a T32 grant. Her clinical and research interests are focused on identifying better methods to care for patients with heart failure and obesity. 

As a fellow, Dr. Harrington piloted a clinic to provide care for patients whose body mass index (BMI) was a barrier to heart transplant; multiple of her patients have gone on to successfully lose weight and receive heart transplants. Her research has similarly focused on understanding the relationship between obesity and markers of heart failure severity, and on the impact of weight loss in patients with heart failure and obesity. She is an avid hiker and loves good food and bad puns. Her winning project is: The Relationship Between Obesity, Weight Loss and Heart Failure Severity.

Q: Please describe your most significant research work and why you are excited about it. 

Harrington: Despite the fact that obesity is the single largest risk factor for heart failure, we know shockingly little about the ways that excess body weight impact heart failure physiology, or how intentional weight loss might ameliorate those relationships. I am leveraging the incredibly rich data that already exist at Duke to establish baseline relationships between obesity and heart failure, and to explore the impact of intentional weight loss on changes in those relationships. Intentional weight loss may well represent a new “pillar” for heart failure management among patients with obesity, and these data will help to establish the potential for weight loss to impact heart failure severity in this population. 

Q: What has a Duke School of Medicine education meant to you in preparing for your career as a physician and/or researcher? 

Harrington: Duke is truly unparalleled when it comes to resources and chances for collaboration and research. Rarely a week goes by where I don’t realize that there is yet another opportunity to further a research question or to leverage a dataset to inform an investigation. 

Q: We live in a fascinating time for moving medicine forward.  How do you foresee contributing to medicine that will improve the health and well-being for all populations? 

Harrington: The median BMI in the United States continues to climb, and a “normal” BMI is no longer the most prevalent BMI category. There is a tremendous need to improve care for patients with obesity and comorbid diseases, especially heart disease, which remains the number 1 comorbidity of patients with obesity. I hope that my work will directly inform care for patients with obesity and heart failure, and will help to set new standards in management for this vulnerable population. 

To read the full article, which includes a similar Q&A with Harrington’s fellow awardees, Judith B. Vick, MD MPH, fellow in general internal medicine, and Naseem Alavian, MD, MPH, a fellow in infectious diseases, please visit this link.

Shout-outs to Suleimon & Arps!

We received two notes this week from Dr. Daniella Zipkin, professor of medicine in General Internal Medicine, with feedback on two of our fellows who held teaching sessions last spring for GIM residents. Belal Suleimon taught CH/PO AHD- LTC Basics, and Kelly Arps taught CH/PO AHD Atrial fibrillation.

“Belal, I’m writing to share feedback from your teaching session last spring with the residents. They thought your session was outstanding! I’m especially grateful when fellows step up to teach, thank you so much for bringing your energy to this series!”     

And to Arps, she wrote:

“Hello Kelly, I’m writing to share feedback from your session last spring. Your teaching continues to be outstanding and well received!! Thank you so much for teaching in this series!” — Take care, Dani

Nicely done, Belal and Kelly!

 

 

 

Kudos to Hughes & Danielle!

We also received a terrific note this week regarding cardiology fellow Seamus Hughes that was shared with Anna Lisa Chamis.

“Hi! My name is Kami Arulraja and I’m one of the CCM fellows and am in the MICU tonight and needed to float a PA catheter, and called the CCU fellow – Seamus who came to help and truly went above and beyond. Seamus was patient and an excellent teacher; we really appreciate Seamus and the CCU charge nurse Danielle who came to help! Just wanted to let you know about one of your excellent fellows!” — Kami Arulraja, MD – PGY6, Critical Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine

Way to go, Seamus and Danielle!

 

 

 

Lefkowitz Celebration Video Now Available

For those who were unable to attend the 50^th anniversary celebration dinner for Dr. Bob Lefkowitz last month, we now have access to a video from the evening speaking presentations. Link to video. Passcode: rjl50.  Enjoy!

Did You Know? List of Duke AED Locations

Did you know there is an online list of all known/registered AED locations on the Duke University & Health System campus? Read a recent article about this from Duke Today.

To bypass the article and go directly to the site with AED locations, go here. The list is compiled and maintained by Duke Emergency Management. You can also register new AED’s (or ones not listed there) through a link on that page.

Final Call: Flu Vaccinations!

The Duke Health deadline for all employees to be vaccinated for the flu is 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7. A list of all locations, dates, times for flu vaccination, and a link to the required screening survey can be found on Duke’s Fight the Flu website. And, if you have any questions about the flu vaccine you can email either StopTheFlu@duke.edu or  EOHWflu@dm.duke.edu.

Don’t forget — masking is highly recommended when providing clinical care. Some units now require masking due to COVID outbreaks — including all Heart Center inpatient and procedural units. Please pay attention to signage on our units and elsewhere within the hospital.

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

• November is Native American Heritage Month; Men’s Health month, and Lung Cancer Awareness month.
• Masking is strongly recommended throughout all clinical areas during respiratory virus season, from now through early March.
• A recording of the latest (10/24) DUHS Leadership Town Hall is now available.

Medicine Grand Rounds

Annual Stead Lecture:

Nov. 10: Antithrombotic therapy and Vascular disease management: Moving towards precision CV care and the Duke Databank 3.0 with Manesh Patel. 8 a.m., DN 2002 or via Zoom.

Cardiology Grand Rounds

(Wednesday) Nov. 8: Perioperative Smoking Cessation with Sandra Ofori of McMaster University. 5 p.m., DN 2002 or via Zoom.

Nov. 14: Cardiogenic shock treatment: Between clinical practice and current evidence with Holger Thiele of the Heart Center Leipzig at University of Leipzig, Germany. 5 p.m., DN 2002 or via Zoom.

All 2023 Duke Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are uploaded to Warpwire. Recordings can be accessed via this link: https://duke.is/DukeCGR; NET ID and password required.

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Nov. 8: Peripheral Vascular Disease – Aorta with Jennifer Rymer. In person only. Noon, DMP 2W96.

Nov. 10: EP Case Presentation with Jessica Regan and Jonathan Hanna. Zoom only. Noon.

2023 Barbara Hertzberg Women’s Health Lectureship

Nov. 16: Coronary Artery Disease in Women: Where are we in 2023? with Leslee J. Shaw, PhD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai. 7:30 a.m., DN 2002 or via Zoom.

15^th Annual Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium

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

 

A&H Winterfest 2023

The dates for Winterfest Marketplace 2023, the annual holiday art show and sale hosted by Arts & Health at Duke, will take place across six Thursdays in November and December, local North Carolina-based artisans will display and sell their work to Duke Health employees, visitors and patients in the main concourse of Duke Hospital.

The event begins November 2 and runs until December 14. During Winterfest, art will be available for purchase on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Featured artisans will include Beth Ann Taylor, Chapel Hill Woodturners, Bonnie Toney, and Justin Leitner.

A portion of the proceeds from Winterfest will go back to Arts & Health at Duke, which provides support to patients through music, visual art activities and journaling. This is a great opportunity to support local artists, the Arts & Health programming at Duke Health, and to score some beautiful holiday gifts for loved ones!

 

5th Annual Invented at Duke Celebration

Duke’s Office for Translation & Commercialization (OTC) invites you to the 2023 ‘Invented at Duke’ celebration, their annual showcase of Duke inventors and inventions. This year, the event will take place on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, from 4:30-7 p.m. at Duke’s beautiful Penn Pavilion.

Remarks are expected from Vincent Price, president of Duke University; Robin Rasor, head of OTC; and Jungsang Kim, the Schiciano Family Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, co-founder of IonQ and a strong supporter of the translation and commercialization community on campus.

The remainder of the event will feature booths hosted by Duke inventors, drinks and hors d’oeuvres, gifts for Duke inventors who register and attend, and more. The celebration will showcase innovations and companies that have not only been started by Duke faculty and students, but have also been supported through funding and mentoring by a variety of Duke translational funds, incubators, and more.

Whether you’re already part of the Duke entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem or you’re just starting to explore how to bring your research out to the public – or perhaps you’re a member of the wider Triangle technology commercialization ecosystem – there will be something to learn and celebrate.

Attire: business casual.

Parking: at the Bryan Center Parking Garage – follow event signs and tell the attendant on entrance and exit that you’re there for Invented at Duke and you will receive free parking.

The event is free, but registration is required. You’ll receive an e-ticket to present at the door.

 

Have news to share?

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

 

Duke Heart in the News:

October 26 — Joe Turek and Michael Carboni

PBS North Carolina

Sci NC: Cutting-Edge Science

https://duke.is/r/35vg

October 30 — Robert Lefkowitz

Spectrum News

‘What would Bob do?’: Researcher reflects on 50 years of scientific breakthroughs

https://duke.is/z/mj8d

October 30 — Jennifer Rymer

Medscape

Drug-Eluting Resorbable Scaffold Beats Angioplasty for Infrapopliteal Artery Disease

https://duke.is/4/dzkx

October 31 — Jennifer Rymer

espanol.news (Spain)

El andamio reabsorbible supera a la angioplastia en CLTI debajo de la rodilla

https://duke.is/9/t2f6

October 31 — Jennifer Rymer

MDEdge.com/Cardiology News

Drug-eluting resorbable scaffold beats angioplasty for infrapopliteal artery disease

https://duke.is/2/gche

October 31 — Sana Al-Khatib

Healio

Q&A: Patient trust required before AI-aided remote interventions can be implemented

https://duke.is/g/9edm

November 1 — Harry Severance

epmonthly.com

Top Disruptors within Our Healthcare Systems Part 2

https://duke.is/p/rpyf

November 1 — Duke University Hospital

Becker’s Hospital Review

Top 50 hospitals for cardiac surgery: Healthgrades

https://duke.is/v/fq2k

Highlights of the week:

Leadership Change, Duke Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery

Late last week, Dr. Allan Kirk, the David C. Sabiston, Jr. Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Duke Department of Surgery announced a leadership change within the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. Kirk announced that Dr. Edward P. Chen will leave the role of division chief, a position he has held since January 2021, and will remain on faculty.

During this time Chen has overseen a multitude of accomplishments throughout the division. Notably, the division has enjoyed programmatic growth in its capacity to perform robotic surgery at both Duke University Hospital (DUH) and Duke Raleigh Hospital. The ability to perform TAVR and EP laser lead extractions was expanded to include both the OR and catheterization lab as well as the soon-to-be-constructed 3^rd hybrid room at DUH. The capacity to perform open procedures was also increased.

Despite some faculty turnover, nine new faculty members were recruited to join the division – three in thoracic surgery, three in congenital, and one in adult cardiac surgery, plus a new surgeon based in Lumberton and a new PhD scientist based at Duke. Even with the well-known challenges of COVID, numerous staffing shortages and changes within support teams such as the OR staff, Perfusion Services, and the ICU, and the supply chain issues plaguing much of the U.S. healthcare industry, Duke’s CT surgical volumes continued to rise and both outcomes and quality measures remained top-rated.

Under Chen’s leadership, a reemphasis was placed on Duke’s tripartite academic mission. Within the CTS training programs, Chen oversaw efforts to increase the diversity of residents, reinforced attracting top candidates to Duke, and launched an annual welcome picnic for new trainees and current faculty to facilitate introductions and relationship building throughout the division.

A number of staff support positions were also created to enhance the team’s growth and efficacy – particularly within research, congenital, and general thoracic surgery. The division also saw increased local and national news coverage for transplantation stories across both pediatric and adult cases, and a number of faculty earned achievement awards. Recognized faculty include Betty Tong (the WTS/STS Extraordinary Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Award), Joe Turek and Peter Smith (Duke Presidential Awards), Carmelo Milano (Palumbo Award), and Tommy D’Amico (Triangle Business Journal Surgeon of the Year), and Chen ensured continuing support of Duke Heart in Honduras mission trips. Additionally, the pediatric program achieved a #2 ranking in USNWR.

We are deeply grateful for the leadership and efforts of Dr. Chen over the past several years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Carmelo Milano named Division Chief Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery

Kirk has named Dr. Carmelo Milano, professor of surgery and the Joseph W. and Dorothy W. Beard Distinguished Professor of Experimental Surgery, as the new division chief. Milano has most recently served as chief of the Section of Adult Cardiac Surgery and surgical director of the Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) Program within the division.

“I am grateful to Dr. Milano for his willingness to step into this important leadership role,” says Allan D. Kirk, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Surgery. “Carmelo is a proven leader, a skilled investigator, and a luminary surgeon who has helped guide the Duke heart transplant program to a position of international prominence, perennially among the top programs nationally.”

Dr. Milano is a Professor of Surgery and Joseph W. and Dorothy W. Beard Distinguished Professor of Experimental Surgery. He has been serving as chief of the Section of Adult Cardiac Surgery, and surgical director of the Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) Program.

“It gives me great pride to be asked to lead such a talented group of individuals,” says Dr. Milano. “It is our mission to provide the highest level of care, innovation, and excellence. Together, we will strive for breakthroughs in patient care, research, and education, setting new standards of excellence in the field.”

Dr. Milano has overseen increased utilization of mechanical support devices for bridging patients with advanced heart failure. The mechanical circulatory support program he developed at Duke has treated more than 1,500 patients with LVAD devices or mechanical hearts. In addition to his clinical and research activities, he is an influential mentor for cardiac surgical trainees.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Milano on his appointment to Chief of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.

Relocation of DN 2200/Opening of 7200 Update

Duke University Hospital has a master plan to increase the capacity of Emergency Department beds. As a result, several changes occurred in October involving the relocation of two units.  Duke North 2200 closed on October 25 and the Emergency Department relocated from Duke North 7200 and ED C Pod to 2200 on October 27 for a gain of 8 beds for their department.

On October 30, 8 Cardiology Step-Down beds will open on 7200 (7201-7208) for a total of 24 Cardiology Step-Down beds between 3200 and 7200. The move will allow Heart Services to be located on the 3rd and 7th floors in Duke North.

Gratitude for APPs!

“I wanted to send a note of gratitude regarding our stellar cardiology APP team. I finished a week of rounding and am extraordinarily grateful for the team that Diane Sauro has built over the years. A shining example was Saturday morning, when we discharged an EP service record of 17 patients. Without the thoughtful team assignments and tireless efforts from Sas, Mike Towery, Janny Sweetow, and Deborah Zimmerman (who discharged a personal best of 9 patients!), this wouldn’t have been possible. This extraordinary work made a huge difference for patients, our hospital, and the exhausted attending.” — Daniel J. Friedman, MD, FACC, cardiac electrophysiology

Way to go, APPs!

Kudos to Andreae & Stephens!

We received several notes regarding Andrew Andreae and Allen Stephens this week and wanted to share them with Pulse readers. 

“I wanted to express my gratitude to Andrew Andreae, MD, and Allen Stephens, PA-C. We had a patient in clinic this week who needed direct admission. Allen graciously went and saw the patient; Andrew worked remotely calling bed control, the attending on the service, and spoke with the patient to make sure they were fully informed and comfortable with the next steps. It felt like we all worked seamlessly together to take care of the patient. A huge thank you to Andrew and Allen in particular for providing excellent patient care and going above and beyond!” — Emily Deason, Cardiac Sonographer II, Cardiac Diagnostic Unit

“I wanted to pass along kudos to Andrew Andreae, CDU fellow, who was instrumental in facilitating a direct admission for a patient seen in clinic. Very helpful to have him coordinate the admission.” – Allen Stephens, MHS, PA-C, APP Team Lead

“Andrew has done a great job in the echo lab this month and has taken great care of our patients.  This is just another small example of Andrew going the extra mile!” — Anita Kelsey, MD

Awesome work, Andrew and Allen – we are so fortunate to have you on our team!

Marquis-Gravel, Finalist for 2023 Linnemeier

Congratulations to interventionalist Guillaume Marquis-Gravel, MD of Duke Health and the Montreal Heart Institute! He was named one of four finalists for the 2023 TCT Thomas J. Linnemeier Spirit of Interventional Cardiology Young Investigator Award.

The award, announced on Thursday morning, was presented to (and will be shared by) Simone Biscaglia, MD, of Ferrara University Hospital, Ferrara, Italy, and Jaffar M. Khan, BM, BCh, PhD of St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, NY. The presentation was made during the Cardiovascular Research Foundation’s TCT Annual Scientific Symposium held Oct. 23-26 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.  We were fortunate to have Jennifer Rymer, MD from our Faculty win this award last year.

Terrific recognition, Guillaume!

 

DOM Research Retreat for Fellows & Early Career Faculty

The annual Department of Medicine (DOM) Research Retreat for Fellows and Early Career Faculty will occur on Wednesday, November 1, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the J.B. Duke Hotel, Banquet Hall.

This event is targeted towards research-oriented fellows and early career faculty.

Attendees will:

• Learn about DOM research resources, including grant submission support with DOMRA and clinical research support with DOM CRU.
• Hear from diverse research faculty, who will share their experiences developing a research focus, finding mentors, and successfully navigating a K grant submission.
• Network with other researchers, including fellows, faculty, and leaders across DOM.
• Connect with colleagues while enjoying dinner.

The retreat is an excellent opportunity for you to connect, learn more about our strategic research plan and how to thrive as a member of the DOM research community.

For questions regarding the research retreat, contact Saini Pillai, MBA. (Registration deadline has passed, but there may still be room).

Flu Vaccinations!

Duke Health requires all employees to be vaccinated by 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7 – that’s next week! Duke offers free flu vaccinations in a variety of convenient locations. There is a screening survey available online that should be filled out within 48 hours of getting the vaccine at Duke; this step will save you time at the walk-in vaccination venue.

A list of all locations, dates, and times for flu vaccination, and a link to the required screening survey can be found on Duke’s Fight the Flu website. And, if you have any questions about the flu vaccine you can email either StopTheFlu@duke.edu or EOHWflu@dm.duke.edu.

Don’t forget that masking is highly recommended when providing clinical care. Some units now require masking due to COVID outbreaks — including all Heart Center inpatient and procedural units. Please pay attention to signage on our units and elsewhere within the hospital.

A&H Winterfest 2023

Arts & Health at Duke announced this week the dates for Winterfest Marketplace 2023, their annual holiday art show and sale. Across six Thursdays in November and December, local North Carolina-based artisans will display and sell their work to Duke Health employees, visitors, and patients in the main concourse of Duke Hospital.

The event begins on November 2 and runs until December 14. During Winterfest, art will be available for purchase on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Featured artisans will include Beth Ann Taylor, Chapel Hill Woodturners, Bonnie Toney, and Justin Leitner.

A portion of the proceeds from Winterfest will go back to Arts & Health at Duke, which provides support to patients through music, visual art activities, and journaling. This is a great opportunity to support local artists, the Arts & Health programming at Duke Health, and to score some beautiful holiday gifts for loved ones!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

• November is Native American Heritage Month.
• Masking is strongly recommended throughout all clinical areas during respiratory virus season, from now through early March.
• A recording of the latest (10/24) DUHS Leadership Town Hall is now available.

 

CGR Recordings Now in Warpwire

All 2023 Cardiology Grand Rounds recordings are now uploaded to Duke Warpwire. Accessing them requires your NET ID. If you have any trouble finding or playing any of the recordings, please contact Tracey Koepke, and as always, if you have suggestions for a CGR topic or speaker, please contact Jenn Rymer and Nishant Shah. The link to access the recordings is https://duke.is/DukeCGR. We will include this each week here in Pulse.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Oct. 31: No CGR today.

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Nov. 1: Understanding the Valvular Heart Disease Guidelines with Thomas Bashore. In person only. Noon, DMP 2W96.

Nov. 3: EKG Review with Thomas Bashore. Zoom only. Noon.

2023 Barbara Hertzberg Women’s Health Lectureship

Nov. 16: Coronary Artery Disease in Women: Where are we in 2023? with Leslee J. Shaw, PhD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai. 7:30 a.m., DN 2002 or via Zoom.

Call for Applications: 2024 Leadership Programs

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

DIHI Innovation RFA 2024

The Duke Institute for Health Innovation (DIHI) has announced its next annual Request for Application (RFA) for selecting and implementing innovative solutions in our clinical enterprise. The proposals should address actual and important problems encountered by care providers, patients, and their loved ones, and represent urgent health challenges nationally.

For the 2024 funding cycle, they are specifically interested in the following topic: 

Generative AI & Large Language Models: AI solutions to improve staff and clinician efficiency, patient journey and outcomes

Please visit the Innovation RFA web page for additional information, to download an info packet, and to see the timeline for 2024 projects. The deadline for submitting applications is November 3, 2023.

All proposals are required to have a DUHS operational lead as a co-sponsor to be accepted for review.

If the DIHI team can be of any assistance to you in the formulation of ideas or connections, please contact Suresh Balu. The DIHI team looks forward to your innovative solutions!

 

Coming Up: 15^th Annual Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium

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

 

Have news to share?

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

 

Duke Heart in the News:

September 20 — Harry Severance

Emergency Physicians Monthly

Top Disruptors within Our Healthcare Systems

https://duke.is/5/a85g

October 20 — Craig Albanese

Becker’s Hospital Review

How Duke Health is bolstering its ‘talentforce’

https://duke.is/n/faum

October 20 — Jonathan Piccini

tctMD

SAVR 5-Year Survival Tops 92% in Low-Risk Patients: STS Registry

https://duke.is/v/e3h4

October 22 — Robert Mentz

Healio

In HF hospitalization, benefits of sacubitril/valsartan largest in LVEF below normal

https://duke.is/2/r2j6

October 23 — Robert Mentz

HCP Live

Anemia Contributes to Exercise Intolerance in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction, Study Finds

https://duke.is/g/8a2b

October 23 — Karen Alexander

The Daily of Case Western Reserve University

Could taking a commonly used heart medication prevent dementia?

Mandel School’s Duncan Mayer explores nonprofit location and density

 

October 24 — Robert Mentz

PBS North Carolina

New FDA Research Center Is Coming to UNC & Duke

https://duke.is/m/5a3a

October 25 — Duke University Hospital

Becker’s Hospital Review

The best hospital in each state, per Newsweek

https://duke.is/8/h8fq

October 26 — Duke Health (Cardiology)

Becker’s Hospital Review

26 elite hospitals, per patients and providers

https://duke.is/p/n8kv

Chief’s message:

We hope you all had some time with family and friends this weekend.  We are nearing the end of the recruitment season for our cardiology fellows and are reminded of the fall season upon us.  This week we also have several of those in our group dealing with either family or individual illnesses, please keep them in your thoughts.

Highlights of the week:

Duke Heart Network Update

Laurie Van Camp, RN, MSN, associate clinical director of the Duke Heart Network (DHN), recently guided three nursing teams through submitting abstracts to the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Quality Summit. All three abstracts were accepted for ePoster session. Thanks to a Duke Friends of Nursing Stipend Award, Van Camp was able to travel to Orlando and represented the Frye Regional Medical Center team at their ePoster. 

Within her DHN role, Van Camp is responsible for working with Duke Heart affiliate hospitals on cardiovascular quality, program development, and educational initiatives. Over the last 18 months, she has guided three performance teams at three separate hospital affiliates through important performance improvement (PI) work. These efforts have led to significant improvement in patient outcomes in the areas of cardiac rehabilitation after myocardial infarction and the rate of post-procedural acute kidney injury. 

The accepted abstracts were:

“Mission to Reduce Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury in Cardiac Patients” by the team at Sovah-Martinsville.

“When Humans and Technology Collide: Improving Cardiac Rehabilitation Referral” by the team at Conway Medical Center.

“Challenging the Norm: A Multidisciplinary Journey to Reduce Acute Kidney Injury” by the team at Frye Regional Medical Center.

We’re happy to report that for the individuals on the affiliate PI teams, the ACC abstract development, submission process, and poster creation have helped foster an important sense of pride, professionalism, and ownership of the CV-quality work they are engaged in daily within their respective institutions.

Well done, Laurie & Duke Heart Network!

 

Ohman Receives Honorary Fellowship to ICS

Congratulations to Magnus Ohman! He has been named an honorary fellow of the Irish Cardiac Society. The honor was awarded last week during the Irish Cardiac Society’s 74th Annual Scientific Meeting & AGM, held October 12-14 at the Killashee House Hotel in Kildare. 

The ICS, which was established in 1949, awards honorary fellowship (FICS) in recognition of an honoree’s dedication to the training of physicians and cardiologists. He joins prior notables to receive the honor, including Jim Crowley (former President of the Irish Cardiac Society); Conor O’Shea; Peter Conlon, and Robert Kelly.

Magnus says the opportunity allowed him to catch up with former co-worker Professor Hannah McGee, (who also received the honorary FICS) currently the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland – Ohman’s alma mater. He and McGee worked together on the first Cardiac Rehabilitation program in Ireland.

He is shown here with Dr. Jim Crowley, and again with Hannah McGee (left) and Barbra Dalton, the permanent secretary of the Irish Cardiac Society (and a fellow RCSI graduate).

Well-deserved, Magnus!

 

PWIM + WIN: Promotion Pathways Symposium

The Duke DOM’s Program for Women in Internal Medicine (PWIM) joins Duke Neurology’s Women in Neurology (WIN) for a special joint symposium to discuss and reflect on the promotion pathways for women faculty and faculty of color at Duke. This event will occur on Monday, October 23, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center.

The symposium will feature a panel discussion representing division chiefs and promotion and tenure committee members, including:

• Manesh Patel, MD, Chief, Cardiology
• Loretta Que, MD, Chief, Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine
• Karen Welty-Wolf, MD, Medicine APT Committee
• Mitch Heflin, MD, Medicine APT Committee
• Janice Massey, MD, Neurology APT Committee
• Lisa Hobson-Webb, MD, Neurology APT Committee

All faculty and trainees are encouraged to attend, as well as division promotion and tenure administrative staff across the department. Hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served.

If you have questions or need additional information, please email Daniella Zipkin.

 

DOM Research Retreat for Fellows & Early Career Faculty

The annual Department of Medicine (DOM) Research Retreat for Fellows and Early Career Faculty will occur on Wednesday, November 1, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the J.B. Duke Hotel, Banquet Hall.

This event is targeted towards research-oriented fellows and early career faculty.

Attendees will:

• Learn about DOM research resources, including grant submission support with DOMRA and clinical research support with DOM CRU.
• Hear from diverse research faculty, who will share their experiences developing a research focus, finding mentors, and successfully navigating a K grant submission.
• Network with other researchers, including fellows, faculty, and leaders across DOM.
• Connect with colleagues while enjoying dinner.

The retreat is an excellent opportunity for you to connect, learn more about our strategic research plan and how to thrive as a member of the DOM research community.

For questions regarding the research retreat, contact Saini Pillai, MBA. (Registration deadline has passed, but there may still be room).

 

Open Enrollment 2024 Closes Friday

Open enrollment is underway through 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 27. The annual enrollment period for medical, dental, vision, and reimbursement accounts is the time to review and make benefit selections to ensure you have the coverage you want that is appropriate for you.

Participation in the Health Care and/or Dependent Care Reimbursement accounts does not auto-renew. You must enroll each year to participate. Your current selections for 2023 will, however, continue into 2024 unless you make changes to your coverage.

There are two ways to make changes for 2024:

• Log on to the Duke@Work self-service website, go to the MyInfo page and click on the “Open Enrollment” link under My Benefits heading
• Call a representative at 919-684-5600, Option 1

After submitting your enrollment selections, be sure to print and review your confirmation statement that will be sent to your Duke email account.

If you need assistance or have questions, contact the Duke Open Enrollment Service Center at 919-684-5600, Option 1. Representatives are available weekdays from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. from Oct. 16 – Oct. 27 and from 10 a.m.– 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21.

 

Flu Vaccinations!

Duke Health requires all employees to be vaccinated by 10 a.m. on Nov. 7 – coming up quickly. If you need a medical/religious exemption, the application deadline is Tuesday.

Duke offers free flu vaccinations in a variety of convenient locations. Don’t forget to fill out the screening survey within 48 hours of going to get the vaccine at Duke. It’s required.

A list of locations, dates, and times for flu vaccination and a link to the required screening survey can be found on Duke’s Fight the Flu website. And, if you have any questions about the flu vaccine you can email either StopTheFlu@duke.edu or EOHWflu@dm.duke.edu.

Don’t forget — masking is highly recommended when providing clinical care. Some units now require masking due to COVID outbreaks — including all Heart Center inpatient and procedural units. Please pay attention to signage on our units and elsewhere within the hospital.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

• Tomorrow is the start of National Respiratory Care Week (Oct.23-29). Thank an RT! #RCWeek23
• October is Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month as well as National Pharmacists Month.
• Masking is strongly recommended throughout all clinical areas during respiratory virus season, from now through early March.

  

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Oct. 24: Rapid Sequence or Simultaneous Initiation of GDMT for HFrEF:  Optimizing Therapy with a Need for Speed with Stephen Greene. 5 p.m. DN 2002 or via Zoom.

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Oct. 25: DHP Case Presentation with Husam Salah. In-person only. Noon, DMP 2W96.

Oct. 27: Grief Debrief with Tony Galanos. In-person only. Noon, DMP 2W96.

 

Save the Date: 2023 Barbara Hertzberg Women’s Health Lectureship

Nov. 16: Coronary Artery Disease in Women: Where are we in 2023? with Leslee J. Shaw, Ph.D., of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai. 7:30 a.m., DN 2002 or via Zoom. This is a Radiology Grand Rounds event.

 

Call for Applications: 2024 Leadership Programs

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

 

DIHI Innovation RFA 2024

The Duke Institute for Health Innovation (DIHI) has announced its next annual Request for Application (RFA) for selecting and implementing innovative solutions in our clinical enterprise. The proposals should address actual and important problems encountered by care providers, patients, and their loved ones, and represent urgent health challenges nationally.

For the 2024 funding cycle, they are specifically interested in the following topics: 

Generative AI & Large Language Models: AI solutions to improve staff and clinician efficiency, patient journey, and outcomes

Please visit the Innovation RFA web page for additional information, to download an info packet, and to see the timeline for 2024 projects. The deadline for submitting applications is November 3, 2023.

All proposals are required to have a DUHS operational lead as a co-sponsor to be accepted for review.

If the DIHI team can be of any assistance to you in the formulation of ideas or connections, please contact Suresh Balu. The DIHI team looks forward to your innovative solutions!

 

Coming Up: 15^th Annual Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium

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

 

Have news to share?

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

 

Duke Heart in the News:

October 13 — Robert Mentz

Medscape

Trials Say Start Sacubitril-Valsartan in Hospital in HF With ‘Below Normal’ LVEF

https://duke.is/p/y8u7

October 13 — Tom Povsic

CGT Live

Thomas Povsic, MD, PhD, on Ongoing Research With XC001 Angina Gene Therapy

https://duke.is/4/u5bw

October 16 — William Kraus

WorldHealth.net

How Biology Influences Fitness: Personalized Exercise

https://duke.is/6/a3qa

October 17 — Wuwei Feng

DAIC.com

Learning More About How Cancer Affects Stroke Risk

https://duke.is/p/x5mq

October 18 — Duke University Hospital

Becker’s Hospital Review

The top heart center in every state

https://duke.is/w/638n

Highlights of the week:

HFSA 2023 Highlights

The heart failure community gathered in Cleveland, OH last weekend for the HFSA Annual Scientific Meeting (Oct. 6-9). The program was action-packed with leading science being presented by Duke fellows, APPs, faculty, and many more. A special shout-out to Mike Felker who is now President-Elect leading up to next year’s meeting in Atlanta!

Notable highlights from Duke presenters:

• Work by Karen Flores, Han Kim, and Ravi Karra, et al on CMR in genetic cardiomyopathies was presented by all-star med student Kyla Brezitski.

  

• Joey Harrington presented a rapid-fire LBCT update on troponin changes in PARAGLIDE.
• Marat Fudim and Rob Mentz had LBCT presentations on REBALANCE-HF and PARAGLIDE+PIONEER, respectively.
• Senthil Selvaraj presented in a spotlight session on targeted metabolic profiling with Dapa in HFpEF (with Svati Shah as senior author) – this session also highlighted work by Joey and Marat.
• Johana Fajardo served as an advisory committee member and moderator for a high-yield session on cardiac amyloidosis.
• Steve “GDMT” Greene led a number of sessions on optimal medical therapy in HF, including talks on SGLT2i and how to take Theory into Practice.
• Stephanie Barnes moderated a session on engaging CV team members in clinical trials and quality initiatives and spoke during a session on managing congestion in HF.
• Mike Felker presented endpoint considerations during a special FDA session on subgroups in HF clinical trials.
• Jason Katz opened a fantastic shock management session with a talk on how to identify and risk stratify patients with cardiogenic shock. He also competed in the CPET challenge fundraiser – and ranked in the top 3!!
• Adam DeVore helped close out the meeting with an exceptional talk on the practical adaptation of GDMT in patients at high risk for adverse events.

Duke team members were also prominently positioned during various plenary sessions, Journal of Cardiac Failure activities, and speed mentoring.

 

 

 

 

 

Another highlight was a Heart Failure Collaboratory gathering to recognize Distinguished Leadership Award recipient Chris O’Connor, which celebrates a leader in education and mentorship within the field of heart failure.  Chris has been a made seminal contributions to the field of Heart Failure,  mentor to many at Duke, and continues to be a north star for the field of cardiology in our evidence generation and clinical practice.

Perhaps the biggest highlight was coming together, in person, as a Heart Failure community and reconnecting with many of our former Duke faculty and fellows!

 

The 2023 Triangle Heart Walk is a Wrap!

Thank you to everyone who joined us to support the American Heart Association (AHA) 2023 Triangle Heart Walk last weekend. The weather was beautiful – an ideal day for a walk! Nearly 10,000 walkers attended the event, which raised just over $1.8 million. Special thanks to Chris Granger for taking the podium to speak on behalf of Duke Health!

Overall, we had 1,513 walkers representing Duke Health and our teams collectively raised $162,777 for our AHA partners. Shown here are a number of our team members, including Chris Granger, Jill Engel, Sarah Snow, CDU team members Lynda Metcalf, Juliette Eck, Emily Deason, Sarah Hatton, Brenda Sedberry, Ashlee Davis, and Jeff Federspiel from Duke Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

We are proud of you, and all of our Heart Walk teams, for your fundraising efforts this year. Thank you! 

   

 

Celebrating Physician Assistants

Thank you to all of our incredible physician assistants (PA) throughout Duke Heart! Last week was National Physician Assistant Week (October 6-12), which recognizes the PA profession and the many contributions they make to the health of the nation. It’s a time for all of us to recognize the tremendous role they play in healthcare throughout Duke Health.

Did you know there are 168,300 certified PAs in the U.S. caring for more than 9 million patients a week with 514 million annual patient encounters? Or that the PA profession was launched right here at Duke?

As highly skilled team members and healthcare leaders, PAs provide exceptional patient care in virtually all health care specialties and settings. PAs are pivotal in the health care delivery within our service line and across the Duke Health enterprise, serving in critical roles throughout clinical care, medical education, health administration, leadership, and research.

We are deeply grateful for the dedication and contributions our Duke Heart PAs make each and every day.

 

Flu Vaccination Reminder!

Do you know what is better than a gorgeous autumn day in North Carolina? Not being sick with the flu.

Duke Health requires all employees to be vaccinated by 10 a.m. on Nov. 7 – just a few weeks away. If you need a medical/religious exemption, the application deadline for that is Oct. 24.

Duke offers free flu vaccinations in a variety of convenient locations. This week (Oct. 16-19), Duke University is offering a special influenza vaccination clinic for employees in the Moyle Board Room of the Karsh Alumni & Visitors Center – great parking (free for 30 mins!) and easy to find! Hours: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Don’t forget to fill out the screening survey within 48 hours of going to get the vaccine at Duke. It’s required.            

Duke’s Fight the Flu website has a list of locations, dates, and times for flu vaccination, and a link to the required screening survey. If you have any questions about the flu vaccine you can email either StopTheFlu@duke.edu or EOHWflu@dm.duke.edu.

Don’t forget — masking is highly recommended when providing clinical care. Some units now require masking due to COVID outbreaks — including all Heart Center inpatient and procedural units. Please pay attention to signage on our units and elsewhere within the hospital.

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

• This week, October 15-22, is Healthcare Quality Week.
• October is Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month as well as National Pharmacists Month.
• Masking is strongly recommended throughout all clinical areas during respiratory virus season, from now through early March.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Oct. 17: Revascularization for Ischemic Cardiomyopathy: Can We Reconcile the Randomized Trials? with Bernard Gersh. 5 p.m. DN 2002 or via Zoom.

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Oct. 18:  Topic TBD. In-person only. Noon, DMP 2W96.

Medicine Grand Rounds

Oct. 20: Stepping in 4 Respect: Upstander Training Nationally and at Duke University with John Duronville, Margaret Plews-Ogan, and Gregory Clarke-Townsend. 8 a.m., DN 2002 or via Zoom.

Call for Applications: 2024 Leadership Programs

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

 

DIHI Innovation RFA 2024

The Duke Institute for Health Innovation (DIHI) has announced their next annual Request for Application (RFA) for selecting and implementing innovative solutions in our clinical enterprise. The proposals should address actual and important problems encountered by care providers, patients, and their loved ones, and represent urgent health challenges nationally.

For the 2024 funding cycle, they are specifically interested in the following topic: 

Generative AI & Large Language Models: AI solutions to improve staff and clinician efficiency, patient journey, and outcomes

Please visit the Innovation RFA web page for additional information, to download an info packet, and to see the timeline for 2024 projects. The deadline for submitting applications is November 3, 2023.

All proposals are required to have a DUHS operational lead as a co-sponsor to be accepted for review.

If the DIHI team can be of any assistance to you in the formulation of ideas or connections, please contact Suresh Balu. The DIHI team looks forward to your innovative solutions!

 

Register Now: 15^th Annual Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium

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

Have news to share?

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

Duke Heart in the News:

October 5 — Stephen Greene

Medscape

The How and Why of Quad Therapy in Reduced-EF Heart Failure

https://duke.is/8/txw2

October 5 — Amanda Craig (Obstetrics & Gynecology)

Medscape

History of Heart Transplant Tied to Worse Pregnancy Outcome

https://duke.is/c/vmfm

October 5 — Stephen Greene

HCP Live

Heart Failure Society of America 2023 Annual Meeting Preview, with Steve Greene, MD

https://duke.is/6/qhsf

October 5 — Amanda Craig

Healio/Cardiology

Complex pregnancies after heart transplant underscore need for patient counseling

https://duke.is/y/64a4

October 6 — David Harpole

OncLive

Dr Harpole on the Design of an Exploratory Analysis of the AEGEAN Trial in NSCLC

https://duke.is/5/hmrb

October 7 — Robert Mentz and Anand Shah (UNC)

HCP Live

Out-of-Pocket Costs Influence GDMT Uptake in Heart Failure, with Anand Shah, MD, MBA

https://duke.is/n/ug53

October 8 — Marat Fudim and Stephen Greene

HCP Live

Don’t Miss a Beat: REBALANCE-HF, with Marat Fudim, MD, MHS

https://duke.is/b/fm7c

October 8 — Marat Fudim

HCP Live

REBALANCE-HF: Greater Splanchnic Nerve Ablation Could Prove Beneficial in HFpEF

https://duke.is/4/yr6n

October 9 — Mohammad Shahzeb Khan

Medpage Today

Heart Failure in Young Adults: Moving in the Wrong Direction

https://duke.is/2/jxtq

(updates an Aug. 9 story)

October 10: Marat Fudim

DAIC

Late-Breaking Data Confirms Safety of Axon Therapies’ Innovative Heart Failure Procedure and Identifies Patients Most Likely to Benefit from SAVM Therapy

https://duke.is/w/2my6

October 10: Monique Starks

Winston-Salem Journal

Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office to test cardiac care drones in a first for the U.S.

https://duke.is/6/tn6e

October 10: Monique Starks

WXII NBC-12, Greensboro

Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office partners with Duke Clinical Research Institute and HOVECON for drone-delivered AED

https://duke.is/p/uh2m

October 11: Stephen Greene

HCP Live

Experts’ Perspectives: Top Story in Heart Failure for 2023

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

October 11: Marat Fudim

Medpage Today

Novel Nerve Ablation Procedure Explored for HFpEF

https://duke.is/c/ngbx

October 11: Robert Lefkowitz

Duke SOM News

Nobel Laureates Highlight Symposium Celebrating Lefkowitz’s 50 Years at Duke

https://duke.is/r/8x7k

October 12: Monique Starks

The Clemmons Courier

First drone-delivered AED program in the country

https://duke.is/8/74uf

 

Highlights of the week:

Celebrating Bob Lefkowitz

The two-day symposium, “Celebrating Scientific Discoveries that Advance Human Health,” held to honor Duke cardiologist and Nobel Prize winner Robert J. Lefkowitz’s 50 years at Duke, was held on campus this week — and was a resounding success. More than 1000 people attended events that spanned Sunday evening dinner, the public scientific sessions on Monday and early Tuesday in Page Auditorium, and alumni sessions on Tuesday afternoon.

The scientific sessions on Monday featured presentations from several Nobel laureates, as well as a panel with University President Vincent E. Price, PhD; Mary E. Klotman, MD, executive vice president for health affairs and dean of the Duke University School of Medicine; former Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski; and Lefkowitz.

Shown here are photos from across the entirety of the event, including several from the Gala that not only celebrated Bob’s 50 years at Duke but his 80^th birthday as well. The gala was held in the President’s Ballroom at the Washington Duke Inn.

Special guests included dozens of Lefkowitz’s trainees who came from far and near; on Tuesday, special sessions geared just for those alumni were held in the Trent Semans Center. Members of the Lefkowitz family were in attendance throughout, as well as numerous close friends and colleagues he has known throughout his life.

In a message to his former and current trainees after the event, Lefkowitz wrote, “Wow, what an incredible few days we just shared. I want to thank everybody who took the time to join in and especially those of you who came from long distances to help me celebrate these two very special landmarks in my life. Never have the words been truer than when I say, “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

A big shout-out to Howard Rockman, MD, and Maria Price Rapoza, PhD of the Duke 

 Cardiovascular Research Center for their leadership, vision, and drive for this special event.

Post-event compliments rolled in afterward, including the following:

“For myself, I can say this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and an amazing tribute from the broader scientific community on behalf of Dr. Lefkowitz of Duke University or the ‘Duke of Lefkowitz,’ as he was dubbed at the Gala.” — Maria Price Rapoza, executive director, Duke CVRC

“I loved being on the panel with Bob, Mary & Vince. I thought it went really well. Bob was terrific! It was an honor to be a part of his Birthday Celebration!” — Coach K

The happiest of birthdays to you, Dr. Lefkowitz! Congratulations on an incredible career milestone – and thank you for all you have done to advance science in ways that have helped countless patients and fellow researchers. You’ve been living the Duke values all along, encouraging others as a colleague, mentor, and friend!

 

It’s Heart Walk Weekend!

The Triangle Heart Walk is taking place this morning at PNC Arena in Raleigh. Thank you to all who are joining us in support of the American Heart Association (AHA). We’ll have fundraising results and photos from the event coming up over the next couple of weekends.

Leading up to the event, the AHA mascot visited several Duke locations to get our teams jazzed up for the main event!  

The mascot was seen at Duke Regional on Sept. 12, and again this week at Duke University Hospital. Also shown here are members of 2F2G sporting t-shirts they sold to help raise money for the AHA. The team also held a silent auction that raised $630 for the Walk. 

Hat tip to Renee Potts of the AHA and her daughter, who played the mascot, for the photos; ditto to Jamie Hilton, for the photo of her amazing 2F2G team! Special thanks to Jason Stokes for helping guide the mascot through several of our units. We know it helped spread joy and awareness throughout DUH.

Great job 2F2G! We are proud of you, and all of our Heart Walk teams, for fundraising efforts this year. Thank you!

 

Califf Receives NAM Lienhard Award

Congratulations to Duke alum Rob Califf, MD! The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) announced late last month that Califf is the recipient of the 2023 Gustav O. Lienhard Award for Advancement of Health Care, for his instrumental role in leading clinical trials and health outcomes research and his ability to translate research into advances in science, evidence-based medicine, and improved public health.

The award, a medal that recognizes Califf’s achievements, is being presented today at the NAM’s annual meeting. Califf is the founding director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute and is the current commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Follow this link to read the full announcement.

Congratulations, Rob!

 

O’Connor Receives HFSA Leadership Award

Congratulations to cardiologist Christopher O’Connor, MD, former co-chair of Duke Heart Center and current president of the Inova Fairfax Heart and Vascular Institute. O’Connor received the Heart Failure Society of America’s 2023 Distinguished Leadership Award! This award celebrates a leader in education and mentorship within the field of heart failure.

The award was presented yesterday during the HFSA’s Annual Scientific Meeting taking place Oct. 6-9 in Cleveland, OH.

Well-deserved, Chris! We’ll have more coverage from HFSA in next weekend’s Pulse.

 

SCSE Conference Held

Duke Cardiac Diagnostic Unit was represented at the South Carolina Society of Echocardiography’s 2nd Annual Conference last Saturday, September 30th at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia, SC.

Conference attendees consisted of cardiovascular sonographers, students, physicians, and educators. Lectures were given by Fawaz Alenezi, MD who presented The Clinical Applications of Echo Strain Imaging, and cardiac sonographer Sarah Hatton who presented on Pulmonary Hypertension and the Role of Echocardiography.

Pictured left to right: Sarah Hatton, Fawaz Alenezi, and Hannah Dowdy.

Nicely done, team!

 

Kudos to Meo!

We received the following note this week from Madhav Swaminathan regarding Eliyah Meo, one of our amazing team nurses.

“Dear Eliyah,

I wanted to thank you and express my gratitude and admiration for what you did last night in the CTICU. When you took a patient’s stuffed animal that was soiled and thoughtfully washed and cleaned it and returned it to that critically ill patient, you displayed an extraordinary act of compassion and kindness that we all think about a lot but seldom see. That wasn’t required, wasn’t part of the care plan, and wasn’t expected during your night shift. And that too for a patient who you likely thought would not be able to appreciate your act of kindness, given his illness. It reflected a level of care and compassion that we all aspire to achieve. Your thoughts were directed towards what was right and what was important to the patient’s overall care and comfort. You may not have considered this an extraordinary act and even doubted whether you should do this seemingly mundane task. But in taking a self-directed step of caring, you did what you were meant to be and do – a caring nurse who lives the values we aspire to as healthcare professionals.

Thank you and keep doing what you do.” — With deepest admiration, Madhav Swaminathan, MD

Solid work in living our values, Eliyah!

 

Duke Heart Grows by One!

We are thrilled to welcome Sophia to the Duke Heart family! Born Sept. 27, she is the daughter of cardiology fellow, Ivan Nenadic Wood and his wife, Sara. 

The family is doing well and we know Django is loving his new human!

Congratulations, Ivan and Sara!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

• This week, October 6-12, is National Physician Assistant Week.
• National Hispanic Heritage Month runs through Oct. 15.
• October is Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month as well as National Pharmacists Month.
• Masking is strongly recommended throughout all clinical areas during respiratory virus season, from now through early March.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Oct. 10: Prevention of Heart Failure: Is it a Reality? with Mohammad Shahzeb Khan. 5 p.m. DN 2002 or via Zoom.

Cardiovascular Informational Session

Oct. 11: What can the DCRI do for you? with Sana Al-Khatib and Neha Pagidipati. 5-7 p.m., DMP 2W96 (dinner will be served)

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Oct. 13: EKG Review with Tom Bashore. Zoom only.

 

Call for Applications: 2024 Leadership Programs

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

 

DIHI Innovation RFA 2024

The Duke Institute for Health Innovation (DIHI) has announced their next annual Request for Application (RFA) for selecting and implementing innovative solutions in our clinical enterprise. The proposals should address actual and important problems encountered by care providers, patients, and their loved ones, and represent urgent health challenges nationally.

For the 2024 funding cycle, they are specifically interested in the following topic: 

Generative AI & Large Language Models: AI solutions to improve staff and clinician efficiency, patient journey, and outcomes

Please visit the Innovation RFA web page for additional information, to download an info packet, and to see the timeline for 2024 projects. The deadline for submitting applications is November 3, 2023.

All proposals are required to have a DUHS operational lead as a co-sponsor to be accepted for review.

If the DIHI team can be of any assistance to you in the formulation of ideas or connections, please contact Suresh Balu. The DIHI team looks forward to your innovative solutions!

 

Register Now: 15^th Annual Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium

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

 

Have news to share?

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

 

Duke Heart in the News:

 

September 29: David Harpole

Oncology Nursing News

Neoadjuvant Durvalumab Combination Misses Mark in EGFR+ NSCLC

https://duke.is/c/rh2h

 

September 30: Robert Lefkowitz

Facts.net

10 Astounding Facts About Dr. Robert Lefkowitz

https://duke.is/8/tyse

 

October 2: Duke University Medical Center

The People’s Pharmacy

Can You Stay in the Sweet Spot for Your Warfarin Dose?

https://duke.is/m/dxh9

 

October 2: David Harpole

The ASCO Post

Perioperative Durvalumab Plus Chemotherapy in Resectable NSCLC

https://duke.is/j/xhrb

 

October 4: Kristin Newby

Medscape

SGLT2 Is Tied to Fewer Post-MI Deaths in T2D

https://duke.is/g/6mwj

 

 

 

Highlights of the week:

Duke Heart Team Welcomes Spahillari

Please offer a warm welcome to Aferdita Spahillari, MD, MPH, who joined the Duke Heart team as associate professor of medicine in cardiology on August 30.  She is now a member of our Heart Failure service and will co-lead a Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy (GDMT) program with Dr. Stephen Greene. Spahillari has joined us from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School, where she had been on the faculty since 2017, and served as Director of the GDMT Clinic at MGH for the past two years.

Spahillari is a native of Albania who moved with her family to the Worcester, MA area when she was a teenager. She earned her MD at Tufts University School of Medicine, where she received both the William Dameshak Award in Internal Medicine as well as the Glasgow-Rubin Citation for Academic Achievement in 2010; she earned an MPH in clinical effectiveness from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Spahillari completed internal medicine training at the University of California San Francisco, a cardiology fellowship with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and an advanced heart failure and transplant fellowship at Tufts.

“For as long as I can remember, I had the desire to become a doctor,” said Spahillari. “As I went into training, I was drawn to cardiology. It’s one of the specialties I found most interesting because of the physiology, and because it covers a whole spectrum of diseases with a wide variety of treatment options. I almost went into interventional cardiology because I really enjoyed doing procedures, but ultimately, I had mentors and inspirational teachers in heart failure who led me in this direction, and I fell in love with it as well.”

She says heart failure patients are a population she really enjoys. “It’s very fulfilling to follow the patients along their journey and to care for them when they’re really sick, but also see them get better with the treatment options we have to offer.”

If there was something she wished more patients and families knew, it would be for them to recognize “that heart failure is quite common, and that we have a great deal of treatment options and advanced therapies to offer. My goal is to grow our guideline-directed medical therapy program and get patients on optimal medical therapies as early as possible, or, even if they are in later-stage heart failure, get them onto the optimal therapy in order to improve their heart failure symptoms and heart function.”

With the GDMT program, Spahillari and Greene will unite the efforts of the nurse practitioners working in the HF Same-Day Access Clinic with the efforts of the Duke pharmacy team in order to further develop the program and expand access to more HF patients across Duke. She will see patients at Duke South, round on the HF service, read echocardiograms, and she expects to see clinic patients in Raleigh a couple of times per month.

Aferdita and her husband, Bobby Guadagno, have two sons — JD and Beau who are four and two respectively. The family is excited to be in North Carolina, with family nearby in Charlotte and they look forward to all that Durham and the surrounding areas have to offer.

Welcome, Aferdita! We are so pleased to have you on our team!

 

Heart Walk: Next Sunday!

We are just one week away from the American Heart Association Triangle Heart Walk – next Sunday, October 8th. If you have registered great — if you have not – it’s not too late.

We are happy to report that Duke is still the number one fundraiser throughout the Triangle, but we also know others are nipping at our heels. Let’s rally hard this week to show our Duke Heart pride, and support our partners at the Triangle AHA. Register for a team here. 

Feel free to join any team (donation or not) and come out and enjoy the walk and help us increase awareness of heart disease. Manesh Patel has a team called ‘Duke Heart’ with team members that include several heart patients and others who will join the walking; Jill Engel has a team called ‘Got Heart!’ – and there are many other great groups across DUHS and the School of Medicine.

The event will occur at PNC Arena, 1400 Edwards Mill Road, Raleigh. Check-in begins at 11 a.m.; the walk begins at Noon. You can bring kids, dogs, and friends to the event. Our annual Duke team photo for all Duke team members will take place at approximately 11:25 a.m.  Manesh advises we all be on the lookout for Chris Granger – he is often there helping organize everyone for the photo.

Duke Health was unable to provide t-shirts this year, so please wear your favorite Duke Blue t-shirt to the event! It does not have to say ‘Duke’ but please make sure it’s a royal blue. Thank you!!!

 

Pagidipati Featured in Duke SOM’s Magnify

Neha Pagidipati, MD, MPH is featured in the Sept. 28 issue of Magnify, the Duke School of Medicine online magazine:

The Doctor Who Wants to Change How We Treat Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of people in the United States and worldwide. Yet physicians often do not prescribe evidence-based medicines that could change those statistics.

Neha Pagidipati, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine in cardiology at Duke University School of Medicine, wants to do something about that.

“There are therapies that have a ton of evidence [showing they] keep people from developing recurrent disease,” said Pagidipati, a cardiologist who specializes in prevention. “They are just not being used appropriately. That has to change on population level.”

In particular, there are three types of FDA-approved drugs that can reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke among the growing number of people who have both diabetes and cardiovascular disease, a combination often referred to as cardiometabolic disease. The three classes of drugs treat high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol, which are all risk factors for both diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

“These are not fair diseases,” Pagidipati said. “They are inequitably targeting patient populations that don’t have the resources to combat these chronic illnesses. That’s part of what motivates me—it’s a public health and a social justice issue.”

In a recent study called COORDINATE Diabetes, Pagidipati and her colleagues tested a strategy in clinics nationwide to encourage physicians to prescribe all three of these types of drugs to their patients with both diabetes and a specific type of cardiovascular disease called atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries.

In the randomized controlled trial, the clinics that followed the multifaceted strategy successfully increased the percentage of patients who were prescribed all three medicines. Half of the participating medical centers received the intervention, and the other half were business-as-usual. 

At the beginning of the trial, less than 3% of the 1,000 patients were prescribed all three drugs. By the end of the trial, that percentage had risen to 37.9% in the intervention group.

“It has major implications about what methodologies we can use to improve the way clinicians are providing care to this very high-risk population,” Pagidipati said. “That care promotes resilience.”

The intervention was designed to encourage coordination among the multiple specialists who see patients with diabetes and heart disease. In the absence of such coordination, it can be difficult for a cardiologist to prescribe a drug targeting blood sugar or for a diabetes specialist to prescribe a drug targeting blood pressure. The strategy called for health systems to create multidisciplinary teams to identify and remove barriers to coordinated care.

The intervention also provided educational materials to both physicians and patients and gave the clinics regular feedback about how well they were doing in prescribing the drugs.

The study was designed to measure an increase in prescriptions, not cardiac events such as stroke or heart attacks. However, the investigators did find fewer cardiac events (23) in the intervention group compared to the business-as-usual group (40). While that difference was not statistically significant, it was encouraging.

Pagidipati hopes the results of the study will inspire more health systems to adopt strategies to improve the health of their patients.

At Duke, Pagidipati is taking coordinated care to a new level. She started a clinic a few years ago where patients with advanced cardiometabolic disease see a team of multidisciplinary specialists, including cardiologists, endocrinologists, nephrologists, hepatologists, and pharmacists. 

“The goal is to provide coordinated, state-of-the-art comprehensive preventative care for the highest risk patients in the health system,” she said.

Pagidipati’s goal is to improve care not just for patients at Duke, but for patients everywhere. She is planning a randomized trial to measure the effectiveness of the strategies used in her clinic. If her multidisciplinary team helps patients stay healthier longer, she’ll be looking for ways to spread the word and influence the standard of care nationwide and beyond.

“At the end of my career,” she said, “I would really like to say that we did something to help people combat cardiometabolic disease, both locally—at Duke—and at large—regionally, nationally, internationally.”

 

Heartfelt Gratitude: Duke Patient Contributes to OneDukeGen Study

By the time Roger Neighborgall was 66 years old, his heart was wearing out. Without an effective way to pump blood through his body, Neighborgall was experiencing circulatory problems and suffering heart failure.

He had been told he had up to a month to live, but in January 2021, Duke University Hospital provided him with a new lease on life —a heart transplant

Almost three years later, Neighborgall is thriving and looking to give back to the place that gave him the most precious gift of all: time.

“You get a sense of connection [having] somebody else’s heart in your chest,” he said, “and I feel an overwhelming sense of connection with Duke.”

So when Neighborgall was asked during a recent transplant checkup if he would consider joining OneDukeGen, a precision medicine study that will analyze DNA from 150,000 consented Duke patients, he didn’t hesitate. “Before it even came out of their mouths,” Neighborgall said, “I knew I was going to join.”

As part of the new Center for Precision Health and in partnership with nference, a science-first software company, OneDukeGen will use genetics and precision medicine to make scientific discoveries focused on improving the health and well-being of Duke patients.

“OneDukeGen is focused on using genetic and other scientific discoveries and translating them to patient care in less time,” said Svati Shah, MD, Ursula Geller Distinguished Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases and principal investigator for OneDukeGen. “Because of participants like Roger, we will be able to make discoveries to improve prevention and treatment of diseases and enhance health.”

Eligible Duke patients will receive an invitation to join the study either during a previously scheduled appointment or through their Duke MyChart portal. Recruitment will be ongoing over the course of the six-year study. Participation is currently limited to established Duke patients.

Once enrolled, participants will provide a blood or saliva sample. Researchers will then be able to analyze DNA, RNA, and other factors to investigate a variety of diseases and conditions. Participants will receive their genetic testing results if they have DNA differences that increase the risk for preventable or treatable health conditions. They may also receive recommendations for follow-up care, such as annual screenings, medication, or preventative surgeries.

Neighborgall often thinks of all the people at Duke who have helped him on his journey. “I owe them so much, and if some of my some of my DNA can help not only at Duke Hospital but maybe, in the future, other hospitals, of course I’ve got to be part of it.”

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

 

Shout-out to Glower

We received a terrific note about cardiothoracic surgeon, Don Glower, from Press Ganey HCAHPS regarding the great care he and his team provided recently to a patient at Duke Hospital: 

“Dr. Glower is wonderful with great staff!!” – a grateful patient (name withheld for privacy)

Dr. David Gallagher, chief medical officer, added, “Thank you for the high quality and compassionate care you provide to patients!”

Well-deserved, Dr. Glower!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kudos to Medlock

Congratulations to Nick Medlock for completing the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) Foundation Emerging Leaders Program! This is a fantastic accomplishment and an honor to have been selected. The SDMS Foundation Emerging Leaders Program annually invites a cohort of students and recent graduates to be mentored as future leaders in the field of sonography and with the SDMS. Program participants participate virtually in a variety of leadership education opportunities that are designed to engage them in meaningful dialogue and projects related to the future of the profession and leadership volunteerism. 

 

Medlock is a recent graduate of the Duke Cardiac Ultrasound Certification Program and earned the American Society of Echocardiography Waggoner award in 2022.

Way to go Nick!

 

Shout-out to Tong & team

This week we received a note from David Gallagher, chief medical officer, regarding thoracic surgeon Dr. Betty Tong and her team. The note was submitted to Press Ganey HCAHPS:

“Dr. Tong and her team are absolutely the best. My nurse Rosalee was awesome.” – a grateful patient (name withheld for privacy)

Dr. Edward P. Chen, division chief for cardiovascular and thoracic surgery added, “Dr. Tong provides outstanding service every day to her patients and it is nice to see her recognized in such a complimentary fashion.”

Well-deserved, Betty!

 

 

 

 

 

 

DIHI Innovation RFA 2024 is Now Open

The Duke Institute for Health Innovation (DIHI) has announced their next annual Request for Application (RFA) for selecting and implementing innovative solutions in our clinical enterprise. The proposals should address actual and important problems encountered by care providers, patients and their loved ones, and represent urgent health challenges nationally.

For the 2024 funding cycle, they are specifically interested in the following topic:  

Generative AI & Large Language Models: AI solutions to improve staff and clinician efficiency, patient journey and outcomes

Please visit the Innovation RFA web page for additional information, to download an info packet, and to see the timeline for 2024 projects. The deadline for submitting applications is November 3, 2023.

All proposals are required to have a DUHS operational lead as a co-sponsor to be accepted for review.

If the DIHI team can be of any assistance to you in the formulation of ideas or connections, please contact Suresh Balu. The DIHI team looks forward to your innovative solutions!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

• National Hispanic Heritage Month runs through Oct. 15
• October is Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month as well as National Pharmacists Month
• Masking is strongly recommended throughout all clinical areas during respiratory virus season, from now through early March.

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Oct.3: Left Atrial Appendage Closure with Kevin Jackson. 5 p.m., DN 2002 or via Zoom.

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference/Fellows Conference

Oct. 6: Fellows Forum with Joseph Lerman. Noon, DMP 2W96, in-person only.

Call for Applications: 2024 Leadership Programs

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

Register Now: 15^th Annual Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium

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

 

Have news to share?

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

 

Duke Heart in the News:

September 24 — Mark Sendak (DIHI)

The Wall Street Journal

Can AI Help Doctors Come Up With Better Diagnoses?

https://duke.is/r/747e

September 25 — Svati Shah

WRAL

Studying why some people stay healthy and others get diseases

https://duke.is/g/jtut

(clip begins at 05:13:48)

September 26 — Harry Severance

Becker’s Hospital Review

Viewpoint: The ‘last straw’ for healthcare workers

https://duke.is/y/2mjk

September 26 — Harry Severance

Medpage Today

‘The Last Straw’ Driving Workers Out of Healthcare

https://duke.is/n/34f7

September 26 — Mark Sendak

Becker’s Health IT

Duke’s health innovation institute targets racial disparities

https://duke.is/5/stsm

September 26 — Svati Shah

WRAL

‘OneDukeGen’ DNA study involves 150,000 Duke patients with a ‘precision health’ approach

https://duke.is/9/579q

September 28 — John Alexander

Medscape

Factor XI Inhibitors: The Promise of a Truly Safe Anticoagulant?

https://duke.is/9/xy8r

Highlights of the week:

Pendyal Joins Duke Heart Team

This weekend we are introducing another of our newest cardiology faculty members. Akshay Pendyal, MD, MHS, joined the Duke Heart team as an assistant professor of medicine in cardiology on August 30. He came to us from Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center in Charlotte where he practiced as a general cardiologist.

Pendyal is a Chapel Hill, NC native who holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, and who then returned to Chapel Hill to earn his MD at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. His internal medicine residency was conducted at the University of Colorado Hospitals in Denver; he then went on to cardiology fellowship at Oregon Health & Science University before earning an MHS through the National Clinician Scholars Program (formerly called the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program) at Yale University.

At Yale, he did advanced research training in health services, research outcomes, and health policy. Pendyal says he wasn’t really using his academic background while with Novant, and he really missed it. He says a big part of the appeal in joining the Duke faculty is the opportunity to work again in an academic environment, to conduct research, and to teach.

Pendyal enjoys being a general cardiologist because it allows him to see adult patients with a wide spectrum of cardiovascular disease — common conditions such as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and heart rhythm problems. In particular, he values the opportunity to develop longitudinal relationships with patients, and helping them maintain their care over time in partnership with sub-specialists.

“One thing I’ve learned over the years is the care of the patient in the hospital just kind of the beginning,” says Pendyal. “After that, I think, is the much more important piece, which is making sure that somebody is on the right set of medications, that we can adjust those medications accordingly, and quite honestly that we’re not imposing too much of a treatment burden on patients.”

He says this is something he finds important to incorporate in his clinical practice.

“It’s really hard, I think, to be a patient — especially a patient with a complex chronic cardiovascular illness. This ties into my research interest, which is the treatment burden imposed on patients who are already vulnerable and who are already facing numerous kinds of social barriers. In particular, I think it is important to consider housing instability, or homelessness. That was a big focus of my research when I was at Yale. I’m particularly interested in vulnerable or marginalized patients and their interactions with the healthcare system and seeking ways to improve this.”

Akshay and his wife, Meredith Niess, have two sons ages 3 and 5. When Pendyal has a bit of free time, he enjoys creative writing and poetry.

Please give him a warm welcome when you see him!

 

30^th Annual Meeting of NC & SC Chapters, ACC: Highlights

The 30^th anniversary conference of the NC and SC chapters of the American College of Cardiology has been taking place this weekend, Sept. 22-24, at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. 

Duke fellows have had a huge presence there, and we are thrilled to announce that our Duke cardiology team of Manasi Tannu, Mark Kittipibul, and Belal Suleiman won the NC/SC Fellows-in-Training (FIT) Jeopardy Championship today! 

Additionally, Kiki Osude led a FIT Seminar that was well-attended; Nishant Shah gave a talk on the revolution of cardiometabolic diseases, and Manasi Tannu and Jenn Rymer were formally awarded the Disparities Research Grant from the ACC NC chapter for their project that aims to increase screening for PAD at historically black churches in the Durham area.  

      

Special thanks to Jenn Rymer, Nishant Shah, and Anna Lisa Chamis for submitting photos. A huge congratulations to all on a successful and fun weekend!

 

Jackson Featured in AHA AFib Webinar

Electrophysiologist Larry Jackson, II, MD, appeared in a Sept. 12 American Heart Association (AHA) webinar to help promote awareness and understanding of ablation therapy for

atrial fibrillation. The webinar, ‘AFib Ablation — Who, What, and Why?’ can be found here (free registration required to view). 

The webinar was offered by the AHA as part of their AFib Awareness Month series. More than 300 people registered for the event and, as of last week, nearly as many people had viewed the recording. Jackson spoke on the history of catheter ablation, the biophysics of ablation, patient selection, safety, post-ablation management and care, and the dynamics of health equity regarding AFib.

The webinar is well worth checking out!

Nicely done, Larry. Great work!

 

 

Upcoming Bed Relocation: DN2200, 7200

Duke University Hospital has a master plan to increase the capacity of Emergency Department beds. As a result, several changes will occur in October involving the relocation of two units. 

Duke North 2200 will close on October 26 and the Emergency Department will relocate from Duke North 7200 to 2200 for a gain of 8 beds for their department. On October 30, 8 Cardiology Step-Down beds will open on 7200 (7201-7208) for a total of 24 Cardiology Step-Down beds between 3200 and 7200.

The move will allow Heart Services to be located on the 3rd and 7th floors in Duke North. Stay tuned for additional details on the upcoming move. We’ll share it here in Pulse!

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

• September is National AFib Awareness month and Women in Medicine month
• We’re celebrating National Advanced Practice Provider (APP) week: September 25-29. Thank you to all of our Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, and CRNAs throughout Duke Heart!
• Sept. 15 – Oct. 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month.
• Flu vaccination at Duke began this week – make sure to get yours!
• Masking for patients, visitors, and team members is strongly recommended throughout all clinical areas during respiratory virus season (Sept. 15- Mar. 1, 2024).

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

Sept. 26: Research Funding and Applications, Including the Current DOMRA/ORA Landscape, Rules, and Regulations with Chris Holley, Denise Wynn, and Krista Camigula. 5 p.m. DN 2002 or via Zoom.

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

Sept. 29: Diabetes and Heart Disease with Nishant Shah. Noon. Zoom only.

ICYMI: Medicine Grand Rounds, Sept. 15

Medicine Grand Rounds welcomed Chet Patel on Sept. 15 for his lecture, Heart Transplant at Duke: Tradition and Innovation. Recording available here.

DCRI Research Forum

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

 

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

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

Duke Football Healthcare Appreciation Day: Sept 30

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

Sept. 30: Duke Football vs. Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. Wallace Wade Stadium.

Call for Applications: 2024 Leadership Programs

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

Register Now: 15^th Annual Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium

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

Have news to share?

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

 

Duke Heart in the News:

September 15 — Robert Mentz

Managed Healthcare Executive

Intravenous Iron for Patients With Heart Failure? Recent Research Goes Against the Grain.

https://duke.is/8/w9tw

September 15 — David Harpole

Cancer Network

Durvalumab Combo Yields No Clear Benefit in Early-Stage EGFR+ NSCLC

https://duke.is/2/3avb

September 18 — Robert Mentz

AJMC

Since FDA Approval, Several Studies Highlight Benefits of IV Ferric Carboxymaltose

https://duke.is/w/m887

September 18 — Larry Jackson

Healio

Top in cardiology: BP control declines during winter; National AF Awareness Month

https://duke.is/p/a3n5

September 18 — Manesh Patel

Medscape/The Bob Harrington Show

SCD in Athletes: Lessons From High-Profile Cases

https://duke.is/6/sbmv

September 19 — Duke Health

Becker’s Hospital Review

26 health systems preferred twice as much as competitors

https://duke.is/r/4j5y

September 19 — Jacob Schroder and Carmelo Milano

Shared

How Scientists Make our Lives Brighter, Longer and More Convenient

https://duke.is/2/7xyn

September 19 — Pamela Douglas

tctMD

‘Shocking’ Sexual Misconduct in Surgery Survey Prompts New Calls for Change

https://duke.is/g/dyg8

September 21 — Duke Hospital

Cardiovascular Business

The 50 best hospitals in the world for cardiac surgery

https://duke.is/8/273c

 

 

Highlights of the week:

Duke Heart Welcomes Moghaddam and Aslam

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

CDU Awarded IAC Accreditation in Vascular Testing

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

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

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

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

Congratulations CDU Team – way to go!

 

Tannu to Receive ACC NC Grant

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

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

Congratulations, Manasi!

 

 

 

Recruiting Success for Step-Down Units

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

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

 

 

 

 

 

Shout-out to Lewis

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

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

Well-deserved kudos — nicely done, Rob!

 

 

EP’s Haney Retires

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

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

 

Cardiology Grand Rounds

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

 

CD Fellows Core Curriculum Conference

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

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

 

ICYMI: Medicine Grand Rounds, Sept. 8

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

 

DCRI Research Forum

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

 

CME: Special Care for Pregnant Hearts, Sept. 20

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

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

 

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

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

 

Duke Football Healthcare Appreciation Day: Sept 30

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

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

 

Call for Applications: 2024 Leadership Programs

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

 

Register Now: 15^th Annual Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium

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

 

Have news to share?

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

 

Duke Heart in the News:

September 11 — David Harpole

Onc Live

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

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

 

September 11 — David Harpole

Targeted Oncology

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

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

 

September 11 — Christina Wyatt (nephrology)

Healio/Nephrology

Women with health issues and CKD face complex challenges

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

 

September 13 — CTSI

NC Medical Society

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

https://duke.is/4/z8ex

 

September 13 — Larry Jackson

Healio/Cardiology Today

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

https://duke.is/9/hkx6