Internal Medicine Residency News - February 16th, 2026
WHAT A WEEK! Great things are happening in Fun-bruary for sure! From hot chocolate with the chiefs to valentines candy rounds to Squad events and a happy hour with the leadership team, the start of the week was pretty great! What a lead up to two of the best events of the year…. Duke it Out and the Second Look! So proud of everyone who worked to make Duke it Out happen as well as our contestants. Also super grateful to our amazing staff team who put together a FANTASTIC "Fall in Love with Duke" themed second look event with great participation by all of you! Thank you to the tour guides and all who helped out! Let’s go #DukeFam!
So, kudos this week to Duke it Out leaders Madeline Watson, Ankit Kayastha, Larissa Lushniak, and Sydney Means, sponsored by Komal Safdar and Suchita Sata, as well as our amazing contestants (winner) Maggie Oliver, Caitlin Womack, and Shane Clark! Thank you to our coaches Drs. Michelle Perkons, Jenna McNeill, and Matty Patil, and to judges Drs. Colby Feeney, Lisa Criscione, Pahresah Roominany, Haley Hutchinson, and Callie Lilley.
Other kudos this week to Jimshad Farooque-Wooden from Dr. Zhao and the night team for his fantastic work when there was a code, to Sam Menegas for a great SAR talk, and Leela Ekambarapu for a wonderful Cohen Conference.
Excited for more Fun-bruary this week as well!
This week’s pubmed from the program goes to Richard McLane for his recent publication: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential of Human Cardiomyocyte Proliferation. McLane R, Cheruku A, Williams AB and Karra R.
J. Cardiovasc. Dev. Dis.2026, 13(2), 74;https://doi.org/10.3390/jcdd13020074
Have a great week!
Aimee
Medicine Grand Rounds: February 20th, 2026 at 8am
*Find out more about weekly MGR or watch previous sessions here.
| Date | Topic | Lecturer | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/20/2026 |
MGR (8AM): 50 Years Strong - General IM and Health Care Delivery Science at Duke |
Dr. Nikki Hastings |
DUH 2002 & Zoom (8am) |
Noon Conference: February 16th - February 20th, 2026
| Date | Inpatient Topic | Lecturer | Location | Lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/16/26 |
Dr. Luderve Rosier |
DUH 2002 & Zoom |
none |
|
| 02/17/26 |
Dr. Caitlin Womack, Dr. Averie Dickinson, & Dr. Maggie Oliver |
DUH 2002 & Zoom | Saladelia | |
| 02/18/26 |
Dr. Ian George |
DUH 2002 & Zoom |
Chick-fil-A |
|
| 02/19/26 |
Dr. Emory Buck & Dr. Maria Martinez-Cruz |
DUH 2002 & Zoom |
Enzo's |
|
| 02/20/26 |
No Noon Conference |
n/a |
n/a |
none |
Report Conference Schedule: February 16th - February 20th, 2026
| Date | Topic | Lecturer | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/16/26 |
VA MS2 Report DUKE SAR Report DUKE MS2 Report |
Student Teaching – Shelf Review with Lauren Dr. Madi Bagley with Dr. Hofacker MS2 Teaching |
11 a.m. 1:15 p.m. 2:30 p.m. |
| 02/17/26 |
DUKE SAR Report DUKE Intern Report VA JAR Report |
Dr. Andres Camino with Dr. Govert Intern QI Report: Dr. Cottrill & Dr. Boggan Combined JAR/Intern Report with Dr. Cooney & Dr. Pankti Sheth (presenter) |
1:15 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. |
| 02/18/26 |
VA MS2 Report VA JAR Report DUKE SAR Report |
Student Teaching with ACR
JAR Journal Club with Dr. Zach Creech SAR QI Report: Dr. Cottrill & Dr. Boggan |
11 a.m. 1:15 p.m. 1:15 p.m. |
| 02/19/26 |
VA JAR Report DUKE SAR Report DUKE Intern Report VA Intern Report |
JAR Sim Session Dr. Joe Locklear with Dr. Zaas Dr. Alia Sadek with Dr. Brian Schneider Chief Chat & ACGME survey with Chief Lauren |
1:15 p.m. 1:15 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. |
Our Wellbeing
The Department of Medicine is keeping an updated list of wellbeing resources during this extraordinary time. Click here for more information.
Employee Health Hours!
- My COVID Link - Report new or worsening COVID-19 symptoms or new exposures.
- Employee Occupational Health & Wellness (EOHW) COVID Hotline, (919) 385-0429, option 1 (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday - Friday, and 8 a.m. - noon on weekends), After hours call the Duke emergency operator for the exposure nurse on call at (919) 684-8115.
Feeling down? Need to talk to someone? Opportunities for Wellness
All trainees at Duke have FREE access to Personal Assistance Services (PAS), which is the faculty/employee assistance program of Duke University. The staff of licensed professionals offer confidential assessment, short-term counseling, and referrals to help resolve a range of personal, work, and family problems. PAS services are available free of charge to Duke faculty and staff, and their immediate family members. An appointment to meet with a PAS counselor may be arranged by calling the PAS office at 919-416-1PAS (919-416-1727), Monday through Friday between 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. Prioritized GME appts are now available also at 6 pm and 7 pm! For assistance after hours, residents and fellows can call the Blood and Body Fluid Hotline (115 inside DUH, 919-684-1115 outside) for referral to behavioral health resources. Another resource is Duke Outpatient Psychiatry Referrals at (919) 684-0100 or 1-888-ASK-DUKE. Home | Personal Assistance Service (duke.edu)
- ACR Teach Blog
- GME Mistreatment Reporting Site
- Duke Health Influenza Policy
- http://duke.exitcareoncall.com/
- Main Internal Medicine Residency website
- Main Curriculum website
- Department of Medicine
- Confidential Comment Line Note (All submissions are strictly confidential unless you chose to complete the optional section requesting a response.)
- Updates from the Division of Hematology
- The Scope
Did you know that Duke Health now has three ways to make appointments and access health information in Spanish. Click HERE for information.
Hi there, Neighbors!
Happy Black History Month! This is Victor again with engagement opportunities for February.
As a reminder, the goal of these events is to help people know and love the Durham community for as long as we're here, and hopefully create a lot of fun activities that let residents bond with each other.
Here's what we have for the coming month:
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🚚🥫Duke Memorial Mobile Market 🥦🍎
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Back after the January hiatus! Join one of many local groups fighting food insecurity in Durham as you load and organize food to then distribute to your neighbors in Durham.
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Time: Saturday February 21 from 9am-11am
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Location: Duke Memorial (504 W Chapel Hill St)
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Sign-Up: https://signup.com/go/pLjRwWm (there are multiple sign-up times with different tasks that you can choose from!)
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Contact: Matt Wood (Jenny Van Kirk’s husband) at 828-301-9703
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BONUS: for those interested, I’ll also be going to a homeless outreach pancake breakfast at their partner church, Bethany United Methodist (down the street from PRIME clinic) at 8:30am that morning
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🥪🧤Lecture by Dr. Jim O’Connell on Homeless Care!👨⚕️🗣
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Not a “service” opportunity, but the Theology, Medicine, and Culture (TMC) Program at Duke will be hosting Dr. Jim O’Connell, the founder and president of the legendary Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program! This program has provided exemplary care for Bostonians experiencing homelessness for over 40 years, and if you have any interest in street medicine or care for those experiencing homelessness, this is a great event to attend!
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Time: Wednesday, Feb 25 from 6-8pm
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Location: JB Duke Hotel (230 Science Dr, Durham, NC 27708)
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Sign-Up: Fill out this interest form
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BONUS: Here's a list of concrete ways to help those experiencing homelessness that I just got from the city
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Finally, for those who can’t make it to these events but want to help out, the group we’re highlighting for donations this month is Families Moving Forward! This is a well known Durham nonprofit that helps families experiencing homelessness find temporary housing. It also supports them through case management, skills training, and holistic counseling including in health and emotional needs. Particularly in the brutal winter weather, they’re doing a lot of great work and could use your financial support!
If you have any ideas at all about community volunteering events, or about happenings in Durham that could help others get to know the city better, please reach out to me to get it added to the next email. I’m also hoping to step down from this leadership role by the end of the year, so if you’re interested in helping with community engagement coordination next academic year, please let me know!
Yours in neighbor-ing,
Victor
