Division News

Heart attack patients age 65 and older who have reduced heart function might still benefit from implanted defibrillators, according to a Duke Medicine study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). But fewer than 1 in 10 eligible patients actually get a defibrillator within a year of their heart attacks, the study found.

Eric Peterson, MD, professor of medicine and executive director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, was quoted in the New York Times in a front-page story about the nationwide quality movement in the management of acute myocardial infarction.

Dr. and Mrs. William H. Spencer, III have made a $1 million bequest in honor of Dr. Spencer’s upcoming Duke School of Medicine reunion, announced Magnus Ohman, MD, vice chair for development and innovation.

Duke University Medical Center was selected to be an early adopter site, along with two other institutions in NC (UNC and the Sanger Clinic), to implant the WATCHMAN device, which is intended to physically occlude the left atrial appendage and reduce the risk of thromboembolic stroke.

Adrian Hernandez, MD, MHS, associate profess or medicine (Cardiology), will lead the first randomized clinical trial conducted for PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network. 

The Aspirin Dosing: A Patient-Centric Trial Assessing Benefits and Long-term Effectiveness (ADAPTABLE) study will assess whether low- or standard-dose aspirin is better for preventing heart attacks and stroke in patients with coronary artery disease.

At the School of Medicine's Spring Faculty Meeting on May 5, the following Medicine faculty were honored with awards:

Michael Blazing, MD, associate professor of medicine (Cardiology), received the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, which recognizes compassion and sensitivity in the delivery of healthcare.

Kevin Jackson, MD, assistant professor of medicine (Cardiology), recently performed the first left atrial appendage occlusion with the LARIAT suture delivery device at Duke University Hospital.

Richard Krasuski, MD, a former Duke Cardiology fellow, will join the Division of Cardiology in July, announced Joseph Rogers, MD, interim chief of the division. Dr. Krasuski completed his cardiology fellowship at Duke. He currently runs the Adults with Congenital Heart Disease Program at the Cleveland Clinic.

Ravi Karra, MD, medical instructor in the Division of Cardiology, is a co-author of a recent article about heart regeneration in zebrafish. He also leads a clinical trial studying neuregulin in heart failure patients.

Three of the nation’s largest philanthropies – the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Simons Foundation – have announced a new partnership to provide much needed research support to outstanding early-career scientists in the United States.

Through the new Faculty Scholars Program, the philanthropies will invest a total of $148 million in research support over the program’s first five years.