Anita M. Kelsey, MD, MBA
Medical Director, Duke Cardiac Ultrasound Certificate Program
Anita McIlveen Kelsey, MD, MBA (she, her, hers) is the co-founder and Medical Director of the Duke School of Medicine Cardiac Ultrasound Certificate Program. Anita received her BSE from Duke University in Biomedical Engineering, and her MD from the University of Connecticut (UConn). She did postdoctoral training in Internal Medicine at UConn and in Cardiology at Duke.
As a new cardiologist, she returned to CT (and her family roots) after completing her training and worked there for 24 years before returning to Duke. Once back at Duke, she completed her MBA at the Fuqua School of Business and then re-joined Duke Cardiology as the Vice Chief of Academic Affairs and Operations. A professor of medicine in cardiology, her passion is teaching and she is the recipient of many teaching awards, including the Thomas M. Bashore Teaching Award, the Duke School of Medicine Master Clinician/Teacher Award, the Duke Department of Medicine Excellence in Education Award, and numerous others. She is a champion for quality in education and serves as the Vice Chair of the Joint Review Committee on Accreditation of Cardiovascular Technical Schools for the Committee of Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.
Dr. Kelsey has published numerous articles and textbook chapters and has edited two textbooks on cardiac imaging. She currently serves on the NBE Examination of Special Competence in Adult Echocardiography (ASCeXAM®) as a writing committee member. She enjoys working with her daughter who is also a cardiology faculty member at Duke.
Richard Palma BS, RDCS, RCS, ACS, FACVP, FSDMS, FASE
Director of the Duke Cardiac Ultrasound Certificate Program
Richard “Richie” Palma is a distinguished educator in both cardiac ultrasound and physics. He graduated from Northeastern University in 1987 with a BS degree in Cardiovascular Health and Exercise. He has been a cardiac sonographer for more than 35 years. He was previously employed at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, CT, where he founded an allied health professional program in cardiovascular technologies, the Hoffman Heart and Vascular Institute School of Cardiac Ultrasound. The program is nationally recognized with a 100 percent employment success rate and a 100 percent pass rate on the national exam for credentialing.
He has worked in the profession since 1990. He was the first in the country to become a fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) and was inducted as a fellow in the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) in 2016. He also became a fellow of the Alliance of Cardiovascular Professionals (ACVP). He was among the first to earn the credential of Advanced Cardiac Sonographer (ACS). He is the only man to have received the Distinguished Educator Award from both the SDMS (2011) and ASE (2023).
Richie is a co-author of numerous papers and cardiac materials. He serves on the board of directors for the SDMS and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). He is a past member of the ASE board of directors.
He has been actively involved in many national committees including:
American Society of Echocardiography
- Ethics Committee
- Advocacy Committee
- Sonographer Education and Training Committee
- International Education Task Force, Chair
- Public Relations
- Board of Directors
Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography
- Career Development Committee
- National Membership Committee
- Continual Education Committee
- National Educational Curriculum Task Force
- Conference Management Committee
- Board of Directors
Cardiovascular Credentialing International
- Ethics Committee, Chair
- Item Writer
- National Liaison CCI-ASE
American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography
- Item Writer
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
- Board of Directors
A nationally recognized speaker and educator, Mr. Palma has lectured over 300 times nationally at ASE, SDMS, and hospitals throughout the country. He is also recognized for his international work. He has lectured in India and Indonesia as part of the ASE’s medical international outreach education programs.
Palma authored the recently published Echocardiographer’s Pocket Reference, 5th Edition, and the Congenital Echocardiographer's Pocket Reference First Edition, the primary reference manual for sonographers and students of echocardiography.