The Duke Cardiovascular Imaging Center was formed in 2006 to enhance our clinical and academic programs in this strategically important component of cardiovascular medicine.

Overview

The Duke Cardiovascular Imaging Center was formed in 2006 to enhance our clinical and academic programs in this strategically important component of cardiovascular medicine.

The substantial strengths and expertise across the Duke University campus combine to create a unique enterprise with substantial ability to improve patient outcomes and to advance the science and clinical practice of cardiovascular imaging at Duke and across the globe.

Key collaborators include the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) and faculty in the Division of Cardiology.

Mission statement: To improve patient outcomes and quality of life through research and education that improves the evidence, use, and value of cardiovascular imaging.

Objectives

  • To be a global leader in all stages of cardiovascular imaging development and application
  • To assist in the optimal deployment of new and existing technologies in research and patient care

Our activities include:

  • Developing technology and enhancing the diagnostic performance of imaging of the cardiovascular system (preclinical, phase 1, proof-of-concept studies)
  • Research using cardiovascular imaging for disease identification, risk stratification, or assessment of therapeutic intervention (phase 2 studies)
  • Application of cardiovascular imaging to improve patient health (phase 3, outcomes studies)
  • Ensuring the quality of cardiovascular imaging in practice (phase 4, post-marketing registry and quality and appropriateness evaluation and education).

Scope and Deliverables

The Duke Cardiovascular Imaging Center supports its independent components with a strong central core that supplies strategic planning, business development and contracting, data and image access, education, platform development, imaging and trials tools, and quality efforts.

There are four general areas of focus:

1) Preclinical, Phase-1, and Clinical Imaging Research

Focusing specifically on:

  • Technology/test development
  • Novel applications of imaging
  • Cross modality comparisons (imaging studies)
  • Improving imaging research
  • IT development
  • Molecular imaging

2) Clinical Trials in CV Imaging (Phase 2/3)

  • Core laboratories servicing DCRI coordinated trials
  • Core laboratories servicing others’ trials
  • Individual laboratory participation in clinical research

As scientific leaders, Duke imaging investigators assist in trial design, act as principal investigators, make scientific presentations, author manuscripts, and mentor young investigators. We are uniquely positioned to understand the operational, financial, and regulatory implications of numerous project designs, including those for primary imaging trials or in substudies. 

In addition to faculty expertise, this area is supported by ongoing services and expertise in:

Our Imaging Core Laboratories specialize in processing and analysis of imaging, laboratory, and electrocardiographic data from our own research projects or other databases. These laboratories provide standardized, objective assessments of such tests, which minimizes bias and variability in the results. All imaging research is in compliance with good practices wherever it is performed.

Ongoing studies ranging from 40,000-patient international phase III clinical trials to small single center pilot studies. These are funded by government grants, industry funds, and foundation monies.

3) Quality and Outcomes

  • Cost-effectiveness, utilization, and appropriateness studies
  • Research on methodologies to assess imaging outcomes
  • Policy

The Duke Cardiovascular Imaging Center includes research groups at the forefront of health economics, quality of life, and outcomes research, representing the nation’s foremost collaborations of experts in these increasingly crucial aspects of clinical research. Our outcomes researchers lead the nation in the collection and analysis of economic and quality-of-life data for clinical research and have conducted large studies in a dozen therapeutic areas, including breast cancer, geriatrics, AIDS, and cardiovascular disease.

4) Imaging Education

  • Multimodality basic and advanced imaging GME programs
  • On-site and distance learning tools
  • On-site preceptorships and training

The Duke Cardiovascular Imaging Center, as part of Duke University, considers education to be critical to improving the practice of medicine and, therefore, patient care. All faculty are actively involved with both formal and informal educational programs. We are funded by the National Institutes of Health to develop the structural outline for combining all cardiovascular imaging data (and raw DICOM images) into a long-term database for investigation and education. Other ongoing projects include multimodality curriculum development and a 300-patient multimodality imaging library.

Learn More About CV Imaging at Duke:

Faculty

Pamela S. Douglas, MD, MACC, FASE
Co-director

Manesh Patel, MD
Co-director

Modality Leadership

Sal Borges-Neto, MD

Jamie Jollis, MD

Robert Judd, PhD, MS

Ray Kim, MD

I.T.

Jimmy Tcheng, MD

Contact Information

Office: 2400 Pratt Street, Room 0311, Terrace Level, Durham, NC, 27705 
Campus mail: 7022 North Pavillion DUMC, Durham, NC, 27715 
Phone: 919-681-2690 
Fax: 919-668-7059