Kevin

Friede

Start Year: 2021

Education and Training

College/University
St. Olaf College

Medical School
Duke University

Residency
Internship, University of Virginia, 2013-14
Residency, Duke University, 2014-16

Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship
Duke University

Advanced Training in Cardiology Fellowship
Duke University

Career and Research Goals

I am pursuing advanced training in interventional cardiology in 2021-22. I completed a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship in the Duke Center for Applied Genomics and Precision Medicine, where my research focus was the development of strategies utilizing gene expression signatures and pharmacogenomics to mitigate ischemic and bleeding risk in patients with coronary artery disease.

Honors, awards and distinctions

• Brandt and Belinda Louie Award, 2021
• ​Chief Cardiology Fellow, 2020-2021
• Eugene A. Stead Resident Research Scholarship, 2015
• AHA Student Scholarship in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke, 2012
• U.S. Department of Education Presidential Scholar, 2005

Fellow Perspective

Tell us briefly about your background before fellowship.
I grew up in Edina, Minnesota; I came to Duke in 2009 and completed medical school and residency here. Before fellowship, I spent a year as a staff physician at Duke in the Hospital Medicine division.

Why did you choose Duke for your fellowship training?
Duke is a perfect place to pursue my dual career goals in clinical practice and research. The clinical volume and training is world-class, and there are extensive research opportunities across the spectrum of basic, translational, and clinical research. In an ever-evolving academic research environment, our program does a great job of supporting our fellows and helping them chart their own path. Our fellows find success in traditional basic and clinical research tracks; extra advanced training in imaging or a particular area of cardiology; or multidisciplinary programs in global health, medical informatics, or critical care. Physical proximity to the main Duke campus is an often under-appreciated asset in our ability to collaborate with colleagues in basic science, engineering, informatics, and other areas outside of clinical medicine.

What advice might you offer residents looking at fellowship programs?
It’s important to remember that fellowship programs are smaller and more focused than residency. This means that when you are looking at a program, you should think about whether it is a good fit for your interest area (advanced fellowships and training), career path (academic medicine vs private practice), and personality. Talk to graduates from a program — especially people whom you already know and who are now at other institutions who can compare and contrast — about what the training environment is like and how the program helped them achieve their goals.

From your experience in fellowship, what have you learned about training at Duke?
Before fellowship, I did not appreciate how complex and narrow the subdisciplines of cardiology can be — not only the well-known subspecialties like electrophysiology, adult congenital heart disease, and advanced imaging, but also small and emerging fields like cardio-obstetrics, cardio-oncology, and cardiac critical care. Our faculty includes experts in just about every cardiology subdiscipline under the sun, I have been impressed with how well the division works together, including (and especially) with our colleagues in cardiothoracic surgery and cardiac anesthesia.

How is your life in the Triangle area outside of work?
My wife grew up in Durham, and it has been amazing for both of us to see its transformation since I first moved here in 2009. We love going to local parks and the Duke Gardens, exploring the local restaurant scene, and of course going to Duke basketball and football games. Raleigh-Durham area is one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the US, and it’s a great place to live, work, and raise a family.