December 21, 2025 / 1 Comment on Duke Heart Pulse — December 21, 2025

Chief’s message: Holiday weeks and reflection

As we end the year over the next two weeks – we will be taking time like many to review ways in which we can work together to accomplish our mission in the upcoming year. This weeks Pulse highlights the amazing teamwork that has been driving us all year with stories of awards, community outreach, our new fellows, site research with first device implant, research funding, and the new department Chair of Pediatrics.

We hope that our faculty, fellows, residents, nursing and all heart center teams have time to reflect on the tremendous impact and ways in which we have worked to improve the heath of our community and region. We hope you will have a some time over the next few weeks to spend with family and loved ones.

Also – this last week we had the opportunity to have a dinner to deepen some of our strategic relationship with partners helping us innovate to improve the clinical and research access, outcomes, and cost of care. We were lucky enough at the dinner to get this iconic Durham Legend photo we wanted to share that includes Coach K, Giorgio (of restaurant fame) and Rob Califf.

Highlights of the week:

On behalf of the leadership team for Duke Heart & Vascular, we wish each of you a very happy, healthy, and safe holiday season. Pulse will be on a short break over the next couple of weeks. We will return on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026 .

In celebration of the season, we have some holiday cheer to share with you:

The Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC) recently celebrated with a holiday potluck – everything looks like it was delicious! Maria Price Rapoza , executive director of the CVRC said, “2025 had some challenges, but it was good to take time to connect with colleagues and appreciate good food together.” What a lovely way to launch the holidays with the team!

And our Duke Health Heritage Cardiology team celebrated with some fun décor!

Please send us any holiday photos you would like to share with Pulse – we’ll run them on Jan. 11 to welcome the New Year.

Complimentary Holiday Meal at DUH, Dec. 25

For all those working on the Duke University Hospital (DUH) campus on Thursday, Dec. 25, hospital administration is offering a complimentary holiday meal for you at Duke North Atrium Café as an extension of sincere appreciation for the teams who make DUH such a special place to work and receive care.

Serving Time : 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. or 6 – 9 p.m., based on CSU ( Heart & Vascular preferred time is 12:30-2 p.m. or 7:30-9 p.m. )

Tarnowski Earns DAISY Award

Congratulations to Abbey Tarnowski , RN, of the Duke University Hospital CVSSU/EP Lab! She was surprised with a DAISY Award on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.

Her nominator wrote a truly heartwarming nomination, which in part reads:

“The nominee, Abbey, exhibited all qualities that I value in a nurse. She was compassionate, reassuring, patient, and respectful, and she seemed to genuinely care about my well-being. I always hate to ask my nurses for anything (I feel like a bother), but Abbey was happy to help with whatever I needed – no hesitation. She also did a great job of assessing the situation and anticipating my needs before I had to ask for something. For example, she brought me a warm blanket when starting my saline IV, and she brought me snacks right after the procedure since I hadn’t eaten in over 24 hours.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been treated so kindly by a nurse. I have never nominated a nurse for a Daisy Award (and didn’t know how to do so prior to this submission), but I searched for a way to recognize Abbey for her exceptional care. Her patience, eagerness to help, empathy, and genuine kindness meant so much to me. I am incredibly grateful for her help, as it turned an unpleasant day into a positive, memorable one.”

DAISY Awards are provided internationally by The DAISY Foundation to nurses who provide exceptional care to patients at organizations that are part of the DAISY program. Duke Health has been an active DAISY participant since March 2021 and has earned 3811 nominations with 81 inpatient honorees (DAISY award winners) through September 2025. For the cycle that includes July-September 2025, Duke Health had 314 nominations. Four inpatient awards are presented per quarter.

To learn more about The DAISY Award, please visit https://www.daisyfoundation.org/

Amazing work, Abbey! We are blessed to have you on our team!

What’s the 411? Featuring Samantha Minc

Vascular surgeon Samantha Minc , MD, MPH, recently served as the guest speaker for the Durham County, NC Department of Public Health’s What’s the 411 Series – an ongoing educational program that offers free workshops (in person or virtual) about managing diabetes and related issues.

Minc was the featured speaker for Save Your Sole: How to prevent amputation from diabetes and vascular disease , held at Noon on Dec. 17, 2025.

Way to go, Samantha!

Heart Team Members Participate in Science Saturday, BOOST Program

A big shout-out to our team members who volunteered their time on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025 at the BOOST “Science Saturday” outreach event! BOOST – or Building Opportunities and Overtures in Science and Technology — is an enrichment program founded by the late Dr. Brenda Armstrong that exposes middle schoolers who come from backgrounds underrepresented in STEM to healthcare fields.

Victor Ayeni , MD, Internal Medicine Resident, PGY-2, recruited team members to join him for some holiday-time community engagement for BOOST. He was joined by fellow resident Sabrina Arezo , MD, and three of our excellent cardiac sonographers: Emily Lynch , Katie Beaman , and Lynda Metcalfe .

“We and the students had a blast learning about cardiac ultrasound, with hands-on scanning from the sonographers as we talked about the healthcare careers of being a physician and being a sonographer,” said Ayeni. “I’ve heard directly from participants and alumni of the program how transformational the program has been, so I wanted to support it however possible.”

In general, experiences like this are always mutually beneficial for Duke employees and the community, Ayeni adds. If you or anyone you know are interested in helping with future events, please reach out to [email protected] so that he can connect you to the BOOST program coordinator.

Great job, everyone! Keep up the great work!

First CCM Implant Performed DUH

This past week Duke’s Heart and Vascular team implanted our first cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) device into a heart failure patient at Duke University Hospital. CCM devices received pre-market FDA approval in 2019. A CCM device is a small, implantable generator that treats heart failure by sending timed electrical pulses to strengthen the heart’s muscle contractions, helping it to pump more blood and oxygen throughout the body.

The implant procedure itself is nearly identical to a standard dual-chamber pacemaker procedure. The impulse generator and two leads are placed during the procedure. The device stimulates the septum and seeks to remodel the heart over several weeks to months. Unlike a pacemaker or CRT, this is not a device targeting the conduction system but rather the muscle itself, according to cardiologist Marat Fudim , MD, who specializes in heart failure.

CCM is now fully available at Duke for patients with left ventricular ejection fraction between 25-45 and symptomatic for heart failure. This is an alternative therapy to Barostim, which is a different device that has been offered at Duke for about two years.

“With this new therapy available, we are open for referrals via our heart failure device clinic – which is staffed by Todd McVeigh , PA; Leilani Gomez , RN; and me,” said Fudim. “The team plans to grow this and other device offerings, including Barostim and CardioMEMS.”

Aferdita Spahillari , MD, MPH, was the primary cardiologist on this case. Electrophysiologist Dan Friedman , MD, performed the procedure.

“Thanks to everyone for the administrative and clinical support necessary to get this program up and running,” said Friedman. “This is another milestone as we work to cement Duke as a world-class center for clinical care and research into devices for patients with heart failure. Our patient is doing well and experiencing symptom improvement. They were, in fact, discharged the same day.”

Congratulations, all!