DCRI Accomplishments showcases the publications, awards, and other achievements of our faculty members. Each quarter, a new collection will highlight the most recent accomplishments.
Manesh Patel Named AHA President-Elect for 2025-2026 Fiscal Year
The American Heart Association (AHA) recently announced their volunteer leadership for fiscal year 2025-26. As part of this announcement, the association revealed Stacey Rosen, MD, a New York City-based cardiologist, will start her one-year term as the new volunteer president, and Duke Clinical Research Institute’s (DCRI) Manesh Patel, MD, has been selected as the new volunteer president-elect for the association.
Patel, a member of the DCRI since 2006, also serves as Duke’s Chief of the Division of Cardiology and Vice President of the Cardiovascular Service Line. He is also co-host and co-executive producer of the DCRI’s podcast, Beyond the Endpoint. His research focus centers on vascular care, including angiography, peripheral angiography, and percutaneous intervention. Patel’s term as president will begin on July 1, 2026, after the end of the AHA’s current fiscal year.
2025 Excellence Awards: Honoring Recipients & Luminaries
On Thursday, July 24, DCRI leadership presented eight awards during the 2025 Excellence Awards celebration, an annual event that recognizes the individuals and teams who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to the organization’s mission and values. Colleagues gathered virtually to celebrate the award recipients. Faculty, staff, and teams from across the DCRI that embodied the DCRI’s values were nominated by their peers, and a selection committee comprised of DCRI leadership chose the winners. This year’s awards and winners were:
- Rising Star Award: Austin Batse
- Team Award: The Pediatric Trials Network (PTN) Operations team
- Innovation Excellence Award: The Axiom team
- Executive Director BRIGHT Award: Maria Grau-Sepulveda
- Excellence in Community Engagement Award: Damon Seils
- Excellence in Leadership Award: Jack Shostak
- Standout Performer Award: Brooke Alhanti
- Rob Califf Excellence in Service Award: Brenda Mickley
Following the awards ceremony, a special dedication was held for the DCRI Luminaries. Leadership and peers shared stories and expressed gratitude for these team members’ dedication and mentorship, as well as the impact they had on the DCRI’s mission of improving health for all.
Wilder, Bloomfield Receive Duke School of Medicine Awards
The Duke University School of Medicine revealed its 2025 Faculty Award recipients on May 20, with two DCRI faculty members, Julius Wilder, MD, PhD, and Gerald Bloomfield, MD, included among the awardees. These awards honor outstanding contributions in teaching, research, clinical care, professionalism, and service, while celebrating the excellence and dedication of faculty members who embody the school’s mission and values.
Wilder received the Michelle P. Winn Inclusive Excellence Award, alongside Raquel Ruiz, MBA, MAEd, Senior Staff Director for the Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute. This award recognizes individuals who have significantly advanced inclusive excellence within the School of Medicine community.
Bloomfield was the recipient of the Mentoring Excellence in Health Services Research Award, which is a part of the Research Mentoring Awards. This category aims to recognize excellence in mentoring across clinical, translational, population health, and basic sciences.
Palmer Presented with Chair’s Award
In early May, Kathleen Cooney, MD, chair of Duke’s Department of Medicine, presented the annual Chair's Commitment to Excellence Award and the Chair's Award. These awards honor faculty and staff who consistently demonstrate excellence in their responsibilities within the department.
DCRI faculty member Scott Palmer, MD, was among those honored with the Chair’s Award. He was recognized for leading his own research program and strategic plan, which successfully engaged a large number of faculty. This engagement helped guide the creation of dashboards and the department’s quarterly portfolio review, and fostered a significant commitment to early-career research faculty. Under Palmer’s direction as Vice Chair of Research, the department has also seen a steady increase in its early career awards while maintaining a top 10 National Institutes of Health ranking over the last seven years.