Derek V. Exner, FRSC

Dr. Derek Exner, a cardiologist, heart rhythm specialist, and a Professor at the University of Calgary, is currently the Medical Director of Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology at the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta. He is leading several international research studies including REFINE ICD. His clinical activity and research focus on identifying people at risk for serious heart rhythm problems, optimal treatment of these conditions, and the use of device therapy for treating heart failure.

Dr. Exner earned his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Saskatchewan in 1990. He then completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Western Ontario, a cardiology residency at the University of Calgary, a cardiac electrophysiology fellowship at the University of Calgary, and a device fellowship at the University of Western Ontario. He also obtained a Master’s of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, where he was admitted into the Delta Omega Honor Society. He completed a three-year research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland before returning to Calgary in 2000.

Dr. Exner’s research is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, Alberta Advanced Education and Technology, Western Economic Diversification and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Alberta. Dr. Exner has authored or co-authored more than 200 articles, book chapters, and abstracts, including publications in leading medical journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Circulation, and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

---