Jeff Healey MD, MSc, FRCP(C), FHRS

Jeff Healey is the director of arrhythmia services and associate professor of medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario Canada.  He is also a clinical trialist, and member of the Population Health Research Institute. Dr. Healey completed his clinical training in cardiology and electrophysiology at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and completed his Master’s degree in health research methodology at McMaster University. 

Currently, Dr. Healey’s clinically activities involve both catheter ablation and pacemaker/ICD implantation.  His research involves the conduct of randomized clinical trials and large registries in the fields of cardiac arrhythmias and cardiac devices.  His area of research focus is studying the effect of risk factors, and risk factor modification on the development of atrial fibrillation and its complications, such as stroke

Dr. Healey was the lead author of the ASSERT trial, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2012 and demonstrated the increased stroke risk associated with sub-clinical atrial fibrillation detected by pacemakers.  Thomson-Reuters recognized ASSERT as the 38^th most-cited scientific publication in 2012 (#16 in Medicine).  He is also leading 2 major ongoing studies. The SIMPLE trial is a 2500-patient randomized trial evaluating the value of performing intra-operative defibrillation threshold testing at the time of ICD insertion.  The RELY AF Registry is a 15,000-patient worldwide registry, examining the causes, treatment and outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Dr. Healey has published over 280 manuscripts and abstracts, including 60 manuscripts in the past 2 years (24 as first or last author).  Dr. Healey has received numerous grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Heart and Stroke Foundation and from industry.  He is the co-chair of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society’s Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines Committee, co-chair of the CCS Guidelines for Perioperative management of pacemakers and defibrillators and past chair of the Cardiac Care Network of Ontario’s Heart Rhythm Working group. 

Dr. Healey is the principal investigator and chair of the Canadian Stroke Prevention Intervention Network (CSPIN), a ten-year network grant funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and Industry.  CSPIN will conduct a series of clinical trials related to atrial fibrillation and stroke prevention and will also support the development of new Canadian researchers in this field.