Overview
Dr. Sana M. Al-Khatib is a tenured Professor of Medicine at Duke University Medical Center, a board-certified clinical electrophysiologist and an experienced clinical researcher in cardiac arrhythmias. She is currently the Director of the Fellowship Program at the Duke Clinical Research Institute. As a graduate of the NIH-funded Clinical Research Training Program, she is one of a few electrophysiologists nationwide with expertise in quantitative research methods. Her clinical expertise is in sudden cardiac death prevention, atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmias, and implantable cardiac devices. Her research expertise lies in the design and conduct of clinical trials, outcomes research, and cost-effectiveness analyses. She is a recipient of a National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s R-01 grant titled “Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Therapy in Patients with Heart Failure” (2009-2013) and of an American Heart Association Career Development Award (2002-2006). She is a Co-Principal Investigator on an NHLBI-funded T-32 Postdoctoral Training in Cardiovascular Clinical Research and is a co-investigator on several NIH-funded projects. She has more than 350 publications in peer-reviewed journals. She has established several collaborative research efforts both within and outside her institution. The goals of these collaborations are to synergize efforts aimed at improving the survival and quality of life of patients at risk for sudden cardiac death and those with atrial and ventricular arrhythmias through clinical trials and outcomes-based research and to evaluate study design and data analysis in order to improve the quality of research done in these arenas. Dr. Al-Khatib is a Senior Associate Editor for Circulation and is on the Editorial Board for Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, Heart Rhythm, Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, JACC:EP, the Cardiovascular Digital Health Journal, and the American Heart Journal. Dr. Al-Khatib has served on multiple national committees including the Heart Rhythm Society Board of Trustees (current), the Heart Rhythm Society Finance Committee (current), the Heart Rhythm Society Audit Committee (current), the Heart Rhythm Society Health Policy committee (past), the Heart Rhythm Society Legislative subcommittee (past), and the Heart Rhythm Society Program Planning committee (past). She chaired the 2017 AHA/ACC/HRS Guideline for the Management of Patients with Ventricular Arrhythmias and the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Occupational hazards in cardiac electrophysiology: Insights from an HRS member survey.
Journal Article Heart Rhythm · November 1, 2027 BACKGROUND: Cardiac electrophysiologists and electrophysiology (EP) laboratory professionals face underexplored occupational hazards, including direct and indirect effects of radiation exposure, orthopedic strain, and pregnancy-related concerns. Despite ad ... Full text Link to item CiteResponse by Rogovoy et al to Letter Regarding Article, "Incidence, Prevalence, and Trends in Mortality and Stroke Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Atrial Fibrillation: 2013 to 2019".
Journal Article Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes · December 2025 Full text Link to item CiteHow fair is the fair market value for cardiac electrophysiology physician reimbursement?
Journal Article Heart Rhythm · November 10, 2025 Fair market value (FMV) regulations were established in health care to prevent fraud and eliminate conflicts of interest by ensuring that physician compensation reflects the value of services rendered, independent of referrals or business volume. The curre ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
CCC: The Regional Approaches to Cardiovascular Emergencies- Cardiac ARreSt (RACE-CARS) Cluster-Randomized Trial 1/2
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2020 - 2027Postdoctoral Training in Cardiovascular Clinical Research
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEProgram Director · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2003 - 2025QT prolonging medications and sudden cardiac death among individuals on hemodialysis
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill · 2020 - 2025View All Grants