Overview
John H. Alexander, MD, MHS is a cardiologist and Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology at Duke University School of Medicine, as well as the Vice Chief, Clinical Research in the Division of Cardiology. He is the Director of Cardiovascular Research at the Duke Clinical Research Institute where he oversees a large group of clinical research faculty and a broad portfolio of cardiovascular clinical trials and observational clinical research programs. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation.
Dr. Alexander’s clinical interests are in acute and general cardiovascular disease, valvular heart disease, and echocardiology. His research is focused on the translation of novel therapeutic concepts into clinical data through clinical trials, specifically on the therapeutics of acute coronary syndromes, chronic coronary artery disease, and cardiac surgery and on novel methodological approaches to clinical trials. He was on the Executive Committee of the ARISTOTLE trial of apixaban in patients with atrial fibrillation and was the Principal Investigator of the APPRAISE-2 trial of apixaban in patients with acute coronary syndromes.
Dr. Alexander has published extensively and has served as the principal investigator of numerous multicenter clinical trials. He currently serves as the co-chair of the Clinical Trial Transformation Initiative (CTTI).
Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Scholarly Works
Predictors of ischemic stroke and major bleeding among patients with atrial fibrillation in clinical practice.
Journal article Am Heart J · October 2026 BACKGROUND: Numerous risk scores exist to quantify the risk of ischemic stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation or flutter (AF/AFL). However, how these tools perform in cohorts or those already on oral anticoagulation (OAC) therapy is unclear. MET ... Full text Link to item CiteThe Society of Thoracic Surgeons 2026 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of New-Onset Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation After Cardiac Surgery.
Journal article Ann Thorac Surg · August 2026 BACKGROUND: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most frequent complication after cardiac surgery and is associated with greater morbidity, mortality, length of stay, and cost. Multiple pharmacologic and procedural strategies exist for POAF prev ... Full text Link to item CiteA comprehensive set of per-protocol analyses of the myocardial ischemia and transfusion (MINT) trial.
Journal article Am Heart J · July 2026 We conducted a series of analyses to estimate the per-protocol effect of restrictive versus liberal transfusion strategies on 30-day death and death or recurrent myocardial infarction (MI) among patients from the Myocardial Ischemia and Transfusion (MINT) ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Increasing the Quality and Efficiency of Clinical Trials (U18)
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Food and Drug Administration · 2014 - 2029Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (StARR) - NHLBI
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPreceptor · Awarded by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute · 2018 - 2028RECHARGE Hybrid: Revascularization of Underrepresented Groups with minimally-invasive CABG plus PCI
ResearchCo-Mentor · Awarded by Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education · 2025 - 2027View All Grants