Calgary med school appoints dean of innovation

CALGARY – The Cumming School of Medicine is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Derek Exner (pictured), MD, as the inaugural associate dean of Innovation and Commercialization. This role is an expansion of Derek’s current position as founder and executive director of the IMPACT clinical trials accelerator program at Innovate Calgary and aligns with the University of Calgary’s focus on innovation and entrepreneurship. The appointment is for a five-year term effective May 1, 2022.

Dr. Exner completed his undergraduate medical education at the University of Saskatchewan, followed by residencies in internal medicine at the University of Western Ontario, then cardiology and electrophysiology at the University of Calgary, followed by post-graduate training in Clinical Trials at the National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins University. He has practiced as a heart rhythm specialist in Calgary since 2000.

His expertise in clinical trials and cardiac electrophysiology is recognized internationally and is recognized via a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Clinical Trials, leadership positions in multiple clinical trials, and leadership roles on multiple society guidelines. Since its inception in 2019, the IMPACT team has worked with more than 100 start-ups, initiated over a dozen clinical trials, assisted multiple companies achieve market approval for their products, and attracted several companies to move their research operations to Calgary.

IMPACT is helping to revitalize the Calgary economy and has laid the foundation for a self-sustaining program that assists companies with obtaining market approval of their products faster, with less capital.