Stephen Heitner

About Stephen Heitner

Stephen Heitner, MD, FACC, FASE, is a board-certified cardiologist and senior biopharmaceutical executive with over 15 years of expertise spanning academic medicine, clinical research, and drug development. He currently serves as Vice President, Head of Clinical Research at Cytokinetics Inc, where he leads cardiology and neuromuscular clinical development programs and drives strategic pipeline decisions at the executive level.Dr. Heitner has played a pivotal role in bringing novel cardiovascular therapies to patients, most notably as the clinical development lead for aficamten — a first-in-class cardiac myosin inhibitor — which received regulatory approvals in the US, EU, and China for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). He has led all phases of drug development from IND submission through Phase 3 registrational trials and NDA/MAA submissions, with direct experience managing interactions with the FDA, EMA, Health Canada, PMDA, and CDA.Key areas of expertise include:• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) — a globally recognized expert and former Director of the OHSU HCM Center• Heart failure (HFrEF and HFpEF) — medical lead for landmark Phase 3 trials including GALACTIC-HF and METEORIC-HF• Cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR and AL) — co-founder of the OHSU Multidisciplinary Amyloidosis Center• Cardiac imaging — echocardiography, cardiac MRI, and nuclear cardiology (FACC, FASE certifications)• Rare cardiovascular diseases and clinical outcomes researchBeyond clinical development, Dr. Heitner has been a key contributor to investor relations and business development, supporting capital raises exceeding $1 billion and partnering on licensing and international joint ventures. He has served as a member of the senior leadership team and participates in board of director meetings as the clinical research lead.A prolific researcher, Dr. Heitner has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, JAMA Cardiology, JACC, and the European Heart Journal. He is a co-author of a cardiology textbook and multiple book chapters.Prior to joining industry, Dr. Heitner held faculty positions at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), rising to Associate Professor of Medicine. He directed the OHSU HCM Center, the OHSU Echocardiography Laboratory, the Cardio-Oncology Program, and the Advanced Cardiac Imaging Fellowship — building world-class programs that continue to influence clinical practice.

Experience

1. Senior Vice President - Clinical Research and Development

   Cytokinetics

   Mar 2026 — Present

Education

• University of the Witwatersrand

  Doctor of Medicine - MD, Medicine

  1993 — 1999

Skills

• Hospitals
• Board Certified
• Healthcare Management
• Healthcare Information Technology
• Healthcare
• Medicine
• Clinical Research
• Medical Education