Michael J. Ackerman, MD, PhD

Dr. Ackerman is a professor of medicine, pediatrics, and molecular pharmacology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He is also the director of the Long QT Syndrome/Inherited Arrhythmia Clinic and the Sudden Death Genomics Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic. In 2006, Dr. Ackerman became president of the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes Foundation (SADS) whose mission is to increase awareness of the cardiac channelopathies and provide support for families affected by such heritable arrhythmia syndromes, particularly long QT syndrome.

After graduating from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, he received an M.D./Ph.D. at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, the Mayo Medical School, and the Mayo Graduate School in Rochester, Minnesota. He completed residency training in pediatric and adolescent medicine, fellowship training in pediatric cardiology, and postdoctoral training in molecular genetics at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. He joined the Mayo Clinic faculty in 2000. He has an avid interest in sudden infant death syndrome, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and congenital long QT syndrome.

Dr. Ackerman has served as a mentor to numerous medical students, M.D./Ph.D. candidates and pediatric fellows. This work has led to several Young Investigator and Student Researcher awards. He has been a visiting professor at numerous universities, including Harvard University and Baylor College of Medicine. He serves on numerous scientific advisory committees and is on the editorial board of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and Heart Rhythm.