Samer Hakmi, MD, is the Director of Lung Transplantation as well as Pacemaker, ICD and Lead Extraction Therapies at the University Heart Center in Hamburg, Germany. He earned his medical degree at Al-Baath University in Homs, Syria. After moving to Germany in 2005, he received advanced training in cardiothoracic surgery at the Heart and Vascular Center Bad Bevensen and the University Heart Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. Dr. Hakmi's research is focused on transvenous (laser and mechanical) lead extraction as well as surgical electrophysiology. His research group is working on the development of preoperative as well as intraoperative imaging and safety strategies. Dr. Hakmi has been published in the Journal of Heart Rhythm Society (Heart Rhythm), the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Heart and Vessels, and other peer-reviewed journals.