Derek A. Pineda, FNP, CCRN, RCIS, AACC is a Nurse Practitioner at the Fuster Heart Hospital in New York City, where he has spent nearly two decades in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. He has performed over 3,000 diagnostic procedures and supported thousands of complex interventional procedures, contributing to advanced cardiovascular care across the health system. 

Derek is recognized for leading major digital health-tech implementations that improve coordination, quality, and the patient experience. He played a central role in the system-wide rollout of STEMIcathAID, a mobile platform that augments STEMI team communication and workflows across multiple campuses—an initiative he continues to support. 

More recently, Derek led the customization, institutional AI governance approval, and clinical deployment of Sofiya, a patient-facing conversational AI agent that modernizes onboarding, education, and communication for cardiac catheterization. Under his leadership, Sofiya was adapted to Cath Lab workflows, advanced through institutional review, and launched into active clinical use. It now conducts thousands of patient calls annually, enhancing patient readiness and operational efficiency.

Derek serves on multiple American College of Cardiology committees, contributes to national AI and advanced practice workgroups, and mentors future clinicians as a preceptor at New York University and Pace University. He presents nationally on digital health adoption, workflow optimization, coronary imaging, and patient-facing AI at TCT, ACC, AHA, and other major cardiovascular conferences.