PD Dr. Alexander Horke completed his medical studies at the Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen and Nuremberg. He began his cardiosurgical training in the Department of Cardiosurgery and General Surgery at Erlangen University Hospital. After two years, he moved to the Heart Centre of the SANA Clinical Department in Stuttgart. In 1999, he completed his training as a specialist in cardiosurgery and worked in the field of surgery for congenital heart defects at the SANA Clinical Department in Stuttgart until 2012.

He was certified in congenital heart defect surgery in 2005 and re-certified in 2010 (German Society for Thoracic, Cardiac and Vascular Surgery).

PD Dr. Horke is a member of the German Society for Thoracic, Cardiac and Vascular Surgery. Since October 2008, he has been the vice-chairman and secretary of the working group for surgery of congenital heart defects and pediatric heart surgery. He has been Chairman of this working group since February 2014.

PD Dr. Horke has been a permanent representative of thoracic, cardiac and vascular surgery on the guidelines commission of the German Society for Pediatric Cardiology since 2009, where he is jointly responsible for shaping the guidelines.

He has also been a member of the joint working group of the German Society for Pediatric Cardiology and the German Society for Thoracic, Cardiac and Vascular Surgery since 2009 as part of quality assurance in the Competence Network for Congenital Heart Defects.

He has been a member of the EMAH working group of the German Society of Cardiology since 2010.