Meet The FON Exercise & Physical Activity Care Practice Project Team
The Fontan Outcomes Network is excited to introduce the team members of our Exercise & Physical Activity Care Practice Project.
This project is our first quality improvement/standardization care practice project. It will address three key drivers around how providers, families, and patients:
Understand the importance of physical activity,
assess current exercise tolerance and physical activity levels,
promote appropriate and individualized physical activity.
Get to know the team members who will lead this work below.
Michael Danduran, ACSM-EIM
Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist
Children's Hospital of Wisconsin/ Marquette University
Michael has a Master's Degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology and has been a practicing clinical exercise physiologist since 1995. He’s been affiliated with Children's Memorial Hospital (Chicago, 1995-2002) and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin (Milwaukee, 2002-present). He has performed more than 20,000 exercise tests in children with chronic disease mostly in the area of congenital heart disease (CHD). He has multiple manuscripts regarding exercise in patients with CHD many of those focusing on exercise abilities in patients with Fontan physiology that focus on exercise rehabilitation, peripheral and cerebral blood flow patterns, and peripheral muscle function. Additionally he is a clinical associate professor at Marquette University, College of Health Sciences, and Program in Exercise Sciences.
Kayla Griffin
Parent of younger child with single ventricle physiology
Texas Children's Hospital
Kayla is the mother to a sweet young boy who has Single Ventricle Physiology. She has been in the fitness industry prior to becoming a heart mom. She is now the corporate market Development Director-Fundraising at the American Heart Association.
Jesse Hansen, MD
Pediatric Provider
C.S. Mott Children's Hospital
Jesse is a pediatric cardiologist with expertise in exercise physiology from his time at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center whose high-volume exercise lab is one of the only pediatric programs in existence with American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) accreditation.
Jesse is now the lead the Clinical Exercise Physiology Program at the University of Michigan Congenital Heart Center, one of the country's leading institutions for congenital heart care and a founding member site of the Fontan Outcomes Network.
Jared Hershenson, MD
Pediatric Cardiologist
Director of Cardiac Exercise and Rehabilitation
Children's National Hospital
Jared is currently the director of cardiac exercise and rehabilitation for the division at Children’s National Hospital. He reads and interprets all cardio pulmonary exercise tests (CPET) and provides exercise guidance to patients and other providers to share with their patients. He has been involved with CPET/exercise testing and exercise prescriptions for about 10 years (prior position and current). He works closely with the exercise physiologists to obtain the best possible data as well as discussion on appropriate exercise plans depending on the patient's type of CHD, heart failure, or other issues. He’s also tasked with helping build a cardiac rehab/fitness program for the hospital, which is ongoing.
Meagan Houpt
Adult with single ventricle physiology
Emory Health
Meagan is a young adult patient who started working out during the pandemic. She started exercising after being in the worst physical shape of her life. She has been consistently working out and challenging her body and her limits. Meagan shares her life on social media where she posts her before and afters, workouts, and CHD updates. She also has a group message where people with CHD share their exercises daily. As an adult with CHD, She wished she had more information from her cardiologist or peers on what she can and can't do, how she’s supposed to work out, and more information than "you need to exercise" or "your need to lose weight." She wants the how.
Roni Jacobsen, MD
ACHD Physician
Children's Hospital Colorado
Roni has been passionate about the importance of education and incorporation of regular physical activity in the pediatric, adolescent, and adult Fontan population since she started training. Roni started research in this area in fellowship and currently directs a 12-month, home-based physical activity program, Heart Chargers, in Fontan patients utilizing individualized exercise prescriptions and telemedicine.
Phoebe Proctor
Adult with single ventricle physiology
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Phoebe is a young adult who was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and had a series of three reconstructive heart surgeries from 36 hours after birth to the age of three. She has always been an athlete and loves to participate in physical activity and exercise. Phoebe is now a D1 athlete and exercise plays a very important role in her day-to-day life. She tries not to let her heart condition impact her life too much and she has always pushed herself to reach her maximum limit to achieve her goals.
Casey Vogel, PT, DPT, PCS, CCS, CSCS
Physical Therapist
Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Casey completed an undergraduate degree in Exercise Science before pursuing a doctorate degree in Physical Therapy. Over the past 5.5 years that Casey has been at Lurie Children's, she has helped establish the value of exercise and physical activity for patients with CHD. Five years ago, she successfully piloted the hospital’s inpatient cardiac rehab program and established the exercise testing protocol that is utilized to track patients' progress throughout their inpatient admissions while awaiting heart transplant.
Lisette Wylie, BSN, RN, CPN
Nurse
Children's Hospital Colorado
Lissette has always been fascinated by how exercise can greatly improve both physical and mental health in all people. She is particularly fascinated by the positive mental health changes regularly physical activity can bring Fontan patients. She is the lead nurse coordinator for Heart Chargers, a 12-month, home-based physical activity program for Fontan patients aged 7 years and older at Children's Hospital Colorado. She entered grad school this past August in hopes to continue to study exercise in the Fontan (and CHD patients overall), as her facility is working on expanding Heart Chargers to a larger population of patients.