6th Annual Cardiac Fitness Symposium: The Rhodes Course for Clinical Exercise Physiology, Testing, and Interpretation for Congenital Heart Disease

  • Continuing Education
Close-up of a child tying a shoe during karate class

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Registration Deadline: October 5

Gain practical skills and clinical insight in pediatric exercise testing through the first course dedicated to exercise physiology in children with congenital and acquired heart disease—designed for health care professionals and featuring online content, interactive discussions, hands-on learning, and case-based applications inspired by the work of Dr. Jonathan Rhodes.

  • Live Online; In Person

Participants may attend either virtually or in person for highly interactive, practical, and case-based learning.

Boston Children's Waltham, 9 Hope Ave, Waltham, MA; Virtual Option

$750

This is the standard physician price, for a full list of professional pricing, see below.
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Early Registration Deadline:

Continuing Education Credits

Earn up to:
15.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™

Three Days

Please view the Schedule for a full description of the program.

On This Page

Overview

This is the first course dedicated to pediatric exercise physiology and testing in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) and pediatric acquired heart disease. Educational goals are to understand the science and practice of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in these patients and to be able to make clinically useful insights. The course is intended for physicians, exercise physiologists, physical therapists and advanced practice practitioners involved in exercise training and assessment for CHD. This course will utilize on-line material as well as virtual and in-person group discussion, lecture, and hands-on learning and demonstrations. Clinical case examples will be used throughout to illustrate key concepts including practical aspects of conducting an exercise test, proper protocol selection, motivation, data integrity, and approach to interpreting data outcome metrics. Clinical applications will also be discussed. The development for this course is in response to the overwhelming requests for practical instruction in exercise assessment for this population and is in honor of the late Dr. Jonathan Rhodes who was a pioneer in the field. His textbook “Exercise Physiology for the Pediatric and Congenital Cardiologist” will serve as a key course reference. Dr. Rhodes was faculty at Boston Children's Hospital and a pioneer in the field of pediatric exercise cardiology. His memory lives on as a friend and mentor to many pediatric exercise cardiologists around the world and this educational course honors his legacy.


Learning Objectives

  • Identify the Fundamentals of Exercise Physiology Across the Lifespan: Describe the basic principles of exercise physiology with an emphasis on patients with congenital heart disease (CHD)
  • Acquire Skills to Conduct and Interpret Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET): Acquire the ability to set up and conduct CPET and interpret key CPET variables and effectively report findings in patients with CHD
  • Analyze Physiological Responses in CHD Patients: Use clinical case examples to evaluate physiological impairments and how these affect a patient’s exercise capacity and health outcomes
  • Apply CPET Data to Guide Clinical Decisions: Utilize CPET insights to inform decisions on management for patients with CHD

Developed and Offered By:

  • Boston Children's Hospital Logo

Continuing Education courses are developed by faculty from Harvard Medical School's teaching hospitals and accredited by Harvard Medical School. This course is offered by Boston Children's Hospital.

Participant Types

Pediatric Cardiologists, Exercise Physiologists, Advanced Practice Providers, Trainees, Allied Health Professionals, Other

Schedule

All agenda sessions are in Eastern Time.

Day 1

Friday, October 3, 2025

Scope of Exercise Testing and Training in CHD

2:00-2:30 pm

Motivation - Importance for Testing, Training, and Outcomes

2:30-3:30 pm

Motivation “How-To” Workshop: Testing and Training Zones

3:30-4:30 pm

Facilitated Networking

4:30-5:00 pm

Day 2

Saturday, October 4, 2025

Clinical Exercise Physiology Principles

8:15-9:30 am

Conducting an Exercise Test (Protocols, Equipment, Age Considerations)

9:30-10:00 am

Break

10:00-10:15 am

Safety Considerations, Test Termination Indications

10:15-10:45 am

Understanding CPET Data Parameters, Prediction Equations, and ECG

10:45-11:15 am

Data Acquisition & Extraction (Case Study + Magic Spreadsheet Applications)

11:15 am-12:00 pm

Lunch

12:00-1:00 pm

Putting It All Together: Rhodes vs Wasserman Algorithms

1:00-1:15 pm

Interpretation of Normal CPET Cases: Facilitated Small Groups

1:15-2:15 pm

Break

2:15-2:30 pm

Introduction to CHD Cases & Categorization Lecture

2:30-2:50 pm

Interpretation of CHD Cases 1: Facilitated Small Groups

2:50-4:00 pm

Wrap Up and Summary

4:00-4:15 pm

Break

4:15-5:00 pm

Social Event

5:00-7:00 pm

Day 3

Sunday, October 5, 2025

Live Demo Exercise Test + Small Group Discussions

8:45-10:15 am

Berak

10:15-10:30 am

Interpretation of CHD Cases 2: Facilitated Small Groups

10:30-11:45 am

Final Wrap Up and Summary

11:45 am-12:00 pm

Faculty

Harvard Medical School Continuing Education attracts the best and brightest faculty from all around the world. As a student in this course, you’ll have access to outstanding course directors and faculty.

Location

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Course Fees

Fee Disclaimer

You may register through our secure online environment and will receive an email confirmation upon receipt of your payment. Prices include CME credit, electronic syllabus and access to recordings for 60 days after the course.

At the end of the registration process, a $10 non-refundable processing fee will be added to your registration. 

Review the cancellation policy.

Early Registration Deadline:

Role Standard Price
Physician (MD/DO) $750.00
Nurse (RN/APRN) $300.00
Exercise Physiologist $300.00
Resident/Fellow $150.00
Student $150.00
View Early Pricing and Live Online Pricing

Accreditation

In support of improving patient care, Harvard Medical School is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 15.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

For the purpose of recertification, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board and American Nurses Credentialing Center accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ issued by organizations accredited by the ACCME (Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education). We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure. 

The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) states that AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are acceptable for continuing medical education requirements for recertification. We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure.

The American Medical Association (AMA) has an agreement of mutual recognition of continuing medical education (CME) credit with the European Union of Medical Specialties (UEMS). Additional information regarding this agreement may be found on the European Union of Medical Specialties website.

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recognizes conferences and workshops held outside of Canada that are developed by a university, academy, hospital, specialty society or college as accredited group learning activities.

Competencies

This course is designed to meet the following Institute of Medicine Core Competencies:

  • Provide Patient-Centered Care
  • Work in Interdisciplinary Teams

This course is designed to meet the following American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) / Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Educational (ACGME) competencies:

  • Medical Knowledge
  • Practice-Based Learning and Improvement
  • Interpersonal and Communication Skills

Disclaimer & Disclosure

CME activities accredited by Harvard Medical School are offered solely for educational purposes and do not constitute any form of certification of competency. Practitioners should always consult additional sources of information and exercise their best professional judgment before making clinical decisions of any kind.

Note: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ is calculated based on submission of a preliminary agenda and may be subject to change.

In accord with the disclosure policy of the Medical School as well as standards set forth by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), course planners, speakers, and content reviewers have been asked to disclose any relationships they have to companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. In addition, faculty have been asked to list any off-label uses of pharmaceuticals and/or devices for investigational or non-FDA approved purposes that they plan to discuss.

Registration for courses managed by Harvard Medical School can only be completed through Harvard Medical School’s official registration portal: cmeregistration.hms.harvard.edu. Attendee registrations made through any other sites cannot be honored and will not be refunded. Please report any unauthorized websites or solicitations for registrations.

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