About the Practicum
The Practicum was inaugurated in 1982 by Drs. Karlman Wasserman and Brian J. Whipp in response to requests for practical instruction in cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). Since then, the content of the course has evolved to reflect change in technology and clinical practice, but it continues to have the physiology of exercise as its focus. The program includes didactic lectures, group discussions and laboratory demonstrations. Educational goals are to understand the physiologic basis of gas exchange responses to exercise and to be able to use variables and parameters of clinical exercise tests to meaningfully characterize exercise function. The course is intended for physicians in clinical practice or academics, exercise scientists and laboratory personnel involved in cardiopulmonary exercise testing. The text Principles of Exercise Testing and Interpretation serves as the syllabus for the course and is included in the registration. Recorded course materials will be available for approximately 30 days after the course concludes
Practicum Program
Offered by the Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Physiology and Medicine at The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, the program comprises in-person didactic lectures, small group tutorials, laboratory demonstrations, and provides opportunities for informal discussion with faculty.
The educational objectives of the Practicum are to provide:
a) An understanding of the physiologic basis of gas exchange and related responses to exercise
b) The practical knowledge necessary to conduct and interpret clinical exercise tests
The course is intended for physicians, scientists, and laboratory personnel involved in cardiopulmonary exercise testing. The Text Principles of Exercise Testing and Interpretation, 6th Edition serves as the course reference and is included in the registration.
Practicum Day 1: Principals (8:30am – 5:00pm Pacific Time)
Including: Physiologic basis of exercise; Practical issues in conducting clinical
exercise tests; Laboratory demonstration; Calibration and Incremental
work tests; Clinical applications of CPET; Meet the faculty.
Practicum Day 2: Testing (8:30am – 5:00pm Pacific Time)
Presentation and discussions on: Summarizing and displaying data for analysis; Typical CPET findings in disease; Normal values; Laboratory demonstration; Technical and quality control; Dynamic responses to exercise and their effect on test data; Group discussions.
Practicum Day 3: Interpretation (8:00am – 1:00pm Pacific Time)
Presentation and discussions on: Integrated interpretation and reporting; Hands-on practice in test interpretation; Case discussions with faculty and attendees.
Practicum Faculty
Course Director:
Kathy E. Sietsema, MD
Professor of Medicine, UCLA
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Faculty:
Richard Casaburi, Ph.D., M.D.
Professor of Medicine, UCLA
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Thomas DeCato, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine, UCLA
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Carrie Ferguson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Technical Co-Director, Rehabilitation Clinical Trials Center
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Janos Porszasz, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine, UCLA
Technical Co-Director, Rehabilitation Clinical Trials Center
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Harry B. Rossiter, Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine, UCLA
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
William W. Stringer, M.D.
Professor of Medicine, UCLA
Chief, Division of Respiratory & Critical Care Physiology and Medicine
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Darryl Y. Sue, M.D.
Emeritus Professor of Medicine, UCLA
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Susan A. Ward, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor of Sports Science
University of Leeds
