From the Bench to the Playground: Translating Exercise Science to Clinical Application During Critical Periods of Growth and Development

Saturday, April 26, 2025

1:00pm – 2:30pm HST

Location: Convention Center: 318 B

CE: 1.5

Selected By: CHTRC
Co-sponsored By: SPR

Chair(s)

Dan Cooper, MD (he/him/his)

UC Irvine Institute for Clinical and Translational Science Associate Director
University of California at Irvine
Irvine, California, United States

Disclosure(s):

Dan M. Cooper, MD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

The roundtable is designed to highlight how exciting new mechanistic insights into the biology of exercise will transform pediatric clinical practice. The panelists of basic and physician scientists will present

Novel molecular discoveries elucidating the powerful immunobiologic effects of exercise

New understanding of how physical activity programs muscle and bone growth early in life

Innovative applications of information theory to physiological signals obtained during cardiopulmonary exercise testing and how these new approaches may transform clinical evaluation of fitness

Transformative approaches involving behavioral science and physiology to enhance rehabilitation in children with congenital heart disease

In the introduction, we will note: 1) never before has translational research into the health effects of exercise and physical activity been so critical for child and adolescent healthcare providers; 2) the epidemic of poor physical fitness and unhealthy body composition in the pediatric population has proven to be intractable; 3) the use of new medications like the GLP-1RA class of drugs are increasing in youth at an exponential rate while we still know very little about their long term effects energy balance during critical periods; and 4) as the number of survivors of previously fatal or debilitating pediatric diseases increases (e.g., congenital heart disease, sickle cell disease, malignancies) innovative research is necessary to frame optimal levels of rehabilitation. Each panelist will present not only key basic science discoveries, but how these insights can benefit clinical application and address health disparities and inequities.

Learning Objectives:

Identify exercise associated immune regulation that can impact the care of children with asthma, sickle cell disease, and obesity.
Prescribe developmentally appropriate physical activity and exercise protocols that optimize bone development in adolescence.
Understand how novel applications of information system theory to cardiorespiratory signals during exercise can revolutionize clinical exercise testing.

Presentations:

1:00pm – 1:10pm HST

Introduction: Impact of Exercise Science Research on Critical Clinical Issues in Pediatrics
Speaker: Dan M. Cooper, MD (he/him/his) – University of California at Irvine
1:10pm – 1:30pm HST

Immune System Omics: New Insights into Molecular Exercise Health Effects in Pediatrics
Speaker: Shlomit Radom-Aizik, Ph.D. – University of California Irvine
1:30pm – 1:50pm HST

The New Biology of Bone and Muscle Growth: Implications for Exercise During Critical Periods of Development
Speaker: Bareket Falk, PhD (she/her/hers) – Brock University
1:50pm – 2:10pm HST

Information Theory and Entropy: New Approaches to Clinical Exercise Testing in Children and Adolescents
Speaker: Ronen Bar-Yoseph, MD (he/him/his) – Rambam Health Care Campus
2:10pm – 2:30pm HST

Novel Understandings of Rehabilitation and Behavior: Impact on Congenital Heart Disease Therapies
Speaker: Naomi Gauthier, MD (she/her/hers) – Boston Children's Hospital