Recent graduate Kobe Rose is helping children with heart issues as a clinical exercise physiologist in New Orleans.

He works with kids who have congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathies and arrhythmia syndromes at the Ochsner Hospital for Children. "I mainly administer exercise stress tests to see how their hearts perform under stress and how well they can move oxygen around their bodies," he said.

Children are connected to an electrocardiogram that tracks their heart rate while on a treadmill. The exercise physiology lab is fully outfitted with state-of-the-art cardiopulmonary exercise testing equipment with treadmill and cycle ergometry. The hospital uses the Bruce protocol, a standard test in cardiology that calls for multiple exercise stages with varying speeds and inclines. Being hooked up to unfamiliar equipment can sometimes make kids feel anxious, so Rose always assures them that they're in complete control. "Whenever they're ready to stop, whether it's been 30 seconds or 10 minutes, we'll end the test," he said.

To keep their minds off the test, Rose focuses on making the process fun.

"It depends on the kid," he said. "If they play sports, we might try to make it a competition. With others, I distract them by telling a story or talking about various adventures I've had."

Those adventures often include the U of A. As an exercise science major in the College of Education and Health Professions he worked with the Razorback basketball team from his sophomore to senior years. 

"I interned for the athletic training department under our current athletic trainer for those three years and essentially learned how to provide treatments and rehabilitate injuries for the men's and women's basketball and tennis teams," he said.

Before that, he was a star basketball player at Pea Ridge High School.

Rose said his U of A academic program prepared him to excel at Ochsner. "Learning all this new information was way easier because of the well-rounded foundation of knowledge I had to build on," he said.

Rose was eager to work for Ochsner. "It's the biggest hospital organization in Louisiana, and they're constantly expanding so they can help more people. I get to learn from a very talented team of doctors in the pediatric division every day."

He looks forward to assisting with academic studies and research at the hospital soon.

Eventually, Rose plans to pursue a master's degree in exercise science and a doctorate in occupational therapy. 

This story is the latest in a series called the Dean's Spotlight, featuring outstanding students in the College of Education and Health Professions. Visit COEHP's online magazine, the Colleague, for more news from the six units that make up the College. Find out more about the exercise science program on the Health, Human Performance and Recreation website.

Shannon G. Magsam, director of communications College of Education and Health Professions 479-575-3138, magsam@uark.edu

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