- Overview
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My research is focused on how exercise affects children with heart disease and other childhood diseases. Specifically, our group studies how exercise affects health outcomes, how it can be used as a tool to treat patients, and how behavioural change strategies are needed to help patients make changes to their exercise habits. I am also involved in work that looks at the use of digital health tools to deliver exercise programs, change behaviours and provide more comprehensive care for patients and their families. Finally, our group is involved at looking at the environmental impact and costs associated with travel to BC Children's Hospital.
- Publications
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An 8-Week Virtual Exercise Training Program for Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant Recipients
Pediatric Exercise Science
Nikol K. Grishin and Astrid M. De Souza and Julie Fairbairn and A. William Sheel and E. Puterman and Tom Blydt-Hansen and James E. Potts and Kathryn R. Armstrong
DOI: 10.1123/pes.2023-0066
08/2024A text messaging intervention and quality of life in adolescents with solid organ transplants
Pediatric Transplantation
Rathgeber, S.L. and Hutchison, S.M. and De Souza, A.-M. and Lester, R. and Blydt-Hansen, T. and Human, D.G. and Guttman, O. and Oberlander, T. and Armstrong, K.R.
DOI: 10.1111/petr.14219
2022Adolescents with solid organ transplant: Using the BRIEF2 parent-report and self-report to measure parent-child agreement and everyday executive function
Applied Neuropsychology: Child
Hutchison, S.M. and Rathgeber, S.L. and De Souza, A.M. and Blydt-Hansen, T. and M{\^a}sse, L.C. and Armstrong, K.R. and Oberlander, T.F.
DOI: 10.1080/21622965.2020.1800468
2022Self-reported physical activity and lack of association with health-related quality of life in a pediatric solid-organ transplant population
Pediatric Transplantation
Lui, S. and Hind, T. and Moon, E. and de Souza, A. and Broad, K. and Fairbairn, J. and Schreiber, R. and Armstrong, K. and Blydt-Hansen, T.D.
DOI: 10.1111/petr.14093
2021Aortic Dimensions, Biophysical Properties, and Plasma Biomarkers in Children and Adults with Marfan or Loeys-Dietz Syndrome
CJC Open
Cui, J.Z. and Harris, K.C. and Raedschelders, K. and Hollander, Z. and Potts, J.E. and De Souza, A. and Kiess, M. and McManus, B.M. and Bernatchez, P. and Raffin, L.A. and Paine, H. and van Breemen, C. and Sandor, G.G.S. and Esfandiarei, M.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cjco.2020.12.018
2021Burst Exercise Testing Can Unmask Arrhythmias in Patients With Incompletely Penetrant Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia
JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology
Roston, T.M. and Kallas, D. and Davies, B. and Franciosi, S. and De Souza, A.M. and Laksman, Z.W. and Sanatani, S. and Krahn, A.D.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jacep.2021.02.013
2021Potential overdiagnosis of long QT syndrome using exercise stress and QT stand testing in children and adolescents with a low probability of disease
Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology
Roston, T.M. and De Souza, A.M. and Romans, H.V. and Franciosi, S. and Armstrong, K.R. and Sanatani, S.
DOI: 10.1111/jce.14865
2021Physical activity and its correlates in a pediatric solid-organ transplant population
Pediatric Transplantation
Lui, S. and de Souza, A. and Sharma, A. and Fairbairn, J. and Schreiber, R. and Armstrong, K. and Blydt-Hansen, T.
DOI: 10.1111/petr.13745
2020Somatic Symptom Disorder and the Physician's Role
JAMA Pediatrics
Galvin, C.R. and De Souza, A.M. and Armstrong, K.R.
DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.0165
2020Echocardiographic Assessment of Ventricular Function During Exercise in Adolescent Female Patients With Anorexia Nervosa
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography
Escudero, C.A. and Potts, J.E. and Lam, P.-Y. and De Souza, A.M. and Duff, K. and Mugford, G.J. and Sandor, G.G.S.
DOI: 10.1016/j.echo.2018.10.014
2019Whole blood human transcriptome and virome analysis of ME/CFS patients experiencing post-exertional malaise following cardiopulmonary exercise testing
PLoS ONE
Bouquet, J. and Li, T. and Gardy, J.L. and Kang, X. and Stevens, S. and Stevens, J. and VanNess, M. and Snell, C. and Potts, J. and Miller, R.R. and Morshed, M. and McCabe, M. and Parker, S. and Uyaguari, M. and Tang, P. and Steiner, T. and Chan, W.-S. and De Souza, A.-M. and Mattman, A. and Patrick, D.M. and Chiu, C.Y.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212193
2019Physiological Responses to Exercise in Pediatric Heart Transplant Recipients
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
Bovard, J.M. and De Souza, A.M. and Harris, K.C. and Human, D.G. and Hosking, M.C.K. and Potts, J.E. and Armstrong, K. and Sandor, G.G.S. and Cote, A.T.
DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001889
2019Assessment of cardiovascular risk and preparticipation screening protocols in masters athletes: The Masters Athlete Screening Study (MASS): A cross-sectional study
BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine
Morrison, B.N. and McKinney, J. and Isserow, S. and Lithwick, D. and Taunton, J. and Nazzari, H. and De Souza, A.M. and Heilbron, B. and Cater, C. and Macdonald, M. and Hives, B.A. and Warburton, D.E.R.
DOI: 10.1136/bmjsem-2018-000370
2018Doppler Echocardiography Assessment of Aortic Stiffness in Female Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography
Escudero, C.A. and Potts, J.E. and Lam, P.-Y. and De Souza, A.M. and Mugford, G.J. and Sandor, G.G.S.
DOI: 10.1016/j.echo.2018.01.003
2018A novel treadmill protocol for exercise testing in children: The British Columbia Children's Hospital protocol
BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine
Duff, D.K. and De Souza, A.M. and Human, D.G. and Potts, J.E. and Harris, K.C.
DOI: 10.1136/bmjsem-2016-000197
2017Physical activity and sedentary behavior in children with congenital heart disease
Journal of the American Heart Association
Voss, C. and Duncombe, S.L. and Dean, P.H. and de Souza, A.M. and Harris, K.C.
DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.116.004665
2017Exercise and the multidisciplinary holistic approach to adolescent dysautonomia
Acta Paediatrica, International Journal of Paediatrics
Armstrong, K.R. and De Souza, A.M. and Sneddon, P.L. and Potts, J.E. and Claydon, V.E. and Sanatani, S.
DOI: 10.1111/apa.13750
2017Stress Echocardiographic Evaluation for D-Transposition of the Great Arteries after Atrial Redirection: Unmasking Early Signs of Myocardial Dysfunction and Baffle Stenosis
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography
Dvir-Orgad, M. and Anand, M. and De Souza, A.M. and Zadorsky, M.T. and Kiess, M.C. and Potts, J.E. and Sandor, G.G.S.
DOI: 10.1016/j.echo.2016.09.005
2017Aspirin dose and prevention of coronary abnormalities in Kawasaki disease
Pediatrics
Dallaire, F. and Fortier-Morissette, Z. and Blais, S. and Dhanrajani, A. and Basodan, D. and Renaud, C. and Mathew, M. and De Souza, A.M. and Dionne, A. and Blanchard, J. and Saulnier, H. and Kaspy, K. and Rached-D{'}Astous, S. and Dahdah, N. and McCrindle, B.W. and Human, D.G. and Scuccimarri, R.
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2017-0098
2017Response Letter to ‘Optimising physiology for adolescents with dysautonomia’
Acta Paediatrica, International Journal of Paediatrics
Armstrong, K.R. and De Souza, A.M. and Sneddon, P.L. and Potts, J.E. and Claydon, V.E. and Sanatani, S.
DOI: 10.1111/apa.14058
2017A Doppler Echocardiographic Study of the Myocardial Inotropic Response to Peak Semisupine Exercise in Healthy Children: Development of a Simplified Index of Myocardial Reserve
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography
Cote, A.T. and Duff, D.K. and Escudero, C.A. and De Souza, A.M. and Williams, L.D. and Gill, R. and Zadorsky, M.T. and Harris, K.C. and Potts, J.E. and Sandor, G.G.S.
DOI: 10.1016/j.echo.2017.04.008
2017An Echocardiographic Study of Left Ventricular Size and Cardiac Function in Adolescent Females with Anorexia Nervosa
European Eating Disorders Review
Escudero, C.A. and Potts, J.E. and Lam, P.-Y. and De Souza, A.M. and Mugford, G.J. and Sandor, G.G.S.
DOI: 10.1002/erv.2409
2016Noninvasive Assessment of Vascular Function in Postoperative Cardiovascular Disease (Coarctation of the Aorta, Tetralogy of Fallot, and Transposition of the Great Arteries)
American Journal of Cardiology
Mivelaz, Y. and Leung, M.T. and Zadorsky, M.T. and De Souza, A.M. and Potts, J.E. and Sandor, G.G.S.
DOI: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2016.05.055
2016Feasibility of optical coherence tomography in children with Kawasaki disease and pediatric heart transplant recipients
Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging
Harris, K.C. and Manouzi, A. and Fung, A.Y. and De Souza, A. and Bezerra, H.G. and Potts, J.E. and Hosking, M.C.K.
DOI: 10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.113.001764
2014Echo-doppler assessment of the biophysical properties of the aorta in children with chronic kidney disease
Pediatric Cardiology
Alghamdi, M. and De Souza, A.M. and White, C.T. and Potts, M.T. and Warady, B.A. and Furth, S.L. and Kimball, T.R. and Potts, J.E. and Sandor, G.G.S.
DOI: 10.1007/s00246-013-0632-5
2013Echo-doppler assessment of arterial stiffness in pediatric patients with kawasaki disease
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography
Alhuzaimi, A. and Al Mashham, Y. and Potts, J.E. and De Souza, A.M. and Sandor, G.G.S.
DOI: 10.1016/j.echo.2013.05.015
2013Physical activity recommendations for patients with electrophysiologic and structural congenital heart disease: A survey of canadian health care providers
Pediatric Cardiology
Roston, T.M. and De Souza, A.M. and Sandor, G.G.S. and Sanatani, S. and Potts, J.E.
DOI: 10.1007/s00246-013-0654-z
2013Biophysical properties of the aorta and left ventricle and exercise capacity in obese children
American Journal of Cardiology
Harris, K.C. and Al Saloos, H.A. and De Souza, A.M. and Sanatani, S. and Hinchliffe, M. and Potts, J.E. and Sandor, G.G.S.
DOI: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2012.05.019
2012Serial measurements of exercise performance in pediatric heart transplant patients using stress echocardiography
Pediatric Transplantation
Yeung, J.P. and Human, D.G. and Sandor, G.G.S. and De Souza, A.M. and Potts, J.E.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-3046.2010.01467.x
2011Early Changes in the Biophysical Properties of the Aorta in Pre-Adolescent Children Born Small for Gestational Age
Journal of Pediatrics
Bradley, T.J. and Potts, J.E. and Lee, S.K. and Potts, M.T. and De Souza, A.M. and Sandor, G.G.S.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.10.002
2010A stress echocardiography study of cardiac function during progressive exercise in pediatric oncology patients treated with anthracyclines
Pediatric Blood and Cancer
De Souza, A.M. and Potts, J.E. and Potts, M.T. and De Souza, E.S. and Rowland, T.W. and Pritchard, S.L. and Sandor, G.G.S.
DOI: 10.1002/pbc.21122
2007 - Research
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Virtual Reality and Gameplay as a Model for Exercise Rehabilitation in Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant Patients
Building on previous work that delivered a virtual exercise program to children with a solid organ transplant, this study looks at whether virtual reality gameplay yields a sufficient training stimulus to mimic traditional exercise.Complementing Care in Cardiology: The use of mobile health technology to support patients and families in the Children’s Heart Centre
This study builds on initial work in our solid organ transplant and adolescent dysautonomia populations where a clinical digital messaging platform was employed to try to improve communication and in turn quality of life in these patients. Now, we have expanded the use of the clinical digital messaging platform to include a widespread group of patients seen in the Children’s Heart Centre.Is exercise capacity related to sports participation in children with congenital heart disease?
This study aims to evaluate how sports participation affects exercise capacity in children with congenital heart disease. The goal of this work is to elucidate the factors that may influence exercise capacity in these children.GrantsTransplant Research Foundation of BC Venture Grant and CDTRP Venture Grant (2022) - Virtual Reality and Gameplay as a Model for Exercise Rehabilitation in Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant Patients. A Patient and Family Led Initiative
Digital Health Research (DHR) Accelerator Grant (2021) - Using clinical digital messaging to improve pediatric congenital heart disease patient care, health outcomes, patient satisfaction, facilitators, and barriers to implementation
Transplant Research Foundation of BC Venture Grant (2020) - VEXT: An 8-week virtual exercise and texting program for pediatric solid organ transplant patients
Transplant Research Foundation of BC Venture Grant (2018) - Let’s Text: Engaging Adolescent Solid Organ Transplant Patients in Managing their Health
Torin Halvorson and Hebah Hussaina awarded Vanier scholarships for immunotherapy and mental health research
BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR) is proud to announce that two of its outstanding research trainees, Torin Halvorson, an MD/PhD student working with the Levings research team, and Hebah Hussaina, a graduate research assistant in the Brussoni Lab, have been awarded the prestigious 2024 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship.
