Dr. Greg Sweeney is the Program Manager of the Joan and Joel Smilow Cardiac Prevention & Rehabilitation Center at Rusk Rehabilitation. He has close to 20 years of experience in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, spanning a continuum of care that includes acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, home care, and outpatient settings. He is an American Physical Therapy Association board-certified cardiopulmonary clinical specialist. A Past President of the New York State Chapter of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program, he has a strong interest in research related to the population with cardiopulmonary disorders. He has produced several publications, including a book chapter and peer-reviewed journal articles. His bachelor’s degree is from Manhattan College. He has a Master's Degree in Physical Therapy from Long Island University and his doctorate in physical therapy is from the University of Scranton.
In this interview, Greg discusses settings where cardiopulmonary rehabilitation is provided, the role of physical therapy in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, types of patients treated, tests involving cardiorespiratory fitness used to aid in a determination of the most effective physical therapy forms of treatment to employ, special challenges involved in treating patients who have implanted left-ventricular assistive devices, responding to situations where a patient may be concerned about the safety of engaging in a program involving physical activity, and key topics in rehabilitation research pertaining to physical therapy aspects of cardiopulmonary care.