Senior Physical Therapist
Advocate Children's Hospital
Oak Lawn, IL, United States
Darlene Huisenga, PT, DPT, PCS
Darlene Huisenga is an experienced physical therapist and a board-certified specialist in pediatric physical therapy with over 30 years of clinical practice. She currently serves as a Senior Physical Therapist at Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Darlene is a dedicated clinical advocate for the well-being of patients with complex congenital heart defects and collaborates closely with a multidisciplinary team in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (PCICU). In her role, Darlene provides rehabilitation and developmental intervention for patients in the acute and early post-hospitalization phases of care, as well as follow-up developmental assessments in a Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Clinic.
Darlene’s clinical interests lie in physical therapy interventions that support early mobility and rehabilitation for all patients with congenital and acquired cardiac disorders. She has a particular interest in pediatric patients that require mechanical circulatory support systems, such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and ventricular assist devices (VAD), as well as those with heart failure progressing toward heart transplantation.
Darlene is currently completing a PhD from the University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands under the supervision of prof. dr. Mijna Hadders-Algra. Her doctoral research focuses on early detection of motor impairments and neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants who undergo surgical intervention in the neonatal period for a complex congenital cardiac defect.
Pediatric Heart Failure and Transplant: Developing Rehab Protocols to Enhance Outcomes 1927
Thursday, October 30, 2025
8:15 AM - 9:15 AM
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