Gundersen St. Joe’s welcomes new cardiac rehabilitation coordinator during American Heart Month

Gundersen St. Joseph's Hospital and Clinics welcomes exercise physiologist Kaitie Baumann, MS, CSCS, to the team. Baumann will be the new cardiac rehabilitation coordinator at St. Joe’s seeing patients recovering from cardiac events at the David and Nancy Prechel Rehabilitation Department.

Baumann holds a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Linfield College and a master’s degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She earned a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist certification through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

“We are so lucky to have Kaitie join our team. She brings so much knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm. The hearts of our patients are in great hands,” says Kelly Dunek, manager of Rehabilitation and Cardiopulmonary Services at Gundersen St. Joseph’s Hospital and Clinics.

Baumann is an advocate for quality cardiac care serving as secretary for the board of directors of the Wisconsin Society of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Health and Rehabilitation (WISCPHR), the state-level affiliate of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR). AACVPR is the governing body that certifies cardiac rehabilitation programs at hospitals such as Gundersen St. Joseph’s to ensure rehabilitation staff are providing evidence-based practices for patient care.

Baumann is working on publishing her graduate thesis — “Effect of Acute Beetroot Juice Supplementation on Anaerobic Power in Females” — in the International Journal of Research in Exercise Physiology.

She is a native of the Pacific Northwest, growing up between the mountains and the beach in Oregon. She enjoys hiking, swimming, cooking and has recently started taking piano lessons. 

Check out Kaitie's episode of the GSTJ PODCAST below.