Ana Ubeda Tikkanen

Ana Ubeda Tikkanen, MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School and a Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Doctor in the Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Department at Boston Children's Hospital. She specializes in pediatric rehabilitation with a focus on cardiac rehabilitation for children with congenital heart disease, heart transplants, and VADs. Dr. Ubeda Tikkanen has clinical appointments at multiple Boston Children's Hospital locations including Boston, Lexington, and Charlestown.

Dr. Ubeda Tikkanen received her medical degree from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in 2004 and completed her residency at Hospital Gregorio Marañón in 2009. She earned her PhD from Universidad Complutense of Madrid in 2014. Her fellowship training includes Research Fellowships in Pediatric Cardiology & Rehabilitation at Hospital Gregorio Marañón (2010) and Boston Children's Hospital (2012), Clinical Fellow in Pediatric Cardiac Rehabilitation at Boston Children's Hospital (2013), and Clinical Fellow in Pediatric Rehabilitation at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital (2015).

Her research interests focus on improving functional outcomes and quality of life for children with disabilities, particularly those with congenital heart disease, heart transplants and VADs. She has benefited from clinical training in both Europe and the US and created the first Pediatric Cardiac Rehabilitation Program in the world at the Hospital Gregorio Marañon of Madrid before joining Boston Children's Hospital. Her clinical practice emphasizes personalized, multidisciplinary cardiac rehabilitation programs for children with cerebral palsy and congenital heart disease.

Analysis of Dr. Ubeda Tikkanen's publications reveals a strong focus on pediatric cardiac rehabilitation across multiple dimensions. Her work spans from systematic reviews establishing foundational knowledge to clinical trials evaluating interventions, and detailed physiological studies examining exercise parameters in specific cardiac conditions. A clear progression is evident from early work on basic exercise testing to more recent research on comprehensive rehabilitation program components. Her research consistently emphasizes functional outcomes and quality of life improvements for pediatric cardiac patients.

Dr. Ubeda Tikkanen's professional activities include developing clinical pathways for pediatric cardiac rehabilitation across multiple institutions. She has created innovative rehabilitation protocols that have been adopted internationally, beginning with her work establishing the first Pediatric Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. Her clinical approach integrates rehabilitation medicine with pediatric cardiology to address the comprehensive needs of children with complex cardiac conditions throughout their developmental trajectory.