Joshua L. Kennedy

High Impact

Associate Professor

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

faculty

Peds Pediatrics, College of Medicine

25 h-index 142 pubs 2,184 cited

Research Areas

Links

ORCID Lab Website UAMS TRI Profile

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OverviewAI-generated summary

Joshua L. Kennedy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine. He is also affiliated with the UAMS ACRI Lung Cell Biology Lab. Dr. Kennedy's research primarily investigates the mechanisms by which rhinovirus (RV) infections exacerbate asthma in children. Studies indicate that RV infections are present in a significant percentage of children seeking emergency care for asthma exacerbations. His work explores the synergistic relationship between RV infection and allergen sensitization, which appears to increase the likelihood of wheezing in these children. He studies epithelial cell-derived cytokines, including IL-33, IL-25, and TSLP, in the context of RV infection and their role in promoting Th2-biased allergic responses.

Dr. Kennedy's scholarly output includes 142 publications with over 2,100 citations and an h-index of 25. He has received federal funding for his research, including a $756,000 grant from the NIH/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences through the CTSA K12 Program, where he serves as Co-PI. His collaborators at UAMS include J. Craig Forrest, Bobby L. Boyanton Jr, Ashton Ingold, and Catherine Kirkpatrick, with whom he has co-authored multiple publications. He maintains an active laboratory website to share his research activities.

Research Overview

Dr. Kennedy received his medical degree from UAMS in 2006 and completed an Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency from 2006 to 2010. He went on to complete a fellowship in Allergy and Immunology at the University of Virginia. Dr. Kennedy joined the faculty of UAMS in July 2013 where he is a member of the Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology and the ACRI Lung Cell Biology Lab. Dr. Kennedy’s primary research focuses upon mechanisms whereby infection with the common cold virus, rhinovirus (RV), leads to exacerbations of asthma. 60% to 80% of children seen in the emergency room with an exacerbation of asthma will be infected with RV. In his previous research, it became clear that while RV infection alone increases the risk of wheezing in children with asthma; the combination of RV infection and high titer sensitization to allergen significantly increases the odds to wheeze in children seen in the emergency department. It is this synergy between allergy and RV infection that drives his current research hypotheses. To that end, he is studying epithelial cell-derived cytokines that bias a Th2 (i.e., allergic) response (IL-33, IL-25, and TSLP) associated with RV infection in subjects with asthma both in vitro and in vivo. Also, Dr. Kennedy enthusiastically contributes to the education of fellows, residents, and students at UAMS by participating in the educational mission of the Department of Pediatrics in many capacities.

Metrics

h-index: 25
Publications: 142
Citations: 2,184

Selected Publications

Asthma Associated Cytokines Regulate Gasdermin A and Gasdermin B Expression by Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells (2025) DOI
IL-1β-driven NF-κB transcription of ACE2 as a Mechanism of Macrophage Infection by SARS-CoV-2 (2024) DOI
Effects of nonpharmaceutical interventions during COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric asthma exacerbations and viral infections (2024) DOI
An ex vivo human precision-cut lung slice platform provides insight into SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and antiviral drug efficacy (2024) DOI
SARS-CoV-2 pandemic non-pharmacologic interventions temporally associated with reduced pediatric infections due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae and co-infecting respiratory viruses in Arkansas (2024) DOI
Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 using long-range PCR primers (2024) DOI
Survey of Arkansas Pediatric Providers on the Application of the NIH/NIAID Addendum Guidelines for the Prevention of Peanut Allergy in the United States (2024) DOI
Viral Infections are Associated with More Severe Clinical Outcomes During Pediatric Asthma Exacerbations (2024) DOI
Childhood respiratory viral infections and the microbiome (2023) DOI
SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Non-Pharmacologic Interventions Temporally Associated with Reduced Pediatric Infections Due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Co-Infecting Respiratory Viruses in Arkansas (2023) DOI
Genomic Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 Using Long-Range PCR Primers (2023) DOI
A longitudinal study of SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence and mitigation behaviors among college students at an Arkansas University (2023) DOI
An ex vivo human precision-cut lung slice platform provides insight into SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and antiviral drug efficacy (2023) DOI
Rural Research Network to engage rural and minority community members in translational research (2023) DOI
Younger and Rural Children are More Likely to be Hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 Infections (2023) DOI

Federal Grants 1 $756,000 total

NIH/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Co-PI Jul 2024 - Jun 2029

CTSA K12 Program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences $756,000 K12

Grants & Funding

“Host-Pathogen Genomic Determinants of Pediatric Respiratory Infection Severity.” CTSA TRI Western Consortium Principal Investigator
No FP attached UAMS ACHRI Flow Through Principal Investigator
“Examining the intersection of rhinovirus infection and asthma exacerbations.” ACRI Marion B Lyon New Scientist Development Award Principal Investigator
Kennedy Recruitment ACHRI (ACHRI # 033068) UAMS ACHRI Flow Through Principal Investigator
DISCOVAR:Disparities in Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 in ARkansas NIH Co-Investigator
No FP attached UAMS College of Medicine Principal Investigator
An Integrated Host-Microbe Gene Classifier to Predict SARS-CoV-2 and Severe Disease in Children with Respiratory Viral Coinfections NIH Principal Investigator
“Examining mechanisms of synergy between asthma exacerbations and RV infection.” NIH NIAID Principal Investigator