Joshua Kennedy, MD

Josh Kennedy, M.D., is a professor of Allergy and Immunology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and Arkansas Children's. He is also a researcher at the Arkansas Children's Research Institute.

Dr. Kennedy received his medical degree in 2006 from UAMS and completed a combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency at UAMS and Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH). He completed Allergy and Immunology Fellowship training at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. In July 2013, he joined the faculty at ACH/UAMS.

Dr. Kennedy's clinical interests include allergic and immunologic diseases, including asthma, food allergy, atopic dermatitis, and primary immunodeficiency. His research interests are focused on asthma and the effects of the common cold virus, rhinovirus. He is particularly interested in mucosal immune responses to rhinovirus that may synergize with allergic disease. Dr. Kennedy is a member of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Allergy-Immunology.

Dr. Kennedy's research focuses on understanding how respiratory viral infections contribute to asthma exacerbations and severe respiratory illness in children. Rhinovirus, the most common cause of the common cold, is detected in 60-80% of children presenting to the emergency department with acute asthma exacerbations, making it a major driver of pediatric respiratory morbidity. His previous work demonstrated that while rhinovirus infection alone increases the risk of wheezing in children with asthma, the combination of viral infection and allergic sensitization significantly increases the likelihood of severe respiratory symptoms.

Building on these observations, Dr. Kennedy's current research examines how children's immune systems respond to respiratory viruses and viral coinfections, and why some children develop severe disease while others experience milder illness. His work aims to identify immune pathways and biomarkers associated with worse clinical outcomes, with the goal of improving risk prediction and identifying targets for future therapies.

In addition to his research activities, Dr. Kennedy is deeply committed to education and mentorship. He actively contributes to the training of fellows, residents, and medical students, supporting the educational mission of the UAMS Department of Pediatrics through teaching, mentorship, and participation in multiple academic programs.