Ann R. Kennedy
University of Pennsylvania · Rehabilitation Medicine
Active 1973–2025
Academic metrics are sourced from OpenAlex and public funding records; values may differ from Google Scholar.
About
Ann R. Kennedy, D.Sc., is a Professor of Radiation Oncology and a Professor of Radiation Biology in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Her research focuses on the biological effects of radiation, with particular emphasis on carcinogenesis, cancer prevention, and acute radiation effects. She has made extensive contributions to the field of cancer research, especially in radiation carcinogenesis, demonstrating that radiation-induced transformation can be modified by agents, and introducing the concept that radiation carcinogenesis is not inevitable and can be prevented. Kennedy's work includes identifying protease inhibitors, such as the Bowman-Birk inhibitor (BBI) from soybeans, as effective mitigating agents for radiation-induced transformation. She led efforts to obtain FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) status for BBI, which was granted in 1992, and has held INDs for multiple clinical trials involving BBI as a preventative and therapeutic agent in various conditions, including oral leukoplakia, benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostate cancer, esophagitis, gingivitis, and ulcerative colitis. Her recent research has concentrated on space radiation and countermeasures for its adverse biological effects, funded by NASA and NSBRI, leading to discoveries about space radiation's impact on coagulation and the development of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in experimental animals. Her current research continues to…
Research topics
- Internal medicine
- Medicine
- Emergency medicine
- Computer Science
- Intensive care medicine
- Virology
- Anesthesia
- Pediatrics
- Nuclear engineering
- Physics
Selected publications
The Lancet · 2021 · 1078 citations
The Lancet · 2021 · 561 citations
BACKGROUND: Azithromycin has been proposed as a treatment for COVID-19 on the basis of its immunomodulatory actions. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of azithromycin in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. METHODS: In this randomised, controlled, open-label, adaptive platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]), several possible treatments were compared with usual care in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 in the UK. The trial is underway at…
The Lancet · 2021 · 520 citations
BACKGROUND: Many patients with COVID-19 have been treated with plasma containing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. METHODS: This randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]) is assessing several possible treatments in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in the UK. The trial is underway at 177 NHS hospitals from across t…
Design, Implementation, and in Vivo Validation of a Novel Proton FLASH Radiation Therapy System
International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics · 2020 · 462 citations
PURPOSE: Recent studies suggest that ultrahigh-dose-rate, "FLASH," electron radiation therapy (RT) decreases normal tissue damage while maintaining tumor response compared with conventional dose rate RT. Here, we describe a novel RT apparatus that delivers FLASH proton RT (PRT) using double scattered protons with computed tomography guidance and provide the first report of proton FLASH RT-mediated normal tissue radioprotection. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Absolute dose was measured at multiple depths…
The Lancet · 2022 · 382 citations
BACKGROUND: Casirivimab and imdevimab are non-competing monoclonal antibodies that bind to two different sites on the receptor binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein, blocking viral entry into host cells. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of casirivimab and imdevimab administered in combination in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. METHODS: RECOVERY is a randomised, controlled, open-label platform trial comparing several possible treatments with usual care in pa…
Recent grants
NIH · $3.4M · 1995
NIH · $6.9M · 2014
NIH · $99k · 1997
Frequent coauthors
- 271 shared
Ethel S. Gilbert
- 271 shared
Andrea K. Ng
- 271 shared
John D. Boice
- 268 shared
James A. Purdy
- 268 shared
James M. Allan
University of Stirling
- 265 shared
Joachim Yahalom
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- 265 shared
Louis S. Constine
Prisma Health
- 262 shared
Ching‐Hon Pui
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Labs
Kennedy LabPI
Awards & honors
- FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) Status for Bowman-Birk in…
Similar researchers at University of Pennsylvania
- Resume-aware match score
- Save to shortlist
- AI-drafted outreach
See your match with Ann R. Kennedy
PhdFit ranks faculty by your research interests, methods, and publications — grounded in their actual work, not templates.
- Free to start
- No credit card
- 30-second signup