Kenneth Patrick Smith, PhD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory MedicinePerelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Contact InformationChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia
Infectious Disease Diagnostics Laboratory
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
5th Floor, Main Building, Room 5132
Philadelphia, PA, 19104
Education
BS (Biology), Westfield State University, 2007
MS (Biology), Eastern New Mexico University, 2010
PhD (Microbiology and Molecular Genetics), University of Vermont, 2015
Specialty Certification
American Board of Medical Microbiology (ABMM), 2020
Postgraduate Training
Postdoctoral Fellow Translational Clinical Microbiology, Kirby Laboratory, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, 2015-2020
American Society for Microbiology Continuing Professional Education Programs (ASM CPEP) Medical and Public Health Microbiology Fellow, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 2018-2020
Awards and Honors
Academic Excellence Award - Westfield State University Biology Department, 2007
1st Place, Biology Graduate Student Research Conference - Eastern New Mexico University, 2009
2nd Place, Graduate Student Poster Competition - University of Vermont College of Medicine, 2012
Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS)2017 Innovation Award Finalist - Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening, 2017
Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Travel Award - American Society for Microbiology, 2017
Outstanding Abstract Award - American Society for Microbiology, 2018
Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening,Digital Health 2019 Early-Career Member Contest Winner, 2019
Paul E. Strandjord Young Investigator Award, Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists, Salt Lake City, UT, 2019
Faculty of the Semester Award (Fall 2023) - Pennsylvania Hospital School of Medical Laboratory Science, 2023
Faculty of the Semester Award (Fall 2024) - Pennsylvania Hospital School of Medical Laboratory Science, 2024
Robert W. Doms Distinguished Teaching Award - CHOP Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, 2024
Memberships and Professional Organizations
American Society for Microbiology, 2015 - Present
Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening, 2018 - 2019
Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists, 2019 - 2020
Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute Document Development Committee on Verifying ID/AST Systems (M52), 2020 - Present
American Board of Medical Microbiology Exam Validation Subcommittee, 2021 - 2023
Web Links
Selected Publications
Detection and Characterization of Neonatal Cytomegalovirus Through Nanopore Sequencing Using Flongle Flow Cells
Proaño A, Chan J, Galchen GC, Ahsan MU, Gilman RH, Smith KP, Wang K, and Flannery DD, Journal of Virological Methods Accepted(): , 2025
Single-sample confirmation of positive gonorrhea and chlamydia results using the Roche cobas CT/NG and Cepheid Xpert CT/NG assays
Smith KP, Loeven NA, Fink J, Elkan M, Weller K, and Harris RM, Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine Accepted(): , 2025
Low Prevalence of Anaerobic Bacteria in Pediatric Septic Arthritis Makes Obtaining Anaerobic Cultures of Questionable Value
Regan B, Spiegel D, Smith KP, Goodbody C, Baldwin KD, Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, 2025
Exploration of the Fusidic Acid Structure Activity Space for Antibiotic Activity
Kang YS, Silva SC, Smith KP, Sumida K, Wang Y, Chiaraviglio L, Donthiri RR, Aljahdali AZ, Kirby JE, and O'Doherty GA, Molecules, 2025
Identifying Opportunities for Urine Culture Diagnostic Stewardship in a Pediatric Health System
Yoon H, Meyahnwi D, Chiotos K, Dunn M, Green R, Ku B, Mutucumarana C, Overland M, Polsky T, Sharer G, Smith KP, Swami SK, and Same R, ID Week, Los Angeles CA 2024, 2024
Identification of Distinct Genotypes in Circulating RSV A Strains Based on Variants in the Virus Replication-associated Genes
Musa AO, Faber SR, Forrest K, Smith KP, Sengupta S, and López CB, Journal of Virology, 2024
Low Prevalence of Anaerobic Bacteria in Pediatric Septic Arthritis Makes Obtaining Anaerobic Cultures of Questionable Value
Regan M, Spiegel D, Smith KP, and Baldwin K, Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America 2024 Annual Meeting, 2024
Neonatal cytomegalovirus characterization using nanopore sequencing: a novel approach
Proaño A, Chan J, Galchen GC, Ahsan MU, Gilman RH, Smith KP, Wang K, Flannery DD, CMV Working Group in the Americas, Eastern Society for Pediatric Research, 2024
Persistent Increased Invasive Pediatric Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus) Infections with Correlated Increase in Superficial Infection and Pharyngitis
Dowling J., Werz D., Smith K.P., Harris R.M., Smathers S., Harrison-Long C., Sammons J., and Hayes E., ID Week, Boston MA 2023, 2023
Listeria and Erysipelothrix
Smith K.P. and Harris R.M., Manual of Clinical Microbiology, 2023
