Coleen K. Cunningham

Coleen K. Cunningham, MD, serves as a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) School of Medicine. Her academic appointment falls within the clinical departments structure of UCI's medical school, specifically focusing on pediatric infectious disease research and clinical practice.

Dr. Cunningham's research spans critical areas of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases, with specialized expertise in viral pathogenesis in pediatric populations. Her work examines transmission dynamics of respiratory viruses within household settings, age-dependent clinical manifestations, and demographic risk factors influencing infection susceptibility. Current investigations emphasize SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology in children, including viral load correlations with symptomatology and asymptomatic transmission potential.

Her seminal 2021 BRAVE Kids study revealed significant age-related symptom variations in pediatric SARS-CoV-2 cases, with adolescents exhibiting higher rates of influenza-like and sensory symptoms compared to younger children. The research established Hispanic ethnicity and infected sibling contacts as key infection risk factors, while identifying asthma history as potentially protective. These findings directly inform evidence-based screening protocols for educational and childcare environments.