Jeffrey S. Kahn

Jeffrey S. Kahn, M.D., Ph.D. serves as Professor of Pediatrics at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where he holds the Sarah M. and Charles E. Seay Chair in Pediatric Infectious Diseases. He directs both the Pediatric Infectious Disease Division and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program at UT Southwestern, while also serving as Director of Infectious Diseases and Medical Director of Research at Children's Medical Center in Dallas.

His academic training includes a B.S. in Microbiology and Immunology from McGill University, followed by M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn. Clinical training encompassed pediatric internship, residency, and chief residency at Yale University and Children's Hospital at Yale-New Haven, culminating in Pediatric Infectious Diseases specialization at Yale.

Dr. Kahn's research focuses on respiratory viruses and emerging pathogens, with seminal contributions to characterizing human metapneumovirus, coronaviruses NL63/HKU1, human bocavirus, and polyomavirus WUV. His laboratory pioneered the molecular epidemiology of RSV and investigates RSV genotype-phenotype relationships using RNA-SEQ and glycoprotein sequencing. Current work examines maternal antibody protection against hMPV and rhinovirus pathogenesis in young children.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals consistent emphasis on viral strain variation, host immune responses, and clinical implications across respiratory pathogens. His work bridges basic virology with clinical pediatrics, frequently addressing immunocompromised populations and employing molecular techniques to define viral evolution and pathogenesis.

• Sarah M. and Charles E. Seay Chair in Pediatric Infectious Diseases

As Fellowship Program Director, Dr. Kahn mentors trainees in clinical infectious diseases and research methodology. His Kahn Lab maintains active collaborations with virology and immunology teams, conducting translational research on viral pathogenesis and host responses. Current projects include RSV genome-phenotype mapping and investigation of emerging viruses in immunosuppressed hosts.

The Kahn Lab operates as a multidisciplinary research hub integrating molecular virology, clinical epidemiology, and immunology to address critical questions in pediatric respiratory viral infections, with particular focus on viral evolution and host-pathogen interactions.