معرفی
Rajesh Kumar is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, and serves as Interim Chief of Allergy and Immunology at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. He is also affiliated with Northwestern Memorial Hospital and multiple research institutes including the Center for Human Immunobiology, Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM), and the Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute.
His research focuses on the interplay between prenatal and early-life environmental exposures and genetic factors in the development of childhood asthma, atopic disease, and food allergies. He investigates health disparities in inner-city populations, particularly how ancestry and differential risk factors influence asthma outcomes. He is involved in major studies such as the CARDIA study (lung function over time), AAD-PEPR (PROMIS validation in asthma), and a personalized medicine consortium for severe asthma.
His recent publications highlight work in peanut and shrimp allergy genetics, interferon dysregulation in urban asthmatics, and transcriptomic markers in infants. These studies emphasize themes in genomics, immune response, and health equity across diverse populations.
- Excellence in Teaching award, Feinberg School of Medicine (2018)
Dr. Kumar has served as clinical practice director for the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at Lurie Children’s Hospital. He mentors trainees and leads multidisciplinary care initiatives, particularly in asthma management and early peanut introduction. He receives research support through consortium leadership and institutional grants. He is site-PI for a personalized medicine program in severe asthma and actively contributes to national research networks.
He is actively involved in professional leadership, serving on the CAUSE and PrecISE steering committees, the AAAAI Genetics, Molecular Biology, and Epidemiology Committee, and as past President of the Illinois Society of Allergy Asthma and Immunology. He has held editorial roles at Allergy, Asthma, and Clinical Immunology as both International Editor and Associate Editor.
