Dr. Kennedy is the director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Postmortem Program, and is responsible for postmortem examinations of all racehorses, Thoroughbred, Standardbred, and Quarter Horse. Dr. Kennedy works in close collaboration with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, racetrack medical directors, and musculoskeletal researchers both within the University of Kentucky and at other institutions.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Postmortem Program was established in the early 2010s and is modeled on the program developed in California in the 1990s. Through three decades of research, a correlation between repetitive fatigue and the development of catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries (CMI) has been documented, with the majority of injuries having a pre-existing bone stress injury. Far from being the result of the so-called "bad step" catastrophic injuries progress from the repetitive use injury. Armed with this knowledge, strategies to mitigate risk and identify horses that need to be removed from training in order to heal have been developed and are continuing to be refined. The goal of Dr. Kennedy's work is to make racing safer for the human and equine athletes involved, and to have horses retire sound and capable of embarking on a second career.
Scholars@UK
Osteomyelitis of the scapulohumeral joint associated with Rhodococcus equi and unresponsive to antibiotherapy in a foal
Labordère, A. L., Rodgerson, D. H. & Kennedy, L. A., Aug 2022, In: Equine Veterinary Education. 34, 8, p. e331-e336Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Special issue on racehorse pathology: In the service of equine and human welfare
Uzal, F. A., Kennedy, L. A. & Maxie, G., Jul 1 2017, In: Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation. 29, 4, p. 381-382 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial
Retrospective investigation of 43 necropsy cases of Tyzzer disease in foals and partial genome sequence of Clostridium piliforme by shotgun metagenomics
Uprety, T., Swan, M., Kennedy, L., Bryant, U., Cassone, L., Loynachan, A., Janes, J., Evely, M. M., Calvaruso, F. C., Quick, M., Morgan, J., Abdelrazek, S., Lahmers, K., Carter, C. & Erol, E., May 2025, In: Veterinary Microbiology. 304, 110489.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Draft genome sequence analysis of multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Mbandaka harboring colistin resistance gene mcr-9.1 isolated from foals in Kentucky, USA
Helmy, Y. A., Kabir, A., Saleh, M., Kennedy, L. A., Burns, L. & Johnson, B., Oct 7 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Microbiology Resource Announcements. p. e0073724Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Detection and residence time of bisphosphonates in bone of horses
Knych, H. K., Janes, J., Kennedy, L., McKemie, D. S., Arthur, R. M., Samol, M. A., Uzal, F. A. & Scollay, M., Jan 2022, In: Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation. 34, 1, p. 23-27 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Transcriptomic analysis of equine chorioallantois reveals immune networks and molecular mechanisms involved in nocardioform placentitis
El-Sheikh Ali, H., Loux, S. C., Kennedy, L., Scoggin, K. E., Dini, P., Fedorka, C. E., Kalbfleisch, T. S., Esteller-Vico, A., Horohov, D. W., Erol, E., Carter, C. N., Smith, J. L. & Ball, B. A., Jul 8 2021, In: Veterinary Research. 52, 1, p. 103 1 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Alterations of Circulating Biomarkers During Late Term Pregnancy Complications in the Horse Part I: Cytokines
Fedorka, C. E., Ball, B. A., Walker, O. F., McCormick, M. E., Scoggin, K. E., Kennedy, L. A., Squires, E. L. & Troedsson, M. H. T., Apr 2021, In: Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 99, 103425.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Alterations of Circulating Biomarkers During Late Term Pregnancy Complications in the Horse Part II: Steroid Hormones and Alpha-Fetoprotein
Fedorka, C. E., Ball, B. A., Wynn, M. A. A., McCormick, M. E., Scoggin, K. E., Esteller-Vico, A., Curry, T. E., Kennedy, L. A., Squires, E. L. & Troedsson, M. H. T., Apr 2021, In: Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 99, 103395.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Common lesions of the distal end of the third metacarpal/metatarsal bone in racehorse catastrophic breakdown injuries
Janes, J. G., Kennedy, L. A., Garrett, K. S. & Engiles, J. B., Jul 1 2017, In: Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation. 29, 4, p. 431-436 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Buttercups not to blame for thoroughbred abortions
Gaskill, C., Bolin, D., Carter, C., Cassone, L., Jackson, C., Janes, J., Kennedy, L. & Loynachan, A., Aug 15 2016, In: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 249, 4, p. 373 1 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › peer-review
A diagnostic pathologist’s guide to carpal disease in racehorses
Engiles, J. B., Stewart, H., Janes, J. & Kennedy, L. A., Jul 1 2017, In: Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation. 29, 4, p. 414-430 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
An investigation of a recent outbreak of nocardioform placentitis caused abortions in horses
Erol, E., Sells, S. F., Williams, N. M., Kennedy, L., Locke, S. J., Labeda, D. P., Donahue, J. M. & Carter, C., Aug 17 2012, In: Veterinary Microbiology. 158, 3-4, p. 425-430 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Antibiotic susceptibility patterns of Crossiella equi and Amycolatopsis species causing nocardioform placentitis in horses
Erol, E., Williams, N. M., Sells, S. F., Kennedy, L., Locke, S. J., Donahue, J. M. & Carter, C., Nov 2012, In: Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation. 24, 6, p. 1158-1161 4 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Postmortem examination (2016–2017) of weanling and older horses for the presence of select species of endoparasites: Gasterophilus spp., Anoplocephala spp. and Strongylus spp. in specific anatomical sites
Lyons, E. T., Bolin, D. C., Bryant, U. K., Cassone, L. M., Jackson, C. B., Janes, J. G., Kennedy, L. A., Loynachan, A. T., Boll, K. R., Burkhardt, A. S., Langlois, E. L., Minnis, S. M., Welsh, S. C. & Scare, J. A., Aug 2018, In: Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports. 13, p. 98-104 7 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Fatal bromethalin intoxication in 3 cats and 2 dogs with minimal or no histologic central nervous system spongiform change
Romano, M. C., Loynachan, A. T., Bolin, D. C., Bryant, U. K., Kennedy, L., Filigenzi, M. S., Puschner, B., Poppenga, R. H. & Gaskill, C. L., Jul 1 2018, In: Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation. 30, 4, p. 642-645 4 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Characterizing Compositional and Mechanical Changes of Equine Proximal Sesamoid Bone Associated with Catastrophic Race Failure
Janes, J. (PI), Kennedy, L. (CoI), Lima, F. (CoI), MacLeod, J. (CoI), Malluche, H. (CoI), Pienkowski, D. (CoI) & Zhang, G. (CoI)
3/1/19 → 2/28/20
Project: Research project
Education
- Michigan State University, Bachelor of Science
- Michigan State University, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
- Texas A&M University, Anatomic pathology residency
Associated Departments