Kevin Stephenson, MD, is an Instructor in Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine. Dr. Stephenson has two career foci: attending on inpatient general medicine teaching services at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and improving the treatment of undernourished children and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa. Alongside Mark Manary, Professor of Pediatrics at WUSM, Dr. Stephenson leads a research group that operates clinical trial networks in Sierra Leone, Malawi, and Ghana, across which novel formulations of therapeutic, supplementary, and school foods are tested in the hopes of treating undernutrition and improving physical and cognitive development in vulnerable populations. He had the good fortune of living in Malawi and Sierra Leone for several years; these experiences form the basis of his research career. Most recently, a trial published by Dr. Stephenson’s group was integral in changing the United Nations Codex Alimentarius regulations for the fatty acid content of ready-to-use therapeutic food, after showing that improved fatty acid balance led to superior cognitive development in children with severe acute malnutrition.
Education
BA: English Literature, Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO (2011)
Medical Degree: Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY (2017)
Residency, Internal Medicine: University of Washington, Seattle, WA (2020)
Clinical Interests
Hospital medicine, inpatient care
Publications
Leppanen, J. M, Butcher, J. W., Godbout, C., Stephenson, K. B., Hendrixson, D. T., Griswold, S., Rogers, B., Webb, P., Koroma, A. S., Manary, M. J. (in press). Assessing infant cognition in field settings using eye-tracking: a pilot cohort trial in Sierra Leone. BMJ Open.
Steel, T. L., Giovanni, S. P., Katsandres, S. C., Cohen, S. M., Stephenson, K. B., Murray, B., Sobeck, H., Hough, C. L., Bradley, K. A., & Williams, E. C. (2021). Should the CIWA-Ar be the standard monitoring strategy for alcohol withdrawal syndrome in the intensive care unit? Addict Sci Clin Pract, 16(1), 21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13722-021-00226-w
Stephenson, K. B., Agapova, S. E., Hendrixson, D. T., Koroma, A. S., & Manary, M. J. (2021). An Optimized Dose of Therapeutic Feeding Results in Noninferior Growth in Midupper Arm Circumference Compared with a Standard Dose in Children in Sierra Leone Recovering from Acute Malnutrition. Curr Dev Nutr, 5(2), nzab007. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzab007
Ordiz, M. I., Janssen, S., Humphrey, G., Ackermann, G., Stephenson, K., Agapova, S., Divala, O., Kaimila, Y., Maleta, K., Zhong, C., Knight, R., Trehan, I., Tarr, P. I., Rusconi, B., & Manary, M. J. (2020). The effect of legume supplementation on the gut microbiota in rural Malawian infants aged 6 to 12 months. Am J Clin Nutr, 111(4), 884-892. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa011
Venker, B., Stephenson, K. B., & Gellad, W. F. (2019). Assessment of Spending in Medicare Part D If Medication Prices From the Department of Veterans Affairs Were Used. JAMA Intern Med, 179(3), 431-433. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.5874
Kaimila, Y., Pitman, R. T., Divala, O., Hendrixson, D. T., Stephenson, K. B., Agapova, S., Trehan, I., Maleta, K., & Manary, M. J. (2019). Development of Acute Malnutrition Despite Nutritional Supplementation in Malawi. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr, 68(5), 734-737. https://doi.org/10.1097/MPG.0000000000002241
Kaimila, Y., Divala, O., Agapova, S. E., Stephenson, K. B., Thakwalakwa, C., Trehan, I., Manary, M. J., & Maleta, K. M. (2019). Consumption of Animal-Source Protein is Associated with Improved Height-for-Age. Nutrients, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11020480
Venker, B. T., Dunn, J. P., & Stephenson, K. (2018). The Rising Cost of Diabetes: Can DiRECT Tip the Scales? Obesity (Silver Spring), 26(12), 1866-1867. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.22349
Ordiz, M. I., Davitt, C., Stephenson, K., Agapova, S., Divala, O., Shaikh, N., & Manary, M. J. (2018). EB 2017 Article: Interpretation of the lactulose:mannitol test in rural Malawian children at risk for perturbations in intestinal permeability. Exp Biol Med (Maywood), 243(8), 677-683. https://doi.org/10.1177/1535370218768508
Agapova, S. E., Stephenson, K. B., Divala, O., Kaimila, Y., Maleta, K. M., Thakwalakwa, C., Ordiz, M. I., Trehan, I., & Manary, M. J. (2018). Additional Common Bean in the Diet of Malawian Children Does Not Affect Linear Growth, but Reduces Intestinal Permeability. J Nutr, 148(2), 267-274. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxx013