W. Larry Kenney

Professor of Physiology and Kinesiology

W. Larry Kenney

Research Summary

Environmental and exercise physiology, particularly human thermoregulation, skin blood flow, and the biophysics of heat exchange.

Huck Affiliations

Publication Tags

These publication tags are generated from the output of this researcher. Click any tag below to view other Huck researchers working on the same topic.

Skin Temperature Nitric Oxide Blood Vessels Heat Shock Response Folic Acid Vasodilation Reflex Health Hot Temperature Young Adult Maintenance Exercise Extremities Light Sports Skin Pigmentation Drinking Biological Availability Healthy Volunteers Vasoconstriction Sodium Infrared Rays Water Homeostasis

Most Recent Publications

Dam health effects: Drinking water salinity is a key risk factor for hypertension and dilute urine among Daasanach pastoralists in Northern Kenya

A Rosinger, William Kenney,

A novel conceptual model for human heat tolerance

T.E. Bernard, S.T. Wolf, William Kenney, Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews

Sunscreen does not alter sweating responses or critical environmental limits in young adults (PSU HEAT project)

Kat G. Fisher, Rachel M. Cottle, W. Larry Kenney, S. Tony Wolf, 2024, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 322-329

Heat stress vulnerability and critical environmental limits for older adults

S. Tony Wolf, Rachel M. Cottle, Kat G. Fisher, Daniel J. Vecellio, W. Larry Kenney, 2023, Communications Earth and Environment

Core temperature and heart rate at the upper limit of the prescriptive zone

Thomas E. Bernard, Candi D. Ashley, S. Tony Wolf, W. Larry Kenney, 2023, Physiological Reports

Distribution of upper limit of the prescriptive zone values for acclimatized and unacclimatized individuals

T Bernard, C Ashley, S Wolf, A Odera, R Lopez, William Kenney, 2023, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 601-608

Onset of cardiovascular drift during progressive heat stress in young adults (PSU HEAT project)

R Cottle, K Fisher, S Wolf, William Kenney, 2023, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 292-299

Nitric oxide-mediated cutaneous microvascular function is not altered in middle-aged-to-older adults following mild SARS-CoV-2 infection: A pilot study

G Dillon, S Wolf, A Williams, W. Larry Kenney, Lacy Alexander, 2023, Physiological Reports on p. e15704

Within-limb variation in skin pigmentation does not influence cutaneous vasodilation

K Fisher, William Kenney, S Wolf, 2023, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 1403-1408

Relatively minor influence of individual characteristics on critical wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) limits during light activity in young adults (PSU HEAT Project)

S Wolf, G Havenith, W. Larry Kenney, 2023, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 1216-1223

Most-Cited Papers

National athletic trainers' association position statement: Fluid replacement for the physically active

Brendon P. McDermott, Scott A. Anderson, Lawrence E. Armstrong, Douglas J. Casa, Samuel N. Cheuvront, Larry Cooper, W. Larry Kenney, Francis G. O'Connor, William O. Roberts, 2017, Journal of Athletic Training on p. 877-895

Heat waves aging and human cardiovascular health

W. Larry Kenney, Daniel H. Craighead, Lacy M. Alexander, 2014, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise on p. 1891-1899

Role of folic acid in nitric oxide bioavailability and vascular endothelial function

Anna E. Stanhewicz, W. Larry Kenney, 2017, Nutrition Reviews on p. 61-70

Sympathetic regulation during thermal stress in human aging and disease

Jody L. Greaney, W. Larry Kenney, Lacy M. Alexander, 2015, Journal of the Autonomic Nervous System on p. 81-90

Evaluating the 35C wet-bulb temperature adaptability threshold for young, healthy subjects (PSU HEAT Project)

Daniel J. Vecellio, S. Tony Wolf, Rachel M. Cottle, W. Larry Kenney, 2022, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 340-345

Determinants of water and sodium intake and output

Anna E. Stanhewicz, W. Larry Kenney, 2015, Nutrition Reviews on p. 73-82

Folic acid supplementation improves microvascular function in older adults through nitric oxide-dependent mechanisms

Anna E. Stanhewicz, Lacy M. Alexander, W. Larry Kenney, 2015, Clinical Science on p. 159-167

Edward F. Adolph Distinguished Lecture: Skin-deep insights into vascular aging

W. Larry Kenney, 2017, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 1024-1038

Historical reviews of the assessment of human cardiovascular function: interrogation and understanding of the control of skin blood flow

David A. Low, Helen Jones, N. Tim Cable, Lacy M. Alexander, W. Larry Kenney, 2020, European Journal of Applied Physiology

Impaired increases in skin sympathetic nerve activity contribute to age-related decrements in reflex cutaneous vasoconstriction

Jody L. Greaney, Anna E. Stanhewicz, William Kenney, Lacy M. Alexander, 2015, Journal of Physiology on p. 2199-2211

News Articles Featuring W. Larry Kenney

Oct 09, 2023

Climate-driven extreme heat may make parts of Earth too hot for humans

If global temperatures increase by 1 degree Celsius (C) or more than current levels, each year billions of people will be exposed to heat and humidity so extreme they will be unable to naturally cool themselves.

Full Article

Oct 09, 2023

Unbearable heat could make some parts of the world uninhabitable if warming continues

Researchers have recently found that if the Earth’s temperatures rise one degree Celsius over current measurements, each year countless individuals will experience unbearable heat and humidity levels that will render their bodies incapable of cooling themselves.

Full Article

Oct 09, 2023

Too hot for humans: Rising temperatures could soon make parts of Earth uninhabitable

Vast regions of our planet, where over half the global population resides, may soon become uninhabitable due to extreme heat

Full Article

Sep 21, 2023

Extreme heat, coupled with chronic health issues, is killing elderly New Yorkers

As global warming temperatures rise people are more vulnerable because of age and medical conditions and face a greater danger

Full Article

Jul 29, 2023

Your body can build up tolerance to heat. Here’s how.

Safe ways to train your body to build tolerance in the heat

Full Article

Jul 21, 2023

Heat can kill on the job, and these workers are dying

Deaths from the heat waves have filled some hospitals to pandemic levels and OSHA is in the process of drafting a heat standard for work places.

Full Article

Jul 19, 2023

As heat records fall, how hot is too hot for the human body?

Heat and humidity put people at greatly increased risk, and the combination gets dangerous at lower levels than scientists previously believed.

Full Article

Jul 18, 2023

The heat index reached 152 degrees in the Middle East — nearly at the limit for human survival

As the Northern Hemisphere approaches summer’s peak, heat is testing the limits of human survival in Earth’s hottest spots — and demonstrating the extremes that are increasingly possible and probable against the backdrop of accelerating global warming.

Full Article

Jul 17, 2023

As a summer heat wave pummels the US, an expert warns about the dangers of humidity – particularly for toddlers, young athletes and older adults

Dr. W. Larry Kenney, professor of physiology and kinesiology at Penn State University, who discussed why humid heat can be dangerous to human health and, in some cases, life-threatening.

Full Article

Sep 07, 2022

Sweating keeps you cool, but climate change is making it harder

Our bodies couldn't endure the summer heat without sweating. But as the climate gets hotter, sweat isn't cooling us off like it used to.

Full Article