Crystal Lumpkins, PhD

Research Assistant Professor

Crystal Lumpkins is an Assistant Research Professor affiliate in the Research Division of the Department of Family Medicine and an Assistant Professor at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas - Lawrence. Lumpkins holds a doctorate from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and dual Master's Degrees in Media Communications and Management from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. Her current research includes investigating the role of religiosity and spirituality in health messages targeting minority and underserved populations. Prior to joining University of Kansas, Lumpkins worked as a research assistant with the University of Missouri School of Journalism and St. Louis School of Public Health CECCR (Center of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research ) on an NIH-funded program aimed to examine media vehicles such as ethnic newspapers as communication channels to target African Americans concerning cancer risk (Ozioma project). As a research assistant, she also assisted in other health communication projects as well (information seeking among arthritis sufferers and on-line cancer communication among breast cancer patients with the University of Wisconsin CECCR). Prior to pursuing the doctorate, she taught at several area colleges and universities including the University of Central Missouri (formally Central Missouri University), St. Mary's College, Rockhurst University and Johnson County Community College. In addition to teaching she also worked as a media relations specialist at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and was a consultant for a public relations firm focusing on urban revitalization in Kansas City, Missouri. Dr. Lumpkins also worked as a broadcast news reporter and producer in St. Joseph, Missouri, Topeka, Kansas and Albuquerque, New Mexico.