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Lois Coleman Carpenter, Ph.D.
Health Promotion Sciences

Lois Coleman Carpenter, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Hudson College of Public Health
801 Northeast 13th Street, Room 467
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104

(405) 271-8001, x46765

Lois-Carpenter@ouhsc.edu

Dr. Lois Coleman Carpenter earned a PhD in Health Behavior and Promotion from the University of Mississippi. Before beginning her academic career, she worked in a non-profit organization and in local, state, and federally funded public health settings. One of her most notable accomplishments was being selected as the national Project Coordinator for the White House initiative Chef’s Move to Schools, part of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign. Dr. Carpenter’s years of professional experience inform both her teaching and research. She employs mixed methods approaches and draws from socioecological and community-based frameworks to explore how cultural and social factors influence health decision-making and preventive behaviors. Dr. Carpenter’s research centers on eliminating health inequities, particularly among women and disadvantaged populations. Her current projects relate to cancer screening uptake and HPV vaccination.

Education:

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Health and Kinesiology, Concentration: Health Behavior and Promotion, University of Mississippi – Oxford, MS, 2019
  • Graduate Certificate, Program Evaluation, University of Mississippi – Oxford, MS, 2018
  • Master of Science, Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion, Concentration: Health Promotion, Mississippi State University – Starkville, MS, 2010
  • Bachelor of Science, Human and Community Services, Minors: Community Health, Sociology, New Mexico State University – Las Cruces, NM, 2009

Appointments:

  • Assistant Professor in Health Promotion Sciences, Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center – Oklahoma City, OK, 2022–Present
  • Assistant Professor in Health Promotion, Department of Health and Exercise Science, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Oklahoma – Norman, OK, Fall 2019–Spring 2022
  • Core Affiliate Faculty, Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Oklahoma – Norman, OK, Fall 2019–Spring 2022

Clinical/Research Interests:

  • Health disparities
  • Obesity/body image
  • Preventive behaviors
  • Nutrition education
  • Training development
  • Social determinants of health
  • Cognitive mapping
  • Community-based research

Select Publications:

  1. Johnson, A., Dobbs, P.D., Coleman, L., & Maness, S. (2023). Association between race, pregnancy-specific stress, discrimination, and birth outcomes among US women. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 27(3), 328–334.
  2. Coleman, L., Bass, M.A., Cafer, A., Ford-Wade, M.A., & Loftin, M. (2020). Influences on body size perceptions among Black women in the Mississippi Delta. American Journal of Health Promotion, 34(8), 901-908.
  3. Dobbs, P.D., Lu, Y., Maness, S., Coleman, L., Johnson, A., Metz, S., Vidal, C. & Cheney, M.K. (2020). Gestational women’s perceptions about the harms of cigarette and e-cigarette use during pregnancy. Maternal and Child Health Journal, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-020-03085-0
  4. Coleman, L. & Loprinzi, P.D. (2017). The influence of weight status duration on weight perception accuracy. American Journal of Health Promotion, 32(8), 816-820.
  5. Coleman, L. & Loprinzi, P.D. (2016). The association between discrepant weight perceptions and objectively measured physical activity. Preventive Medicine, 87, 47-50.