Karen M. Crews
Professor, Department of Otolaryngology and Communicative Sciences
Cancer Epidemiology Program
DMD, General Dentistry, 1986, University of Mississippi
School of Dentistry at Jackson, USA
Contact Information
Director, Oral Oncology and Biobehavioral Medicine
UMMC Cancer Institute, Jackson Medical Mall
Suite ME102, Mailbox 310
350 W. Woodrow Wilson Drive
Jackson, MS 39213
Phone: 601-815-1181
Fax: 601-815-5306
Email: kcrews1@umc.edu
Research Interests
- Tobacco and Head and Neck Cancer
- Dental team attitudes and practices regarding the treatment of tobacco dependence
- Impact of tobacco intervention training on healthcare provider attitudes and practice
Research Synopsis
Since 1999, Crews has served as the director of the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education and Research, which has been awarded over twenty million dollars in NIH, State and Industry grants and contracts. Under her direction the ACT Center has expanded to 15 hospital sites across the state providing tobacco dependence treatment for over 15,000 citizens and has trained over 10,000 healthcare providers how to intervene with tobacco dependent patients. The ACT Center received the 2004 Program Delivery Award from the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors; the 2006 Prevention of Cancer Award from the Partnership for Comprehensive Cancer Control in Mississippi. Crews has 25 years experience in developing, implementing and testing educational programs to increase the provision of brief tobacco cessation interventions in a variety of dental settings, most recently in public health clinics. While Crews primary role is administrative she also serves as a co-investigator on several funded projects related to the genetic profile of nicotine addiction and healthcare provider attitudes, confidence and practices regarding tobacco treatment, and the impact of training experiences on those characteristics.
Recent Accomplishments and Honors
2006 Fellow, American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Leadership Institute, Chicago, IL
2010 President, Mississippi Association of Women Dentists
2010 Commissioner, Association for the Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence (ATTUD)
Tobacco Treatment Specialist Accreditation Committee
Selected Publications
- Gordon, JS, Andrews, JA, Albert, D.A., Crews, K.M., Payne, T.J., & Severson, H.H. (in press). Tobacco cessation via public dental clinics: Results of a randomized trial. American Journal of Public Health.
- Gordon, JS, Andrews, JA, Crews, K.M., Payne, T.J., Severson, H.H. & Lichtenstein, E (in press) Faxed quitline referrals: Do they add value to dental office-based tobacco cessation interventions? Journal of the American Dental Association.
- Rankin, KV, Jones, DL, Crews, KM,(in press) Tobacco cessation education for dentists: An Evaluation of the Lecture Format, Cancer Education, Oral Cancer Education
- Gordon, JS, Albert, DA, Crews, KM., & Fried, J. (2009). Tobacco education in dentistry and dental hygiene. Drug and Alcohol Review, 28, 517-532.
- Crews KM, Sheffer CE, Payne, TJ, Applegate BW, Martin, A, Sutton, R, A Survey of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Tobacco
Related Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors, Journal of the American Dental Association, Accepted- In press 2008.
