B.S. Grace College; M.A. Ball State University; Ph.D. The University of Memphis
Prior to earning her Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Memphis, Dr. Karly Poyner-Smith earned her M.A. in Communication Studies from Ball State University with an emphasis in Liberal Arts and Sciences Scholarship and her B.S. in Communication Studies and Public Relations from Grace College.
Dr. Poyner-Smith’s research focuses on using critical mixed methods to explore political, identity, and health communication within the intersections of gender, sexuality, race, and religion. Her published and ongoing work examines phenomena such as American evangelical politicism, U.S. purity culture, and mediated religious identity dialectics. As part of the interdisciplinary Purity Culture Research Collective, Dr. Poyner-Smith’s research illuminates how purity discourse impacts personal and health-based communication.
Outside of research and teaching, Dr. Poyner-Smith is a fan of triathlons, trail running, and reality T.V.
