Kristi L. Lewton, PhD

Kristi Lewton is a biological anthropologist and evolutionary anatomist, and is Professor of Clinical Medical Education at the Keck School of Medicine. Kristi received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington, her master’s and doctoral degrees from the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University, and a postdoctoral preceptorship at Harvard University.

Kristi Lewton’s research focuses on the evolution and functional morphology of locomotor systems. She studies the anatomy and biomechanics of human and non-human primate limbs to understand the evolution of these structures, integrating both comparative morphometric and experimental approaches. Her current work focuses on identifying adaptations to locomotion in the limbs; examining patterns of integration, modularity, and evolvability of the pelvic girdle; and investigating the relationship between pelvic anatomy and metabolic cost of locomotion in humans. In addition to museum and laboratory research, Kristi has conducted paleoanthropological fieldwork surveying for hominin fossils in South Africa, Zambia, and Ethiopia.

At the Keck School of Medicine, Kristi teaches human gross anatomy to first and second year medical students and graduate students.

Kristi maintains Adjunct Professor appointments in the Department of Biological Sciences in Dornsife College and in the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy in the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry. In addition, she is a Research Associate in Mammalogy at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

• Keck School of Medicine of USC: Pre-Clerkship Phase Outstanding Teaching Award, 2025
• The Linnean Society: Fellow of The Linnean Society, 2023
• Keck School of Medicine of USC: Year 2 Faculty Teaching Award, 2021
• University of Southern California: Undergraduate Research Associates Program, 2017
   – 2023
• University of Southern California: Zumberge Individual Research Award, 2017
   – 2018
• American Association of Anatomists: Short-Term Visiting Scholarship, 2016
• Keck School of Medicine of USC: Year 1 Faculty Teaching Award, 2016
• Harvard University: Certificate of Teaching Excellence, 2013
• American Association of Physical Anthropologists: Mildred Trotter Prize, 2010
• Arizona State University: Dean’s Advanced Scholarship, 2008
   – 2010
• School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University: Donald H. Morris Award, 2008
• Arizona State University: NSF IGERT Fellowship in Neural and Musculoskeletal Adaptations in Form and Function, 2002
   – 2006

• University of Washington, Seattle — BA — 06/2002 — Anthropology
• Arizona State University, Tempe — MA — 12/2004 — Anthropology
• Arizona State University, Tempe — PhD — 12/2010 — Anthropology
• Harvard University, Cambridge — Preceptor/Postdoc — 12/2013 — Human Evolutionary Biology

• Hindlimb cortical bone adaptation and locomotion in primates
  National Science Foundation · May 1, 2020 – Apr 30, 2023 · Role: PI

• Functional morphology
• Paleoanthropology
• Biomechanics
• Skeletal biology

• In defense of wide hips

• Patel, Biren
• Powers, Christopher
• Seiffert, Erik
• Patterson, Joseph
• McGowan, Craig
• Finley, James