Her Story
About Cynthia
Cynthia Cook serves as an Adjunct Professor and Dissertation Chair at Creighton University, where she teaches proposal construction courses and guides students through their dissertation processes in the interdisciplinary doctoral leadership program. She began teaching sociology in 1992 after earning her master's degree from the University of Chicago and completed her doctorate in December 2000. Cook previously worked full-time as an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology from 2001 to 2004 and later returned in adjunct roles, including an intensive post-baccalaureate program from 2015 to 2026 that prepared students for medical and dental school. Her areas of specialization encompass medical sociology and cultural proficiency in addressing health disparities. She has authored several books, including Voices in Medical Sociology (first edition 2013, second edition 2025), Cultural Proficiency in Addressing Health Disparities as co-editor, and the historical fiction work Alice and Me published in 2017, along with at least 12 peer-reviewed articles. Cook attributes her success to the social interactions and lessons learned from colleagues, students, friends, and family throughout her career, and she values continuous learning and staying well-informed in her field.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Cynthia
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think I contribute my success to everyone who I have come in contact with in my years. I think I learned something from everyone, you know? That social interaction with friends, with relatives, with instructors, with students. You learn a lot from students, okay? So I think I contribute my success to the people that I have known in my life, yes.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I'd tell them to choose a field that they like. And not necessarily for money, because so many are more interested in how much money they're going to make. I tell them to choose something that you really want to do, that you enjoy doing. And whatever it is, you will be successful at. You may not make a lot of money, but making a lot of money is not the most important thing. The most important thing is to be happy with what you're doing. ... choose a topic, choose a profession that you're really want to do, and put the time in. Put the time in. If this is what you want, put the time in, because nothing comes easy.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I'm gonna say ageism. Ageism, because as you age, even though our seniors, including myself, still have a lot to contribute. We may find it difficult to stay active in our professions as much as we would like to. ... recognize that our seniors still have a lot to contribute, even if they are retired or semi-retired. But we have a lot of wealth, and wealth in terms of knowledge. ... AI gives you a quick answer, but it always it doesn't always give you that explanation. It doesn't tell you what happened before, what all led up to where we are today.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I guess my values are learning, okay? Keeping current, keeping current in my field, being well-informed about what's going on in the country, in the world. Yeah, so being well-informed, being a good person, I think that's it, yeah.
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