Doris Boutain

Associate Professor
Adjunct Associate Professor, UW Department of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies

Dr. Boutain, a community health nurse, researcher, and educator, applies social justice frameworks to advance health equity and implementation research. She is renowned for designing community-based participatory research (CBPR) studies, utilizing both qualitative (discourse analysis, narrative analysis, ethnography, etc.) and quantitative (correlational analysis, cost analysis, etc.) methodologies.

With over 20 years of research experience, Dr. Boutain has secured diverse funding from prestigious organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health – Division of Child and Maternal Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the March of Dimes, Public Health-Seattle & King County, and private donors. Her work focuses on understanding and addressing health disparities at a systems level, promoting health equity across various populations.

Dr. Boutain’s research spans both acute and chronic health topics, including preterm birth, hypertension, and obesity prevention. Her contributions to nursing, particularly her focus on social justice, have been recognized in several book chapters that have been widely cited.

Her multilingual and multicultural approach to research has led to collaborations with scholars worldwide. Dr. Boutain has received numerous awards for her efforts to mentor and support colleagues in securing research funding, with projects initiated in Haiti, China, South Korea, and the United States. She has presented her work, particularly the social justice framework she developed, in over six countries.

Dr. Boutain’s research explores how factors such as worry, stress, and income distress impact health, while introducing innovative, justice-based approaches to address these issues. Her scholarship informs equity-driven policies aimed at systemic change to foster optimal health for marginalized populations. As a nationally certified public health nurse and nurse educator, Dr. Boutain is also a strong advocate for community inclusion in both research and higher education.