Staff: Alycia K. Boutté, PhD, MPH

Alycia K. Boutté, PhD, MPH
Cancer Research Training Award Fellow
- Office of the Associate Director (OAD)
- Behavioral Research Program (BRP)
Alycia K. Boutté, Ph.D., M.P.H., was a Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) fellow on the Behavioral Research Program's communications team, within the Office of the Associate Director (OAD) from 2019-2021.
As a CRTA fellow, Dr. Boutté was interested in learning how to apply health communication strategies to promote behavioral cancer prevention research. Additionally, she was interested in the connection between mental health, the built environment, and how these impact lifestyle behaviors that are important for chronic disease prevention among minority communities.
Dr. Boutté earned her Ph.D. in Health Promotion, Education, & Behavior from the University of South Carolina. During her doctoral program, she helped implement a healthy lifestyle intervention targeting excessive gestational weight gain among pregnant women with overweight or obesity in South Carolina. Her dissertation examined associations between mental health, neighborhood food access, and diet quality among these women using quantitative and geospatial techniques. Additionally, she investigated potential disparities in diet quality by race and residential location. Under the guidance of her mentors, she was awarded an NIH Diversity Supplement Grant to support her dissertation research.
Throughout her doctoral studies, Dr. Boutté was acknowledged with multiple awards for her excellence in research and scholarship, including the Breakthrough Graduate Scholar Award, SPARC Graduate Research Grant, Outstanding Student Abstract Award, and South Carolina Public Health Association's Public Health Scholarship. Most recently, she received the Christopher Peter Aluah Outstanding Doctoral Student Award for her scholarship, leadership, and service in public health.
Dr. Boutté received her M.P.H. in health promotion/behavioral science from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Austin Regional Campus, and her B.S. in psychology from Xavier University of Louisiana.
"Where are they now?": Following up with past BRP fellows
Updated June 2021
Current Title
Training Program Coordinator
Columbus Technologies and Services, Inc.
How has your BRP fellowship influenced your career?
My BRP fellowship allowed me to improve several skills including writing, oral communication, social media management, project management, teamwork, and mentorship skills. My fellowship also allowed me several opportunities to explore multiple career options and avenues. Some of the most influential things I did were lots of informational interviews, working with a career counselor with OITE, self-reflection, and participating in NCI's Career Mentorship Advantage Program.
Describe a favorite memory or two from your fellowship experience.
One of my favorite memories is the BRP potluck where everyone made a dish that represented their hometown or their culture. The event fostered community and new conversations among colleagues not to mention the wide array of delicious food!
Describe your current position, your current organization, and what you do.
I am a Training Program Coordinator with Columbus Technologies and Services, Inc. working with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)'s Office of Fellowship Training. I provide a variety of administrative, programmatic, and coordination services to support the professional and career development of NIMH trainees.
Awards, Honors, and Recognitions
- Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences Outstanding Fellow Award, October 2020
Current and/or past BRP mentors include Mimi Lising.
Selected Publications and Presentations
- Klein WMP, Boutte AK, Brake H, Beal M, Lyon-Daniel K, Eisenhauer E, Grasso M, Hubbell B, Jenni KE, Lauer CJ, Lupia AW, Prue CE, Rausch P, Shapiro CD, Smith MD, Riley WT. Leveraging risk communication science across US federal agencies. Nat Hum Behav 2021 Mar 18.
- Boutte AK, Turner-McGrievy GM, Eberth JM, Wilcox S, Liu J, Kaczynski AT. Healthy Food Density is Not Associated With Diet Quality Among Pregnant Women With Overweight/Obesity in South Carolina. J Nutr Educ Behav 2021 Feb; 53(2):120-129.
- Boutte AK, Turner-McGrievy GM, Wilcox S, Liu J, Eberth JM, Kaczynski AT. Associations of maternal stress and/or depressive symptoms with diet quality during pregnancy: a narrative review. Nutr Rev 2020 Jun 11.
- Boutte AK, Turner-McGrievy GM, Wilcox S, Hutto B, Muth E, Hoover A. Comparing changes in diet quality between two technology-based diet tracking devices. J Technol Behav Sci 2019 March; 4(1):25-32.
- Wilcox S, Liu J, Addy CL, Turner-McGrievy G, Burgis JT, Wingard E, Dahl AA, Whitaker KM, Schneider L, Boutte AK. A randomized controlled trial to prevent excessive gestational weight gain and promote postpartum weight loss in overweight and obese women: Health In Pregnancy and Postpartum (HIPP). Contemp Clin Trials 2018 Mar; 66:51-63.
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