Candace Burton, Ph.D., R.N., F.N.E.

A background in English Literature and Gender Studies might not seem the most logical path to nursing, but for Dr. Candace Burton, PhD, RN, FNE, desire to “do something” about socially-based health inequities led first to nursing practice, then research, and finally to scientific development. As a former domestic violence advocate, Dr. Burton became a nurse in the hopes of increasing understanding of the impact of relationship-based abuse on women’s health.  Her current research focuses on the biobehavioral and biological health effects of teen dating violence, and she is specifically looking at proinflammatory, genomic and epigenomic changes as well as other biobehavioral outcomes thereof. Dr. Burton holds a BA and BSN from the University of Virginia, and PhD from the University of California, San Francisco. She is an assistant professor of family and community health nursing at the University of California Irvine School of Nursing, and practices part-time as a Forensic Nurse Examiner. She is a founding member of the Academy on Violence and Abuse, and a member of the Nursing Network on Violence Against Women, International.