Dawn Bounds

Associate Professor II, Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing, University of California, Irvine

Biography

Dawn Bounds, Ph.D., PMHNP-BC, is an Associate Professor in the Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing at the University of California, Irvine. Bounds received a Ph.D. in Nursing from Rush University in 2015 and completed an Ethics Fellowship at the Maclean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on developing interventions to disrupt intergenerational trauma and reduce risk behaviors (e.g., substance use) in adolescents and families affected by adverse childhood experiences, homelessness, and commercial sexual exploitation.

Bounds is the principal investigator on multiple funded studies, including an R01 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse examining self-regulation skills to prevent substance use in traumatized youth. She has secured over $4.5 million in research funding from sources including NIH, the Betty Irene Moore Foundation, and the University of California Office of the President. Her work employs community-based participatory research methods and technology-based interventions to strengthen families and build resilience in vulnerable populations.

Bounds is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and has received the UCI Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research and the UCI Chancellor's Inclusive Excellence Award. She has served on the National Advisory Committee for the American Nurses Association-Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Minority Fellowship Program and as a member of expert advisory panels for the American Psychological Association's health advisories on social media use and artificial intelligence in adolescent well-being. Bounds founded and directs the Centering Youth and Families for Empowerment and Resilience (CYFER) Lab at UC Irvine, where she leads community-engaged research in partnership with students and communities who have historically been underrepresented in research.

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Education

PhD in Nursing, Rush University, 2015
MSN in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Rush University, 2004
BSN in Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1999

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Distinctions

International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses Diversity & Equity Award, 2025
UCI Illuminations, the Chancellor's Arts and Culture Initiative Faculty Award, 2024-2025
Betty Irene Moore Foundation Fellowship for Nurse Leaders & Innovators, 2022-2025
UCI Excellence in Pedagogical Development Award Nominee, 2023
UCI Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research, 2023
Fellow, American Academy of Nursing, 2022
UCI Research Associates, Athalie R. Clarke Achievement Award for Nursing Research, 2021
UCI Chancellor's Inclusive Excellence Award, 2020
Ethics Fellow, Maclean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, University of Chicago, 2018-2019
Minority Fellow, American Nurses Association – Substance Use Mental Health Service Administration, 2011-2016
Rising Stars of Nursing Research, Sigma Theta Tau International Annual Convention, 2015

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Areas of Expertise

Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing
Adolescent Trauma Intervention
Commercial Sexual Exploitation Prevention
Family Resilience Building
Adverse Childhood Experiences Impact
Digital Health Technology Applications
Community-Based Participatory Action

Recent Publications

Gepshtein, Y. D., Lee, J. A., Bounds, D. T., Burton, C. W., “"We Should Not Call an Ambulance, Even If We are Very Sick": Ukrainian Refugee Women's Experiences in the United States Healthcare System” (opens in new tab), Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, vol. 27, pp. 1-12, 2025.
Rodrigues, S.M., Wang, Q., Saghafi, A., Stevens, R., Shin, Sanghyuk, S., Bounds, D. T., “The impact of adversity and family conflict on risk for future substance use among young adolescents in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD Study®): A cohort analysis” (opens in new tab), Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. e70017, 2025.
Saghafi, A., Rodrigues, S., M., Aldridge, J., Myint, M., Balsam, N., Inzunza, N., Hernandez, J., Clancey, S. L., Monreal-Duarte, L., Bounds, D. T., “Strengths-based Programs for Youth at Risk for Toxic Stress: A Scoping Review of Programs Targeting Mental Health, Substance Use, Parenting Skills, and Family Functioning” (opens in new tab), Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 2025.
Graham, K. L., Bounds, D., Paun, O., Stillerman, A., Mohr, L. D., Barnes, L. L., “Examining the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Active Coping in Black Older Adults: A Mixed Methods Study” (opens in new tab), Research in Gerontological Nursing, vol. 18, pp. 1-11, 2025.
American Psychological Association, “Artificial intelligence and adolescent well-being: An APA Health Advisory” (opens in new tab), American Psychological Association, 2025.
K. Nguyen, M. Pravongviengkham, V. Najafi, Y. Baker, N. Empleo, V. Española, S. Lee, Z. Harden, J. Aldridge, M. Myint, S. Rodrigues, D. Bounds, “Project REVIVE: Experiences of the Youth Action Research Team”, 2025. Presented at University of California, Irvine's Forum for Facilitating Authentic Campus Community Collaboration & Engagement, Irvine, CA, April 26, 2025.
A. Whitney, J. Aldridge, A. Saghafi, C. Black, D. Bounds, “Oura Ring Data in the Context of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)”, 2025. Presented at UC Irvine Undergraduate Research Symposium.
M. Berry, D. Bounds, “Exploring Mental Health Outcomes during the Transition from Elementary to Middle School”, 2025. Presented at UC Irvine Undergraduate Research Symposium.
L. Vazquez Solis, J. Aldridge, D. Bounds, “Effective Strategies for Curbing Illicit Substance Usage among Adolescents”, 2025. Presented at UC Irvine Undergraduate Research Symposium.
D. Juma, S. Duchimaza, S. Rodrigues, D. Bounds, “Garnering Resilience in Traumatized Youth and Families (GRIT) intervention: Fostering Self-Regulation and Adolescent-Caregiver Co-regulation”, 2025. Presented at UC Irvine Undergraduate Research Symposium.
D. Bounds, S. Rodrigues, A. Saghafi, Q. Wang, S. Shin, “Lessons Learned from the Garnering Resilience in Traumatized Youth and Families (GRIT) Study”, 2025. Presented at 12th Annual Conte Center.
Rodrigues S.M., Wang Q., Saghafi A., Heidari M.E., Shin S.S., Bounds D.T., “ACEs, Problematic Social Media Use, and Emotional/Behavioral Dysregulation Among ABCD® Study Adolescents” (opens in new tab), Issues in Mental Health Nursing, vol. 46, pp. 1203-1213, 2025.
Meyers, A., Soto-Diaz, M., Aldridge, J., Rodrigues, S.M., Sanchez, G., Bounds, D., “Decolonizing Approaches for Transforming Academic Culture Through Authentic Expression, Community and Belonging” (opens in new tab), Nursing Outlook, vol. 72, 2024.
Gamboa, C. J., Reed, M., Bounds, D. T., Cothran, F. A., Julion, W. A., “From group mentoring to collective liberation: The imperative to decolonize nursing academia” (opens in new tab), Nursing Outlook, vol. 72, no. 5, pp. 102204, 2024.
Gepshtein, Y. D., Lee, J. A., Bounds, D. T., Burton, C. W., “Understanding Refugees Health Experiences in Host Countries: Three Theoretical Perspectives” (opens in new tab), Clinical Nursing Research, vol. 33, pp. 10547738241253655, 2024.
Jones-Patten, A., Bounds, D. T., Shin, S. S., Nyamathi, A., “Discrimination experiences and mental health outcomes among African American homeless smokers”, Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, pp. 1-10, 2024.
Rodrigues, S. M., Bounds, D. T., Terry, J., Pinto, M. D., Shin, S., Burton, C. W., “Application of trauma-informed care principles to care needs identified by mothers of NICU-hospitalized children” (opens in new tab), Issues in Mental Health Nursing, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 142-151, 2024.
Jones-Patten, A., Shin, S. S., Nyamathi, A., Bounds, D., “"Cigarettes play the equalizer": discrimination experiences and readiness to quit cigarette smoking among African Americans experiencing homelessness: a qualitative analysis” (opens in new tab), Addiction Science and Clinical Practice, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 1, 2024.
American Psychological Association, “Potential Risks of Content, Features, and Functions: A Closer Look at the Science Behind how Social Media Affects Youth” (opens in new tab), American Psychological Association, 2024.
J. Huynh, S. Guardado, D. Bounds, “The Eating Habits & Weight Perceptions of Adolescents with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)”, 2024. Presented at UC Irvine Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Bounds, D. T., Rodrigues, S. M., Balsam, D., Lennan, N., Rodriguez, K. R., Milburn, N. G., “Creating Space for Adolescents and Families With Lived Experience of Homelessness to Build Familial Empathy, Communication, and Emotional Regulation: A Qualitative Study of Facilitators of Implementation” (opens in new tab), Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, vol. 62, pp. 1-9, 2023.
Bounds, D., Woo, M. A., Nyamathi, A., Kehoe, P., Roy, B., Yadav, K., Kumar, R., “Brain Changes Linked to Cognitive Symptomatology in Homeless Youth” (opens in new tab), Clinical Nursing Research, vol. 32, no. 6, pp. 932-946, 2023.
Bounds, D. T., Posey, P. D., “A resistance framework for racially minoritized youth behaviors during the transition to adulthood” (opens in new tab), Journal of Research on Adolescence, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 959-980, 2022.
Bounds, D., Delaney, K. R., Julion, W., Breitenstein, S., “Uncovering indicators of commercial sexual exploitation” (opens in new tab), Journal of Interpersonal Violence, vol. 35, no. 23-24, pp. 5607-5623, 2020.
Bounds, D., Delaney, K., Julion, W., Breitenstein, S., “Uncovering indicators of commercial sexual exploitation” (opens in new tab), Journal of Interpersonal Violence, vol. 35, no. 23-24, pp. 5607-5623, 2017.
Bounds, D., Delaney, K., Julion, W., “Hunter-prey discourse: A critical discourse analysis of the online posts of men who buy sex” (opens in new tab), Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 258-267, 2017.
Bounds, D., Edinburgh, L., Fogg, L., Saewyc, E., “The Minnesota Runaway Intervention Program's influence on sexually exploited youth's trauma responses” (opens in new tab), Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 60, no. 2, pp. S22-S23, 2017.

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Most Cited Publications

Henry, J. B., Julion, W. A., Bounds, D. T., Sumo, J. N., “Fatherhood Matters: An Integrative Review of Fatherhood Intervention Research” (opens in new tab), The Journal of School Nursing, vol. 36, pp. 19-32, 2019.
Bounds, D., Delaney, K., Julion, W., “Commercial sexual exploitation of children and state child welfare systems” (opens in new tab), Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, vol. 16, no. 1-2, pp. 17-26, 2015.
Bounds, D. T., Otwell, C. H., Melendez, A., Karnik, N. S., Julion, W. A., “Adapting a family intervention to reduce risk factors for sexual exploitation” (opens in new tab), Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 1-12, 2020.
Julion, W., Reed, M., Bounds, D. T., Cothran, F., Gamboa, C., “A group think tank as a discourse coalition to promote minority nursing faculty retention” (opens in new tab), Nursing Outlook, vol. 67, no. 5, pp. 586-595, 2019.
Bounds, D. T., Edinburgh, L. D., Fogg, L. F., Saeywc, E. M., “A nurse practitioner-led intervention for runaway adolescents who have been sexually assaulted or sexually exploited: effects on trauma symptoms, suicidality, and self-injury” (opens in new tab), Child Abuse and Neglect, vol. 90, pp. 99-107, 2019.
Hamilton, R. J., Innella, N. A., Bounds, D. T., “Living with genetic vulnerability: a life course perspective” (opens in new tab), Journal of Genetic Counseling, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 49-61, 2015.
Bounds, D. T., Stiles-Shields, C., Schueller, S. M., Odgers, C. L., Karnik, N. S., “Ethical considerations for developing pediatric mhealth interventions for teens with socially complex needs” (opens in new tab), Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 7-16, 2022.
Bounds, D. T., Winiarski, D. A., Otwell, C. H., Tobin, V., Glover, A. C., Melendez, A., Karnik, N. S., “Considerations for working with youth with socially complex needs” (opens in new tab), Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 209-220, 2020.
Bounds, D. T., Rodrigues, S. M., Milburn, N. G., “Strengthening Families to Disrupt Intergenerational Health Inequities With Adolescents at Risk for Commercial Sexual Exploitation, Substance Use, and HIV” (opens in new tab), American Journal of Public Health, vol. 113, no. S2, pp. S124-S128, 2023.
Winiarski, D. A., Glover, A. C., Bounds, D. T., Karnik, N. S., “Addressing Intersecting Social and Mental Health Needs Among Transition-Age Homeless Youths: A Review of the Literature” (opens in new tab), Psychiatric Services, vol. 72, no. 3, pp. 317-324, 2021.

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Contact Information

Website: https://linktr.ee/ucicyferlab

Email: boundsd@uci.edu

Phone: (949) 824-7109

Address: 4325 Nursing & Health Sciences Hall, Irvine, CA 92697-3959

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This profile was created with the help of AI.

Last updated on 6/1/2026.