Mike Boutin, EdD
Council - First Term
2025-2027

I am the Assistant Dean for Faculty and Student Success at the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Charlestown, MA, where I have had the privilege of leading efforts to embed Balint work across nearly all of our health professions programs. My Balint journey began in 2014, soon after I arrived at the IHP, when the chair of our Physician Assistant Studies program shared her vision of integrating Balint groups into clinical rotations. Intrigued and new to the method, I dove into learning—reading Restoring the Core of Clinical Practice, watching videos, and experimenting with ways to support students’ empathy, wellness, and reflective capacity through the Balint model.

Over time, our initial success in the PA program inspired other departments, including OT and PT, to explore and adopt Balint groups in both classroom and clinical settings. In 2022, we hosted an ABS Intensive on the Road, training 15 faculty leaders and sparking even broader engagement. Since then, we’ve presented nationally, published on our work, and launched new initiatives—including a pilot Balint group for faculty and staff centered on classroom experiences. I recently completed the ABS Fellowship and am now exploring credentialing as the next step in my development. As an ABS Council member, I’m excited to continue expanding the reach of Balint beyond the physician/patient context and to share the innovations we’ve developed at the IHP with the broader Balint community.