Ruth Boynton

Ruth Boynton (1896–1977) was an American physician, researcher, and administrator who spent almost her entire career at the University of Minnesota. She worked in public health and student health services. At that time, there were few women in any of these fields. She was director of the University Student Health Service from 1936 to 1961and it was renamed the Boynton Health Service in her honor in 1975. She started college at La Crosse State Normal School and transferred to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She graduated with a major in medical sciences and coursework in Latin and French. In her first year she treated patients during serious outbreaks of scarlet fever and influenza. She saw patients with a wide variety of diseases, including tuberculosis. Over the years, tuberculosis became a major focus of her research and publications. Boynton was Director of the Minnesota Department of Health Division of Child Hygiene from 1923 to 1927. She also spent one year at the University of Chicago, from 1927 to 1928, as the Chief Medical Advisor for Women and assistant professor of medicine. In 1929, she returned to the University of Minnesota for the rest of her career.

During her career, Boynton was active in groups such as the American College Health Association. The association now awards an annual Ruth E. Boynton Award for service to the Association. She served for twenty-two years on the Minnesota State Board of Health, and was twice elected its president, in 1945 and 1951. She died on December 21, 1977, in Miami after a brief illness. Boynton gave $20,000 to establish the Prudence Cutright Scholarship for an outstanding woman graduate student in education to the University of Minnesota in her bequest. To Boynton Health Service she gave $15,000 to establish a learning resources center for the staff.