Allison Couture, DO, MPA

Learn more about Dr. Couture’s work with UW Health »

Education

• Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine – DO
• University of Wisconsin – Madison Family Medicine Residency with Osteopathic Recognition
• University of Wisconsin La Follette School of Public Affairs – MPA

Bio

Allison Couture, DO, MPA, (she/her) is a family medicine physician and assistant professor serving as family medicine department chair at UnityPoint–Meriter Hospital. Couture founded and directs one of the region’s only inpatient osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) consultation services at UnityPoint Health–Meriter, integrating osteopathic principles into hospital-based care for postpartum patients, newborns, and beyond.

Her scholarly work centers on health equity and clinical communication, most notably her research on gender bias in patient-physician interactions, which has been presented at STFM, the American Medical Women’s Association, and Family Medicine Midwest. She also serves as principal investigator of a DFMCH-funded study on health communication interventions to improve fruit and vegetable consumption in children and families.

In 2025, Couture was named a Robert Graham Center Larry A. Green Visiting Scholar in Washington, DC, in recognition of her commitment to advancing primary care research and health policy.

Clinical Interests

Couture’s clinical passion centers on full-spectrum family medicine with a particular emphasis on obstetrics, reproductive health, and gender-affirming care – areas where continuity and trust are everything. She is also deeply committed to integrating osteopathic principles into inpatient and outpatient care, including through the OMM consultation service she founded at UnityPoint Health–Meriter. Childhood nutrition rounds out her interests, stemming from her research on food literacy and vegetable attitudes in pediatric populations.

Teaching Interests

Couture is most energized by teaching at the intersection of procedural skill and clinical reasoning, whether it’s hands-on OMM technique, navigating complex obstetric decisions, or supporting residents in developing their own evidence-based, patient-centered practice. She finds particular meaning in mentorship that emphasizes health equity and primary care identity.

Scholarly Interests

Couture is a clinician-educator with a public affairs background and a strong interest in how structural and systemic factors shape health outcomes and clinical interactions. Her scholarly work sits at the intersection of health equity, primary care, and patient-centered communication. Current and past areas of focus include:

• Gender bias in clinical communication: examining how patient gender shapes physician behavior in asynchronous messaging and other healthcare contexts
• Childhood nutrition and health communication: assessing interventions that improve fruit and vegetable consumption in child/parent dyads using health communication theory (active PI, DFMCH Small Grant, 2022–2025)
• Osteopathic medicine in academic and inpatient settings: integrating OMM into residency education and expanding inpatient consultation models
• Reproductive health and perinatal quality: including obstetric evidence synthesis and participation in statewide maternal mortality and perinatal quality initiatives
• Physician wellness and communication skills: developing curricula around brief therapeutic techniques and DEI microlearning for the healthcare workplace

Publications and Presentations

• Couture A, Birstler J. The gender of the sender: assessing gender biases of greetings in patient portal messages. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2023;32(2):171-177.
• Couture A, Nair N. What is the benefit of using aspirin 162 mg in place of 81 mg for preeclampsia prophylaxis? Evidence-Based Practice. 2025;28(1):5-6.
• Michael W, Couture A, Swedlund M, et al. Vitamin D: an updated evidence-based review. J Am Board Fam Med. 2022;35(6):1217-1229.
• Couture A. Is a five-tier classification of fetal heart tracing preferable to a three-tier system? Evidence-Based Practice. 2023;26(3):15-16.
• Couture A, Lubsen J. Nursing home telemedicine: addressing a gap in resident education during the COVID-19 pandemic. STFM Education Column. 2022.

Awards and Honors

• 2025 Robert Graham Center Larry A. Green Visiting Scholar – Washington, DC
• 2019 Stephen F. Brenton Health Policy Scholar Award – Wisconsin Hospital Association
• 2018 McGovern-Tracy Resident Scholar Award – University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine and Community Health