Dr. Boyer’s research group is broadly interested in genomic, epigenomic and environmental risk and protective factors related to obesity and diabetes in Yup'ik Alaska Native people from Southwest Alaska. For the past 15 years, Dr. Boyer and colleagues have been working in rural Alaska developing a longitudinal study involving ~2,000 Yup'ik people in 11 communities using a community-based participatory research (CBPR) framework. They found obesity prevalence equal to that in the general U.S. population, however type 2 diabetes prevalence in the Yup’ik population is less than half that seen in the other areas of the U.S. To understand this better, Dr. Boyer and colleagues are investigating the roles of physical activity and a traditional subsistence diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids in prevention of chronic diseases, including diabetes. In collaboration with colleagues at the University of Washington, Dr. Boyer is also involved in a pharmacogenomics program project grant to investigate gene-by-environment interactions related to warfarin drug safety and efficacy.

Dr. Boyer and colleagues continue to work towards the development of culturally appropriate strategies to return the full continuum of research results to participants. All projects adhere to a CBPR framework involving community partners and Yup'ik leaders.