Jitsujo Gauthier

Faculty Profile

Dr. Jitsujo Gauthier is Chair and Associate Professor of Buddhist Chaplaincy at University of the West. Her teaching and practice emphasize a compassionate and engaged approach to Buddhism, encouraging students to apply their learning to real-world issues. Her research, focusing on the intersection of Buddhism and spiritual care, has led to significant contributions to the field, including a study on the impact of mindfulness interventions on pediatric ICU nurses. Dr. Gauthier is also the recipient of grants from the American Academic of Religion, The Wabash Center, and the Lenz Foundation. Dr. Gauthier teaches courses in Buddhist homiletics, spiritual care, leadership, and engaged compassion. She is a member of the Buddhist Spiritual Care Educators of North America Working Group, completed two year-long CPE residencies, one unit of Certified CPE
Educator training and worked as contracted clergy for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Dr. Gauthier is also a Zen Teacher, Priest, and Preceptor, within the Zen Peacemakers and White Plum Asanga. She actively engages in social justice initiatives, working with communities to address issues such as homelessness and racial inequality.

Selected Publications

• Gauthier, Jitsujo T. 2024. “American Buddhist Chaplaincy Supervision.” In The Oxford Handbook of American Buddhism, edited by Ann Gleig and Scott A. Mitchell. Oxford University Press.
• Gauthier, Jitsujo T. 2022. “Buddhist Chaplaincy in the US.” In The Oxford Handbook of Buddhist Practice, edited by Paula Arai and Kevin Trainor. Oxford University Press.
• Gauthier, T. Jitsujo. 2017. “Formation and Supervision in Buddhist Chaplaincy.” Reflective Practice: Formation and Supervision in Ministry 37: 185-201.
• Gauthier, Tina Jitsujo. 2016. “Hope in the Midst of Suffering: a Buddhist Perspective.” Journal of Pastoral Theology 26.2: 133-137. doi: 10.1080/10649867.2016.1244412
• Gauthier, Tina, Rika M. L. Meyer, Dagmar Grefe, and Jeffrey I. Gold. 2015. “An On-the-Job Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Pediatric ICU Nurses: a Pilot.” Journal of Pediatric Nursing 30.2: 402-409