Patrick B. Patterson, PhD

Patrick B. Patterson is a Knowledge Broker for the APPTA Hub. Patrick is a social anthropologist, with a background in using qualitative research methods to study organizations and policy formation. Within the APPTA Hub, his primary focus is supporting research and knowledge translation activities by looking at contexts, people and processes that lead to policy decisions.

Patrick is driven by a deep sense of curiosity and brings experiences from a range of policy studies to his work in the APPTA Hub. He has studied workplace health and safety policies in the British Columbia forest industry and Alberta petroleum industry, smoking and vaping policies in health and university settings, and health system policies in the Republic of Malawi in southern Africa. He feels that having insights into the social and cultural aspects of how policies are made can help facilitate the adoption of evidence-based decisions.

During his free time, Patrick feeds his sense of wonder through travel, hiking and appreciating the natural and human-made landscapes around him.

QUICK INFO:

• Doctor of Philosophy, University of Calgary; Master of Arts, University of Calgary; Bachelor of Arts, University of Calgary
• Recommended reads:
  • Non-Fiction: The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Make Dumb Mistakes, David Robson
  • Fiction: Broken Ground, Jack Hodgins; anything by Margaret Lawrence
  • Classics: Histories, Herodotus
  • Contact: patrick.patterson@dal.ca