Since becoming a Registered Nurse in 2003, Dr. Patterson has worked in a variety of healthcare settings including college health, cardiac care units, community health clinics, and primary care offices. Dr. Patterson earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Hampton University, a master’s degree in nursing from UCLA, and a doctoral degree in nursing education from the University of West Georgia. As a certified academic nurse educator, Dr. Patterson has spent over 15 years of her career in higher education as an educator, scholar, and leader. In her role as a nurse educator, Dr. Patterson has been a strong advocate and mentor for faculty and students and has been involved in initiatives to strengthen and expand the nursing workforce.

Patterson, L.D. (2024). Promoting health equity for Black men: Strategies for nurse leaders. Nurse Leader, 22(3), 258-262. doi: 10.1016/j.mnl.2023.12.006

Gordon, P. & Patterson, L. (2023). Sustaining success for Black nursing students. Journal of Professional Nursing, 49, 102-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2023.09.009 

Patterson, L.D., Wheeler, R.M., Edge, N., Daniel, G. (2023). The High School to Higher Education Pipeline Program: A focus on Black male representation in nursing. Journal of Professional Nursing, 47, 15-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2023.03.021     

Patterson, L.D. (2021). Achieving success in pre-licensure registered nursing programs: An explanatory case study of African American men. Nursing Education Perspectives, 42(4), 216-220. Doi: 10.1097/01.NEP. 0000000000000755

Patterson, L.D. (2020). African American men as registered nursing students: A scoping review. Journal of the Association of Black Nursing Faculty, 31(1), 19-30.

Patterson, LD., Crager, J.M., Farmer, A., Epps, C.D., Schuessler, J.B. (2016). A strategy to ensure faculty engagement when assessing a concept-based curriculum. Journal of Nursing Education, 55(8), 467-470.

I believe that teachers and students are partners in the learning process. Both parties must be actively engaged in the process for the best learning to occur. The “teacher” and “student” roles are not fixed. Meaning that at any point in the process the “teacher” can be a “student” and vice versa. Therefore, I strive to cultivate learning spaces where both teachers and students are fully engaged in learning experiences. 

Because I am curious by nature, I often incorporate inquiry-based, active learning strategies into my teaching. I encourage curiosity in the classroom and want students to ask questions of me as well. 

As an educator, I value equity and integrity. These values guide my teaching practices. I do not believe that the teaching and learning process is simply the transfer of information and skills from teacher to student. Instead, this process should inspire free and innovative thinking and foster personal growth of the educator and learner. My goal for teaching is to develop nurse leaders who exemplify excellence in all facets of nursing practice.

Dr. Patterson's scholarly work focuses on nursing workforce development, programmatic interventions to enhance nursing workforce recruitment, nursing student success, and strategies to facilitate role transition for novice nursing faculty.

2022 Health eCareers Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award