June 1, 2021 – Mary D. Patterson, M.D., M.Ed., was recruited to the UF College of Medicine in 2018 to build upon the college’s rich history in the development of simulation technologies to link experiential learning, patient safety and patient outcomes. As director of the UF Center for Experiential Learning and Simulation, she and her team have made remarkable strides in helping to improve patient outcomes and safety by educating and training future and current physicians and other health care providers.  Just recently, the simulation team submitted its application for accreditation by the Society of Simulation in Healthcare.

Patterson, a pediatric emergency medicine physician, will expand her role at the college in July when she becomes interim chair of the department of emergency medicine, taking over for Joseph A. Tyndall, M.D., M.P.H., who was recently named dean and executive vice president for health affairs at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.

“Dr. Patterson has a strong track record as a leader in the clinical, research and educational realms of academic medicine,” said Colleen G. Koch, M.D., M.S., M.B.A., dean of the UF College of Medicine. “I know she will create a collaborative working environment that builds on the strengths of the department of emergency medicine during this transitional period.”

In addition to her roles as professor in the department of emergency medicine and director of the simulation center, Patterson is associate dean of experiential learning and the Lou Oberndorf Professor of Healthcare Technology. She is past president of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare and she has served on the board of directors for the Society of Simulation in Healthcare and the International Pediatric Simulation Society. In addition, she serves on the executive committee of the Resilient Health Care Society.

As a federally funded investigator, Patterson focuses her research on examining the use of medical simulation to understand systems and team performance. She is a past chair of the Healthcare Safety and Quality Improvement Research Study Section of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and was inducted as a fellow of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare Academy in 2018.

Patterson said she will continue her role as director of the Center for Experiential Learning and Simulation while serving as interim chair of the department of emergency medicine. She said the center will continue to have the adequate resources required to maintain its momentum and make an impact on patient safety and patient outcomes through experiential learning and simulation technologies.

“My intent is to help the department move forward across all our missions,” Patterson said. “We have smart, innovative and caring people, and together I believe we can strengthen our foundation and attract a high-caliber candidate for a permanent chair.”