Joanne G. Patterson, PhD, MPH, MSW

Assistant Professor
Health Behavior and Health Promotion

Email
patterson.1191@osu.edu
Phone
614-247-1780
Office
353 Cunz Hall, 1841 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210
Joanne G. Patterson

“We know that living in discriminatory contexts effects the economic and social resources available to LGBTQ people, which shapes health decision-making. I want to understand that process and figure out, with community members, where we can intervene at a population level. I want us to create a level playing field for LGBTQ people in cancer prevention and control.”

Biography

Dr. Joanne G. Patterson is a behavioral scientist whose research program aims to reduce cancer inequities, with a special focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) populations. She investigates factors that promote and inhibit tobacco use and other leading behavioral cancer risks (e.g., alcohol) and develops culturally relevant interventions to promote informed decision-making and effect behavior.

Dr. Patterson applies mixed methods, sequential designs that strategically integrate data from qualitative (focus groups, interviews, elicitation surveys, content analyses) and quantitative (online survey, experimental) studies. This approach facilitates a comprehensive understanding of factors contributing to behavioral cancer risks and the effectiveness of potential solutions. She is an expert in qualitative data collection and analysis, including rapid data analytic methods, thematic analysis and content analysis.

Her community-engaged work aims to build organizational capacity to implement evidence-based interventions to reduce behavioral cancer risks among LGBTQ+ populations. She recently partnered with Equitas Health to conduct a mixed-methods formative program evaluation to develop patient-focused LGBTQ+ culturally tailored smoking cessation materials for use in behavioral and primary care settings. Dr. Patterson is currently co-leading Columbus INSIGHT, an LGBTQ+ community health needs assessment, in partnership with Columbus Public Health and Franklin County Public Health.

Education

PhD
Health Behavior and Health Education; University of Tennessee, Knoxville TN
MPH
Social and Behavioral Sciences; Boston University School of Public Health, Boston MA
MSW
Program Planning and Evaluation (Macro); Boston University School of Social Work, Boston MA
BA
English; Wesleyan College, Macon GA

Research interests

Health Equity; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) Health; Social Determinants of Health; Cancer Prevention; Tobacco Prevention, Harm Reduction, and Cessation; Health Communications; Community Engaged Research; Mixed Methods; Qualitative Methods

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