Professor Marie Patterson – Medicine at Middle Tennessee State University

Professional Summary

Dr. Marie Patterson serves as the founding director of the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program at Middle Tennessee State University in the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences. A native of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where she has lived since the age of five, Patterson developed a passion for healthcare early on, influenced by her parents' missionary background and a high school anatomy class. Initially on a pre-med track, she was drawn to the physician assistant profession for its generalist training, flexibility across specialties, and work-life balance. She graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University's physician assistant program and subsequently earned her Doctor of Health Science. Patterson's clinical career spanned a rural emergency room in West Tennessee, urgent care settings, and a decade at MTSU's Student Health Clinic, where she formed lasting relationships with students. MSM, DHSc, PA-C, she transitioned to education following the birth of her seventh child.

In 2017, Patterson joined Lipscomb University as founding faculty, assistant professor, and admissions director for its physician assistant program. Appointed in 2020 as founding director of MTSU's program amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she navigated state approvals, accreditation, and clinical preceptor recruitment with the aid of medical director Dr. William “Dunk” Eastham. Under her leadership, the program secured a cadaver lab, two Anatomage interactive digital cadaver tables, high-fidelity mannequins, specialized task trainers, and—first in the nation—point-of-care ultrasound devices for every student from day one, enhancing their readiness for high-demand fields like emergency and critical care medicine. As Co-PI on a $350,000 Tennessee Department of Health grant for the NHSN Validation Project, she advances healthcare research. Patterson's influence extends through leadership roles: president of the Tennessee Academy of Physician Assistants, chair of the Tennessee Board of Physician Assistants (governor-appointed 2018), Tennessee delegate to the National PA Compact Commission, and delegate to the AAPA House of Delegates. She served as TAPA secretary (2005-2009) and vice president, earning Physician Assistant of the Year in 2022 and induction into the TAPA Hall of Fame in 2026. Her service includes a 2001 medical mission to Kenya and fundraising for Special Kids Race, while raising eight children.