Jan E. Patterson MD MS. Dr. Patterson is a distinguished physician and professor of medicine who has extensive training in infectious diseases, integrative medicine, healthcare improvement, and internal medicine.
As the Associate Dean for Quality & Lifelong Learning at UT Health San Antonio, Dr. Patterson is committed to advancing the quality of healthcare through education. She is a passionate educator who imparts her knowledge to practicing professionals and medical trainees, sharing her expertise at various venues across the country and around the world.
Expertise in Healthcare
With many years of experience in health care infection prevention as well as quality improvement and patient safety, Jan continues to be active in clinical research and author of more than 150 scientific articles and reviews.
Jan’s leadership skills were evident in her roles at the medical center and infectious diseases positions at the regional and national levels. Through her experiences in these roles, she recognized the need for healthcare improvement and took action by implementing a course to train healthcare professionals in leading such efforts at their medical center.
Since its inception twelve years ago, this program has successfully trained over 800 healthcare professionals who have led nearly 300 improvement projects. Furthermore, Jan recognized the importance of interprofessional teamwork in these healthcare improvement efforts. Her passion for healthcare improvement also led her to pursue a Masters in Health Care Management at Harvard School of Public Health.
Jan’s extensive experience in healthcare improvement and interprofessional teamwork eventually led to her appointment as Associate Dean for Quality & Lifelong Learning at the medical school. In this role, she oversees the continuing medical education program and continues to champion healthcare improvement efforts.
Humble Beginnings
Jan’s upbringing in Fort Worth, Texas exposed her to a rural lifestyle despite being a city girl. She learned how to milk goats and grow vegetables in her family’s garden, which sparked her interest in natural therapies. Jan’s siblings’ experiences with inadequate medical care influenced her decision to pursue Medicine as a career.
After attending medical school in Texas, Jan completed her internal medicine training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She found infectious diseases fascinating and pursued further training at Yale University School of Medicine. Jan’s particular area of interest was preventing healthcare-associated infections and multi-drug resistant bacteria. She and her husband, also an infectious diseases physician, were both faculty members at Yale for a few years after fellowship. They later returned to Texas about thirty years ago.
Jan and her husband found the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio to be a perfect fit for them, as it was close to family. She became the medical director for the hospital infection prevention program at University Health, which is affiliated with the medical school. Jan has thrived in San Antonio, rising to the rank of full professor. She has had many opportunities for patient care, research, teaching, administration, and exploring new areas.
Enjoying in Living in Healthy Environment
San Antonio has provided a wonderful environment for Jan to raise her family, and she considers it her greatest achievement to have raised two exceptional sons. While Jan and her husband pursued their respective careers and shared their research and medical education around the world, their family enjoyed numerous travels and developed international friendships.
Jan and her family have maintained a healthy and balanced lifestyle through their involvement with family and friends, regular exercise, and spiritual practices. San Antonio has been a welcoming and supportive community that has enabled Jan and her family to thrive both personally and professionally.
Finding way Out of Crisis
Ten years ago, Jan faced a personal tragedy when her younger son passed away. This loss was incredibly challenging and caused Jan immense pain. To make matters worse, Jan was diagnosed with uterine cancer only six weeks after her son’s death. However, she drew strength from her faith, family, and friends during this difficult time.
Jan was also able to find solace in her meaningful work, which played a vital role in her healing process. Luckily, the cancer was detected early, and after undergoing surgery and hormone therapy, Jan is now cancer-free. Despite the difficult challenges she faced, Jan’s resilience and ability to draw on her support systems allowed her to overcome these difficult circumstances.
After practicing and teaching medicine for thirty years, as well as facing personal challenges such as the loss of a child and a battle with cancer, Jan came to the realization that conventional medicine, while effective, did not always address the whole patient. This realization led Jan to seek training in integrative medicine at The Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, which has since become one of her primary interests.
Integrative Medicine
Integrative Medicine is a patient-centered approach that considers the whole person, including their physical, mental, and emotional well-being, as well as their spiritual beliefs. This approach utilizes evidence-based holistic therapies that are often natural and less invasive than conventional medical treatments, when appropriate.
Integrative Medicine does not seek to replace conventional medicine but rather to complement it. Instead of being viewed as an alternative or parallel approach, integrative modalities are fully integrated into the patient’s care plan, in collaboration with conventional medical treatments.
Sharing Significance of Self Care
Jan uses breath work, essential oils, movement, nutrition, and spirit for her wellbeing. She shared these techniques with friends and family, resulting in a book with Phyllis Clark Nichols. “Breath for the Soul: Self-Care Steps to Wellness” has four sections: stress, anxiety, depression, and grief. In each section, empowering self-care strategies of breath work, movement, nutrition, and spirit are reviewed. It provides evidence of the effectiveness of integrative modalities and spiritual prompts to cope. Mental health is crucial, especially for healthcare professionals experiencing burnout. Renewing physical, mental, and spiritual selves is vital for a fulfilling life amidst negativity.
In today’s world, where healthcare professionals are leaving the field due to burnout, prioritizing mental health and wellness has become more crucial than ever before. This message of self-care is vital not only for personal success but also for professional success. With the constant bombardment of negative news and uncivil behavior in society, it’s easy to lose one’s peace and focus. Therefore, intentional renewal of own physical, mental, and spiritual selves is essential for a healthy and fulfilling life.
Planning to Practice Infectious Diseases
Throughout her journey, Jan has placed a high value on her ability to innovate and create new programs during her time at UT Health San Antonio. Her career has spanned various fields, including infectious diseases, healthcare epidemiology, healthcare improvement, leadership, and integrative medicine. Throughout all of these areas, Jan has enjoyed patient care, education, and research, benefiting from the opportunity to be part of an environment that encourages innovation.
Jan has continued to practice in both infectious diseases and integrative medicine, remaining engaged with the infectious diseases specialty due to its continued relevance, especially given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of other infectious diseases. Throughout her career, Jan has also prioritized writing, having authored over 150 scientific articles and reviews.
Now Jan is enjoying writing personal essays and planning the next book. Check out her website https://www.drjanpatterson.com to learn more about Jan and her book.
Leadership Advice; Lead with Kindness
Jan came to realize the importance of continuous learning and teamwork in her career advancement. For aspiring leaders, she advises actively listening to colleagues and stakeholders, collaborating with them to establish programs, and maintaining an open mind. Leadership, especially in medicine, can be a humbling journey that offers ongoing learning opportunities. Jan emphasizes the significance of gaining expertise in improvement methodologies and staying committed to implementing and teaching them to others. She believes that being authentic in one’s leadership style is crucial to making a distinctive contribution.
Jan strongly believes that being knowledgeable alone is not enough; kindness is equally vital. She finds resonance with Wayne Teasdale’s quote, “Kindness is the highest form of intelligence,” which suggests that true intelligence entails not just possessing knowledge but also using it to serve the best interests of others while considering their perspectives and needs.
