Donna A. Patterson, Ph.D. is a Professor and the Chair of the Department of History, Political Science, Law Studies, and Philosophy and the Director of Africana Studies at Delaware State University. Patterson is a non-residential Future Security Program Fellow at New America—a think tank in Washington, DC. Her book, Making Juneteenth: the Origins and Re-imagining of a Black Texan Holiday, is set for publication by Beacon Press in 2027.

Patterson is also the author of another book: Pharmacy in Senegal, Gender, Healing, and Entrepreneurship. Pharmacy in Senegal was featured at NPR and in Pharmacy Times and won the inaugural book club award for Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Global Health Now. In addition, she has published scholarly articles in history of medicine global health, and more in the Journal of Women’s History, Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved, and Anthropologie et Santé, and World Medical and Health Policy Journal. She is the editor of a book series Routledge Research in Health and Healing in Africa and the African Diaspora. Dr. Patterson has received fellowships and grants from Fulbright, the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Princeton University, Wilson Center, New America, the West African Research Association, Kelly School of Business, and Delaware’s Department of Education. 

She regularly lectures and participates in meetings on geopolitics, public and global health, health disparities, racial equity, African and African American studies, Juneteenth, HBCUs, and current events (US, Africa, Europe). She has given talks hosted by Columbia University, University of Toronto, Wellesley College, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Office of the Governor of Delaware, USGLC, Wilson Center, Marywood University, University of South Florida, the University of London, Arizona State University, UTMB, Bank of America, and elsewhere. 

Dr. Patterson’s media commentary has appeared at Slate, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, the Christian Science Monitor, ABC-47, Huffington Post, Foreign Policy, SCMP, Globe and Mail, KJZZ (Phoenix NPR), Delaware Public Media, Al Jazeera, Volkskrant, Time Magazine, NBCU Academy, Nieuwsuur, Agence France Presse, Delaware State News, the New America Weekly, and in other outlets. Patterson has received fellowships and grants from Fulbright, the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Princeton University, Wilson Center, New America, the West African Research Association, Kelly School of Business, and Delaware’s Department of Education. 

Previously, she worked for a consulting firm in Washington, D.C. and taught at Wellesley College. She provides consulting expertise on a variety of issues to corporations, NGOs, law offices, and government agencies.

TOPICS: Health, Policy, Disparities, Politics, History