Paul H. Patterson, the Anne P. and Benjamin F. Biaggini Professor of Biological Sciences, Emeritus, passed away on Wednesday, June 25. He was 70 years old.
Patterson was a leader in the field of neuroimmunology—the interaction between the nervous and immune systems in the body—pioneering the first behavioral model of schizophrenia and autism in mice. He received his bachelor's from Grinnell College in Iowa in 1965, and in 1970, he received his PhD from Johns Hopkins University. After completing a postdoctoral appointment in neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, Patterson joined the neurobiology faculty there in 1973. He came to the Caltech faculty as a professor of biology in 1983, moving on to become the Anne P. and Benjamin F. Biaggini Professor of Biological Sciences in 2005, and emeritus in 2014.
Patterson, who was instrumental in developing the MD/PhD degree program—a collaboration that allows graduate students to combine their Caltech research experience with medical education at UCLA or USC—served as the executive officer for neurobiology from 1989 to 2000. He was the recipient of numerous awards and honors, and was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
