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Dr Karen Patterson

Karen Patterson pictured in a white shirt, smiling against a grey wall

Dr Karen Patterson

Senior Lecturer in Respiratory Medicine
E: K.Patterson@bsms.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)1273 872700
Location: Room 2.07, Medical Teaching Building, BSMS, University of Sussex BN1 9PX

Other roles: Teaching Lead, Clinical and Experimental Medicine Department

ORCID ID is orcid.org/0000-0002-5596-6801

BACKGROUND IMAGE FOR PANEL

Biography

Dr Karen Patterson earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology and General Science at the University of Oregon in the United States, followed by a Medical Degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry. She completed her Internal Medicine training at Boston Medical Center, and her Respiratory and Critical Care training at the University of Chicago. After working as an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania for several years, she moved to the UK to join Brighton and Sussex Medical School in 2017. She is heavily invested in academic programme development, and has served as the Phase I lead (for Years 1 and 2) of undergraduate education. She is currently completing a PhD programme in granuloma biology.

Outside of her teaching and research interests, Karen develops programs for (busy!) doctors to build their professional skills (related to project planning, team management, communication, and networking) and to achieve professional flow.

Research

Karen's key career interest is in sarcoidosis, and her research focuses on identifying the relationship between immune function and outcomes in this disease. Her overarching research goal is to advance the understanding of the pathobiology of sarcoidosis.

She has identified associations between immune cell signals (cytokine pathways) and regulatory (T cell) lymphocyte function with poor disease outcomes. Karen's current focus is on identifying how the lymphatic system modulates immune responses and the course of sarcoidosis. In the lab, she utilises digital pathology and bio-imaging analysis platforms to evaluate how granulomas and lymphatic networks interact and alter each others' function. The human lymphatic system - with its miles of nearly invisible lymphatic tracks and hundreds of pea-sized lymph nodes - is more than just a conduit for cell transit and a charging station for lymphocytes getting called to action. Rather, it appears to influence the processing of microbes and irritant particles, and has a role in determining which immune responses are suppressed or augmented. In this way micro responses in local lymphatic tracks and regional lymph nodes can modulate macro systemic changes in immune function.

Karen is also actively involved with several sarcoidosis-focused clinical registry studies, including the multi-site SARCOVID study in the US which aims to identify short and long-term outcomes from (COVID and non-COVID) respiratory infections. In addition, she is an investigator for a multi-site study to identify prognostic markers in sarcoidosis. She was honoured to be a co-author on the recent sarcoidosis management guidelines sponsored by the American and British Thoracic Societies.

BACKGROUND IMAGE FOR PANEL

Teaching

Karen is co-theme director for Respiratory Medicine at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. In addition to teaching on Respiratory topics (in Module 103), she serves as a tutor for the Academic Skills programme (Year 1), offers Student Selected Components across several Year 1 and Year 2 modules, supervises student research projects for the Year 4 Individual Research Project (IRP), and moderates the end-of year IRP Conference. Karen also teaches for the Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma and Masters in Internal Medicine course, and is the on-site clinician for paper checking and standard setting activities for the Year 1 and 2 examinations. Beyond direct teaching and supervisory activities, Karen is an internal reviewer for various Module Exam Boards across Years 1 and 2, and is active member of the Committees for Mitigating Circumstances and Medical School Admissions. In 2021, she achieved Advanced Higher Education Senior Fellowship status.

Selected publications

Ali H. Dhanaliwala, Shweta Sood, Christina Olivias, Scott Simpson, Maya Galperin-Aisenberg, Drew Torigian, Beth Zigmund, Cheilonda R. Johnson, Karen Patterson, Wallace T. Miller,A CT Algorithm Can Elevate the Differential Diagnosis of Interstitial Lung Disease by Non-specialists to Equal That of Specialist Thoracic Radiologists,Academic Radiology, Volume 29, Supplement 2, 2022, Pages S181-S190, ISSN 1076-6332, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acra.2021.07.019.

Patterson Karen C., Rosenbach Misha, Bravo Paco E., Dubroff Jacob G. Stable Extent of Recurrently Active Cardiac and Cutaneous Sarcoidosis. Frontiers in Medicine, issue 8 2021. DOI=10.3389/fmed.2021.729229

Barrett, Thomas J, Patterson, Karen C, James, Timothy M and Kruger, Peter (2021) Impact of reduction of susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 on epidemic dynamics in four early-seeded metropolitan regions. Scientific Reports, 11 (1). a12213 1-11. ISSN 2045-232.

Chu J, Zang W, Vukmirovic M on behalf of the GRADS Investigators, et al. Gene coexpression networks reveal novel molecular endotypes in alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. Thorax 2021;76:134-143.

Thillai M, Atkins CP, Crawshaw A, et alBTS Clinical Statement on pulmonary sarcoidosis. Thorax 2021;76:4-20.

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