Lisa Gay Patterson (Fryar Woodson), PhD

When I entered the PhD program, I was working. I had worked for close to 30 years at Jackson Memorial Hospital, and I was getting close to retirement. I was introduced to teaching, and I developed a love and compassion for teaching. That led me to pursue my PhD so that I could do that full-time. I was an adjunct with FIU while I was still in school getting my PhD. As soon as I graduated, I got brought on as a full-time faculty member. There was no waiting in between. I defended my dissertation on July 2nd, I graduated on July 30th, and I was hired at FIU on August 12th. The instructors in the PhD program had a big influence on me, and they helped me desire to make a big difference in the science of nursing.