PGY-5 Resident
Duke University Medical Center
Rolvix (“Robbie”) H. Patterson, MD, MPH is a PGY-5 otolaryngology-head and neck surgery resident in the NIH-funded R25 research track at Duke University Medical Center. He graduated with an AB in Global Health from Duke University prior to obtaining his MD and MPH from Tufts University School of Medicine. As an aspiring otologist, he has a strong interest in using research to enhance access to ear and hearing care.
Stemming from extensive time living and working in rural Haiti, he is passionate about promoting equitable surgical care in resource-constrained setting. This commitment led to a visiting researcher role at the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change at Harvard Medical School, where he led to research aimed at strengthening the Haitian surgical system.
Dr. Patterson leads the Global Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Initiative, a 501(c)3 nonprofit and international collaborative. This organization conducts pragmatic and equitable research to enhance access to care for conditions that are often overlooked, such as head and neck cancers and hearing loss.
Dr. Patterson recently completed a year as a fellow at the Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health at Duke and a Fogarty Global Health Fellow at the National Institutes of Health. His ongoing work is centered on improving access to ear and hearing care in South Africa, including the testing of a new cost-effective, user-friendly mHealth tympanometer. He aims to use these research findings to advocate for changes in hearing screening standards worldwide.