Patricia received her Ph.D. in Microbiology from the George Washington University. She conducted research at the National Cancer Institute that contributed to the development of several clinical trials focused on improving the diagnosis and therapy of cancer. Patricia has a special interest in building collaborative multi-institutional research and research training networks. She has led the Maine IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence since its inception in 2001, a network composed of 13 Maine research and academic institutions dedicated to improving biomedical research capacity in Maine.

Patricia and her husband Victor have been full-time MDI residents since 2000.