After being raised on the Jersey Shore, Dr. J. Douglas Patterson attended college at Duke University. There, he majored in Biology while swimming distance freestyle for the Men's Varsity Swim Team and graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. degree in 1990. He then entered Harvard Medical School. While at Harvard, he performed orthopaedic biomechanical research over several years. These investigations won several prestigious awards and were presented around the country and in Europe. Dr. Patterson graduated from Harvard Medical School with honors in orthopaedic science in 1995.
After completing medical school, Dr. Patterson received his orthopaedic training in the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency and the Duke Orthopaedic Residency. Again, he was active in orthopaedic research and earned recognition for research that he performed while at Duke. Upon completion of residency, he was accepted as one of two fellows in the Harvard Hand & Upper Extremity program.
After fellowship, Dr. Patterson joined Delaware Orthopaedic Specialists in 2001. He practices orthopaedic surgery sub-specializing in hand & upper extremity surgery. He is Board Certified in orthopaedic surgery and holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Hand Surgery.
In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Patterson is active in the leadership and management of the practice. His research has been published in major peer-reviewed journals including The Journal of Shoulder & Elbow Surgery, the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, Hand Clinics and the Journal of Hand Surgery and he has been a guest lecturer internationally. He has served in several leadership positions including Chief of Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery Section in the Department of Orthopaedics at Christiana Care, founded a successful orthopaedic implant company and has been granted multiple patents.