Rate My Professor Andrew Patterson

Andrew Patterson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology within the Faculty of Arts and Science at MacEwan University. He holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of British Columbia, completed in 2014. Patterson joined MacEwan University as an Assistant Professor in 2018 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2025. He serves as an elected member of the General Faculties Council until June 30, 2027, and has held roles such as Co-Chair of the Faculty of Arts and Science Executive Committee. In 2019, he received a MacEwan University Dissemination Grant for his project on the Political Determinants of Cancer. Patterson teaches courses including social statistics and topics on political economy and population health.

Patterson's research centers on the political determinants of health, particularly cancer risk, and the interplay between politics, economy, and population health outcomes. He has published extensively on health inequalities, social isolation, and the impacts of electoral democracy on health. Notable publications include 'Loneliness and risk of mortality: A longitudinal investigation in Alameda County, California' (2010, Social Science & Medicine, 375 citations), 'Hierarchies of categorical disadvantage: Economic insecurity at the intersection of disability, gender, and race' (2019, Gender & Society, 202 citations), 'Black–white health inequalities in Canada' (2016, Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 119 citations), 'Politics and population health: testing the impact of electoral democracy' (2016, Health & Place, 60 citations), 'Is economic growth good for population health? A critical review' (2023, Canadian Studies in Population, 35 citations), and 'Political democracy, economy, and cancer risk: A comparative analysis of 170 countries' (2024, American Journal of Economics and Sociology). He frequently collaborates with Gordon Veenstra. Patterson contributes to public discourse via articles in The Conversation, such as 'Is economic growth good for our health?' (January 2024) and 'The growing threat to U.S. democracy will literally cost lives' (May 2025). His work underscores population health as a measure of societal well-being, advocating for comprehensive considerations beyond economic growth alone.