Dr Ian Patterson

Dr Ian Patterson completed his PhD at the University of Oregon, USA in 1991. His PhD. dissertation examined the relationship between participation in leisure activities for older people, a stressful life event and levels of stress, morale, and self-esteem.  He has been a member of the academic staff in the School of Tourism at the University of Queensland where he was appointed Associate Professor in 2001. He was Research Director of the School between 2001-2004, and 2008.

Dr Patterson was Co- Editor of the academic journal Annals of Leisure Research between 2004 and 2011, and was previously an Associate Editor of Schole: A Journal of Leisure and Recreation Education, and the Journal of Park and Recreation Administration and has successfully supervised to completion 15 PhD. scholars. He has published 17 book chapters, and over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles in the area of leisure and health, many with an emphasis on older adults, people with disabilities and young people at risk. In 2006 he completed a textbook for CAB International titled “Growing older: tourism and leisure behaviour of older adults”.    

Over the last ten years he has concentrated on researching healthy older people and in particular the social-psychological experiences of older people who undertake physical activity and tourism programs.  He was awarded a large grant by the Australian Research Council Grant in 2004/5 to promote the health of older people by linking them with local physical activity resources and social support to encourage them to increase and sustain their levels of physical activity. In 2011 Dr Patterson was awarded a citation for his significant contribution to the development of the professional association, the Australian and New Zealand Association for Leisure Studies (ANZALS).