Pat holds a PhD in Medical Anthropology from the University of California (1992) and has over thirty-five years experience as an applied medical anthropologist, including seventeen years in Afghanistan and Pakistan. She was a Senior Fulbright Scholar (1997-1998) and again from (2012-2017), and taught graduate courses at universities in the US, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Japan. She has been a consultant for the WHO, UNICEF, Save the Children and The IRC. 

Pat is interested in the culture of emotions, de-colonizing global community mental health while working on resilience and trauma recovery at the community level. She has published four books and many peer-reviewed articles on community mental health, anthropology and war, and post war trauma. Her trainings have led to the development of community training manuals in English, Urdu, Spanish, Pashto, Dari and Japanese.

In December 2013, Melinda Darer and Pat opened Focusing Initiatives International, a not-for-profit organization that promotes positive emotional, social justice and resilience globally.