Pat Cole

Dr. Pat Cole is Director of the Intramural Loan Repayment Programs (ILRP). Pat is passionate about increasing and enhancing the diversity of scientific representation at the NIH. Pat’s responsibilities include promoting the ILRP, advising on policy and programmatic matters, analyzing intramural applicant eligibility requests, and recommending review by the loan repayment scientific review committee. She also serves as executive secretary for the ILRP, as a consultant to the Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP), and on the NIH Intramural and Extramural Loan Repayment Policy and Advisory Committee. She has received certificates of appreciation for her service and performance recognition awards. Dr. Cole is considered a mentoring guru and devoted the past 35 years mentoring students and new professionals. She also shares science and research career path resources with individuals and educational institutions and organizations.

Prior to joining the NIH OITE, Dr. Cole was a Howard University Associate Professor and Director of Mentoring and Professional Development at the Howard University Graduate School. Pat received her undergraduate degree from Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Mississippi. Her master's degree is from the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, and her Doctor of Philosophy degree is from Howard University in Washington, DC. Pat began her career as a speech-language pathologist and is an ASHA Fellow. She holds the ASHA national certification in speech-language pathology as well as the District of Columbia license in speech-language pathology. Recently she received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.