Speaker
Patrick F. Fagan

Patrick F. Fagan is William H. G. FitzGerald Fellow in Family and Cultural Issues at The Heritage Foundation. He was a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services during the former Bush Administration. Currently, he researches on the relationship between family, community, and social problems. He also studies urban policy, the breakdown of the family in America, crime, and cultural issues. He served as a Legislative Analyst for Senator Dan Coats of Indiana and, before becoming involved in public policy, was a family therapist, sociologist, and clinical psychologist in the inner city and elsewhere.

A native of Ireland, Patrick earned his master's degree in psychology at the University of College Dublin and pursued doctoral studies at The American University.

In 1971 he went to Canada to gain experience in clinical psychology. It is there where he engaged in individual, marital and family therapy as well as community psychiatry. A year later, he trained in the school of family physicians from the McGill Medical School where he later taught.

In 1976, he moved to Washington to pursue doctoral studies. In 1984, he ventured into the field of the family and public policy. He has worked for the Free Congress Foundation and with Senator Dan coats of Indiana.

His work is increasingly gaining influence in public policy, particularly in areas concerning family life and the practice of religion. Relevant public policy issues of his study on the family include those that have relation to crime, abuse, welfare, adoption, education attainment, income and general public well-being. Much of his work has been translated into Spanish, Italian and Japanese. He appears frequently on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN, CNN Worldwide.

Some of his most recent papers are "The Effects of Divorce on America" and "How Broken Families Rob Children of Their Chances for Future Prosperity".

Patrick is married to Theresa Fagan who is also an experienced educator and a recognized authority on children's literature. They have eight children, six of whom are teenagers.