Educated at Boston College and the University of Vienna, Professor Patenaude received his PhD in history from Stanford in 1987. He taught for eight years in the Dept. of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA where he was recognized for teaching excellence.
Patenaude teaches history, international relations, and human rights at Stanford, where he is a Faculty Fellow at the Center for Innovation in Global Health (CIGH) and a Lecturer at the Center for Biomedical Ethics (SCBE).
He is the author of several books; the most recent, Trotsky: Downfall of a Revolutionary, was serialized for radio by the BBC. Bertrand is also the editor of several books and his book reviews appear regularly in the Wall Street Journal. Patenaude has lectured throughout Europe for Stanford Travel/Study, Smithsonian Journeys, and Lindblad Expeditions.