A native of Colorado, Dr. Mitchell received his undergraduate degree in molecular biology at the University of Colorado, and subsequently attended the University of Michigan Medical School on an Armed Forces Scholarship, graduating in 1987 with honors. Over the next decade he completed residencies in both General and Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. During his residency, Dr. Mitchell also served as a Registrar in Cardiothoracic Surgery in Liverpool, England, and was a research fellow at Harvard Medical School from 1990 to 1992. Following a four year period on active duty in the United States Navy, Dr. Mitchell joined the faculty at the Stanford University School of Medicine. In 2002, he was recruited to the University of Colorado where he remains Professor and Chief of General Thoracic Surgery, and holds the Courtenay C. and Lucy Patten Davis Endowed Chair within the Department of Surgery.

Dr. Mitchell’s primary clinical responsibilities are at the University of Colorado Hospital and National Jewish Health, both in Denver. His clinical and research interests focus on surgery for infectious lung disease, airway surgery, all thoracic oncology, and minimally invasive approaches to thoracic surgical procedures.

Dr. Mitchell is active in numerous national and international thoracic surgical societies. He currently serves on the ACS Board of Governors and the ACS Advisory Council for Cardiothoracic Surgery, as well as several STS Committees. He is the current President of the Western Thoracic Surgical Association.