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Roger Mitchell Jr. MD
Faculty
Faculty

Roger A Mitchell, Jr MD (Him/His)

Professor and Chair/Chief Medical Officer

roger.mitchell@Howard.edu
CV
Bibliography

Department/Office

  • Pathology

School/College

  • College of Medicine

Additional Positions

  • Director
    Centers of Excellence, Trauma and Violence Prevention

Biography

Roger A. Mitchell, Jr. MD FCAP - Chair of Pathology and Chief Medical Officer for the Faculty Practice Plan

Dr. Mitchell is board certified in Anatomic and Forensic Pathology by the American Board of Pathology and now serves as Professor and Chair of Pathology at Howard University College of Medicine. He also serves as the Chief Medical Officer for the Howard University Adult Ambulatory Care Center. He is the immediate past Chief Medical Examiner for Washington, DC where he served from 2014 to 2021.  Just before his tenure ended as Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Mitchell was the only forensic pathologist in history to also serve in a dual role as Interim Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice.

Dr. Mitchell has been published in 13 peer review journals, provided nearly 100 lectures on a myriad of forensic topics, has written two book chapters and serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of the Center for Policy Analysis & Research at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.  His recent academic research on gunshot wounds is highlighted in the Journal of Acute Care Surgery and the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.  Mitchell also serves as Chair of the Task Force on Gun Violence Prevention for the National Medical Association. He co-authored the paper entitled The Violence Epidemic in the African American Community: A Call by the National Medical Association for Comprehensive Reform.  He recently led a national group of forensic pathologists in the paper entitled: National Association of Medical Examiners Position Paper:  Recommendations for the Definition, Investigation, Postmortem Examination, and Reporting of Deaths in Custody.  His expertise on Death in Custody has recently been highlighted nationally on “Dateline with Lester Holt” and “Meet the Press with Chuck Todd.”

Education & Expertise

Education

MD

Medicine
New Jersey Medical School
2003

BS

Biology
Howard University
1996

Expertise

Forensic Pathology

Death in Custody

Violence Prevention

Organizational Leadership

Accomplishments

Accomplishments

Related Articles

Obenson, K., Jackson, N. J., Mushumba, H., Mitchell, R., Eugene Walker, A., & Carter, J. M. (2022). Challenges to recruitment and retention of Black forensic pathologists. Journal of the National Medical Association, S0027-9684(22)00138-9. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnma.2022.07.003

Maghami S, Hendrix C, Matecki M, Mahendran K, Amdur R, Mitchell R, Diaz F, Estroff J, Smith ER, Shapiro G, Sarani B. Comparison of the causes of death and wounding patterns in urban firearm-related violence and civilian public mass shooting events. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2020 Feb;88(2):310-313. doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000002470.PMID: 31389914

Sarani B, Hendrix C, Matecki M, Estroff J, Amdur RL, Robinson BRH, Shapiro G, Gondek S, Mitchell R, Smith ER.J Wounding Patterns Based on Firearm Type in Civilian Public Mass Shootings in the United States. Am Coll Surg. 2019 Mar;228(3):228-234. doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2018.11.014. Epub 2018 Dec 7.PMID: 30529633

Smith, R., Sarani, B., Shapiro, G., Gondek, S., Rivas, L., Ju, T., Robinson, B., Estroff, J., Fudenberg, J., Amdur, R., Mitchell, R.. Incidence and Cause of Potentially Preventable Death after Civilian Public Mass Shooting in the US. J Am Coll Surg 2019; 229:244-251.

Frazer E., Mitchell R., et. al.  The Violence Epidemic in the African American Community: A Call by the National Medical Association for Comprehensive Reform. Journal of the National Medical Association. 2018 Feb 1; 110(1) 4-15

Mitchell R., et. al. National Association of Medical Examiners Position Paper: Recommendations for the Definition, Investigation, Postmortem Examination, and Reporting of Deaths in Custody. Academic forensic pathology. 2017;7(4):604-618. doi:10.23907/2017.051

Mitchell R., et. al. Medicolegal Death Investigation of Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths. Pediatric annals. 2017;46(8):e297-e302. doi:10.3928/19382359-20170724-01 

Davies, B., Bayard, C., Larson, S., Zarwell, L., Mitchell, R. Retrospective Analysis of Synthetic Cannabinoid Metabolites in Urine of Individuals Suspected of Driving Impaired. Journal of Analytical Toxicology 2015:1-7

Burnett, J., Mitchell, R., et al. Forensic Markers Associated with a History of Elder Mistreatment and Self-Neglect. Academic Forensic Pathology; 2013 3(4):458-467

Rosen, D., Lopez, A., Anzalone, M., Wolf, D., Derrick, S., Florez, L., Gonsoulin, M., Hines, M., Mitchell, R., et al. Postmortem Findings in Eight Cases of Influenza A/H1N1. Modern Pathology 2010; 23(11):1449-1457

Zielsdorf, S., Mitchell, R., et al. Emergency Preparedness: Five Years and Counting…Is Your Clinical Microbiology Laboratory Ready? Clinical Leadership & Management Review, 2007 21(5) 1-26.

Mitchell R. et al.  Public Health and Aging: Nonfatal Physical Assault--Related Injuries Among Persons Aged >60 Years Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments –United States, 2001.  MMWR, 2003 52(34) 812-816

Amaranto, E., Steinberg, J., Castellano, C., Mitchell, R. (2003). Police stress interventions. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 3, 47-54. doi: 10.1093/brief-treatment/mhg001

Mitchell R. SNMA’s Police Brutality Position Statement.  Journal of the Student National Medical Association, 20006(1) 37-8 https://cdn.ymaws.com/snma.org/resource/resmgr/hlpa/policy_statements/update_police_brutality.pdf