Edith P. Mitchell, MD, an oncologist, the enterprise vice president for cancer disparities at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC) in Philadelphia, and a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Air Force, died recently at the age of 76.
An AACR member since 2016, Mitchell was a member of the steering committee for the AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2022 and served on the program committee for the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, held in Philadelphia in 2022. She received the AACR Minorities in Cancer Research Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship in 2021. She was also a member of the Women in Cancer Research and Minorities in Cancer Research constituency groups.
Mitchell joined Jefferson Health in 1995 and held several positions, including director of the Center to Eliminate Cancer Disparities and clinical professor of medicine and medical oncology. She became enterprise vice president for cancer disparities at Jefferson ‘s SKCC in 2023.
Raised on a farm in West Tennessee, Mitchell received her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Tennessee State University in Nashville in 1969. She completed medical school at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond in 1974. She was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force through its Health Professions Scholarship Program and entered active service after completing an internship and residency at Meharry Medical College in Nashville and a fellowship at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
She became a senior flight surgeon and served in the Air Force and Air National Guard for 36 years. She was the first woman physician to rise to the rank of brigadier general, a rank to which she was promoted in 2001 after completing flight training and earning her wings.
In 2015, she was named the 116th president of the National Medical Association. She was a member of the President’s Cancer Panel from 2019-2023, and she served on the National Cancer Institute’s Blue Ribbon Panel to advise the National Cancer Advisory Board on then-Vice President Joe Biden’s National Cancer Moonshot Initiative.
“Edith Mitchell was a trailblazer in cancer research, especially in her investigations of cancer in underserved populations, specifically breast and prostate cancer in African Americans,” said Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), chief executive officer of the AACR. “AACR honored her with the AACR-Minorities in Cancer Research Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship for her unparalleled efforts to support the advancement of minority investigators and her bold vision of health equity. Her long and illustrious career in the U.S. military was a testament to her dedication to public service. I was proud to call her a friend. She will be dearly missed, and her legacy will live on.”
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I am so saddened to hear about the passing of Dr. Mitchell. She was such an amazing physician and person. When I was diagnosed with cancer, I was very fortunate to find myself in her care. She was brilliant and so renowned in her field, yet she was so personable and down to earth. She had a way of making patients feel comfortable. I always felt like I was talking to friend when I went to my appointments. I moved away from the Philadelphia area but still traveled a good distance to remain in her care. She will be greatly missed and I am so thankful for all she did for me.
I am grateful for having worked with Dr. Edith Mitchell at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University for over a decade.
Dr. Mitchell served as an example of a resilient clinician, researcher, and advocate for patients.
In 2020, amid finding a vaccine for COVID-19, she introduced me to the Division of Medical Ethics Working Group on Compassionate Use and Preapproval Access (CUPA). I was looking forward to talking to her upon my return from attending the CUPA conference in New York 1/29- 1/30/2024 but she took her last earthy breath on 1/21/2024.
Dr. Mitchell expanded her wings with the help of wonderful people she met along the way. I recall her saying that there is always someone somewhere who has a listening ear and a helping hand. I am grateful to each one of them.
I was a patient of Dr. Mitchell's for over 10 years. She was not only well versed in my obscure cancer, but she was compassionate. She cared about my health care and also about my life. She will be missed. I'm glad that Jefferson was able to place her portrait in their halls at a time when she could see it.
I was saddened to learn of Dr. Mitchell’s passing. Dr. Mitchell was a stellar doctor and had such a pleasant demeanor that immediately put people at ease. I am just learning now how accomplished Dr. Mitchell was! There is no doubt in my mind that my uncle survived liver cancer as long as he did due to her expertise. Amazing doctor and humanitarian. She has made a positive contribution to the lives of her patients and their loved ones.
Edith took me under her wing when I started working on cancer health disparities in clinical trials. She took every opportunity to invite me to committees and meetings and helped me understand why addressing health disparities and improving access for all patients is essential to the success of any new clinical development. Thank you Edith wherever you are.
Dr. Mitchell's passion for addressing cancer disparities goes without saying. She has been an inspiring example for numerous underrepresented minority investigators and has spent her medical career helping individuals in medically underserved areas. She will be missed. May her soul rest in peace.
We will miss Edith. I've known Edith since Georgetown. We kept in touch and worked together on several projects. She was a physician of great integrity and cared deeply for her patients. She will be missed.
I had the privilege of working with her when I was at RTOG amazing woman and I always enjoyed talking to her. I am keeping her and her family in my prayers.