Renowned brain tumor researcher to lead UF鈥檚 efforts to move research discoveries to patients
A leading expert in the search for ways to treat aggressive adult and pediatric brain tumors, , will direct the University of Florida鈥檚 efforts to speed research discoveries to improve health, as well as UF鈥檚 expanded Clinical and Translational Science Award partnership with Florida State University.
Mitchell was recently named director of the , assistant vice president for research and associate dean for translational science and clinical research.
Mitchell has also been confirmed as the principal investigator of a $29 million Clinical and Translational Science Award to the UF CTSI and FSU, funded in July by the National Institutes of Health鈥檚 CTSA Program. Sponsored by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, this nationwide network of more than 50 CTSA hubs develops, demonstrates and disseminates advances in translational science. Translational science is the process of turning research discoveries into treatments, approaches and cures that improve the health of individuals and the public.
鈥淲e look forward to seeing the achievements of the UF CTSI and the UF-FSU CTSA hub under Dr. Mitchell鈥檚 leadership,鈥� said David R. Nelson, M.D., senior vice president for health affairs at UF and president of BOB体育. Nelson had served as CTSI director and CTSA principal investigator since 2010. 鈥淲e will continue our enthusiastic support of this vital catalyst of resources, people and ideas across UF鈥檚 16 colleges, the state and the nation,鈥� Nelson said.
, remains co-director of the CTSI and co-principal investigator of the CTSA. Awards for the CTSA KL2 career development program for early-career faculty and CTSA TL1 training program for Ph.D. students are led, respectively, by principal investigators , and , both professors in the .
At FSU, the partnership is led by Jeffrey N. Joyce, Ph.D., senior associate dean for research and graduate programs at the College of Medicine.
鈥淭he next four years will be an exciting time for our partnership,鈥� Joyce said. 鈥淲e look forward to working with Dr. Mitchell to improve the health of our region and the state, particularly in our rural communities.鈥�
Mitchell is co-director of the and co-leader of the Cancer Therapeutics and Host Response Program at the . He is the Phyllis Kottler Friedman Professor in the and the State of Florida Endowed Cancer Research Chair at the UF College of Medicine.
鈥淒r. Mitchell has established a track record of accelerating research discoveries into treatments that can benefit patients with brain tumors,鈥� said Joseph A. Tyndall, M.D., M.P.H., interim dean of the UF College of Medicine. 鈥淎pplying this experience across the spectrum of health research at UF will be transformative for the institution and for the patients and community members who will ultimately benefit from these new treatments and approaches to health.鈥�
Mitchell graduated from Rutgers University-New Brunswick with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in biology, and received his medical degree and doctorate in immunology from Duke University.
In 2013, Mitchell joined the UF faculty after more than a decade at Duke, and leads a comprehensive brain tumor program focused on translational research. He has considerable clinical and translational research experience, having successfully developed five FDA-approved investigational new drug applications for new brain tumor therapies discovered in his laboratory. He also directed seven first-in-human clinical trials exploring brain tumor immunotherapies in adults and children with incurable brain cancers.
Mitchell has received over $20 million in research grants to support his work, including funding from the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Neurologic Diseases and Stroke, and the Department of Defense. He holds numerous patents for novel cancer therapeutics and has received several honors and awards for his work. In 2016, Mitchell received a Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Award from the Clinical Research Forum in Washington, D.C., in recognition of his team鈥檚 work in advancing a new cancer vaccine for patients with glioblastoma. Mitchell has a strong record of training M.D.-Ph.D. and Ph.D. students in the areas of immunology and brain tumor biology.
Mitchell鈥檚 expertise has been sought out internationally by academic, private and government institutions. He serves as an appointed member of the NCI Board of Scientific Counselors and as the gubernatorial appointee to the Florida Center for Brain Tumor Research Scientific Advisory Council.
鈥淎s a researcher, Dr. Mitchell has shown how visionary thinking, collaborative spirit and a focus on impact can help move UF forward,鈥� said , vice president for research at UF. 鈥淏eyond elevating our institution, this is how we can build a better world.鈥�
The UF-FSU hub is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under University of Florida Clinical and Translational Science Awards UL1TR001427, KL2TR001429 and TL1TR001428.