Cardiothoracic Surgery Faculty
John D. Mitchell, MD
Associate Professor
Chief, Thoracic Surgery
Clinical Interests Lung cancer, esophageal surgery, airway surgery, lung transplantation, mediastinal disease, surgery for hyperhidrosis, photodynamic therapy, advanced thoracoscopic surgery including VATS lobectomy.
Medical School
University of Michigan
Residency
Massachusetts General Hospital
Fellowships
Board Certification
Surgery, Thoracic Surgery
Phone
303-724-2800
Fax
303-724-2806
E-mail John.Mitchell@uchsc.edu
Bio
A native of Colorado, Dr. Mitchell received his undergraduate degree in molecular biology at the University of Colorado Boulder, graduating magna cum laude in 1983. He subsequently attended the University of Michigan Medical School on an Armed Forces Scholarship, graduating in 1987 with honors and as a member of Alpha Omega Alpha. He then moved to Boston, where over the following decade he completed residencies in both General and Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital. 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 to become the Chief of General Thoracic Surgery. Since his arrival in Colorado, he has been recognized repeatedly by his peers as one of the best thoracic surgeons in the Rocky Mountain region. In 2006, Dr. Mitchell was awarded the first Endowed Chair in the Department of Surgery.
Dr. Mitchell is the Chief of General Thoracic Surgery within the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. His primary clinical responsibilities are at the University of Colorado Hospital and the Denver Veterans Administration Medical Center. Dr. Mitchell is a consultant for National Jewish Medical and Research Center, and as a result has extensive experience in the surgical treatment of lung infection. His research interests focus on lung cancer, surgical treatment of lung infection, and lung transplantation. His clinical interests include all thoracic oncology, surgery of the airway, surgery for infectious lung disease, esophageal surgery, adult lung transplantation and minimally invasive approaches to thoracic surgical procedures.
Dr. Mitchell is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons, the Western Thoracic Surgical Association, the General Thoracic Surgery Club, and numerous other professional groups. He currently serves on several STS workforces including the workforce on General Thoracic Surgery, and is the current chair of the program committee of the WTSA. He has also served as the President of the Colorado Thoracic Society over the last four years.