Dr. Edith P. Mitchell Memorial Fund

Jefferson mourns the loss of healthcare trailblazer and civil rights pioneer Edith Peterson Mitchell, MD, MACP, FCPP, FRCP (London).

Dr. Mitchell dedicated her life to helping the medically underserved. Dr. Mitchell was the Jefferson Enterprise Vice President for Cancer Disparities at Jefferson Health’s Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC), as well as the Director of the Center to Eliminate Cancer Disparities and Associate Director for Diversity Affairs at SKCC, and Professor of Medicine and Medical Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College. She exemplified a commitment to serving and caring for everyone, especially those who might otherwise be left behind. She was always innovating, educating, and working to improve lives. In 2018, she received the “Achievement Award in Medicine,” Jefferson’s highest honor.

Outside of Jefferson, Dr. Mitchell served as the 116^th President of the National Medical Association. Because of her experience in the cancer research community, Dr. Mitchell served as a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Blue Ribbon Panel convened to advise the National Cancer Advisory Board on then Vice President Biden’s National Cancer Moonshot Initiative. In 2019, Dr. Mitchell began service as a member of the President’s Cancer Panel, and in 2020 she became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. In addition to her medical achievements, Dr. Mitchell was a retired United States Air Force Brigadier General, the first woman physician to attain the rank in history.

Gifts in memory of Dr. Edith Mitchell will support the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center identifying and eliminating healthcare disparities and barriers to care. For additional questions or assistance, please contact Jefferson at 215-955-1635 or giving@jefferson.edu.