Dennis Mitchell, DDS, MPH, is Interim Dean of CDM

Dennis Mitchell, DDS, MPH, professor of Dental Medicine, has been appointed the interim dean of the College of Dental Medicine, effective February 1, 2025. Katrina Armstrong, MD, the interim president of Columbia University, made the announcement, noting Dr. Mitchell's deep knowledge in the field of dental medicine.

"His commitment to advancing the efforts of all, to focusing on the needs of the underserved, and to mentoring our next generation is at the very core of his character," Dr. Armstrong said.

Dr. Mitchell earned his DDS from the Howard University College of Dentistry and joined the Columbia faculty in 1991, after completing his general dentistry residency training at Harlem Hospital. He completed his MPH degree in executive health services management at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. At a time when the HIV/AIDS and crack cocaine epidemics were sweeping New York City, Mitchell advanced research on the oral manifestations of HIV in people of color and women, and also examined a cohort of injecting drug users at Harlem Hospital. A New England Journal of Medicine article about treatment of periodontal disease and the risk of preterm birth, which emerged from his research, has been cited 744 times and received the American Academy of Periodontology Clinical Research Award for the year’s outstanding paper with direct relevance to clinical practice in 2007. Decades later, scholars still cite this groundbreaking work. Committed to improving clinical dental practice in Harlem and upper Manhattan, Mitchell co-created and launched the Community DentCare Network, which provides screenings and dental services to underserved patients regardless of ability to pay. Community DentCare is now responsible for over 20,000 patient visits annually.

While maintaining his faculty appointment at CDM, he joined Columbia's Office of the Provost in 2014 as senior associate provost for faculty diversity and inclusion, advancing to vice provost for faculty advancement in 2019 and senior vice provost for faculty advancement in 2021. In 2021, he was appointed executive vice president for university life. In 2023 he served as the University's interim provost, before assuming the roles of senior advisor to the president on inclusion and belonging and senior vice provost for faculty advancement. In those roles, he oversaw the University's $295 million ongoing commitment to enhance faculty diversity, the creation and enhancement of faculty development and support resources, and programs to develop pathways to the professoriate.

"CDM is a remarkable institution, and its recent successful accreditation—earned without any recommendations—exemplifies the culture of excellence that defines us," Dr. Mitchell said. "I am so proud to be a part of this community."

Mitchell has been widely recognized for his contributions to the fields of public health and dental medicine. He is the 2025 recipient of the ADEA Gies Award for Eminence in Achievement. He is a fellow in the American College of Dentists and received the American Dental Education Association Distinguished Service Award in 2022. In 2021, he was named fellow in the Academy of Community and Public Health Service at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Dr. Mitchell replaces Roseanna Graham, DDS, PhD, who, as interim dean, successfully led CDM through its recent accreditation and is the James Winston Benefield Professor of Dental Medicine.