Dennis A. Mitchell, D.D.S., M.P.H, serves as the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement at Columbia University, Senior Associate Dean for Diversity for the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM) and Professor of Dental Medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center. As Vice Provost, he implements the program elements of the University’s ongoing financial commitment (currently totaling $185 million) to enhance the diversity of the faculty, and works with the leaders of each of Columbia’s schools to evaluate and strengthen their diversity initiatives.

Dr. Mitchell has been on the Columbia faculty since 1991 and has shown a deep commitment to the oral health needs of underserved populations in the communities surrounding Columbia. He is a Co-Principal Investigator for Columbia’s Summer Health Professions Education Program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and for the Summer Public Health Scholars Program funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Together, these two pipeline programs bring over 125 young scholars from underrepresented groups to the Columbia campus each summer.

Dr. Mitchell previously served as the Director of the Harlem component of the Community DentCare Network for Columbia, and as Director of Research and Community Dentistry at Harlem Hospital. He oversaw the development, implementation and evaluation of Columbia’s offsite dental service programs in Harlem, which is now responsible for over 20,000 patient visits annually.