Dennis Mitchell (scholar)

After receiving a full-time appointment at Columbia University, he co-created and directed the Community DentCare Network,^[2] which seeks to address the lack of oral healthcare services in northern Manhattan.

In 2004, Mitchell became the Dean for Diversity and Inclusion for the College of Dental Medicine at Columbia. He then became Columbia's Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement.^[3][4] Mitchell's office is the steward of $185 million in publicly committed funds.^[5] In August 2021, Mitchell was appointed as the executive vice president for university life.^[6][7]

On October 22, 2025, Columbia announced Mitchell’s appointment as Dean of the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine and Senior Vice President of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. In a statement announcing the appointment, acting university president Claire Shipman referred to Mitchell as “one of the nation’s leading dental administrators,” adding the following: “We can think of no one more qualified to serve as the next Dean of the College of Dental Medicine.”^[8]

Dr. Mitchell is the winner of the 2022 American Dental Education Association Distinguished Service Award.^[9]

• Columbia University biography