Menu
01. Doctor Overview

Doctor Overview

Dr. John D. Mitchell is the Chief of General Thoracic Surgery at UCHealth Thoracic Surgery – Anschutz Medical Campus. There he treats patients suffering from thoracic malignancies with cancer surgeries.

In addition to his work at UCHealth Thoracic Surgery, Dr. Mitchell is affiliated with University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) and National Jewish Health, both in the metro-Denver, Colorado area.

Prior to his work in Colorado, Dr. Mitchell served as a Lieutenant Commander and Commander in the Medical Corps at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, California.

His expertise in the field of cardiothoracic surgery has culminated in the publication of many research papers focusing on thoracic malignancies. Dr. Mitchell has also won numerous grants that go to fund that research, including a SPORE Grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and a grant from OSI Pharmaceuticals to study the efficacy of a new treatment modality for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

02. Fast Facts

Doctor Fast Facts

Main Specialty: Thoracic surgery

Other Interests & Specialties: Cancer surgery, lung cancer, adult general thoracic surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, infectious lung disease, lung transplant surgery, minimally invasive thoracic surgery, robotic surgery, mediastinal disease, advanced thoracoscopic surgery including VATS lobectomy and transplant surgery.

Certifications, Awards & Accolades: Top Doctor Award, Donald B. Doty Educational Award from the Western Thoracic Surgical Association, Endowed Chair in Thoracic Surgery, Pioneer Award from the University of Colorado Hospital, America’s Top Doctor from Castle Connolly, member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, American College of Chest Physicians Fellow, American College of Surgeons (ACS) Fellow, member of American Society of Clinical Oncology

Education & Experience:

  • Internship at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School Program
  • Residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Residency at the Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School Program
  • Residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School Program
  • Medical Degree from University of Michigan Medical School
03. Publications

Publications

Techniques of VATS lobectomyJournal of Thoracic Disease. August 2013;5(Suppl 3):S177-S181. doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2013.07.29

Thoracoscopic Lobectomy Has Increasing Benefit in Patients With Poor Pulmonary FunctionAnnals of Surgery. September 2012;256(3):487-493. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0b013e318265819c

Spectral Karyotyping Detects Chromosome Damage in Bronchial Cells of Smokers and Patients with CancerAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. September 2007;176(5):505-512. doi: 10.1164/rccm.200609-1329OC

Antigen-presenting intratumoral B cells affect CD4+ TIL phenotypes in non-small cell lung cancer patientsCancer Immunology Research. October 2017;5(10):898-907. doi: 0.1158/2326-6066.CIR-17-0075