Our Bureau
Dayton, OH
Raj Mitra, M.D., in a first of its kind initiative, has been named dean of the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine and chief academic officer at Premier Health. He is the first to hold the new dual role responsible for driving ground-breaking initiatives through a more integrated delivery of academic and clinical services at both institutions.
His appointment to this new role takes effect March 10, 2025, and follows a national search and review of dozens of candidates guided by a nationally recognized executive search firm.
“I was particularly inspired by the shared mission of the two organizations to support the community through excellence in innovative research, exceptional teaching and world-class patient care,” Mitra said. “This is particularly timely in southern Ohio and throughout our country, where we will face a substantial physician shortage over the next decade.”
A nationally recognized expert in rehabilitation medicine and pain management, Mitra has made significant contributions to research, advising and policy development, particularly in addressing the nation’s opioid crisis. His expertise has been sought by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where he served as a physician advisor, and by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention as an expert consultant.
The appointment of Mitra to the newly created position is the latest milestone in an unprecedented alignment and enhanced affiliation between Wright State and Premier Health.
Wright State University President Sue Edwards said, “Dr. Mitra’s appointment will advance the region’s medical, clinical and nursing workforce and enhance our research culture, creating a more robust learning environment for our students and providing patients with better access to vital, highly specialized medical care closer to home.”
His distinguished career includes positions as the Senator Robert J. Dole professor and chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center, where he led clinical, research and diversity efforts, as well as at Stanford University’s School of Medicine as director of the Interventional Spine Center, chief of the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and medical director of rehabilitation services.
“Dr. Mitra personifies our commitment to excellence in clinical teaching, which is central to the missions of both of our institutions,” said Mike Riordan, president and CEO of Premier Health.
Mitra comes to the Miami Valley from Florida, where he has been serving as professor of medicine and associate dean of clinical affairs at the University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Medicine and chief medical officer at UCF Health.
Mitra is also the editor-in-chief of Principles of Rehabilitation Medicine, a comprehensive reference textbook published by McGraw Hill. His academic achievements include being awarded the prestigious Fulbright-Nehru Distinguished Chair fellowship in 2017, during which he spent four months in India teaching and conducting research on disability incidence to provide cost-effective solutions for the nation’s Ministry of Health.
Mitra earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine and completed his residency and fellowship training in physical medicine, rehabilitation and pain management at Harvard Medical School.
Wright State university serves 11,800 students and offers nearly 300 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and professional degree programs through six colleges and the Boonshoft School of Medicine.
Based in Dayton, Ohio, Premier Health is committed to support the community with the region’s only adult Level I trauma center and the largest locally based clinical laboratory.
