Allison D. Mitchell, MD

Allison D. Mitchell, MD, took over as director of the anesthesiology residency program when it was in crisis, with deep-seated dissatisfaction among the learners and disengagement among the faculty. Mitchell has dedicated herself to transforming the residency, and has been spectacularly successful through her bold innovations and staunch personal commitment to each and every resident in the program. Specifically, she has had a positive impact on creating a welcoming climate and collaborative culture, on improving the formal didactics of the residency, on re-engaging the faculty in their educational mission, and on ensuring that the residents have sufficient structured time for education and professional development. In her role as the residency program director, Mitchell touches the careers of current and future anesthesiologists at all levels. She is the face of clinical training for the approximately 80 residents in the department. In addition to her vitally important mentorship roles at WashU Medicine, Mitchell has also made national mentorship contributions as a founding leader of Raising Anesthesiology Diversity and Anti-Racism (RADAR), which aims to ensure that learners from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to pursue anesthesiology as a specialty, and to promote inclusivity in academic anesthesiology training programs across the country.