Roger A. Mitchell Jr., MD

Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr. is a Professor of Forensic Pathology and Global Health at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN. A board-certified forensic pathologist with two decades of experience, Dr. Mitchell has conducted and managed thousands of autopsies and is a nationally sought after forensic expert. His work at the intersection of medicine, public health, and justice is unparalleled. Most recently, Dr. Mitchell served as the President of the National Medical Association, the President of Howard University Hospital, the Chief Medical Officer for the Howard University Faculty Practice Plan, and Chair of the Department of Pathology. Dr. Mitchell has delivered over 200 scientific/academic lectures and authored 17 peer-reviewed articles.

Before joining Howard University, Dr. Mitchell served as Chief Medical Examiner for Washington, DC and later as Interim Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he served as the Mass Fatality Manager for the Nation’s Capital.

An internationally recognized authority on deaths in custody, he was a significant contributor to the 2025 National Academies report, Strengthening the U.S. Medicolegal Death Investigation System: Lessons from Deaths in Custody. His co-authored book, Death in Custody: How America Ignores the Truth and What We Can Do About It, was named as one of Best Public Health Books of 2023 by the Harvard Public Health Magazine. The book is accompanied by the podcast Official Ignorance, nominated for a 2024 NAACP Image Award. His expertise has been featured on Dateline with Lester Holt, PBS Frontline, and Meet the Press.

Dr. Mitchell trained at Howard University, Rutgers–New Jersey Medical School, George Washington University Hospital, and the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. He is an ordained minister and elder at New Bethel Baptist Church in Washington, DC. He and his wife Angelique have been married for 24 years and have three outstanding children.

As a member of Access Med Global’s Advisory Board, Dr. Mitchell brings clinical leadership, health-system experience and a public-health perspective to the organization’s community-led care networks. His experience at the intersection of medicine, public health and justice informs its Treat, Train and Track approach, supporting equitable access to specialty care, local workforce development and meaningful outcome tracking.