Wright State University, Premier Health appoint experienced physician to first-ever dual leadership role

Raj Mitra will serve as dean of the Wright State Boonshoft School of Medicine and chief academic officer at Premier Health.

Raj Mitra, M.D., 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.

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.

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.

“We are very excited about what lies ahead,” said Wright State University President Sue Edwards. “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.”

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.

“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. “We are delighted to have a caregiver and researcher of his caliber maintain the momentum on our journey toward becoming the region’s academic medical center.”

In Mitra’s most recent role, he has served as a vital member of the University of Central Florida president’s health cabinet, overseeing all university health care-related endeavors, including direct patient care, clinically oriented research, medical school partnerships, affiliation agreements and the establishment of new clinical practice locations.

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.

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.

During his tenure at the University of Kansas Medical Center, he was instrumental in expanding clinical and research programs focused on disability, establishing new clinical service lines, fostering residency and fellowship growth, and building a highly regarded National Institutes of Health-funded research program.

Mitra is 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 and his wife, Shilpa, are from the Midwest and are excited to return home with their three children “to experience the beauty” of the Miami Valley’s four seasons. “We are a sports-loving family, so you will likely find us at the soccer field or hiking at the local parks during our free time,” he said.

In addition to Mitra’s appointment, highlights of the 30-year affiliation agreement between the university and health system include a $25 million investment by Premier Health in health care education over two years that will expand graduate medical education opportunities at the Boonshoft School of Medicine, as well as training and programs to grow the nursing workforce; non-voting representation on the other institution’s board; and a Joint Operating Committee that drives strategic partnership initiatives.

About Wright State: A Carnegie-classified research university, Wright State University’s main campus is 12 miles northeast of downtown Dayton, Ohio, near the historic landmarks where the Wright brothers taught the world to fly. The university operates a branch campus, Wright State University–Lake Campus, on the shores of Grand Lake St. Marys in Celina, Ohio. Wright State serves 11,800 students and offers nearly 300 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and professional degree programs through six colleges and the Boonshoft School of Medicine. For more information, visit wright.edu.

About Premier Health: Based in Dayton, Ohio, Premier Health (premierhealth.com) is committed to support the community through its mission: To Care. To Teach. To Innovate. To Serve. Home to the region’s only adult Level I trauma center and the largest locally based clinical laboratory, Premier Health continues to build upon a more than 130-year legacy of providing clinical excellence and compassionate care to friends and neighbors across Southwest Ohio. The health system offers award-winning care at five hospital sites: Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton with additional inpatient sites at Miami Valley Hospital South in Centerville and Miami Valley Hospital North in Englewood; Atrium Medical Center in Middletown; and Upper Valley Medical Center in Miami County. In addition, Premier Health provides a comprehensive range of care choices at its seven emergency departments, eight Urgent Care locations, and more than 130 outpatient locations and affiliated primary care and specialty physician offices, as well as home health, mental health, and substance abuse services.