Dayton Business Journal: Wright State, Premier Health hire doctor for dual leadership role

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

A regional physician has been appointed to the first-ever dual leadership role between Wright State University and Premier Health.

Dr. Raj Mitra 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 and will be responsible for driving ground-breaking initiatives through integrated delivery of academic and clinical services at both institutions.

Mitra will assume the role March 10, 2025. The decision followed a national search and review of candidates by a nationally recognized executive search time.

Mitra said he was drawn to both organizations’ missions to support the community through innovative research, teaching and patient care. He said the practices are particularly timely in southern Ohio and across the country which will face a “substantial physician shortage” over the next decade.

• Premier Health said in April it planned to invest $25 million in Wright State over the next two years to help grow and assist the Miami Valley healthcare scene. These funds are just the beginning of a growing partnership. Some of the core components include:
• Elevating Miami Valley Hospital to be formally recognized as an academic medical center
• Leveraging existing resources, including Wright State’s College of Health, Education and Human Services, to improve care for patients and communities in need
• Expanding clinical training programs at Miami Valley Hospital and other related hospital

The two entities have a strong historic relationship and this new endeavor just formalizes it

Prior to the new role, Mitra was 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. He oversaw 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.

As an expert in rehabilitation medicine and pain management, Mitra has made 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 (CMS), 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.”

Read the complete article at bizjournals.com/dayton.