Professor Daphne Koinis Mitchell, Ph.D., has received a Fall 2023 Outstanding Mentor Award from the Lifespan Physician Group. The honor recognizes her achievements in developing and overseeing research mentorship activities for early career investigators as well as in mentoring a number of trainees and faculty at all levels.

“I am thrilled to support trainee and faculty research interests and professional development goals, particularly when their goals will impact improved child health outcomes and advance the field in meaningful ways,” says Koinis Mitchell, a professor of both pediatrics and psychiatry and human behavior. “This award is meaningful as it is a testament to my investment in training and dedication to improving the academic and training mission of both departments.”

As vice chair of research for the Department of Pediatrics, Koinis Mitchell directs various mentorship and research-related activities. These include the department’s research administration, a mentorship program that pairs junior faculty with senior researchers in their area of interest, a child health equity training program in partnership with the Hassenfeld Institute, and assorted research opportunities for early-career faculty. Under her leadership, the Department of Pediatrics’ research portfolio has grown fourfold in seven years.

That productivity has yielded fertile ground for both training and mentorship.

“Mentorship has been paramount to me in my development as a clinician researcher and I am thrilled to provide support to future researchers who will continue to address disparities in child health,” Koinis Mitchell says.

Koinis Mitchell’s own research focuses on pediatric health disparities in asthma, sleep, and physical activity. The National Institutes of Health have continuously funded her as a principal investigator for more than 20 years. 

Postdoctoral fellow Anna Yeo, Ph.D., is one of many researchers who have participated in Koinis Mitchell’s research and benefited from her mentorship. 

“Dr. Koinis Mitchell’s guidance and support have been instrumental to my development as a researcher focused on pediatric health disparities,” Yeo says. “In the two-and-a-half years we have been working together, I cannot count how many times she went the extra mile to be there for me and ensure that I was on the right path to achieve my goals.”