Ron Mitchell, M.D.

William Beckner, M.D., Distinguished Chair in Otolaryngology

Otolaryngology
Pediatric Otolaryngology
Airway Conditions

Biography

Ron Mitchell, M.D., is a Professor and Vice Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and serves as Chief of Pediatric Otolaryngology. He specializes in pediatric otolaryngology and airway conditions.

Dr. Mitchell earned his medical degree at the University of Southampton in England. He completed residencies in general surgery and otolaryngology at the Royal College of Surgeons of England in London and then received advanced training in pediatric otolaryngology through a fellowship at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis.

Certified by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and the American Board of Otolaryngology, Dr. Mitchell joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2011. In addition to his roles at UT Southwestern, he also serves as head of the Sleep Disorders Center at Children’s Medical Center.

Dr. Mitchell is actively involved in his profession’s national leadership, chairing multiple committees including a recent task force of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAOHNS) that published Clinical Practice Guideline: Tonsillectomy in Children (Update). He previously chaired a committee that published a consensus document about the optimal care of patients with a tracheostomy.

In addition to the AAOHNS, he is a member of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology, the Triological Society, the Society of University Otolaryngologists, and the Inter-American Association of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology.

Dr. Mitchell edits four otolaryngology journals and serves as a peer reviewer for 11 more. He has also published dozens of peer-reviewed papers, as well as many book chapters and three books on pediatric otolaryngology. A highly respected educator, he has delivered lectures on pediatric otolaryngology and pediatric sleep medicine across the United States as well as in Israel, Panama, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.

A D Magazine Best Doctor, he received the prestigious Honor Award in 2008 and a Distinguished Service Award in 2018 from the AAOHNS in recognition of his many volunteer contributions and service on scientific programs and instructional courses.

He holds the William Beckner Distinguished Chair in Otolaryngology.

Personal Note

A native of England, Dr. Mitchell has lived and practiced medicine in the United States since 1999. He is a father of five.

Meet Dr. Mitchell

UT Southwestern pediatric otolaryngologist Ron Mitchell, M.D., is a leading clinician and researcher in pediatric airway conditions, especially obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Dr. Mitchell has devoted much of his career to untangling the intertwined problems of OSA, large tonsils, and obesity. A D Magazine Best Doctor, he routinely cares for children with these conditions in his surgical practice. He also studies how surgery for OSA affects kids’ behavior, sleep, health, and quality of life.

Much of Dr. Mitchell’s research has made headlines, such as his finding that surgery does generally improve the quality of life for children with OSA.

“Over the past 10 years, the pediatric community has increasingly recognized that OSA is not just a disorder of adults but also affects quite a lot of children,” he says. “It is our responsibility and duty to make people aware that sleep problems in kids affect them to the same extent that things like chronic asthma and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis do.”

As Chief of Pediatric Otolaryngology at UT Southwestern, Dr. Mitchell has made it a priority to create multidisciplinary clinics where children can see providers of many specialties, including otolaryngology, all under one roof. While some children with problems such as allergies or strep throat might need only a pediatrician or an otolaryngologist, he says, others have more complex needs that require a team.

Children found to be deaf early in life, for example, might need a surgeon, an audiologist, a social worker, and a psychologist. When these specialists work together and coordinate care, the experience for children is safer, smoother, and more pleasant.

“Ten percent of kids really need a different approach to care,” Dr. Mitchell says. “I think Children’s Medical Center is pioneering that approach in North Texas.”

Education & Training

Residency - Royal College of Surgeons of England (1993-1999), Otolaryngology
Fellowship - Le Bonheur Children's Hospital (1995-1996), Pediatric Otolaryngology
Residency - Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (1988-1992), General Surgery
Internship - University of Southampton (1987-1988), General Surgery
Medical School - Univeristy of Southampton School of Medicine (1982-1987)

Professional Associations & Affiliations

American Academy of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery
American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology
Triological Society
Society of University Otolaryngologists - Head and Neck Surgeons
Inter-American Pediatric Otolaryngology Society

Honors & Awards

D Magazine Best Doctor 2022
D Magazine Best Pediatric Specialist, (2014-2021)
Best Doctors in America, (2007-2013, 2015-2020)
Best Doctors in Texas, (2015-2020)
Distinguished Service Award 2018, American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation
Best Doctors in St. Louis 2007-2011, St. Louis Magazine
Honorary Lifetime Membership 2009, The Israeli Society of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery
Cambridge Who’s Who Executives, Professionals and Entrepreneurs 2009
Honor Award 2008, American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

Research

Sleep Disorders

Clinical Focus

Pediatric Otolaryngology
Airway Conditions