Dr. Joseph Mitchell has more than 20 years’ experience in healthcare leadership and pediatrics. He joined CHOP in April 2025 and is working closely with CEO Madeline Bell and other CHOP executives to gain a deep understanding of CHOP’s culture, community and operations and to implement an enterprise strategy that will ensure a strong future for CHOP. He will succeed Madeline as President and CEO when she retires on Oct. 1, 2026.

Prior to coming to CHOP, Dr. Mitchell served as Executive Vice President at Boston Children’s Hospital, after successfully negotiating the merger of Boston Children’s and Franciscan Children’s, a specialty hospital. At the same time, he held the role of President of Franciscan Children’s.

As Executive Vice President, Dr. Mitchell helped secure city and state approval for Franciscan’s 10-year institutional master plan, including a new state-of-the-art hospital facility that will open in 2029. In addition, he launched a major capital campaign to support campus modernization. 

Dr. Mitchell joined Franciscan Children’s as CEO in 2021, after serving several years as a member of its Board of Directors. As CEO, he delivered a multiyear clinical, operational and financial turnaround that improved staffing levels, reduced attrition, strengthened quality, and significantly grew philanthropy. He also expanded state, local and national advocacy efforts related to pediatric behavioral health, complex care and rehabilitation. 

Before joining Franciscan Children’s, Dr. Mitchell spent 14 years (including seven as a Partner) at McKinsey & Company in Boston, MA. During that time, he worked with large pediatric and adult hospital systems to improve quality, outcomes, access and affordability. 

Dr. Mitchell earned his MD from Washington University in St. Louis after graduating from Stanford University with a degree in history. He trained in Harvard Medical School’s urology residency program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and completed a National Institutes of Health-sponsored research fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. 

Dr. Mitchell has a passion for civic engagement and has served on the Board of Advisors of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston and on the Board of the March of Dimes in Massachusetts.