Dr. Mitchell, Research Scientist at FRI, has been conducting community-based research with drug-addicted individuals for more than 10 years. From 1998 through 2006, Dr. Mitchell was a qualitative researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health on numerous HIV risk-reduction interventions focusing on injection drug users. While at Hopkins, she contributed to process evaluations and exploratory research involving study participants and members of their social/risk networks.  

In 2006, Dr. Mitchell joined FRI to assume primary responsibility for the qualitative component of a NIDA-funded study, led by Dr. Robert Schwartz, examining methadone treatment entry and engagement. Dr. Mitchell is currently the Principal Investigator on a NIDA-funded study comparing intensive outpatient v. standard outpatient counseling when combined with buprenorphine for heroin-dependent African Americans. This study was one of only about 1% of 20,000 NIH Challenge Grant applications selected for funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Dr. Mitchell is also the Co-Investigator on a randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of a computerized brief intervention for substance use to a ‘standard practice’ interpersonal brief intervention.  

Dr. Mitchell is a member of the American Public Health Association, the Society for Community Research and Action (Division 27 of APA), and the Society for Applied Anthropology. She recently guest edited a special issue of the American Journal of Community Psychology (Dec 2009) along with Dr. David Lounsbury of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University. The special issue focused on social ecological approaches to community health research and action. Dr. Mitchell has over 20 publications in the areas of HIV prevention and substance abuse treatment for injection-drug users, as well as employee health and stress issues.