Sara Mitchell

Dr. Mitchell obtained subspecialty fellowship training in neuropsychiatry and cognitive and behavioral neurology from Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard University. Dr. Mitchell obtained a master’s degree in Public Health (MPH) from the Harvard School of Public Health with a focus on clinical effectiveness.  Complex Brain Disorders (CBD) encompass a spectrum of conditions marked by cognitive, functional, mood, and behavioral manifestations. CBD often results in significant economic burdens and suboptimal patient outcomes due to fragmented care delivery within our current healthcare infrastructure. Dr. Mitchell’s primary focus is to enhance the provision of care to patients with by CBD through three key areas of activity:

1. Azrieli Brain Medicine Fellowship Program (ABMFP):The traditional siloed approach to medical practice limits addressing brain disorder complexities due to its compartmentalized perspectives. A paradigm shift is needed for integrated Complex Brain Disorder care. As the director of a pioneering program at the University of Toronto, she approached this with interdisciplinary 'Brain Medicine' (BM). In a significant milestone, the program secured a $6M in philanthropic grant from the Azrieli Foundation in May of 2023 to expand the vision. The BMFP model is being disseminated through International presentations, national workshops and lectures, and a recent foundational paper in Academic Medicine. Dr. Mitchell’s leadership garnered a Sunnybrook Excellence in Education Award for innovative curriculum (2022) and the Best Fellowship Supervisor Award from the Department of Psychiatry (2023). 
2. Virtual Care: Dr. Mitchell is focused on ensuring the continued provision of high-quality care to patients with CBD through virtual care. She co-developed methodologies for the Virtual Neurologic Examination (VNE), culminating in two publications with best practice recommendations for virtual care delivery in patients with CBD. She co-led two recent projects in Virtual Care, one surveying neurological practices across the province and the other validating the virtual neurological examination. Her expertise in virtual neurological care has been recognized through invitations to present on this work at international conferences, including chairing a session at the recent World Congress of Neurology.
3. Neurology Quality and Innovation Lab (NQIL): Dr. Mitchell co-established and co-lead NQIL at the University of Toronto, a city-wide collaborative hub for QI work in neurology. NQIL leads city-wide rounds, featuring quarterly morbidity and mortality-style sessions focused on QI issues in neurology. She has collectively supervised over 10 neurology trainees in QI projects, showcasing the capacity to nurture future QI leaders. NQIL work has been recognized nationally, as evidenced by a recent invited workshop presenting NQIL as a model of specialty-specific QI collaboration at a national and upcoming International conference. 

Her overarching focus is to advance the landscape of Complex Brain Disorder care by improving quality of care, fostering innovation, and disseminating knowledge. These multifaceted initiatives collectively demonstrate a commitment to patient-centered care, interdisciplinary collaboration, and continuous quality improvement.