Professor Ed Mitchell

Professor Ed Mitchell was born in Iran to British parents who were working there. He went through primary school education in what was then South Yemen. He was sent to boarding school in England when he was 11 years old,  and later qualified at St George’s Hospital Medical School in London. He worked in England for three and a half years and trained as GP and then worked in Zambia for a year and a half, before coming to New Zealand in 1977 for a year – where he stayed!

Professor Mitchell completed his paediatric training in New Zealand, and was offered a research fellowship for a year funded by Cure Kids. Then followed a clinical academic pathway at the University of Auckland.

Professor Mitchell has published over 400 original papers, particularly focusing on the epidemiology of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). He was awarded a Doctor of Science by the University of London for his work on “The Epidemiology and Prevention of SIDS”. Professor Mitchell has received several awards for many landmark studies of SIDS and in 2009 was made a fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand.