Bharat B. Mittal, MD, the William N. Brand, MD, Professor of Radiation Oncology, has announced that he will be stepping down as chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, after more than 30 years of steadfast leadership and dedicated service.
Mittal is the inaugural chair of the department, having served in this role since it was created in 2006.
“We aspired to be a globally renowned destination for world-class talent dedicated to advancing the field of radiation oncology, and to my great pleasure, I can say Northwestern has hit the mark,” Mittal said. “I am thoroughly honored to have had the great privilege of serving as the department’s inaugural chair, and I know the faculty and staff will continue their tireless work to improve our shared understanding of cancer and its treatment and to educate the next generation of radiation-oncology physician-scientists.”
Mittal joined Northwestern’s faculty in 1985, and in 1993, was appointed chief of Feinberg’s Division of Radiation Oncology in the Department of Radiology. In 2006, he was named chair of the newly established Department of Radiation Oncology. Over the past three decades, he has led the department through steady clinical and academic growth, resulting in increased high-quality publications, more grant support, and a strengthened culture of excellence, collaboration and patient safety.
Mittal’s research explores the use of innovative treatment modalities and translational research for head and neck cancer, lymphoma and skin cancers to obtain better tumor control and decrease treatment toxicity. He has authored 138 peer-reviewed publications, published multiple book chapters, and edited two books. His research has been funded through the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the American Cancer Society and philanthropic foundations. He is board-certified in Therapeutic Radiology by the American Board of Radiology.
“Radiation Oncology has a storied history at Northwestern dating back to the mid-1940’s,” said Eric G. Neilson, MD, vice president for medical affairs and Lewis Landsberg Dean. “Our faculty leaders over the decades have been pioneers in the field, and Bharat is no different. Thanks to his vision, our training programs have expanded, our academic reputation is world-class, and our clinical and laboratory research programs are well-funded. We are grateful for his contributions to our growth trajectory, and for his deep commitment to advancing patient care.”
Mittal completed his medical doctorate at the Christian Medical College in Ludhiana, India in 1974 and his internal medicine residency there in 1976. He completed a second residency in radiation oncology at the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University in 1980 and a fellowship in radiation oncology at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at the Washington University Medical Center in 1981.
James Carr, MD, chair of the department of Radiology will lead a search committee for a successor. Mittal will stay on as chair of the department until someone new has been named and will assist with the transition. He will remain a member of the faculty in the department and continues his clinical practice and research.
Mittal is a past president of the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiation Oncology and the Council of Affiliated Regional Radiation Oncology Society. He was previously a member of the FDA Radiological Medical Device Panel, the Head and Neck Cancer Task Force of the American Board of Radiology and currently serves as a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Head & Neck Cancer Panel. He is a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS).