Sarah Mitchell
Associate Clinical Professor · Primary and community palliative care
University of LeedsAbout
Dr Sarah Mitchell is a Clinical Associate Professor of Palliative Care at the University of Leeds, affiliated with the School of Medicine. She also serves as the National Clinical Director for Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care for NHS England. Her work focuses on integrating palliative care into primary and community settings, addressing health inequalities, and improving service design for underrepresented groups, including children and socioeconomically deprived populations. She holds an MB ChB, Dip Pall Med, MSc, and PhD, and is a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (FRCGP).
Education:
- MB ChB (Medical Degree)
- Dip Pall Med (Diploma in Palliative Medicine)
- MSc
- PhD in Realist Inquiry on Healthcare Service Design
Research Interests: Dr Mitchell prioritizes patient and family experiences, particularly in paediatric palliative care and end-of-life care during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. She has led studies on health service design, policy, and equitable access to palliative care. Her work emphasizes realist research methods and patient/public involvement (PPI) across all research phases.
Awards:
- Churchill Fellowship (2020)
- RCGP/SAPC Yvonne Carter Award for Outstanding Early Career Researcher (2020)
Grants & Leadership: She co-leads the NIHR-funded Reducing Inequalities in Palliative Care through Primary Care Research Partnership and is Clinical Lead for the Leeds Deepend Research Alliance. She contributes to the NIHR Policy Research Unit for palliative and end-of-life care.
Labs/Teams: Leeds Deepend Research Alliance, NIHR Policy Research Unit, and the EPIC-PC (Equitable Palliative Care in the Community) initiative.
