Igor Mitrovic

Dr. Igor Mitrovic is a Professor of Physiology and Clinical Pharmacy at the University of California San Francisco. He is responsible for physiology education across UCSF's health professional schools, teaching physiology and pathophysiology, and directing Renal Theme in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy. Dr. Mitrovic joined the Department of Physiology at UCSF in 2001 as a teaching faculty member after conducting research in neurobiology of addiction and pain.

Dr. Mitrovic received his M.D. from the University of Belgrade, Yugoslavia (at the time) in 1991, with most of his studies completed at the University of Zagreb. He conducted neurobiology of addiction research at Loyola University Medical School in Chicago and research in neurobiology of pain at UCSF before joining the Department of Physiology at UCSF in 2001.

Dr. Mitrovic's research spans neurobiology, physiology, and emotional resilience. His early work focused on opioid receptors, ventral pallidum circuitry, and neurotransmission related to pain and addiction. More recently, he has shifted toward understanding stress response and emotional resilience, co-developing Emotional Brain Training, a neuroscience-based psychotherapeutic method designed to increase stress resilience and promote well-being. His work bridges basic neuroscience with clinical applications in education and healthcare.

Dr. Mitrovic's publications show an evolution from basic neuroscience research on opioid receptors and neural circuitry to more applied work on stress response and emotional resilience. His early work (1995-2004) focused on neurobiological mechanisms of pain, addiction, and neurotransmission, while his more recent publications (2011, 2018) address healthcare paradigms, stress response, and non-diet approaches to improve health and well-being. This demonstrates a career trajectory from fundamental neuroscience to translational work with direct clinical and educational applications.

• Long Awards in the School of Pharmacy
• Excellence of Teaching Awards in the School of Dentistry
• Kaiser Teaching Awards in the School of Medicine
• Distinction in Teaching Award from the UCSF Academic Senate
• Honorary Doctorate from University of Kragujevac, Republic of Serbia

Dr. Mitrovic has mentored numerous high school students, undergraduate students, and UCSF graduate students from underresourced communities. He has also mentored postdoctoral fellows, residents, and junior faculty to help them excel as educators and professionals. He has led the design of the competency-based, integrated curriculum at UCSF School of Pharmacy and served as the Vice Dean of PharmD Education. Additionally, he has participated in and led curricular and faculty development at UCSF, nationally, and internationally, and has served as an external reviewer for the medical school accreditation committee of the Republic of Serbia.

Through his teaching and mentoring, Dr. Mitrovic recognized the importance of emotional resiliency for academic and professional success. He joined forces with colleagues to develop Emotional Brain Training, a neuroscience-based psychotherapeutic method designed to increase stress resilience and promote well-being. This work represents his lab's current focus on translating neuroscience research into practical tools for improving emotional health and professional performance.