Janet L. Mitchell facts for kids

Dr. Janet L. Mitchell graduating from Howard School of Medicine in May 1976.

Janet L. Mitchell (born March 15, 1950 – died September 1, 2019) was an American doctor. She was famous for her important work in treating HIV/AIDS in pregnant women and their babies.

During the early years of the AIDS outbreak in the U.S., Dr. Mitchell created new ways to care for pregnant women who had HIV or were at risk of getting AIDS. She believed that everyone should have access to healthcare. She also spoke out against forcing people to get tested for HIV.

One of her biggest achievements came from a study. This study showed that giving a medicine called AZT to pregnant mothers could lower the chance of their babies getting HIV by 70%.

Early Life and Learning

Janet Louise Mitchell was born in Lexington, Kentucky. Her father, Richard, worked with horses and also as a butler and driver. Her mother was Minnie Mitchell. Janet's family lived in a special housing area for Black families, and she went to schools that were separated by race for most of her childhood.

Even though there weren't many chances for African Americans back then, and her father only went to school until fifth grade, her parents always taught their children that learning was very important. Because of this, all five of their children went to and finished college.

Janet went to Mount Holyoke College and earned her first degree in 1972. Then, she went to Howard University College of Medicine to become a doctor. Medical school was tough for her at first. She almost quit after her first year. Later, she found out she had dyslexia, which makes reading and learning a bit harder. But she got help, kept studying, and graduated in 1976.

Later in her career, she went back to school and earned a master's degree in public health from Harvard University in 1987. Around this time, in 1983, she was asked to join the new New York State AIDS Advisory Council. She helped create rules for healthcare workers to control infections.

Dr. Mitchell often said that her childhood helped her choose her career. She wanted to help people who didn't always get the best healthcare, especially women. In an interview, she said, "I grew up in a government project with two wonderful parents... I have ever since devoted myself to the under-served and the most disenfranchised."

Career and Discoveries

In 1988, Dr. Mitchell became the head of the obstetrics and gynecology department at Harlem Hospital Center. She held this important job until 1996.

In 1994, she was asked to write a report for the National Academy of Medicine. This report looked at why women from minority groups were not included enough in medical studies about AIDS. She pointed out that women in general were often left out of medical studies. She successfully argued that when women were included, women of color were still often left out. Thanks to her efforts, the National Institutes of Health changed its rules. They made sure that Black women were included in ongoing studies for HIV/AIDS in pregnant women.

Her main research focused on this area. From 1988 to 1992, she studied how to teach people about and prevent AIDS during pregnancy with the Centers for Disease Control. She also studied pregnancy in African-American women. She worked as an assistant professor at Columbia University.

During the early days of the AIDS outbreak, many ideas were tried to stop it. Dr. Mitchell was often asked for her advice. In 1989, she spoke to Congress as an expert on children and HIV infection. She and others suggested that healthcare, social help, and psychological support should all work together to fight the epidemic.

To prove this idea, Dr. Mitchell led a study from 1989 to 1992. She looked at how three different groups of women received health services and education about HIV. Her study showed that the risk of getting HIV was lowered most effectively when education was part of regular healthcare.

One of her most important discoveries came from a study in 1986. This study gave AZT to pregnant women to lower the chance of their babies getting HIV. The study showed that if mothers started taking AZT between 13 and 34 weeks of pregnancy, the chance of their babies getting HIV dropped by almost 70%. Because of her study, giving AZT to pregnant women with HIV became the standard way to care for them.

Dr. Mitchell also kept track of statistics and reviewed maternal deaths in New York City. During her time at the hospital, statistics showed that for every 5,102 births, one Black mother died, compared to one white mother in 18,868. Dr. Mitchell strongly disagreed with policies that made HIV testing mandatory. She believed it was better to take action to solve the problem rather than just identify it.

Dr. Mitchell wrote more than fifty articles and book chapters about her special areas of medicine. She received two big grants from the Centers for Disease Control. One was for a project to educate and reduce HIV/AIDS during pregnancy (1988-1992). The other was to study pregnancy and birth outcomes for African-American women in the United States (1993-1997).

Later, Dr. Mitchell worked at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in The Bronx, New York. She was the director of outreach, chief of obstetrics, and director for doctors in training in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Personal Life

In 1991, Dr. Mitchell married Arthur Glass Jr., who was a vice president at the Jackie Robinson Foundation in New York City. They later divorced.

Dr. Mitchell developed early Alzheimer's disease, which affects memory and thinking. She later needed long-term care. In 2007, she was featured on a TV show called Nightline, which talked about people with early Alzheimer's.

Death

Dr. Mitchell passed away in Fort Collins, Colorado, on September 1, 2019. She was 69 years old. Her death was due to complications from Alzheimer's disease.

Honors and Awards

• Member, Blue Ribbon Panel of the Campaign for Women's Health (1992)
• Author, Legal and Ethical Issues relating to Inclusion of Women in Clinical Studies, National Academy of Medicine (1993)
• Award for dedicated service to African-American women, Harlem Hospital Center (1993)
• Award for service to minority communities, Black Caucus of Health Care Workers of the American Public Health Association (1993)
• Dr. Linda Laubenstein HIV Clinical Excellence Award, New York State Department of Health (1994)
• Featured physician in the National Library of Medicine exhibit "Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America's Women Physicians", which traveled throughout the U.S. in 2006.