Stuart L. Mitchell, MD

Dr. Mitchell is passionate about the treatment of pediatric spinal deformities and pediatric extremity trauma. To help improve patient outcomes and optimize treatment options for his patients, Dr. Mitchell is actively involved in research, with a special focus on pediatric spinal deformity, pediatric trauma, and patient-reported outcome measures. He is particularly interested in better understanding the cause of scoliosis through team research here at UNC. He is also very excited by his involvement in the large IMPACCT study group because of the infrastructure to perform high-quality controlled research of many important pediatric orthopaedic topics, especially extremity trauma. He has many first author publications in top Orthopaedic Surgery journals, such as the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Spine, and Spine Deformity. He is a member of several professional and research organizations, including the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS), the Pediatric Spine Study Group (PSSG), the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA), the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS), and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery (AAOS).

Dr. Mitchell provides patient care at the UNC Orthopaedic Clinic at the Ambulatory Care Center (ACC) in Chapel Hill, and at UNC Health Blue Ridge in Raleigh, NC. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children, jogging, weightlifting, golfing, watching Formula 1 car racing, and practicing drone photography.

Education and Experience

MEDICAL SCHOOL

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

RESIDENCY

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Area: Orthopaedic Surgery

FELLOWSHIP

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Area: Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery

Clinical Expertise

Pediatric Spinal Deformity – all forms of scoliosis including adolescent idiopathic and infantile scoliosis, early-onset scoliosis, neuromuscular scoliosis, kyphosis, and spondylolisthesis
Pediatric Spine Surgery, including anterior and/or posterior spinal fusion, navigation-assisted spine fusion, guided growth, non-fusion growth friendly spine surgery, magnetically controlled growing rods (MAGEC), as well as complex spine osteotomies
Growing spine surgeries
Non-operative Scoliosis Care, including Schroth exercises, bracing and Mehta casting
Pediatric Extremity Trauma

Research Interests

Pediatric Spinal Deformity
Pediatric Spine Surgery
Pediatric Trauma
Patient-Reported Outcome Measures

Current Appointments

2021 – present Clinical Assistant Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery; UNC School of Medicine

Honors, Awards, and Achievements

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (2021-2026)
UNC Orthopaedic Surgery Patient Reported Outcomes Implementation Committee (2021 – Present)
UNC Orthopaedic Surgery Resident Curriculum Committee (2021 – Present) * POSNA Evidence Based Practice Committee (2022 – Present)
UNC Pediatric Trauma Advisory Committee (PTAC) / Pediatric Multidisciplinary Trauma Conference (PMTC) (2022 – Present)
Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery Robert Bucholz Journal Club Grant Recipient (2018)
National Institutes of Health T32 Training Grant Recipient (2017)
Excellence in Medical Student Research Award (2012)

Selected Publications

Mitchell SL, Heyer JH, Anari JB, Baldwin KD, Kodali P, Flynn JM, PSSG, Cahill PJ. How Do Implants Overlying the Spine Influence “The Law of Diminishing Returns” in Early-Onset Scoliosis Patients? Spine Deform. 2024, in-press.
Heyer JH, Anari JB, Baldwin KD, Mitchell SL, Flynn JM, Sankar WN, Andras LM, Skaggs DL, Smith JT, Luhmann SJ, Swarup I, Truong WH, Brooks JT, Fitzgerald R, Li Y, Pediatric Spine Study Group (PSSG), Cahill PJ. Rib-to-spine and rib-to-pelvis magnetically controlled growing rods: does the law of diminishing returns still apply? Spine Deform. 2023 Nov;11(6):1517-1527
Striano BM, Talwar D, Flynn JM, Williams BA, Mitchell SL, Shah AS. High Volume Hospitals Have Lower Open Reduction Rates and Lower Cost of Care for Pediatric Supracondylar Humerus Fractures. J POSNA. 2023 Feb; 5(1):1-9.
Heyer, JH, Mitchell SL, Garcia S, Flynn JM, Anari JB. A Modern-Day Timeline for In-Hospital Monitoring of Perfused, Pulseless Pediatric Supracondylar Humerus Fractures. J Pediatr Orthop. 2022 Nov-Dec 01;42(10):589-594.
Heyer JH, Anari JB, Baldwin KD, Mitchell SL, Luhmann SJ, Sturm PF, Flynn JM, Cahill PJ. Lengthening Behavior of Magnetically Controlled Growing Rods in Early Onset Scoliosis: A Multicenter Study. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2022 Dec 21;104(24):2186-2194.
Paranjape CS, de Araujo OB, Reider LM, Sponseller PD, Carlini AR, McLaughlin K, Bachmann KR, Mitchell SL. Time to Completion of Pediatric PROMIS Computerized Adaptive Testing Measures and the SRS-22r in an Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Population. J Pediatr Orthop. 2022 Oct 1;42(9):462-466.
Heyer JH, Fryhofer GW, Mitchell SL, Shah AS, Cahill PJ. Case Report: Vertebral Body Tethering for Idiopathic Scoliosis in a Patient with Bilateral Phocomelia. 2023 Jan;11(1):243-246.
Mitchell SL, McLaughlin KH, Bachmann KR, Sponseller PD, Reider LM. 2022. Construct Validity of Pediatric PROMIS Computerized Adaptive Testing Measures in Children with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis. J Pediatr Orthop. 2022 Aug 1;42(7):e720-e726.
Mitchell SL, Heyer JH, Baldwin KD, Greenhill DA, Flynn JM, Anari JB. Preoperative MRI Reliably Predicts Pedicle Dimensions on Intraoperative CT Images in Structural Main Thoracic Curves in Patients with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis. Spine (Phila Pa 1976); 2022 Sep 1;47(17):1221-1226.
McLaughlin KH, Mitchell SL, Archer KR, Master H, Morshed S, Gary JL, Jones CB, MacKenzie EJ, Reider L, and METRC. Effect of Severe Distal Tibia, Ankle, and Mid- to Hindfoot Trauma on Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines 18-months after Injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2022;103(3):409-417.e2.
VanEenenaam DP Jr, Houlihan N, Heyer JH, Flynn JM, Mitchell SL. When Is an Isolated Olecranon Fracture Pathognomonic for Osteogenesis Imperfecta? J Pediatr Orthop. 2022 May-Jun;42(5):e515-e519.
Obremsky WT, Tornetta P III, Luly J, Morshed S, O’Toole RV, Hsu JR, Mitchell SL, Mackenzie EJ, Frey KP, Bosse MJ, Scharfstein DP, and the METRC Consortium. Outcomes of Patients with Large versus Small Bone Defects in Open Tibia Fractures Treated with an Intramedullary Nail: A Descriptive Analysis of A multicenter Retrospective Study. J Orthop Trauma. 2022 Aug 1;36(8):388-393.
Johnson MA, Gohel S, Mitchell SL, Flynn JM, Baldwin KD. Entire-Spine Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings and Costs in Children with Presumed Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis. J Pediatr Orthop. 2021 Nov-Dec 01;41(10):585-590.
Guzek R, Mitchell SL, Krakow A, Harshavardhana NS, Sarkissian EJ, Flynn JM. Morphometric Analysis of the Proximal Thoracic Pedicles in Lenke II & IV Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: An Evaluation of the Feasibility for Safe Pedicle Screw Insertion. Spine Deform. 2021;9(6):1541-1548.
Margalit A, Mixa P, Day L, Marrache M, Mitchell S, Constantine A, Sabharwal S, Li PT, Loeb A, Naziri Q, Henn III F, Sponseller P, Laporte D. Top Three Learning Platforms for Orthopaedic In-Training Knowledge Produce Different Results. J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Aug 2021; 5(8):1-9.
Klyce W, Mitchell SL, Pawelek J, Skaggs DL, Sanders JO, Shah SA, McCarthy RE, Luhman SJ, Sturm PF, Flynn JM, Smith JT, Akbarnia BA, Sponseller PD, Pediatric Spine Study Group. Characterizing use of growth-friendly implants for early-onset scoliosis: A 10-year update. J Pediatr Orthop. 2020;40(8):e740-746.
Mitchell SL, Hayda RA, Chen AT, Carlini AR, Ficke JR, MacKenzie EJ; METALS Study Group. The Military Extremity Trauma Amputation/Limb Salvage (METALS) Study: Outcomes of Amputation Versus Limb Salvage Following Major Upper Extremity Trauma. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2019 Aug 21;101(16):1470-1478.
Mitchell SL, Sullivan BT, Ho CA, Abzug JM, Raad M, Sponseller PD. Pediatric Gartland Type-IV Supracondylar Humeral Fractures Have Substantial Overlap with Flexion-Type Fractures. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2019 Aug 7;101(15):1351-1356.
Mitchell SL, Donaldson CJ, El Dafrawy MH, Kebaish KM. Difficulties in Treating Post-irradiation Kyphosis: A Series of 5 Cases. Spine Deformity. 2019;7(6):937-944.
Mitchell SL, Obremskey WT, Luly J, Bosse M, Frey K, Hsu J, Morshed S, O’Toole RV, Scharfstein DO, Tornetta P III; and the Major Extremity Trauma Rehabilitation Consortium (METRC). Inter-Rater Reliability of The Modified Radiographic Union Score for Diaphyseal Tibial (mRUST) Fractures with Bone Defects. J Orthop Trauma. 2019 Jun;33(6):301-307.
Donaldson CJ, Mitchell SL, Riley LH III, Kebaish KM. “As Black as Ink” – A Case of Alkaptonuria-Associated Myelopathy and a Review of the Literature. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2019;44(1):e53-59.
Mitchell SL, Ray E, Cordeiro PG. Miniaturized Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy for Split-Thickness Skin Graft Donor Sites. J Reconstr Microsurg Open. 2018;3:e46-e49.
Loeb AE, Mitchell SL, Osgood GM, Shafiq B. Catastrophic Failure of a Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polyetheretherketone Intramedullary Nail: A Case Report. JBJS Case Connect. 2018;8(4):e83.
Mitchell SL*, Ray E*, Cordeiro PG. Miniature Negative Pressure Dressings on Forearm Donor Sites after Radial Forearm Flap Harvest: A Report of 10 Cases. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2018;6(6):e1838.