--- title: "Psych News Alert: Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Dies at Age 89" description: Pioneering African-American psychiatrist Mildred Mitchell-Bateman, M.D., died on January 25 in Charleston, W.Va., at  age 89. Mitchell-Batem... --- 2/1/12 12:00 AM # Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Dies at Age 89 ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/02/mildred-mitchell-bateman-dies-at-age-89.html) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/02/mildred-mitchell-bateman-dies-at-age-89.html) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/02/mildred-mitchell-bateman-dies-at-age-89.html) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/02/mildred-mitchell-bateman-dies-at-age-89.html) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/02/mildred-mitchell-bateman-dies-at-age-89.html) [![](https://static.hsstatic.net/BlogImporterAssetsUI/ex/missing-image.png)](https://static.hsstatic.net/BlogImporterAssetsUI/ex/missing-image.png) Pioneering African-American psychiatrist Mildred Mitchell-Bateman, M.D., died on January 25 in Charleston, W.Va., at  age 89. Mitchell-Bateman received her M.D. degree from the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1946, trained at Harlem Hospital, and completed a residency at the Menninger School of Psychiatry in Topeka. In 1962, she was named director of West Virginia’s Department of Mental Health, making her the first African-American woman to head a state agency there. During her 15-year tenure, she emphasized that care for the mentally ill in the state system must include both treatment and rehabilitation.   Mitchell-Bateman became the founding chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Marshall University’s new School of Medicine in 1977. There, she developed a close working relationship with state hospitals to enhance training opportunities and improve patient care. She was elected a vice-president of APA in 1973 and received the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. Huntington State Hospital was renamed in her honor in 1999. More about Mildred Mitchell-Bateman and other African-American psychiatrists can be found in the book, *[Black Psychiatrists and American Psychiatry,](http://appi.org/SearchCenter/Pages/SearchDetail.aspx?ItemId=2411)* edited by Jeanne Spurlock, M.D., from American Psychiatric Press. 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