Mistretta earned a doctoral degree in high energy physics from Harvard University in 1968.
[3] Mistretta shared the 1998 J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine with Graeme Bydder.
[4] In 2004, Mistretta was elected a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
[5] He became a member of the United States National Academy of Engineering in 2014.
[6] In 2017, the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements awarded Mistretta the Gray Medal.