Peter Alan Bell, DO, MBA, FACOEP-''dist,'' FACEP (born Jan. 21, 1958) is an American

osteopathic physician Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO or D.O., or in Australia DO USA) is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become licens ...

. He is the current Vice Provost and Dean at

Baptist College of Health Sciences Baptist Health Sciences University, formerly Baptist College of Health Sciences, is a private, coeducational, specialized college in Memphis, Tennessee operated by Baptist Memorial Health Care. The school was created through the expansion of the S ...

, now known as Baptist Health Sciences University in

Memphis, TN Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-most ...

. Additionally, Bell is nationally known for his continued work on health policy reform and the impact of health policy on the medical profession. Finally, Bell has served as president of the Ohio Osteopathic Association (OOA) and the National President of The

American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians The American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians (ACOEP) is a professional organization of emergency medicine physicians. It was founded in 1975. Active membership is open only to osteopathic (D.O.) medical physicians who have practiced e ...

(ACOEP).

Education

Bell was born in Abington, Pennsylvania, in 1958, to Clyde H. Bell and Dorothy B. Bell. His family moved to

Penfield, New York Penfield is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 36,242 at the 2010 census. The town was incorporated in 1810 by the proprietor Daniel Penfield, who purchased the town lands in 1795 and moved to the area in 1809 ...

, where he was a resident until his graduation from high school in 1976. After obtaining an undergraduate degree at

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...

in 1980, he then attended the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he obtained his

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO or D.O., or in Australia DO USA) is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become licens ...

(D.O.) degree in 1984. Post-graduation, Bell completed a traditional internship and a

residency Residency may refer to: * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or maintaining a residence in a given place ** Permanent residency, indefinite residence within a country despite not having citizenship * Residency (medicine), a stage of postgrad ...

family medicine Family medicine is a medical specialty within primary care that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and parts of the body. The specialist, who is usually a primary ...

, at the Metropolitan Hospital/Parkview, in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He then completed a second residency in emergency medicine at Grandview Hospital and Medical Center, located

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

. In 2008, Bell graduated first in his class from

Ohio University Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...

's Executive Masters in Business Program.

Career

In 1988, Bell became the emergency department medical director at OhioHealth Doctors Hospital in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

. In 1991, he founded the emergency medicine residency program at Doctors Hospital and since then has helped establish emergency medicine programs in other

midwestern states The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

. Ohio University College of Medicine (now the Ohio University

Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine The Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-HCOM) is the medical school of Ohio University and the only osteopathic medical school in the U.S. state of Ohio. Its mission is to emphasize the practice of primary care and train physicians to s ...

- OUHCOM) hired Bell as a regional dean in 1995 under

Barbara Ross-Lee Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O. (born June 1, 1942) is an American physician, academic, and the first African-American woman to serve as dean of a U.S. medical school; she is also known as the sister of global music sensation Diana Ross along with being t ...

, DO. In 2014, OUHCOM expanded and opened two more campuses at OhioHealth in

Dublin, Ohio Dublin is a city in Franklin, Delaware and Union counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 49,328 in the 2020 census with a census estimate of 49,037 in 2019. Dublin is a suburb of Columbus. The city of Dublin hosts the yearly Mem ...

, and at Cleveland Clinic. Bell was a key member in the creation and opening of the medical schools. Bell graduated in 2000 from the

American Osteopathic Association The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) is the representative member organization for the more than 176,000 osteopathic medical doctors (D.O.s) and osteopathic medical students in the United States. The AOA is headquartered in Chicago, Illinoi ...

(AOA) National Health Policy Fellowship and was chairman of the OOA’s Health Policy Committee from 2002 to 2017. His focus has always been on cost, quality, and access to care as well as

tort reform Tort reform refers to changes in the civil justice system in common law countries that aim to reduce the ability of plaintiffs to bring tort litigation (particularly actions for negligence) or to reduce damages they can receive. Such changes a ...

. From 1995–2004, Bell was editor-in-chief of the American College of Osteopathic Emergency Medicine Newsletter, ''The Pulse''. He is also on the ''Western Journal of Emergency Medicine'' Advisory Board from (2011–present) and joined the editorial board in 2013. Bell has participated in Grants and Research involving more than $100 million. He has published dozens of papers and editorials, led the development and implementation of hundreds of scholarly projects, and regularly presents at national and international forums. In 2012, Bell received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the

. In 2017, Bell was appointed dean of

Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) is a private graduate medical school located in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is one of the 17 colleges and schools located in Liberty University. LUCOM was the second osteopathic medical schoo ...

(LUCOM). Bell orchestrated the accreditation of the new medical school.

graduated its first class in May 2018. To celebrate this achievement, Dr.

Ben Carson Benjamin Solomon Carson Sr. (born September 18, 1951) is an American retired neurosurgeon and politician who served as the 17th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2017 to 2021. A pioneer in the field of neurosurgery, he ...

was invited to the graduation as the keynote speaker. Bell left Liberty University in December 2020. In September 2020, Bell earned Emeritus Status from the Ohio University Board of Trustees. In 2022, Bell was awarded the highest honor from the

for his service to the discipline. In addition to his work at Baptist Health Sciences University, Bell continues to serve as a faculty member for Doctors Hospital Emergency Medicine Residency.

Baptist Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine

In 2021, Bell was hired to develop a new College of Osteopathic Medicine in

. In October 2022, the university was awarded candidacy status by the

Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation The American Osteopathic Association's (AOA) Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) accredits medical schools granting the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree in the United States. The US Department of Education lists the Co ...

. The first class will matriculate in Fall 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Peter Alan Living people Hamilton College (New York) alumni University of New England (United States) alumni American osteopathic physicians Ohio University alumni 1958 births