Dr. Bell is a fellowship-trained head and neck oncologic surgeon whose clinical activity, teaching and research is devoted to the comprehensive surgical management of patients with head and neck cancer, including tumors of the oral cavity (mouth), pharynx (throat), larynx (voicebox), thyroid and salivary glands.
Dr. Bell oversees a multidisciplinary team dedicated to the care of patients with head and neck cancer through his role as Medical Director of the Providence Head and Neck Cancer Program and Clinic at Providence Cancer Institute and Earle A. Chiles Research Institute at the Robert W. Franz Cancer Center.
Dr. Bell has pioneered the use of virtual surgical planning in head and neck surgery and was one of the first surgeons on the U.S. west coast to perform transoral robotic surgery for oropharyngeal and laryngeal cancer. Dr. Bell has fostered an institutional commitment to head and neck cancer immunotherapy research through numerous scientific collaborations. His research efforts are currently directed toward promoting application of novel findings to the clinic, enhancing tissue collection for scientific interrogation, and the design of novel therapeutic and biomarker trials in head and neck cancer.
Using his surgical practice to run phase I and phase II trials studying reversal of immunosuppression through monoclonal antibody and vaccine therapy, Dr. Bell bridges basic, translational and clinical activities. His work has resulted in over 150 scientific articles and book chapters, and he is co-editor of two major textbooks, including Oral, Head and Neck Oncology and Reconstructive Surgery. In addition, he has given more than 250 invited lectures, highlighting his interests in virtual surgical planning, transoral robotic surgery and immunotherapy for head and neck cancer.