Carl C. Bell, M.D.

2011 Solomon Carter Fuller Award Recipient

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Dr. Bell earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois in 1967 before obtaining his M.D. in psychiatry from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. He completed his residency in psychiatry at the Illinois State Psychiatric Institute in Chicago. Following his service in the US Navy from 1974 to 1976, Dr. Bell commenced his career as a community psychiatrist on Chicago's Southside.

Throughout his distinguished career spanning over 35 years, Dr. Bell made significant contributions to the field of psychiatry. He gained international recognition as a lecturer and author, delivering numerous presentations on topics such as mental wellness, violence prevention, and traumatic stress resulting from violence. In 2007, he was appointed to the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine, serving on both the Board on Children, Youth, and Families and the Board on Health Care Services. Dr. Bell authored The Sanity of Survival: Reflections on Community Mental Health and Wellness and co-authored Suicide and Homicide Among Adolescents. Additionally, he held the position of director at the Institute for Juvenile Research and served as a clinical professor.

A longstanding member of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), Dr. Bell played a pivotal role as a founding member of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC). He also founded the Community Mental Health Council on Chicago's South Side, which grew to become one of the largest community mental health clinics in the country. In recognition of his dedicated efforts to combat violence, Dr. Bell was honored as the inaugural recipient of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation's Minority Service Award in 2004. He held the esteemed title of Distinguished Life Fellow of the APA and received numerous APA accolades, including the Solomon Carter Fuller Award in 2011, the Agnes Purcell McGavin Award, and the APA Special Community Psychiatrist Award.