From Dysplasia to Advanced Stage Oral Cancer: An Update on Diagnosis and Treatment

Dr. Bell is a fellowship trained oral and maxillofacial/head and neck oncologic surgeon whose clinical practice is focused on the comprehensive surgical management of patients with head and neck cancer, including tumors of the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, thyroid and skull base. His primary research interest is in developing novel immunotherapy approaches to enhance the effectiveness of surgery for the treatment of head and neck cancer. Using his surgical practice to run clinical trials in the neoadjuvant setting, Dr. Bell’s work bridges basic, translational and clinical activities. He has also contributed to the clinical development of virtual surgical planning for head and neck reconstruction, transoral robotic surgery for the treatment of oropharyngeal cancer, and sentinel lymph node biopsy for patients with oral cancer. His work has been published in more than 200 scientific articles and book chapters and he is co-author of two major textbooks published by Elsevier, including "Oral, Head and Neck Oncology and Reconstructive Surgery". Dr. Bell founded the Providence Head and Neck Cancer Program in Oregon, assembling a multidisciplinary team to advance care through translational research and early phase clinical trials. He previously directed the Providence fellowship in head and neck oncologic and reconstructive microvascular surgery and has successfully mentored dozens of fellows and residents in surgery and clinical research. He has served on National Institutes of Health Head and Neck Steering Committee’s Immunotherapy Clinical Trials Planning Group and the Task Force on Previously Untreated/Locally Advanced (PULA) Disease. He has also served on a number of editorial boards for peer review journals and held leadership positions for a dozen national professional organizations.

Dr. Bell is currently Physician Executive at Providence, one of the nation’s largest health systems, treating more than 50,000 cancer patients each year. He is Director of the Division of Surgical Oncology, Radiation Oncology and Clinical Programs in the Providence Cancer Institute-Oregon, Medical Director of the Oncology Service Line for the Central Division (Oregon, Eastern Washington, Montana and Texas), and chair of the system-wide Cancer Leadership Council. Through multiple leadership appointments, as well as the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, a division of the Providence Cancer Institute-Oregon, Dr. Bell works with other inspired leaders towards ensuring all cancer patients treated in the Providence family of organizations have access to the most technologically advanced treatments and promising clinical trials.