Dr. Carl Bell exemplified a pillar for public mental health in the black community. His passing in August of 2019 closely followed his keynote speech delivered at the National Medical Association’s annual meeting in Hawaii.
Dr. Bell transitioned from this dimension during a time when it is still undeniably challenging to identify minority male psychiatrists dedicated to treating the underserved. Dr. Carl Bell dedicated his career to researching the intricacies of minority mental health and he insisted that we improve healthcare access in underserved communities.
Dr. Carl Bell dedicated much of his phenomenal career to treating African-Americans on the south side of Chicago. I met his acquaintance during his ownership and directorship of The Community Mental Health Council. The Community Mental Health Council brought mental healthcare treatment to blacks in Chicago for nearly 20 years.
Under Dr. Carl Bell’s clinical mentorship, I completed an adult psychiatry residency at The University of Illinois at Chicago. Pursuing a career in Psychiatry at that time was and still is today wrought with