Jesse E. Bell, PhD
Claire M. Hubbard Professor of Water, Climate and Health
Director, Water, Climate and Health Program, UNMC
Director, Water, Climate and Health, University of Nebraska Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, University of Nebraska
Associate Professor, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Since joining UNMC in 2018, Jesse E. Bell, PhD, has held several faculty and leadership roles within UNMC and the larger University of Nebraska system.
Dr. Bell now is the Claire M. Hubbard Professor of Water, Climate and Health in the UNMC College of Public Health Department of Environmental, Agricultural and Occupational Health, where he also is director of the Water, Climate and Health program. He is director of Water, Climate and Health in the University of Nebraska Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute. He also is an associate professor in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
He is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Environmental Health at Emory University in Atlanta.
Dr. Bell previously served as a guest researcher and senior climate science consultant in the Mycotic Diseases Branch and the Climate and Health Program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He was a research scholar and associate in the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites at North Carolina State University
He was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biology at Wake Forest University in Winstom-Salem, North Carolina.
- 2009 PhD, The University of Oklahoma
- 2003 BS, Emporia State University
Dr. Bell's research explores the relationships of extreme weather, climate variability, and climate change on natural and human processes. The climate that we experience controls much of the world around us. When our climate abruptly changes or gradually shifts, there can be related consequences to both our communities and our health. The goal of his work is to understand these linkages between climate and health, so that we can help prepare our populations for climate- and weather-related disasters. To determine these relationships, he uses a variety of climate and environmental data sources to explore associations with human health outcomes. Much of his experience in this field comes from his previous position, where he created the first joint research position between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The role of this dual appointment was to provide a mechanism to integrate NOAA climate and environmental data into CDC health projects.
This work provided him firsthand experience that is now the foundation for his current research. In addition to this, his participation as a lead author for the U.S. Global Change Research Program report “The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment” that was released by the White House in 2016 has also shaped his professional interests. A key finding of this report is that climate change is a significant threat to the health of the American people and that every American is vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change. As this finding suggests, there are many research opportunities to evaluate and understand the role of climate on human health. By accomplishing this work, we have the potential to save lives and create more climate resilient communities.
- Ebi, K. L., Vanos, J., Baldwin, J. W., Bell, J. E., Hondula, D. M., Errett, N. A., ... & Berry, P. (2021). Extreme weather and climate change: population health and health system implications. Annual review of public health, 42, 293-315.
- Bartelt-Hunt, S. L., & Bell, J. E. (2021). Surface and Groundwater Contamination, Community and Ecosystem Exposures Are the Unintentional Consequences from “Recycling” Treated Seed Products. Environmental Science & Technology, 55(9), 5605-5607.
- Bell, J.E., Lookadoo, R., Wheeler, S., and Dethlefs, C. (2020). Case Study – The 2019 Floods in the Central U.S. Lessons for Improving Health, Health Equity, and Resiliency. In Lancet Countdown, 2020: 2020 Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change Policy Brief for the United States of America. Salas RN, Lester PK, Hess JJ. Lancet Countdown U.S. Policy Brief, London, United Kingdom.
- Lookadoo, R. E. & Bell, J. E. (2020) Public health policy actions to address health issues associated with drought in a changing climate. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 48, 653-663.
- Lynch, K. M., Lyles, R. H., Waller, L. A., Abadi, A. M., Bell, J. E.*, & Gribble, M. O.* (2020). Drought severity and all-cause mortality rates among adults in the United States: 1968–2014. Environmental Health, 19, 1-14. *equal contribution to the work
- American Meteorological Society
- American Geophysical Union
- Oxford Half Degree Additional warming, Prognosis and Projected Impacts (HAPPI)