Joseph Bell, MD, PhD

Joseph S. Bell, M.D., Ph.D., is a neurosurgeon and neuroscientist who has completed one of the longest and most rigorous training routes in medicine: the M.D.-Ph.D. physician-scientist pathway in neurosurgery. Today, he brings decades of training in research and patient care to patients at VCU Health and to students and residents at the School of Medicine.

“I love neurosurgery because our treatments can make dramatic improvements in quality of life. For me, there is no greater thrill than seeing a patient discover after surgery that their pain is improved or their ability to move is restored,” he said.

At VCU Health, Bell treats patients with complex neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, tremor, epilepsy, chronic pain, stroke, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury.

His clinical expertise includes the use of advanced therapies known as neuromodulation — including Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), Responsive Neurostimulation (RNS), Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) and High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) — to precisely target and modify abnormal neural activity.

Like other providers at VCU Health, Bell collaborates closely with multidisciplinary teams across neurology, critical care, anesthesia and rehabilitation medicine. For some conditions, like tremor or facial pain, a menu of treatments may be available and he guides patients to the best therapy for their needs.

“Many of my patients face very difficult problems,” he said. “My role is to integrate insights from across their care team to form a cohesive plan tailored to their individual needs. To get there requires a tremendous amount of communication, but it is one of the most rewarding parts of my job.”

A Virginia Beach native, Bell returned home to Virginia after completing his neurosurgery residency and an enfolded fellowship in Epilepsy and Functional Neurosurgery at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), followed by a fellowship in Neurocritical Care. He earned his medical degree and doctorate in neurobiology from Harvard Medical School, where his doctoral research explored how the brain encodes sensory information to drive behavior.

In addition to patient care, Bell serves an assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the School of Medicine and leads a research group that uses recordings of brain activity to better understand and treat neurological disease. His team’s recent work includes using advanced ultrasound techniques to study brain activity in patients recovering from coma.

Bell even gives some patients the opportunity to participate in research: many surgeries he performs involve waking the patient up for part of the surgery while his team has direct access to the brain. “This is a special circumstance that offers us a unique opportunity to study how the brain works,” he said. “Participation is always optional, but many people find the chance to contribute to making new knowledge to be interesting and rewarding,” he said. “One of my goals is for every patient to be offered the opportunity to participate in research if they want to.”

Outside of medicine, Bell enjoys spending time with his three children, playing music, cooking and cycling.