Please note that this post contains affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward MageeNews.com a small commission – at no extra cost to you.
A prominent pathologist and medical professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dr. Walter Bell shared insights of his career during a visit to Mississippi College.
Returning to his alma mater, Dr. Bell addressed students as he delivered this spring’s MC Medical and Dental Alumni Association Lecture.
The 1990 MC graduate recently spoke on the Clinton campus about pathology as a multi-faceted medical career.
Most people think they know pathology by what they see on TV shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “CSI: Los Angeles,” along with popular Hollywood movies. These entertaining programs spotlight pathologist medical examiners conducting autopsies to determine the cause of death. Dr. Bell told his MC audience what typically happens in the real world.
“My talk emphasized that while pathologists do perform autopsies, that isn’t a significant part of most pathologists’ careers,” says the Prattville, Alabama resident. Pathologists are often involved in hospital laboratories, serving as medical directors, or may work for pharmaceutical companies. They often spend lots of time doing surgical pathology, examining tissue samples submitted from patients to determine a diagnosis.
A 1994 graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson, Dr. Bell is an award-winning expert in his field. He’s spent his entire career (since 1999) with the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Pathology. During his 15 years on the main campus, he exclusively did surgical pathology with a focus on pathology of the head and neck. In 2013, UAB acquired the contract to provide pathology services to a Baptist hospital system in Montgomery and Prattville. Bell moved to the Montgomery area to serve as the system’s chief of pathology services. He’s responsible for quality assurance for laboratory testing at the three Alabama hospitals, among other things.
A member of the North American Society for Head and Neck, Dr. Bell’s long list of honors include his annual selection as one of the “Best Doctors in America” the past eight years. He’s written extensively on many topics – from bone tumors to safety in biomedical labs. He’s investigated tissue resources to support cancer research.
Dr. Bell’s in-depth knowledge of his complex field impressed Mississippi College students and educators.
“It’s wonderful to have the opportunity for our alumni to come back and invest in our students,” says biology professor Nathan Tullos. It gives these future medical professors a thorough look at the wide range of career paths and opportunities awaiting them, he added. “The Biology Department is blessed to have the strong support of alumni such as Dr. Bell.”
Bell, who attended high school in Rankin County, praised the undergraduate education he received as a Mississippi College biology major decades ago. He believes it would stack up quite well compared with any programs around the USA. “I left MC well-grounded in basic sciences and fully prepared for the challenges of medical school.”
The experiences Dr. Bell gained in molecular biology while working on his MC honors research project proved to be a significant influence in his choice of pathology as a specialty.
Dr. Bell’s Mississippi College ties run deep. His wife, Melissa, is a 1990 MC graduate with a master’s degree in English from the Christian university. Melissa serves as a principal at Evangel Classical Christian School in Alabaster, Alabama.
Their son, Charlie Bell, is a junior English major on the Clinton campus. Dr. Bell’s grandfather took MC classes many years ago. Dr. Bell’s mother and her sister are proud MC graduates who love the Blue & Gold. The pathologist’s sister and brother-in-law are MC grads, too, and their daughter is enrolled as a sophomore at the Baptist-affiliated university.
How strong are the pre-medical and dental programs at Mississippi College? An “A” grade would be fitting.
Last year, MC placed more than 120 students into medical and dental programs. Opened in 2013, MC’s 22,000-square-foot medical sciences building along College Street contains a cadaver lab, histology lab, first-rate research facilities, classrooms and much more. Launched in 2011, MC’s physician assistant program enrolls 90 graduate students at its Baptist Healthplex headquarters. University leaders applaud graduates like Dr. Walter Bell for helping make excellent programs on the Clinton campus even better.
Photo: Dr. Walter Bell
