Michelle L. Bell, PhD
she/her/hers
Mary E. Pinchot Professor and Sr. Assoc. Dean of Research and Director of Doctoral Studies at the School of the Environment and Professor of Environmental HealthDownloadHi-Res Photo
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Additional Titles
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Contact Info
School of the Environment
195 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT 06511
United States
About
Titles
Mary E. Pinchot Professor and Sr. Assoc. Dean of Research and Director of Doctoral Studies at the School of the Environment and Professor of Environmental Health
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Biography
Dr. Michelle Bell is the Mary E. Pinchot Professor of Environmental Health at the Yale University School of the Environment, with secondary appointments at the Yale School of Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences Division; the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs; and the Yale School of Engineering and Applied Science, Environmental Engineering Program. She serves as the Senior Associate Dean of Research and Director of Graduate Studies for the Yale School of the Environment. Her research investigates how human health is affected by atmospheric systems, including air pollution and weather. Much of this work is based in epidemiology, biostatistics, and environmental engineering. The research is designed to be policy-relevant and contribute to well-informed decision-making to better protect human health and benefit society. She is the recipient of the Prince Albert II de Monaco / Institut Pasteur Award, the Rosenblith New Investigator Award, and the NIH Outstanding New Environmental Scientist (ONES) Award. Dr. Bell holds degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S. in Environmental Engineering), Stanford University (M.S. in Environmental Engineering), University of Edinburgh (M.Sc. in Philosophy), and Johns Hopkins University (M.S.E. in Environmental Management and Economics and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering). She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
Last Updated on September 23, 2025.
Appointments
School of the Environment
ProfessorPrimaryChemical and Environmental Engineering
ProfessorSecondaryEnvironmental Health Sciences
ProfessorSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- MSc
- University of Edinburgh, Philosophy (2020)
- PhD
- Johns Hopkins University, Environmental Engineering (2002)
- MS
- Johns Hopkins University, Environmental Management and Economics (1999)
- MS
- Stanford University, Environmental Engineering (1994)
- BS
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Environmental Engineering (1992)
Research
Overview
Medical Research Interests
Environmental Health; Epidemiology
Public Health Interests
Climate Change; Epidemiology Methods; Environmental Health
ORCID
0000-0002-3965-1359- View Lab Website
Michelle Bell's Research Team
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Michelle L. Bell's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Michelle L. Bell's research output by year.
Research Interests
Research topics Michelle L. Bell is interested in exploring.
Nicole Deziel, PhD, MHS
Brian Leaderer, MPH, PhD
Kevin Sheth, MD
Kai Chen, PhD
Thomas M. Gill, MD
Yiqun Ma
395Publications
135,389Citations
Environmental Health
Publications
2025
Cross-Sectional Association of Ground-Level Ozone and Nitrogen Dioxide With Cardiac Mechanics Using Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography in the Cardiovascular Health Study.
Chang AY, Kaufman JD, Shah SJ, Tan AX, Patel RB, Margolis HG, Psaty BM, Gardin JM, Al-Kindi S, Austin TR, Bell ML, Chen K, Odden MC. Cross-Sectional Association of Ground-Level Ozone and Nitrogen Dioxide With Cardiac Mechanics Using Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Echocardiography 2025, 42: e70330. PMID: 41146536, DOI: 10.1111/echo.70330.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCritical windows of gestational exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and pregnancy loss in New Jersey, USA
Heo S, Leung M, Kioumourtzoglou M, Bell M. Critical windows of gestational exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and pregnancy loss in New Jersey, USA. 2025 DOI: 10.1093/ajeadv/uuaf009.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsFine particulate matterAdverse health effectsParticulate matterConcentrations of fine particulate matterExposure to fine particulate matterHealth effects of air pollutionEffects of air pollutionAir pollution impactsAir quality dataPM2.5 levelsQuasi-Poisson regression modelPollution impactsAir pollutionPM2.5New JerseyMeteorological factorsCritical windowWeeks exposureRelative riskQuality dataExposure-response relationshipBirth certificate dataPublic health policiesGestational weeksCertificate dataGlobal Excess Deaths Associated with Heatwaves in 2023 and the Contribution of Human-Induced Climate Change
Hundessa S, Huang W, Xu R, Yang Z, Zhao Q, Gasparrini A, Armstrong B, Bell M, Huber V, Urban A, Coelho M, Sera F, Tong S, Royé D, Kyselý J, de'Donato F, Mistry M, Tobias A, Íñiguez C, Ragettli M, Hales S, Achilleos S, Klompmaker J, Li S, Guo Y, Network M. Global Excess Deaths Associated with Heatwaves in 2023 and the Contribution of Human-Induced Climate Change. The Innovation 2025, 101110. DOI: 10.1016/j.xinn.2025.101110.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsHuman-induced climate changeExcess deathsWithin-week variationsQuasi-Poisson regression modelPublic health interventionsClimate changeHealth interventionsMortality dataMortality burdenDeath ratioClimate mitigation strategiesHigh-resolution climateAssociated with heatwavesMeta-RegressionHealth impactsDeath rateGlobal deathsRegression modelsHigher mortality rateSpatial heterogeneityClimate scenariosMortality rateHeatwavesMortalityComprehensive assessmentStatistical downscaling of coarse-resolution fine particulate matter predictions over the contiguous United States: model development, evaluation, and implication in health impact assessment
Farzad K, Zhang Y, Wang K, Chen X, Goldberg D, Lyapustin A, Wang Y, Bell M. Statistical downscaling of coarse-resolution fine particulate matter predictions over the contiguous United States: model development, evaluation, and implication in health impact assessment. The Science Of The Total Environment 2025, 999: 180302. PMID: 40865438, DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180302.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAerosol optical depthContiguous United StatesWRF-ChemStatistical downscalingDownscaling approachHigh-resolution aerosol optical depthWeather Research and Forecasting modelGrid resolutionWRF-Chem outputStatistical downscaling approachAir quality modelsSpatial grid resolutionHealth impacts of air pollutionLand use dataImpact of air pollutionHigh-resolutionEnvironmental Benefits MappingFine particulate matterParticulate matter predictionHealth impactsOptical depthMulti-linear regressionQuality modelBenefits MappingHealth impact assessmentShort-term association between hot nights and mortality: a multicountry analysis in 178 locations considering hourly ambient temperature
Royé D, Sera F, Tobías A, Hashizume M, Honda Y, Kim H, Vicedo-Cabrera A, Tong S, Lavigne E, Kyselý J, Pascal M, de’Donato F, da Silva S, Madureira J, Huber V, Urban A, Schwartz J, Bell M, Armstrong B, Iñiguez C, Network M, Abrutzky R, de Sousa Zanotti Stagliorio Coelho M, Saldiva P, Correa P, Ortega N, Kan H, Osorio S, Gasparrini A, Achilleos S, Orru H, Indermitte E, Ryti N, Schneider A, Katsouyanni K, Analitis A, Mayvaneh F, Enteyari A, Raz R, Michelozzi P, Kim Y, Alahmad B, Cauchi J, Diaz M, Arellano E, Overcenco A, Klompmaker J, Carrasco G, Seposo X, Chua P, Holobaca I, Guo Y, Jaakkola J, Scovronick N, Acquaotta F, Lee W, Forsberg B, Ragettli M, Li S, Zanobetti A, Colistro V, Dang T, Van Dung. Short-term association between hot nights and mortality: a multicountry analysis in 178 locations considering hourly ambient temperature. Environment International 2025, 203: 109719. PMID: 40882422, DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2025.109719.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsPublic health strategiesHealth strategiesHot nightsMortality riskPreventive public health strategiesHourly ambient temperatureShort-term associationsHeat-related mortality riskMulticountry analysisDaily maximum temperatureDaily mortalityPooled resultsWarm seasonClimate changeMortalityAdaptation effortsAbsolute humidityMaximum temperatureRiskAssociationDecision-makingCritical window of gestational greenspace exposure for the risk of low birth weight
Heo S, Fong K, Son J, Bell M. Critical window of gestational greenspace exposure for the risk of low birth weight. Environmental Research Letters 2025, 20: 094028. PMID: 40822040, PMCID: PMC12355035, DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/adf86b.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsGreenspace exposureOdds ratioLow birthweightComplex exposure-response relationshipsInterquartile range increaseRisk of low birth weightWeeks 0Significant ORsGestational weeks 0Zip code levelCase-control studyLow birth weightCritical windowExposure-response relationshipRange increaseMaternal characteristicsBirth dataLogistic regressionBirth weightLate pregnancyPregnancyUS statesBirthweightExposure levelsRiskImpact of Ozone on Kidney Transplant Outcomes
Han S, You E, Ko A, Kwon S, Lee D, Kang E, Lee H, Kim D, Kim Y, Lim C, Al-Aly Z, Bell M, Lee W, Kim Y, Lee J. Impact of Ozone on Kidney Transplant Outcomes. American Journal Of Transplantation 2025 PMID: 40769423, DOI: 10.1016/j.ajt.2025.07.2487.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsAir pollutionAdverse effects of air pollutionHealth consequences of air pollutionEffects of air pollutionLong-term O3 exposureImpact of ozoneFine particulate matterConsequences of air pollutionParticulate matterMultipollutant modelsTime-varying Cox proportional hazards modelsAssociated with elevated riskPollutionAdverse effectsHealth consequencesOzoneLongitudinal cohort studyRisk of death-censored graft failureAll-Cause MortalityCox proportional hazards modelsMultipollutantExposureConcentrationProportional hazards modelPotential confoundersRainfall variability and under-five child mortality in 59 low- and middle-income countries
He C, Zhu Y, Guo Y, Bell M, Filippi V, Brimicombe C, Chen R, Kan H. Rainfall variability and under-five child mortality in 59 low- and middle-income countries. Nature Water 2025, 3: 881-889. DOI: 10.1038/s44221-025-00478-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsUnder-five child mortalityWet daysMiddle-income countriesChild mortalityDaily rainfall eventsEarth's hydrological cycleRainfall pattern changesChild healthHealth consequencesUnder-five child deathsRainfall surplusHydrological cycleRainfall amountRainfall eventsRainfall variabilityRainfall variationsSeasonal rainfallUnder-five mortalityAnnual rainfallLower educational attainmentRainfallRainfall scarcityClimate changeWater sourcesChild deathsDoes greenspace influence the associations between ambient temperature and violent crime? An observational study
Heo S, Choi H, Delaney S, James P, Bell M. Does greenspace influence the associations between ambient temperature and violent crime? An observational study. Environmental Research Letters 2025, 20: 084064. PMID: 40717740, PMCID: PMC12288829, DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/adef6a.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsViolent crimeViolent crime incidentsZip code levelCrime incidentsCrimeGreenspace indicatorsGreenspaceVegetation densityTree coverageZip codesLack of researchPercentage of vegetation areaDaily countsUrban greenery planningHigher vegetation densityLow vegetation densityZIPParking areaMean temperatureDaily mean temperaturePolicyTime series analysisParkRelative riskChicagoAssociation between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and severity of acute respiratory infections among young US children in the major cities in the United States: a claims-based cohort study
Foo D, Regan A, Heo S, Schneider E, Canner J, Song Y, Bell M. Association between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and severity of acute respiratory infections among young US children in the major cities in the United States: a claims-based cohort study. Open Forum Infectious Diseases 2025, ofaf442. DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofaf442.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsShort-term PM2.5 exposurePM2.5 exposureShort-term exposure to fine particulate matterIntensive care unitPrescription claimsClaims-based cohort studyExposure to fine particulate matterInterquartile range increaseAcute respiratory infectionsYoung US childrenChildren aged <5 yearsHealth insurance plansRisk of ICU admissionHospital-admittedLength of stayUS childrenInfluenza vaccination statusRange increasePrivate health insurance plansArea levelSeverity of acute respiratory infectionsHospital admissionCohort studyGeneralized linear modelInsurance plans
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
Activities
activity Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC)
06/22/2021 - PresentAdvisory BoardsMemberDetailsU.S. Environmental Protection AgencyThe Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) provides independent advice to the EPA Administrator on the technical bases for EPA's National Ambient Air Quality Standards.activity Landslides and mental health
01/01/2018 - PresentResearchDetailsJakarta, Indonesiaactivity Air pollution, temperature, and health
01/01/2016 - PresentResearchDetailsSeoul, South Koreaactivity Pollution - Heat-Related Mortality in Latin American Cities
01/01/2008 - PresentResearchDetailsSão Paulo, SP, Brazil; Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile; Mexico City, CDMX, MexicoAbstract/SynopsisProfessor Bell investigates how weather is associated with heat in Latin America, and in particular how heat-related mortality may differ by socio-economic status (SES). The project also examines the effects of air pollution on mortality, whether these relationships differ by SES, and looking at air pollution and weather together. The work is based on three cities: Santiago, Chile, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Mexico City, Mexico.
activity Pollution, Sandstorms, & Hospital Admission
01/01/2008 - PresentResearchDetailsChina; TaiwanAbstract/SynopsisProfessor Bell is examining the relationship between air pollution, sandstorms, and hospital admissions in Taiwan.
Honors
honor National Academy of Medicine
12/01/2020National AwardDetailsUnited States
News
News
- October 30, 2025Source: Why Should I Trust You?
A model for public health in the age of mistrust
- September 24, 2024
Long-term exposure to wildfire smoke associated with higher risk of death
- August 21, 2024
Wildfires: what you need to know to stay safe
- October 18, 2023Source: CT Public
Summer wildfires drove up asthma cases in NYC emergency rooms. What does that mean for CT?
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Contacts
Mailing Address
School of the Environment
195 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT 06511
United States