Iris R. Bell

Dr. Iris R. Bell is a distinguished leader in integrative medicine and holistic health research, currently serving as a Research Professor at the College of Nursing and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson. With a prolific career that spans over four decades, Dr. Bell has made pioneering contributions to the fields of psychiatry, complementary and alternative medicine, and systems biology-based health interventions. Dr. Bell’s academic journey began with a magna cum laude degree in Biology from Harvard University. She went on to receive a PhD in Neuro- and Biobehavioral Sciences (1977) and an MD (1980) from Stanford University. She then completed her psychiatry residency and internship at the University of California – San Francisco in 1984, becoming board-certified in psychiatry. She is licensed in both conventional and homeopathic medicine in Arizona, holding MD and MD(H) designations, and is widely respected for her interdisciplinary expertise. Throughout her career, Dr. Bell has demonstrated a deep commitment to integrative healthcare, weaving together clinical practice, scientific research, and innovative thinking. Her research interests have spanned psychophysiology, biofeedback, nutrition, environmental medicine, herbalism, acupuncture, and homeopathy. She holds additional research faculty appointments at Bastyr University, the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, and the American Medical College of Homeopathy. One of her notable achievements includes leading a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded T32 training program for 10 years, which supported the training of multidisciplinary pre- and postdoctoral fellows in complementary and alternative medicine research. This positioned Dr. Bell as a national leader in developing evidence-based approaches within integrative health. In recent years, her research has explored the interface between complex systems science and health, particularly examining healing as a nonlinear dynamic process within the human body as a complex adaptive system. A significant area of focus has been the nanoparticle characteristics of homeopathically-prepared natural source materials—work that has earned her multiple NIH research grants, placing her among a small group of academics to achieve such recognition in homeopathy research. Dr. Bell’s influence extends through an impressive body of scholarly work, including 148 peer-reviewed research articles, 32 book chapters, and several books. She has served on the editorial boards of key journals such as Archives of Environmental Health, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, and Homeopathy: Journal of the Faculty of Homeopathy, while also acting as a reviewer for leading journals like PLOS One and The American Journal of Medicine. Recognized in Best Doctors in America in 1998, Dr. Bell continues to bridge conventional and holistic medical paradigms through her rigorous scientific inquiry and integrative vision. Her legacy is marked not only by the breadth of her research but also by her role in mentoring future generations of researchers committed to whole-person care. Iris Bell, MD, PhD has been a researcher and teacher in areas related to holistic, complementary and alternative/integrative medicine for over 30 years. She was chosen as one of the Best Doctors in the Pacific region of the US in 1996 and in the US in 1998. She has published over 150 professional papers and dozens of book chapters. Her current area of research is on the nanoparticle nature of homeopathic medicines and the interaction of alternative therapies and treatments with the person as a complex adaptive system. Currently Professor Emeritus of Family & Community Medicine, Dr. Bell has served on the faculties at Harvard Medical School, University of California San Francisco, and the University of Arizona. She graduated magna cum laude in biology from Harvard University and then received her PhD in Neuro- and Biobehavioral Sciences and MD from Stanford University. Her psychiatry internship and residency were at the University of California–San Francisco, and she is Board certified in Psychiatry with Added Qualification in Geriatric Psychiatry. She is licensed to practice conventional medicine in Arizona and California. You can also find some of Dr. Bell’s professional paper publication listings at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Bell+IR She was also nationally certified in biofeedback, a fellow of the American College of Nutrition, and is a licensed physician in homeopathy and integrated medicine in Arizona. Dr. Bell’s award-winning book is Getting Whole, Getting Well: Healing Holistically from Chronic Illness. She has published scores of professional papers and book chapters on her clinical research in addition to a monograph on environmental illness. On a lighter note, she wrote the funny, touching, inspirational and award-winning books, Chew on Things – It Helps You Think: Words of Wisdom from a Worried Canine, and The Chew on Things Workbook for Fellow Worriers, to celebrate her beloved soft-coated wheaten terrier Casey’s life and help people with anxiety disorders find ways to cope with humor and a touch of courage. Her passion is to teach people who find themselves with a chronic illness and are at the start of their own difficult journey home to themselves and to better health — a learning experience for us all. She is especially focused on helping people with Type 2 diabetes find a better path for themselves. She herself has been a Type 1 diabetic for over 25 years.