Heather Bell, MD

Dr. Heather Bell initially began her career as a rural primary care physician. With the surge in opioid prescribing and the mounting opioid epidemic, in 2015 she began an opioid stewardship program that has since led to pilot programs in 12 additional Minnesota communities. This program, TOWNs, enables these communities to focus efforts on appropriate opioid prescribing and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment with technical assistance provided by Dr. Bell. After notable success in her local programs, Dr. Bell started co-facilitating Minnesota’s first ProjectECHO, focused on opioid prescribing and addiction topics. The ECHO program, over time, grew to include programs for medical students, physician assistant students, and even COVID! Her passion in this field then led her to pursue her board certification in Addiction Medicine. Dr. Bell's work has, most notably, led her to recognition: the American Hospital Association (AHA) NOVA award, the 2020 Minnesota Medical Association (MMA) Presidents Award, the University of Minnesota Medical Schools Early Career Alumni Award, and the Minnesota Academy for Family Physicians (MAFP) Family Physician of the year. She has practiced as a rural, full spectrum family physician, as a medical director and provider in correctional healthcare, as an outpatient addiction physician and, currently, is a staff physician at Hazelden Betty Ford in Center City, MN. She co-hosts a podcast, Addiction2Recovery, which focuses on the intersection of the medical and recovery communities, highlighting educational addiction and recovery related topics, testimonials from individuals in recovery, and programs and services for those in active addiction or recovery, family and support systems, and the general population.