William L Bell, M.D.
Associate Professor
Clinical Interests: EEG, Epilepsy, Director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center
Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery
EDUCATION:
1973 Baylor University, Waco, Texas, B.S. (Biology), Cum Laude
1977 Wake Forest University School of Medicine,
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, M.D.
POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING:
1977-1980 North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Internship & Residency in Internal Medicine
1980 Institute of Neurology
The National Hospital
Queen Square, London, England
1980-1983 University of Texas
Southwestern Medical School and Affiliated Hospitals
Dallas, Texas
Residency in Neurology
1987-1989 Duke University Medical Center
Durham, North Carolina
Fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology
UNIFORMED SERVICE:
1983-1987 U.S. Air Force Medical Center
Scott Air Force Base, Illinois
Major, Chief of Neurology Service
Chief of Special Medicine Division
(Neurology, Allergy, Dermatology)
Department of Medicine
Attending, Family Practice Residency Program
PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE:
1978 North Carolina, #22887 (active)
1981 Texas, #F0014 (active)
SPECIALTY CERTIFICATION:
1980 American Board of Internal Medicine, #79048
1986 American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, #28686
1989 American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology
1992 American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, #15
with added qualification in Clinical Neurophysiology
2000 American Board of Sleep Medicine
2003 American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, #15
with added qualification in Clinical Neurophysiology
(re certification)
Dr. Bell was raised in Dallas, Texas and graduated from Baylor University with a B.S. in Biology in 1973. He then moved to Winston-Salem where he graduated from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in 1977 and completed a residency in internal medicine at North Carolina Baptist Hospital in 1980. In 1980 he spend four months at the Institute of Neurology, Queen's Square, London, England. Returning to his hometown he completed a neurology residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in 1983. From 1983 until 1987 he was chief of neurology at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. He returned to North Carolina and completed a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology, epilepsy and sleep medicine at Duke University Medical Center in 1989. From 1989 until 1993 he was on the faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School where he became director of the EEG laboratory and co-director of the neurology residency program. He join the faculty at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in 1993 where he became director of the EEG laboratory, the epilepsy monitoring unit and facilitated development of the epilepsy surgery program. He is currently director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.
Dr. Bell is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American Clinical Neurophysiologic Society, and the American Epilepsy Society where is on the Epilepsy and Employment Task Force. He is also a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Christian Medical and Dental Society and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians.
His research interests include localization of seizure foci using ictal semiology, comparative neuroimaging in epilepsy surgery candidates, gene expression in human epileptic tissue and more recently assessment of the utility of antibodies to AMPA receptors in the evaluation of epilepsy patients. He has also participated in numerous clinical drug trials for the treatment of epilepsy.
Web Presentations:
Management of Single Seizure
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Journal Articles:
Maloney SR, Bell WL, Shoaf SC, Blair D, Bastings EP, Good DC, Quinlivan L. Measurement of lingual and palatine somatosensory evoked potentials. Clinical Neurophysiology 2000;111: 291-296.
Dodrill CB, Arnett JL, Deaton R, Lenz GT, Sommerville KW and the Tiagabine Investigators (including Dr. Bell) Tiagabine versus phenytoin and carbamazepine as add-on therapies: effects on abilities, adjustment and mood. Epilepsy Research 2000;42:123-132.
Braunstein AJ, Bell WL. Keep alert for signs of sleep apnea. Practical Neurology 2002; 1:30-35.
Dellabadia J, Bell WL, Keyes JW, Mathews VP, Glazier SS. Assessment and cost comparison of sleep-deprived EEG, MRI and PET in the prediction of surgical treatment for epilepsy. Seizure 2002; 11:303-309.
Braunstein AJ, Bell WL. Recognizing signs and symptoms of sleep apnea. Federal Practitioner 2002;19:12-19.
White JR, Bell WL. Dysphonia associated with carotidynia and migraine responding to dihydroergotamine. Headache 2003;43:69-71.
Shashi V, White JR, Pettenati MJ, Root SK, and Bell WL. Ring chromosome 17: Phenotype variation by deletion size. Clinical Genetics 2003:64: 361-365.
Beydoun A, Uthman BM, Kugler AR, Greiner MJ, Knapp LE, Garofalo EA, and the Pregabalin 1008–009 Study Group (including Dr. Bell). Safety and efficacy of two pregabalin regimens for add-on treatment of partial epilepsy. Neurology 2005;64:475-480.
Zhang C, Glenn DG., Bell WL,. O'Donovan, CA. Gabapentin-induced myoclonus in end-stage renal Disease. Epilepsia 2005;46 (1), 156-158.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
MEDIA/COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
The Management of the Single Seizure
http://www1.wfubmc.edu/medicalcenter/pp/neurology/bell/singleszgraylyn_files/frame.htm
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
In the early part of the 20th century, Wilder Penfield, a neurosurgeon, and Herbert Jasper, a neurologist, showed the world how epilepsy could be a window to not only abnormal but also normal brain function during the intraoperative evaluation of the awake patient. With stimulation mapping, they were able to induce experiential phenomena including complex visual scenes, music, thoughts and human voices. It is into this fascinating window that I encourage first and second year students to peer - past the cellular mechanisms and beyond the horror of disease to gaze upon the beautiful landscape of cortical function.
During ward rounds, I stress to the residents and students not to treat the patient as simply a body with a disease. Every patient has a story that includes his education, job, family, fears, hopes and aspirations. I encourage the residents and students to let the patients tell their story before they attempt to manage the neurologic problem. One favorite assignment is to give the students a copy of Oliver Sack's tale of the "Lost Mariner", a story about a man with a severe Korsakoff's syndrome whose memories were locked into a world before 1945 making it impossible for him to navigate the world of the 1970s. Seeing this man in the context of his life gives a picture of an amnestic disorder that is more unforgettable than any textbook description. I have found that once the student's imagination is stirred in this manner, he is more likely to understand the components of the mental status examination.
For residents and fellows, I encourage scholarly presentations at meetings and submission of papers to peer-reviewed journals. Even though many will go into private practice, the intensive investigation and skills required for these projects invigorate the training process and sometimes even alter career plans. Even writing a case report will thrust them into the literature and encourage them to apply critical clinical knowledge.