Sonia Bell, Emory University School of Medicine
As the senior administrator for the Serious Communicable Diseases Program, Bell establishes policies and procedures and organizes the recruitment and training of health care personnel working in the unit. In 2014, when Emory University was the first facility in the United States to care for patients with Ebola virus disease, Bell’s leadership was absolutely critical.
Her efforts not only allowed Emory to successfully care for four Ebola patients, but also to maintain the safety of the health care personnel. This highly unique achievement, in addition to her work on the Emory Ebola website, led to Emory’s international recognition as a leading institution for outstanding patient care and research.
Additionally, Bell has brought in more than $30 million in grant funding to support the work of the program, obtaining grants from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. Further, she has coordinated training programs for those who want to learn how to establish a similar infectious diseases program. To date, she has trained more than 600 health care workers and public health officials from around the world.
She has been one of two primary coordinators for the National Ebola Training and Education Center, a consortium of Emory, the University of Nebraska and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, with the goal of improving U.S. preparedness for outbreaks of Ebola and other serious communicable diseases. She also worked with the State of Georgia’s Department of Public Health to improve infectious disease preparedness in the state.
Read more about the other Emory University Award of Distinction honorees.
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