About

Professor Elizabeth F Bell, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine at The University of Chicago. She specializes in infectious diseases, focusing on treating and preventing infections in immunocompromised adults, including those with solid organ or stem cell transplants and patients receiving chemotherapy. Dr. Bell is dedicated to her patients and aims to achieve positive outcomes by navigating complex diagnostic challenges presented by infectious diseases. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Bell has research interests in medical education and antimicrobial stewardship. She serves as the Assistant Program Director for the Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program and as the Associate Medical Director for the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at the university. Her work in antimicrobial stewardship emphasizes the judicious use of antibiotics to combat antimicrobial resistance and improve patient outcomes.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Demography
• Oncology
• Virology
• Biology
• Emergency medicine
• Immunology
• Pediatrics
• Database

Selected publications

• Treating concomitant human immunodeficiency virus and monkeypox virus infection

  Elsevier eBooks · 2025-01-01

  book-chapter
  PublisherDOI

• Microbiota profiling to predict clinical events post-heart transplantation 3122

  The Journal of Immunology · 2025-11-01

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Description Human studies have correlated changes in microbiota profiles with clinical outcomes including allograft rejection and postoperative infection, but these data exist mostly outside of heart transplantation (HT). The impact of the microbiota and any identified microbial taxa in these clinical HT outcomes is not clear. We have previously identified distinct microbial composition and reduced immunomodulatory metabolite concentrations in peri-transplant fecal samples from HT recipients compared to healthy donors. Here, we investigated the relationship between peri-transplant fecal microbial composition and postoperative infection risk. Metagenomic sequencing was used to determine peri-transplant fecal microbiota profiles of 121 HT recipients and infections occurring in the first 100 days following transplantation were aggregated. We found a strong correlation between reduced gut microbial diversity and incidence of postoperative infection. Notably, patients who developed infections had an expansion of potentially pathogenic taxa, while uninfected patients had more abundant obligate anaerobic taxa. Preliminary data suggests a potential causal relationship between reduced microbial diversity and increased susceptibility to/severity of systemic infection in mice. Further metabolomic profiling may identify additional causative mechanisms for infection and help develop strategies to preserve or restore the microbiome of HT patients. Funding Sources Supported by NIH/NIAID T32AI007090; NIH/NIAID R01 AI115716; UChicago DFI Multidisciplinary Grant Topic Categories Transplantation Immunology (TRAN)

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• P-1786. Implementation of a Clinical Pathway to Educate Clinicians on Changing Epidemiology

  Open Forum Infectious Diseases · 2025-01-29

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Background Since 8/31/2022, 39,998 new arrivals have made Chicago their home, with the majority coming from Latin America. Epidemiological diversity in these countries of origin as well as infection risks encountered on the journey to the US have resulted in increased requests for advice from Infectious Diseases (ID) specialists and a need for rapid education of clinicians, raising the question of how to best address this knowledge gap. Initial Triage Algorithm Clinicians are directed to this algorithm when first presented with a febrile new arrival or returning traveler. Methods Using Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) data, Epic® (Verona, WI), CDC’s online information for clinicians, and expert advice, we quantified relevant epidemiologic changes, curated a list of high priority topics, and developed an algorithmic approach to fever in new arrivals for the general clinician. After three cycles of revision within our interdisciplinary Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP), this document was uploaded to the highly utilized ASP website for all providers on 4/26/2024. Differential Diagnosis Assistance after Malaria Ruled Out Clinicians are directed to this figure after completing the initial algorithm and ruling out malaria to consider additional neglected tropical diseases in their differential diagnosis. Results On review of epidemiologic data, we found that Chicago had 0 Measles cases in 2019, 5 cases in 2023, and 64 cases in 2024 as of 4/23/2024. Varicella incidence in Chicago rose from a median of 53 cases/year during 2005-2022 to roughly 400 cases in 2023, with 322 confirmed cases arising from new arrival shelters, and nearly half occuring among adults 18 years and older. University of Chicago Medicine (UCM) diagnosed an average of 3.7 cases of malaria from 2010-2021, 7 cases in 2022, and 9 cases in 2023. The New Arrivals Clinical Pathway, informed by these epidemiologic changes, provides general guidance on diagnosis and treatment for high frequency infections and a basic risk assessment strategy for high consequence pathogens. It also provides instructions on how to isolate individuals based on risk factors and clinical features and directs clinicians to contact Infection Control and ID specialists when appropriate. New Arrivals Clinical Pathway Table of Contents, Section 1: Fever in a Returning Traveler/New Arrival Schema When first opening the New Arrivals Clinical Pathway, clinicians are presented with these stepwise instructions in section 1, easily navigable via hyperlinks to relevant content. Conclusion The ongoing influx of new arrivals into Chicago, coupled with a housing crisis and congregant living conditions in shelters have rapidly changed the epidemiology of infectious diseases in Chicago, in turn creating a need for rapid education of clinicians. Using an easily accessible, readable, algorithmic model assists non-ID providers and ID trainees in triage and initial management of these increasingly common diseases. New Arrivals Clinical Pathway Table of Contents, Section 2: List of Neglected/Tropical Diseases to Consider Section 2 provides a convenient reference for neglected tropical diseases for all clinicians taking care of recent arrivals and returning travelers. It is organized by geographic region, and provides details regarding diagnosis, treatment, and infection control requirements for each disease. Disclosures Jennifer Pisano, MD, Beckman Coulter: Advisor/Consultant

  PublisherDOI

• Effectiveness over time of a primary series of the original monovalent COVID-19 vaccines in adults in the United States

  PLoS ONE · 2025-05-06 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  With data from 2 US claims databases (Optum, CVS Health) supplemented with Immunization Information System COVID-19 vaccine records, we evaluated overall and time-specific vaccine effectiveness (VE) of an initial primary series for 3 monovalent COVID-19 vaccines-BNT162b2, mRNA-1273, and JNJ-7836735-in adults (18-64 years). Vaccinated individuals were matched to unvaccinated comparators, and we estimated VE against any medically diagnosed COVID-19 and hospital/emergency department (ED)-diagnosed COVID-19. Additionally, we estimated VE by era of predominant variants, in subgroups, and compared across vaccine brands. The cohorts consisted of 341,097 (Optum) and 1,151,775 (CVS Health) matched pairs for BNT162b2; 201,604 (Optum) and 651,545 (CVS Health) for mRNA-1273; and 49,285 (Optum) and 149,813 (CVS Health) for JNJ-7836735. The study period began 11 December 2020 (date of first COVID-19 vaccine availability in the US) and ended 15 January 2022 in Optum and 31 March 2022 in CVS Health. Summary VE estimates from meta-analysis against hospital/ED-diagnosed COVID-19 were: BNT162b2, 77% (95% CI, 76%-78%); mRNA-1273, 84% (95% CI, 83%-85%), JNJ-7836735 66% (95% CI, 63%-68%). VE estimates were higher for hospital/ED-diagnosed COVID-19 than for medically diagnosed COVID-19, and VE estimates were highest in adults receiving mRNA-1273 for both outcomes. VE was sustained for approximately 7 months for medically diagnosed and up to 9 months for hospital/ED-diagnosed COVID-19. VE differed by brand and variant era. Ongoing real-world surveillance of COVID-19 vaccines using robust data sources and methodology is needed as new variants and recommendations for updated vaccines have evolved.

  PublisherDOI

• 434. Reduced Gut Microbiome Diversity and Compositional Characteristics are Associated with Postoperative Infection in Heart Transplant Recipients

  Open Forum Infectious Diseases · 2025-01-29

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Background The human microbiome has been linked to important clinical outcomes, including postoperative infection. Loss of diversity has been associated with drug resistant organism colonization, infection, immune defenses, epithelial barrier integrity, and death. The microbiome’s role in postoperative infection among heart transplant (HT) recipients remains poorly understood.Table 1Clinical CharacteristicsTable 1 Clinical Characteristics: Characteristics noted by number and percent or mean and Standard Deviation where appropriate. Abbreviations: ICM – Ischemic Cardiomyopathy; NICM – Non-ischemic cardiomyopathy; CKD – Chronic Kidney Disease; COPD – Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Methods Stool microbiomes for 121 HT recipients were determined by metagenomic sequencing. Infections occurring in the first 100 days following transplant were aggregated. Infection was defined as the presence of a compatible clinical syndrome and a positive test result via culture, PCR, serology, or imaging. To determine if infection risk was related to stool microbiome composition, samples at the time of transplant were shotgun sequenced and taxonomy was determined using MetaPhLan 4. Alpha diversity was measured by inverse Simpson, beta diversity was measure by Bray-Curtis dissimilarity.Table 2:Infection Microbiology and Diagnoses Results Average age at HT was 53.6 years and 73% were male, and the cause of heart failure in 71% was nonischemic cardiomyopathy. 194 infections occurred among 72 (60%) patients (Table 2). The most common infections were pneumonia, bloodstream, surgical site, and urinary. Most infections were caused by bacteria, specifically Enterobacerales and Enterococci. (Table 2) Stool microbial Alpha diversity was lower in patients who developed infection; p=0.0026. (Figure 1) Stool microbiome composition also differed significantly between groups. Patients with postoperative infection experienced more single species expansions, most notably Enterococcus and Enterobacterales, which were common etiologies of infection. (Figure 2) Uninfected patients had more abundant obligate anaerobic taxa including Bacteroidetes, Lachnospiraceae, and Ruminococcaceae.Figure 1Alpha and Beta Diversity of Stool Microbiota: A. Stool microbiome alpha-diversity by inverse Simpson p= 0.0026 Wilcoxon. B. Stool microbiome beta-diversity by PcoA Bray-Curtis Dissimilarity p=0.026 PERMANOVA. Conclusion The stool microbiome of HT patients with postoperative infection is marked by lower alpha diversity and notable compositional differences including Enterococci and Enterobacterales expansion coupled with reduced Bacteroidetes, Lachnospiraceae, and Ruminococcaceae. Further study into the interaction between these organisms and the host are needed to better understand their role in infection. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

  PublisherDOI

• Too soon to grow: linking gut health to early puberty onset

  Pediatric Research · 2025-11-15

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Reduced Density of Commensal Gut Microbial Species is Associated with Post Heart Transplant Infection

  The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation · 2025-04-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• P-960. Improving Resident Education on the Inpatient Infectious Disease Consult Service

  Open Forum Infectious Diseases · 2025-01-29

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Background Education in infectious disease (ID) is a critical part of an internal medicine curriculum. As the infectious disease consult service is typically high volume and busy, residents and other trainees were often not receiving adequate training in less common infectious conditions or didactic training in common conditions that may be relevant for their future practice or internal medicine board exams. Our Quality Improvement project sought to improve training for residents and medical students through the integration of high-yield lecture services given on the Adult ID consult service.Figure 1:Pre/Post Test Results of Internal Medicine Residents These are the reported correct responses, in terms of percentage of residents who responded correctly to the case-based multiple choice question, to a pre and post test of six specific high-yield topics in Infectious Diseases. Methods During the academic year of 2022-2023, for the Adult ID Consult Service, a series of high-yield lectures were given three times a week from a set of 10 potential lecture topics, as chosen by the volunteer faculty or ID fellow lecturer. Following our first Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle evaluation in July 2023, the lectures were standardized to a fixed rotating schedule of the 6 highest-yield topics. There was distributed a survey with a pre-test before the rotation, and a follow-up survey and post-test following the rotation. Post-intervention Interest in Career in ID among Internal Medicine Residents 15.4% (n=2) of internal medicine residents responded yes they would, and 38.5% (n=5) responded somewhat more likely, to consider a career in Infectious Diseases (ID) following the rotation. Results 44 Internal Medicine Residents took the initial Adult ID survey and pretest, and 13 people took the post-rotation evaluation survey and post-test. 100% of participants felt the rotation fully or somewhat helped prepare for the Adult ID section of Internal Medicine boards. 92.3% (n=12) felt the majority of cases on rotation to be interesting. 15.4% (n=2) responded yes and 38.5% (n=5) responded somewhat more likely to consider ID as a career. 100% (n=13) of post-test participants responded with strongly agree (n=7, 53.8%) or agree (n=6, 46.2%) on enjoying the Adult ID rotation. Additionally, scores on the post-test improved from the pre-test for most residents, along with an improvement in Internal Medicine in-training exam scores from 2021 to 2023. Conclusion A didactic series with a set lesson plan that is delivered in a low-stress way can be helpful for engaging learners, enhance the educational experience of the learner, help supplement preparation for internal medicine board exams, and prepare the learner for their future practice. Additionally, as there is a growing need for infectious diseases fellows, this may improve recruitment efforts. Disclosures Aniruddha Hazra, MD, Gilead Sciences: Advisor/Consultant|Gilead Sciences: Grant/Research Support|ViiV Healthcare: Advisor/Consultant

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Sonication for Fracture-Related Infection: The Devil Is in the Details

  Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma · 2025-10-14 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• An outpatient antimicrobial stewardship needs assessment

  Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen access

  Outpatient providers at a large urban academic tertiary care referral center were surveyed regarding their current antibiotic prescribing practices and views on antimicrobial stewardship in their practice setting. Many clinical and non-clinical factors shape providers' decision-making regarding antibiotic prescribing. Electronic medical record based interventions were a favored stewardship strategy.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• John D. Seeger

  Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research

  18 shared

• Kandace L. Amend

  Optum (United States)

  18 shared

• Jennifer Song

  Optum (United States)

  16 shared

• Patricia C. Lloyd

  Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research

  16 shared

• Lauren Peetluk

  New England College of Optometry

  16 shared

• Tainya C. Clarke

  United States Food and Drug Administration

  16 shared

• Rachel P. Ogilvie

  New England College of Optometry

  16 shared

• Lisa B. Weatherby

  Optum (United States)

  16 shared

Labs

• Elizabeth F Bell LabPI