Jesse Bell

Jesse E. Bell, PhD is Director of Water, Climate and Health at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) at the University of Nebraska and the Claire M. Hubbard Professor of Water, Climate, and Health in the Department of Environmental, Agricultural, and Occupational Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), with a joint appointment in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

At DWFI, Dr. Bell leads initiatives that advance understanding of the complex relationships among water, agriculture, climate variability, environmental change, and human health. His work brings together experts across disciplines to develop evidence-based solutions that strengthen water security, improve public health, enhance agricultural resilience, and inform policy and decision-making in Nebraska and around the world. Through partnerships with academic institutions, government agencies, international organizations, and communities, he works to translate research into practical strategies that address emerging environmental challenges.

Dr. Bell also serves as the founding director of the Water, Climate and Health Program at UNMC, where he established the program's strategic vision and helped build an interdisciplinary program supporting faculty, staff, students, and collaborators across multiple institutions. His research focuses on how environmental and climate change influence human health, with a particular focus on drought, water quality, extreme weather, and environmental exposures. He has led pioneering work examining the health impacts of drought, including the development of national strategies to integrate public health into drought preparedness. He has also led efforts to advance understanding of agricultural contaminants, including nitrate, and their impacts on human health while improving the communication of science to inform public health and water management decisions.

Before joining the University of Nebraska, Dr. Bell held a unique interagency appointment between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he helped integrate climate and environmental information into public health decision-making and strengthened collaboration between the two agencies.

Dr. Bell is an internationally recognized scholar whose extensive body of peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and technical reports has advanced understanding of the complex interactions among water, climate, agriculture, environmental change, and human health. He served as a lead author of the U.S. Global Change Research Program report The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment and as a contributing author to the Human Health chapter of the Fifth U.S. National Climate Assessment. His interdisciplinary research bridges science, policy, and practice by developing evidence and practical tools that strengthen community resilience, support sustainable water management, and inform public health decision-making.