Departmental Affiliations
Center & Institute Affiliations
Suzanne Bell, PhD ’18, MPH, studies fertility and related behaviors, examining patterns of contraceptive use, abortion, and infertility and factors that contribute to disparities.
Research Interests
Contraception; Abortion; Fertility; Infertility; Family planning; Survey research; Measurement; Demography; Epidemiology
Experiences & Accomplishments
Dr. Suzanne Bell is a demographer who is committed to improving understanding of fertility and related behaviors at the population level and to identifying factors that contribute to disparities in reproductive outcomes. Specifically, her work examines patterns of induced abortion, contraceptive use, and infertility. Within each of these domains she conducts methodological work to improve the measurement of these phenomena and generate evidence that informs policy and programmatic efforts to address unmet sexual and reproductive health needs and related inequities.
Honors & Awards
2017 – Laurie Schwab Zabin Award
2017 – Edward J. Dehne Award in Population Dynamics
2015, 2016 – Endowed Fellowship in Family Planning and Reproductive Health
2015 – Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health Travel Scholarship
2015 – JHSPH Center for Global Public Health Research Scholarship
2014, 2015 – Robertson Scholarship
2010 – UC Berkeley Bixby Center for Population Health and Sustainability Practicum Fellowship
2009, 2010 – US Department of Education Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship
Select Publications
Select publications from last three years:
Bell SO (co-first author), Franks A (co-first author), Arbour D, Anjur-Dietrich S*, Stuart EA, Ben-Michael E, Feller A (co-senior author), Gemmill A (co-senior author). (2025). US abortion bans and fertility. JAMA. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.28527.
Gemmill A (co-first author), Franks A (co-lead author), Anjur-Dietrich S*, Ozinsky A*, Stuart EA, Ben-Michael E, Feller A (co-senior author), Bell SO (co-senior author). (2025). US abortion bans and infant mortality. JAMA. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.28517.
Bell SO, Moreau C, Sarnak D, Kibira S, Anglewicz P, Gichangi P, McLain AC, Thoma M. (2024). Measuring non-events: Infertility estimation using cross-sectional, population-based data from four countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Human Reproduction. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/deae218.
Bell SO, Larson E, Bittle D, Moreau M, Omoluabi E, OlaOlorun FM, Akilimali P et al. (2024) "Care-seeking for difficulties conceiving in sub-Saharan Africa: findings from population-based surveys in eight geographies." Human Reproduction. deae084.
Bell SO, Stuart E, Gemmill A. (2023). Association between Texas’ 2021 ban on abortion in early pregnancy and changes in live births. JAMA. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.12034
Bell SO, Karp C, PMA Principal Investigators Group, Moreau C, Gemmill A. (2023). “If I use family planning, I may have trouble getting pregnant next time I want to”: A multicountry survey-based exploration of perceived contraceptive induced fertility impairment and its relationship to contraceptive use. Contraception X. doi: 10.1016/j.conx.2023.100093
Bell SO, Berger B, Sufrin C, Dozier J, Burke A. (2023). An Exploratory Study of COVID-19-Related Changes in Abortion Service Availability and Use in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. 1:1. doi.org/10.1363/psrh.12220.
Bell SO, Guiella G, Byrne ME, Bazie F, Onadja Y, Thomas H, Moreau C. (2022). Induced abortion incidence and safety in Burkina Faso in 2020: Results from a population-based survey using direct and social network-based estimation approaches. Plos One. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278168.
Bell SO, Shankar M, OlaOlorun F, Hyacinthe A, Omoluabi E, Guiella G, Ahmed S, Moreau C. (2021). Postabortion Care Facility Readiness and Access in Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire. Health Policy and Planning 36(7): 1077-1089. doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czab068.