Shaquita L Bell, MD of the Odessa Brown Pediatric Clinic for Children in Seattle
dr. Shaquita Bell, Senior Medical Director of Seattle Children’s Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic (OBCC), Awarded 2022 Doctor of the Year by the Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) for her longstanding commitment to the individual and collective health of Indigenous and multiracial children and its impact within her community.
The distinguished award was presented to Dr. Bell at the annual meeting of the AAIP and the National Health Conference, which brings together healthcare professionals, policy makers and community tribal members to discuss the pressing health issues facing American Indians/Alaska Indians across the country.
A dean from the Association of American Indian Physicians was accepted by Dr. Bell’s Seattle Children’s Colleagues
“I am very honored to receive this recognition, especially so early in my career,” said Dr. bell. “Caring for children and their families is an incredibly rewarding job and I am very proud to be a part of it every day at OBCC.”
Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic provides infant, child and teen medical care, dental care, behavioral health care, nutritional support, school care, dermatology services and adolescent medicine – all in one place, regardless of a family’s ability to pay. A part of Seattle Children’s for more than 50 years, OBCC focuses on whole-person care that addresses the root causes of disease, including social, economic, and environmental determinants, and provides regular community education programs and classes.
This year, AAIP, a non-profit organization founded in 1971 with a mission to pursue excellence in Native American healthcare by advancing education in the medical disciplines and honoring traditional medicine principles, celebrated its 50th anniversary and was pleased to announce Dr. Bell was selected as Arts of the Year for her significant contributions to the association, student mentorship, inspiring leadership skills, and continued dedication to the children and families she serves.
dr. The proud daughter of a Cherokee mother and black father, Bell received her medical degree from the University of Minnesota in 2006. She has been with Seattle Children’s since 2006, where she began her journey as a resident until 2009 and completed a pediatric residency at the University of Washington. dr. Bell rose to chief resident and acting acting in 2010 and eventually joined Seattle Children’s faculty and provider in 2011.
dr. Bell’s path to leadership began during his medical training as the National Membership Chair of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), a nationally recognized training program committed to supporting current and future underrepresented minority medical students and addressing the needs of disadvantaged communities through outreach and advocacy. As a resident, she also chaired the Resident Diversity Committee (DCOM) in the Internal Pediatric Residency Program at the University of Washington, a student-led organization proactively working to increase diversity among prospective residents and create educational opportunities to improve care for marginalized populations. .
In early 2022, Dr. Bell appointed as Senior Medical Director of Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic along with Dr. Kenisha Campbell, who was also announced as OBCC’s new Medical Director. dr. Bell is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and was a member of the Committee on Native American Child Health (CONACH).
Seattle Children’s is excited to join the Association of American Indian Physicians and our greater community by recognizing this achievement and Dr. Bell on her outstanding AAIP 2022 Physician of the Year award.