Caroline Jane Bell is a New Zealand psychiatry academic, and is a full professor at the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

, specialising in investigating the psychological impacts of trauma. She led the

Canterbury District Health Board The Canterbury District Health Board (Canterbury DHB or CDHB; ) was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region of New Zealand, north of the Rangitata River. It was responsibl ...

's response to mental health after the Christchurch earthquakes and led a collaboration on the effects of the

Christchurch mosque shootings Two consecutive mass shootings took place in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 15 March 2019. They were committed by a single perpetrator during Friday prayer, first at the Al Noor Mosque in Riccarton, at 1:40p.m. and almost immediately afterwards ...

Academic career

Bell completed a medical degree at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

, a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, followed by a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

at the University of Bristol titled ''Investigation of the role of serotonin in anxiety and panic disorder''. Bell then joined the faculty of the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Otago in Christchurch, rising to associate professor in 2014 and full professor in 2024. Bell's research focuses on the psychological impacts of trauma, and is interested in the different outcomes that result for people after trauma, including distress and resilience, and how outcomes are influenced by factors such as people's culture, spiritual practices and religion. She has studied the effects of the Canterbury earthquakes, the Christchurch mosque attacks of 2019, and the COVID-19 lockdowns. Her research found that the lockdown experience was worse for people with pre-existing mental illness. Bell led the Canterbury District Health Board's response to mental health after the Christchurch earthquakes, and alongside Dr Ruqayya Sulaiman-Hill, she led a large Health Research Council-funded research collaboration between the Universities of Canterbury and Otago, and the Canterbury District Health Board, to investigate the physical and psychological effects of the mosque attacks, and to link survivors with support services. Bell has also investigated group transdiagnostic treatment as a potential more effective treatment for

anxiety Anxiety is an emotion characterised by an unpleasant state of inner wikt:turmoil, turmoil and includes feelings of dread over Anticipation, anticipated events. Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response ...

and depression.

Selected works

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References

External links

How have Canterbury’s earthquakes affected people’s mental health?
Caroline Bell public lecture, 18 June 2015, via YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Caroline New Zealand academics New Zealand women academics Academic staff of the University of Otago Alumni of the University of Bristol Alumni of the University of Oxford Alumni of the University of Cambridge New Zealand psychiatrists Year of birth missing (living people) Living people